The Queen's Name

Hector sat by the only candle light in the room, and watched as the physician packed up his things.

"I could not find anything with her physical body, apart from loss of blood. The loss of blood alone is not able to put her down like this. I believe it is more psychological, than physical."

Hector nodded and escorted him out of her chambers, then came back to take his position again.

Her face was bright under the soft glow of the moonlight from the window right above her, and he watched her. He was supposed to be with Lana. Supposed to be watching over Lana. Not the Queen. But here he was.

He stood and went to her, his hand stretching to her forehead. He hesitated. He had never touched her directly before, and the closest was when he had helped her get on that horse. He remembered the smile he had seen when the wind had slightly knocked off her veil, and he closed his eyes.

He didn't want to remember all the events that had led up here, all the things she said to him. He pressed his palm down on her forehead, feeling her temperature. He then removed it and straightened.

She was not running a temperature, and he decided to let her sleep. That was what she should be doing anyway. He was not supoosed to watch over her while she slept.

"Don't go." She said as he took a step away from her, her rather cold hand holding on to his smallest finger.

He turned around, surprised she was awake.

"Your highness."

She pushed herself to a sitting position, all the while holding on to his hand. She liked the warmth it offered her cold one, and she liked him too. Very much.

"My name...it is Elvira. Queen Elvira."



"The royal physician saw the Queen?" Lord Lucas asked, and the palace maid nodded.

It was obvious from the frantic way she did so, and her eagerness to relay more that she was struggling for acceptance.

"Yes, my Lord. And her handmaiden was with her. He still has not reported back to the servant's quarters, although it's now locked."

Lord Lucas nodded and turned to Adrian, whose thumb nail was lodged between his teeth, his left foot tapping anxiously on the ground. Lord Lucas had gotten wind of his arrest and got him sneaked out of the palace as soon as the sun set. His only son would not spend the night in the palace dungeons.

"How do you intend to report there if it is now locked?" He asked, giving her a weird look.

She smiled and pulled out a heavy bunch of keys from the folds of her cloth. "I am in charge of the keys, my lord."

Lord Lucas gave a simple nod and waved her away, and she turned to his guard who gave her a pouch of silver coins.

She bent and thanked him, before leaving.

"There is certainly something going on between the Queen and her handmaiden. She would never take a knife for anyone, but she did for him, slapped me right on the cheek, look, father."

"You should not have done anything in the first place. You were irrational!" Lord Lucas stood up, and held Adrian by the collar of his inner jacket then pulled him, forcing him to a standing position.

"You want to see all of my dreams for you and this household go to waste? Your mother died in that palace! You do not feel anything in your heart that could drive you to achieving this dream of hers?"

Adrian nodded. "I should be resenting that woman who gave birth to me, father. Till the very end, she was...in the former king's arms. Up until he died. Knowing he had a wife and a daughter and she was only the mistress he would never show to the world."

Lord Lucas suddenly threw him off balance following him immediately as he fell to the floor, and raised a fist to his face.

"You do not dare talk about Isabella like that. No matter what she did, she still birthed you. You owe her that throne! You owe me that throne! Never, ever act in a way that will convince me that you have forgotten this detail."

Lord Kucas let go of his collar, making his head hit the ground, and he picked himself uo and walked away.



"El...Elvira?"

The Queen nodded. Hector was now by her side as he propped up pillows for her to rest on, since she was insisting on sitting.

"You have a beautiful name your highness."

She smiled. "My mother named me after a woman she met on one of her many travels. She loved to explore the wonders of the world, you know. Even though she had a few constraints about being a Queen, father let her go."

He nodded and took his seat back, then realized. He quickly went to the floor, but finding it not quite right too, resorted to just stand.

"You are...becoming quite the king I dreamed of. Please sit." He swallowed, but did not protest, and sat on the seat. The way she looked at him as if she was expecting more made him pull the seat closer, and he smiled shyly. She gave him a smile of her own.

"The woman was pregnant, just like my mother then. My mother had been at the early stages, and that was how she was even allowed to go. She and my mother became really close, so much that when she went into labor and gave birth to her daughter, she named her Leonah. After my mother. That was when my mother took a vow, that she would, also, name her daugher after her. Hence, my name."

Hector nodded. "This is what you intend to ask for the contest?" He asked, but he did not need to know the answer. She was not going to be fair. She was going to favor him.

"Yes, and I have added your name to the list of contestants. I added it myself, Hector. In my own writing. You have all the answers you need. Do not disappoint me."

He kept mute, knowing he would be a liar to promise her anything. He could not promise to go to the contest, or willingly leave Lana for her. Now that she had woken up earlier than he expected, he would have to run while she watched, and hoped that time would bury the guit he was sure he would feel.

"You can go, Hector." She said. "Tomorrow, the preparations will begin. There will be lots of guests as the wedding will take place immediately after. I will not deprive you of sleep."

He stood, bowed and wished her a goodnight, then walked out slowly. He closed the door behind him and leaned on it, all sorts of thoughts filling his head. In the end, one that seemed to prevail over the others left his lips.

"I am sorry."