The Reluctant Queen

Chapter 4

The King’s welcome was grand indeed. Circus folk hung in the air, statuesque, while others walked around the room with colourful snakes around their necks as they served hors d'oeuvres and others breathed out fire like fantastical beasts. Prince Wilhelm neither welcomed the distraction or cared for it. It didn't matter. The ten royal guards, in all black and silver cloaks matching the colours of the Crown Prince’s attire at official events, that Wilhelm had brought with him were his father's way of saying I have my eye on you. It also worked as a perfect reminder that he wasn’t there of his own volition. The only person Wilhelm trusted and kept at his side was Adolf.

Women had already seized him up and his disinterest had somehow gathered more of their attention. Through Adolf, Wilhelm received invitations to secret locations where he could only imagine what he would find. Even the King encouraged it. But after two weeks of merely existing at the palace, the King had come to understand that Wilhelm was not interested in women as he was, which in turn made him like Wilhelm more for his sister.

As they say, do as I say and not as I do. When it came to Giselle Marie, the King was not willing to compromise her happiness, although he was prepared to look past some minor indiscretions. After all, all men had a few hiccups before getting married.

Prince Lucien, slow to speak and of gentle mannerisms, walked over and Adolf took a step back from Wilhelm.

"You are not a fan? Once can be taken as you are not in the mood but a second time, one will assume that you have never liked it. My brother can hardly use you as his reason for the festivities."

Wilhelm laughed. He was Crown Prince and to explain that he did not remember how to act in front of polite society, it would have taken all night and would require him to touch on subjects that would have him murdered if uttered in front of one of Marie’s brothers.The past two years Wilhelm spent his time with low borns than his own peers. "He hardly seems like a man who needs a reason."

"My sister would be proud."

"Mhmm," Wilhelm uttered thoughtfully. In the last two weeks that he has been in the palace, Wilhelm heard of the Princess only in whispers. And if any of the rumours were to be believed, she spent her time with unsavoury characters and is a bible thumping lunatic. On both accounts, Wilhelm struggled to believe such things. The Princess was no more lunatic than he was a scoundrel. Polite society cried out seven deadly sins if one dared deviate from the norm. Wilhelm could see how a woman not in love with the revelry in the palace could be seen as a lunatic. Being different came with a cost that most weren’t willing to pay and Wilhelm still didn’t know what it would cost him. In that, they were the same. They would both pay the price for daring to be different. "Have I met the Princess?"

"I don't believe so," Prince Lucien said, bringing a hand to cover the bridge of his nose. A sign of embarrassment. "My sister does not usually like common company."

"Is this what you call common?" Wilhelm asked, assessing the room. He didn’t blame the Princess for shying away from such revelry. He hadn’t known the King long but Wilhelm sensed that when it came to exuberance, the man knew no bounds.

"By her standards."

Wilhelm sensed the man’s attempts to not tanish his sister’s reputation before him. On the contrary, Wilhelm knew what it felt like to be hounded and wanting nothing more than being left alone. That was one thing that she had that he could never get."She... is very dedicated."

Wilhelm looked across the room where the King danced with a woman in one hand and a bottle in another. "What does she like?"

"If my sister were to have a vice, it would be anything related to learning and charity. She does not believe in selfish acts of entertainment."

"That sounds like a difficult woman to please,” Wilhelm said, observing the room. It would have been easier if her affection could be bought or exchanged.

"The worst and perhaps also the best of us. We, as her brothers, cannot live up to her standards," Lucien said. "Have you been to the library yet?"

"We go there tomorrow hence why I will try to keep my wits about me."

"Enjoy yourself and if you need anything, do ask,” Lucien added, giving Wilhelm a polite nod. Wilhelm sensed that the Prince was not someone who would say something he didn't mean. Unfortunately, what Wilhelm wanted was Lucien’s sister and somehow he knew he wouldn’t get her willingly.

Wilhelm smiled politely as the Prince retreated. His gaze fell on the women lining the walls, staring him down like vultures. Each one, hidden by her fan, watching and waiting for her moment to strike. Wilhelm trembled. This was the reason he had run away from polite society. Every mother and their daughter were particularly concerned with his well-being after his mother’s passing, that the little time that he had to himself, they stole away. Every man who had a sister suddenly wanted to keep Wilhelm company and somehow their sister would come along too. He had almost forgotten what it meant to be the object of husband chasers.

"Do they have this so-called sister hidden away?" Adolf asked, when he returned to Wilhelm's side. They had both been waiting for her appearance. It was their only way home and while cruel, it was clear as a sunny day what Wilhelm had to do. If she wanted a cathedral, he would build her one. It would serve the same purpose as a monastery. But he had to marry her, so he could live.

"She's harder to see than a prisoner."

"Perhaps that's a good idea. People say the King is fond of his sister, he would not forgive you if you broke her heart."

