The Unfortunate, стр. 26
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Marlisa continued to think of her memories as she maneuvered the streets of the lower ward, doing her best to remain in the shadows. Despite the years that had passed, the recollections were still vivid. She had thought of them as only reminders, but that had been altered by her most recent visions. She now knew the truth. Beadurof had not taken their cursed child’s life, and the queen was being warned about her husband’s faults. There were only two questions that had yet to be answered. Why now over twenty years later? And what does the warning entail?
“Halt!”
The voice caused the queen’s unpleasant memories to cease and slink back into the abyss of her mind.
“Show yourself!”
Marlisa emerged from the cover of shade, but she did not lower her hood. She was the queen. She was not obliged to obey.
“Did you not hear me?” the guard added and drew his sword. “Show yourself!”
Still, she did not comply, and the queen smiled to herself as she listened to the approaching footsteps.
“King Beadurof will hear of your insolence,” the guard warned. “And he will—”
“My husband will do nothing,” Marlisa raised her head and corrected.
The guard fumbled with his sword as he hurried to re-sheath it. “A—apologies, Your Majesty. I—I did not realize …” Rather than continuing to fumble with his words, the man remained silent.
“There is no need to fret about a misunderstanding,” she assured. “I wanted to walk and clear my mind is all.”
“You should not be alone at this late an hour. Do you require an escort?”
No! I cannot be followed! She could never reveal the true reason she was roaming the streets after dark and why she was doing so alone. “Do not trouble yourself. I am in no danger,” Marlisa answered instead with a smile. She had hoped her response had been enough to pacify, but the man persisted.
“But if—”
“Nothing will occur, but I am grateful for your concern.”
The guard nodded.
Whether he had finally accepted the queen’s answers or whether he deemed it better not to challenge authority was unknown. Perhaps it had been some of both, but the queen wanted to believe it had been because of one rather than the other. Marlisa chuckled to herself before adding, “Return to your watch, but do not report that you have seen me. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Once the guard had gone, Marlisa retreated to the shadows once more, but it was not until she was well past the castle’s walls that she felt less anxious. She was aware that unless there was an unusual disruption or an uprising, there would be few to no guards in the city. Even if there were, they would be occupied by drink and whores. She had no reason for concern, or so she believed.
After ensuring no one else was present, the queen hurried across the city’s center, turned onto a side street, and approached the door of a small residence. She again checked that she was by herself before making her presence known.
Several moments passed before a man answered. Although he had initially expressed confusion, his features quickly morphed to surprise and happiness. “Marlisa!” he exclaimed in a loud whisper. “Please come in.” The man waited until the door had been closed before pulling the queen into an embrace and kissing her cheek before adding, “I was not expecting you to visit, especially at this late hour.”
“I am sorry to bother you without notice, Deogol,” she answered. “But I needed to speak with another, and you have always been a friend—always been there to support me, ever since we were youths.”
The man nodded and motioned Marlisa to continue.
“I could not go to Beadurof, and Banan need not be involved.”
“How is Banan?”
“He is second-in-command of the army, which you already knew, but I feel he may soon have an opportunity to ultimately prove his worth. To see him train would make you extremely proud.”
The queen recalled how it had been Deogol who, having once been a sworn shield in service to her husband, had assisted with Banan’s training and who had taught him the art of swordsmanship. The thoughts conjured memories of happier times, before Deogol’s unjust dismissal, and she smiled before concluding, “The skills you showed him when he was still a boy have remained with him and have only improved.”
The man chuckled. “That is indeed pleasant news, but did you imply something is troubling you?”
“Yes,” Marlisa answered. “It concerns news about my husband which I have recently discovered.”
Deogol’s smile quickly morphed into a frown. “News? About the king?”
“Yes, it is a secret I believe he has been keeping from me for nearly two decades.”
CHAPTER NINE
BANAN
As Banan sat and watched his father pace forth and back, a mixture of uncertainty, anticipation, and nervousness raced through his mind and overwhelmed all other thoughts—uncertainty about why he had been summoned, anticipation to understand the reason, and nervousness about what truth would be discovered. He shifted position as he continued to wait for his father to speak, to offer even the slightest explanation. Even though there was nothing better he could be doing, given that he had not planned anything for the day, Banan could think of several places he would rather be and numerous other ways to occupy his time rather than continue with the prolonged silence that was becoming unnerving. Unconsciously he had begun daydreaming, but his attention was altered when his father at last spoke.
“My father, King Nechtan, first monarch of unified Armania and namesake of our royal lineage, was a remarkable man.” He paused briefly as he circled the far end of the central, mahogany table supported by richly carved semblances of mythical creatures. The table of legends. That is what the prince’s father called it. A symbol of legendary status.
But he never saw it as anything but an extravagantly, carved chunk of wood. Once he was king, it would be the