Attempt to Run

The ceremony was over, and it was now on the lips of virtually everyone in the kingdom. A servant is contesting for the Queen's hand in marriage. Some lamented about being too scared for their status as ordinary people and not applying, while others thought he was a bit too brazen.

The first round of the contest would commence the next day, and the servants had no time to rest. Queen Elvira was back in her chambers, reading some petitions about a problem in water supply to an outskirts village.

"Your Highness," Hector said, dropping the clothes he had washed and waited out to dry, before carefully folding them and bringing them back to her. "Thank you."

"They are all yours," She said without looking up.

He opened his mouth to say something before she cut him off. "Save your breath, Hector. You will have to yell the colour of my eyes so I can hear you tomorrow. Also," She paused and closed the scroll in front of her, then kept it beside her.

She was dressed in her white evening dress, her hair flowing freely down her back. It didn't matter what she was wearing, she always looked like a Queen.

"What is my name?" She asked, watching him keenly.

"Your highness's name is Queen Elvira." He said and she smiled at him.

"You can go now. Get some sleep."

He doubted he wouldhowever, but he turned away and left her chambers. He remembered just how scared he had been the first time, and how easy it now felt to him. The Queen has been nothing but good to him, but he was sure that the life of a king was not what was written in his destiny.

He walked into the almost empty servants quarters. Most of the servants were still outside preparing for the contest tomorrow, and the ones inside were getting ready to leave too.

Once he entered, a hush fell on the people around, and they started to hurriedly leave. He understood why. The queen had said she had added his name to the list and ordered for it to be announced in front of everyone.

Lana was sitting on his bunk when he got there, and he sat quietly beside her. He had no words to pacify her with, and nothing to redeem himself in front of her.

"You are participating in the contest." She said. It didn't sound like she wanted hin to confirm, so he just kept mute.

She looked at him, her eyes filled with hot teats that stung the back of her eyes. "You are participating in the contest." She said again, standing up.

He stood up with her. "I am sorry, Lana."

"Look at me." She said and he raised his head.

He did not even come eye to eye with her yet when her hand handed on his left cheek, causing his face to swerve violently to the right. Her long nails dug into his cheek, causing blood to erupt from it.

"You are sorry?" She asked, and he nodded, earning himself a slap on the right cheek.

By the time she was done releasing all her pent up anger on realizing her fears had come true, his face was bloodied and swollen, her fingers imprinted into them. He believed she had every right however.

"Let us run, Lana. I do not care about the consequences."

She looked at him. "Why did you agree to the Queen in the first place?"

"Was I supposed to tell her no? She is the Queen, Lana. She has been nothing but good to me. She even told me her name, because that would be the determining question. But I love you. I swear, I do not want to betray you."

Most of her anger was gone by now and she threw herself into his arms, sobbing.

"I do not want to lose you."

"Neither do I." He said. "So let us leave when the night gets darker."

Lana nodded and placed a light peck on his lips, before she left the servants quarters.



"The Queen told the handmaiden her name, and he is planning to run with that kind of knowledge? How impertinent." Adrian said, his hand massaging the sides of his head.

He has been feeling feverish ever since Hector's name was announced as a contestant, and he sort of expected the Queen to do something like this.

The servant, Naomi, who was in charge of the keys nodded.

"Did you inform father?"

"No, my lord."

"Then do not inform him." He threw a pouch of silver coins to the floor and she bent and got it.

"You can go." He told her and she obediently bowed and left.

"I need that information, and I know the bullhead servant will not tell me. Maybe for now...I should just watch how this plays out." He said to himself as he leaned back on his chair.

"Why are you here?" The Queen asked the servant that had delivered grapes to her. She was standing on the balcony. It over looked the city's main gates, and from where she stood, she would see the people coming in or out.

"Your handmaiden Hector asked me to substitute for him."

"Why so?" She asked, her voice raising one octave higher.

"I am not sure, but I did see him leaving with the servant Lana. She had some load with her."

The Queen nodded. "Leave with the grapes, and send Donald in."

Donald came in promptly and bowed. "Lock the city gates. Make sure no one leaves within now and the time it will take for that sand to reach the other cone."

That meant only about ten seconds. Donald bowed and left, and she stayed, watching the city gates. She heard the loud horn blow, and the doors come to a very slow close. They took about twenty people to open or close, so it took some time to close it.

Just before it closed however, she saw two people run to it, stopped by her soldiers. The lights around the gate and the ones the soldiers were holding was bright enough for her to see the mop of brown hair.

"I'll be going to the city gate myself." The Queen said as Donald reported back.

She made her way on a simple carriage she had taken in order to stay hidden as she went to the gates. Hector and Lana were on their knees in front of the soldiers when she got there, and they lowered the carriage.

"Fancy seeing you here, Lana." Hector looked up to the familiar voice. She was wearing a hunting gear, and her face covered by a veil. It was even worse that he could not see her expression through it.

"Your Highness..." Hector said and she turned her attention to him.

"Who did that to you?" She asked as she walked closer. She gave a nod to the soldiers and they forced them both to a standing position. They removed the bounds from their hands and legs, but they surrounded the area.

"I..."

Lana swallowed audibly and the Queen smiled. "Was it an angry spouse's tantrum?"

Lana bowed. "I am sorry Your Highness."

"Raise your head up." The Queen said, and Lana obeyed.

Hector had been looking away, and only heard the sound of the Queen's palm come in contract with Lana's cheek, causing her to fall to the ground hard.

"Your Highness." Hector said in a trembling voice.

"Silence!" The Queen said to him. He was sure she was looking at him right now the way she had looked at Adrian the other day.

"Raise your head up, Lana."

Lana was sobbing, her cheek red and her hand covering it. "Please spare me." She managed to say, before the next slap sent her reeling to the floor again.

The Queen looked at Hector first, then gave a big sigh. "I told you I was risking my dignity as a Queen. Only for you to try to run away like this in the night like a thief? Did you think I would not know?"

Hector bowed his head, averting his eyes.

"Take Lana to the dungeons. She will stay there till the contest is done. As for Hector, respectfully escort him to the palace."

With that, she got into her carriage and left, with the soldiers escorting Hector closely behind, not even letting him say a word to Lana before another set took her away to the palace dungeons.