"He would not forgive my father," Wilhelm uttered, holding a wine glass to his lips. He had never been a cruel man but being his father's son, he knew that he was quite capable of it. Through his journey, Wilhelm quickly realised that it was his brothers who would suffer if he didn't return. Not once did Agatha and their child leave his mind. Wilhelm only hoped that his father did not care whether Agatha lived or died. From his father, he would take indifference any day over vested interest. Subjecting the Princess to seduction was evil but it was not worse than what the other people who relied on Wilhelm would experience, if he didn’t go home. "You know him as well as I do, he will harm the people I care about if I don't do what he wants."

"It seems her brother wants you married otherwise he would not be so welcoming."

"I will not mistreat her, at least there's that."

"You have to find her first."

"That's your job."

Adolf snorted. "Maybe I'll get the royal guards to participate. In this, you and your father see eye to eye."

"Wilhelm!" The King stumbled towards him. He reeked of alcohol from head to toe. "That church wants to trick my sister and use her against me. You must use your charms for good and get us all out of this mess. If you wash my hand, I'll wash yours. I received a letter from your father about your situation and you would be helping us both."

Wilhelm let out an uncomfortable laugh. He liked being controlled as much as the next man. Stupidly, Wilhelm had hoped that his father’s control over his life would diminish with the distance between them. Wishful thinking.

The man was drunk like a skunk. Did he know what he was saying? Wilhelm only wondered why his father was clinging on to this union. The King was a clown in regalia. Perhaps that was what made him so dangerous. Power in the hands of fools could only result in chaos. Yet Wilhelm didn’t think his father was afraid of this King.

"Your Majesty, come dance with us," a group of women came rushing to the King and pulled him away by the arms. Adolf and Wilhelm looked at each other and said nothing.

"Your Highness, why don't you dance with me?" The Queen’s sister asked. For a moment, he stared at her brunette locks, ridiculously braided upward into a crown. Her hand clasped his, dragging Wilhelm towards the dance floor. There was no saying no. Wilhelm had no desire to be surrounded by drunk people. If he was going to best his father at his game, there was no time for drinking. To win, Wilhelm had to be several moves ahead of his father but he also knew that he had to play a part for the man helping him.

"How could I refuse," Wilhelm asked with a disarming smile.

Wilhelm was a devastating charmer. To blend in and learn the lay of the land, Wilhelm danced with every woman there from young to old. His conversation was polite and funny, if at all he had to speak. The women never stopped talking around him and Wilhelm knew just what to say to maintain the conversation. Like his father taught him, Wilhelm said little of himself and just enough to make the other person keep talking of themselves. By the end of the night, he knew all the current occupants in the palace, their impending relationships although each woman somehow also made themselves available to him, where to find the best tailors and also to be mindful of the rebel problems outside of the city.

Wilhelm dissected the evening as he stood along the balcony, looking down at the gardens. “Do you think that little bird was a spy?”

“Your Highness?” Adolf frowned. “Why should anyone spy on you?”

“I am bored, it would give me someone to exercise my brain against.” Wilhelm turned around, pressing his back against the wall. He looked across the corridor into the open door of his apartment. It may have been well dressed, but he was in a cage with no foreseeable end to his entrapment. “I am trying to understand why my father wants this union. I want to know more about the rebels.”

“Why?” Adolf asked through his teeth. “Do not cause trouble.”

“Call it curiosity then.”

“No matter what you call it, I know that look in your eyes.”

“Ah, you’re clairvoyant? You’re wasted as my bodyguard,” Wilhelm retorted. He casually crossed his arms behind his back and made his way inside.

~~~

Since Wilhelm’s arrival, he had been confined to the palace and the neighbouring streets. Now that he had ventured out, he rode through derelict roads filled with buildings that were either burnt down or their walls shattered and barely standing. Clothes hung from lines outside and fires burnt in chimneys, it was nothing like Wilhelm had ever seen. It was not that his kingdom did not have people with low means, but there was order in everything. His father would never allow disorder.

Women stood outside of their homes, clutching their children against their torsos as though he would attack them. Wilhelm had never felt so unwanted, as though he was intruding on sacred ground. As Crown Prince, most doors were open to him. Wilhelm said nothing until he had ridden past the fallen homes and into the wild land.

The land was vast and beautiful. Wilhelm enjoyed the silence and the wind rushing through his hair and down his coattails. He charged his horse forward and for a moment allowed his mind to forget about everything. Seeing the sun through the gaps in the trees, Wilhelm felt free. The irony was that in the darkest places was where he was most whole. Wilhelm moved his horse through a road that long seemed untraveled, covered in tall grass and overgrown branches. No other sound could be heard than the birds above singing away. The tree lining faded little by little as the horizon opened up to reveal gobsmacking beautiful deep green waters. Wilhelm brought his horse to a gentle slow pace, before coming to a complete stop. He jumped down to his feet and started walking.

“What are you doing, Your Highness?”

“What does it look like?” Wilhelm asked, looking over his shoulder. “Walking.”

Adolf groaned. “It would not be wise. You heard what they said about these lands being infected by rebels.”

“They are not some incurable disease. I should hope that the eleven of you are good for more than just reporting my comings and goings to my father.”

“I hope you trip on a rock and fall down that hill,” Adolf muttered under his breath.

The rest of the royal guards followed a step behind their Prince, hidden by thick foliage. With their hands on their swords, not knowing where the danger would come from, they followed Wilhelm down the steep terrain. The uneven ground was just as dangerous as an enemy sneaking up on them. It was a relief when the water was a few steps away. From down below, the path which they had come from was hidden away behind shrubs and wild grass. A horizon of green under the blue sky— it was a sight to behold.

“If you have a death wish, Your Highness, I will gladly serve you.” Adolf said when he reached Wilhelm’s side. “The King will have my head if anything happens to you, I may as well choose my own destiny.”

Wilhelm rolled his eyes. “Doesn’t this remind you of the glade in my mother’s hometown?”

Adolf stared into the distance, taking in the sight. Moments earlier he was too preoccupied with Wilhelm’s safety that he hadn’t fully appreciated the beauty of their surroundings. “I suppose you are right.”

“I didn’t expect this delightful distraction when we left the palace. Now, we may return before your blood vessels rupture from undue stress.”

Adolf placed a hand on his chest and cooed. “You are most kind, Your Highness.”

Wilhelm rolled his eyes. As he turned his head to appreciate the view one last time, he took in the man and woman not too far from them, hidden by the shrubs.

Wilhelm smirked. “What a place for a rendezvous!”

“I don’t think that’s the nature of their relationship,”Adolf added, thoughtfully. “They are both holding weapons. We should leave.”

Wilhelm looked more closely. The man was in dark brown clothing, pants and a leather jacket. The woman was wearing a modest pastel dress with a matching scarf that kept everything shoulders upward from view. Something about her was familiar but Wilhelm failed to place her. Wilhelm stepped between the shrubs, getting closer to them without being seen.

“Your Highness, we need to leave.”

“When did you become such a coward,” Wilhelm whispered back. “She might need help.”

“And it is not any of our business.”

Wilhelm ignored him and got closer. Wilhelm was so close that he could see her fair skin as white as porcelain and the grime on the tips of man’s fingers. Hidden by the man’s back, Wilhelm could only make out her silhouette and nothing more. Adolf huffed beside Wilhelm but he didn’t say a word, afraid to alert them of their presence.

“If you have given up our location, you will be hanged for treason with us,” the man spat vehemently.

“Do not assume I came because of any loyalty to you,” the woman bit back, just as angrily and somehow much more frightening than man had been. “Stay and die, that is your choice. At least give the others a choice just as I have given to you.”

“You should have died with your parents.” The man launched at her with his sword. Wilhelm gasped and reached for his own sword. To his surprise, she blocked his attack, moving back with every hit. She didn’t seem like an expert with the sword but she blocked the man’s attempts of brute force with unyielding determination. Somehow if she attacked, Wilhelm thought that she would win. But she never did attack.

Wilhelm yawned loudly, coming out of hiding. The royal guards stood behind him with their hands on their swords. “I have been so bored since my arrival. Who knew, I would be blessed with a glorious view and a sparring match. You wouldn’t mind, would you?

“What is this?” The man spat, looking between Wilhelm and the woman. “You tricked me!”

“He is not with me,” she said, tightening her scarf. Not once did she look at Wilhelm. “Remember what I said.”

At that, she turned and walked into the shrubs. A second later, she was atop a white mare and riding off.

“Not even a thank you,” Wilhelm said with amusement.

“Who are you?” the man asked.

“You grab my attention and yet you don’t know who I am or are we pretending not to know?” Wilhelm curled his mouth upward in thought. “Although, I have never had a man do that before. I can’t say it’s too late to start. You will be most memorable. What is it you want? My handkerchief?”

The man narrowed his eyes, wondering what to do. Whether he knew who Wilhelm was or not, it was unclear. Wilhelm pulled his handkerchief from his breast pocket. “Here you go, it should still smell like me.”

“You are the Crown Prince.”

Wilhelm grinned. “So you do know me! What gave me away? Is it my looks? An awful cross to bear.”

The man was not amused. “The crown on your head.”

“This old thing,” Wilhelm said, briefly tapping at his circlet. “I really was trying to blend in. Tomorrow I will have to remember to leave it at home.”

The man turned away and started towards the trees without another word. Wilhelm scowled, returning the handkerchief back into place. “Was it something I said?”

Adolf merely shook his head. “Should we go after him?”

“Why?” He shrugged. “The woman is long gone. I don’t think he poses any danger to her.”

“He drew his weapon on you.”

“On the contrary, his weapon was already drawn.” Wilhelm sighed. “All that talking has made me hungry.”

Adolf reluctantly followed behind Wilhelm. “Please refrain from placing your life in danger unnecessarily.”

“I will try but I am not making any promises.”