Chapter 84 The Decisions of Women
The bedroom of Frieder.
Olivia observed her secret court. She needed to speak with her count of arms and the priests. She did not want to use her friends as servants, but she had no other choice. She spoke in a friendly voice and with a false sense of confidence.
Olivia: Gunther, please find High Priest Danilo and bring him to my chambers. Yegor, can you do the same with the count? Does anyone know where High Priest Emiliano is?
Kerstin: I know where he lives. I have taken him food a couple of times.
Olivia hesitated: Kerstin... I do not want to...
Kerstin: Queen, I am a servant in the royal castle, and I am part of your court of bastards. I can be of service. I do not want to be a useless woman.
Olivia: Of course. You are right. Lupita and Marco, come with me to my chambers. Frieder, get well soon. That is an order from the queen.
She exchanged smiles with the boys and hugs with the girls. She left the bedroom and looked for her guards. The five young friends followed her into the corridor.
Olivia: Raúl, I need six guards to escort these servants. They are important people to me. Two for each page and the maid. The three of us will return to my chambers with you and Mateo.
Mateo took a few steps, snapped his fingers, and pointed to six armed men. They positioned themselves in front of the queen and awaited her orders.
Olivia: Kerstin, choose your guards and the boys can choose from the rest.
The young maid: This man has a very kind sister in the kitchens. I choose him and a man he trusts.
After a few minutes, the four groups headed in different directions. Kerstin felt afraid at times. But she needed to do more than just hide in a room. She understood that the guards were there only because of her. The queen had used six of them to conceal her true intentions. The queen was the opposite of her father. Kerstin hoped she would succeed. The women and girls of the castle did not need another man like the monstrous king.
The royal chambers.
Around the table sat two priests, the count, and the queen. Lupita and Marco were seated on a bench at the side of the room. The two pages and the young maid stood ready to serve the nobles.
Olivia: Wine for everyone, please. Mine should be very mild.
Kerstin moved quickly and silently. She mixed wine and water in the four cups and served them. Danilo looked at her and wondered how a girl like her had managed to survive the past few days.
Esteban: Thank you. My queen, more guards will arrive in the morning. I do not know if they will be enough.
Emiliano: The captain of the Blue Knights received his summons to appear before the royal court tomorrow. I delivered it to him myself.
Danilo: Now we only have one Pegasus. The other three will return tomorrow, I think. If possible, we will try to unite Chara with Little Feather again.
Olivia: How many servants have served in the army before?
Esteban: Some of them, I do not know to be sure.
The queen: I have spoken with six servants, and I have already counted twelve war veterans and almost twenty with military experience.
Esteban: Does Your Majesty wish for the servants to be armed?
Olivia: Yes. Loyal servants and pages who are twelve years old or older can serve as militia for the queen. They can volunteer and receive payment for their service.
Danilo: Twelve years old is a very young age for a soldier.
Olivia: And fifteen years old is a very young age for a queen. Please tell the servants that Queen Olivia requests their loyalty.
Emiliano: We can use the banquet hall that is nearby to gather them together. The queen must accept their oaths before the royal court. We can do it before the meeting tomorrow morning.
Danilo: We will fulfill your wish, my queen.
The room of Melina and her daughters.
Juana was on her knees. Her sister was beside her, in the same position. The Herald was standing in front of them, his penis exposed before their mouths. She was paralyzed with fear. Her mouth was filled with a bitter taste, like the first time the man had ejaculated in her mouth. She watched him grab the head of her younger sister and cried as he forced his penis into the mouth of the poor girl.
She thought of dagger of Arturo and how the boy had saved a woman who was dismissive of his own trauma from oral rape. Slowly, she lowered her gaze to her hand and observed the dagger she held there.
Someone was shouting at her: Kill him! Save your sister, kill him!
She raised her hand holding the dagger and looked at his bulging stomach. She drew her hand back to stab him.
Alicia: Juana. Juana. Wake up, please. You are safe.
Juana opened her eyes and looked at the frightened face of her sister. She was crying, and her heart was pounding in her chest.
Alicia: It was a nightmare, Juanita. You are safe.
Juana: Where is Mama?
The elder sister stood quickly and they looked around the bedroom, but their mother was not there. They saw the young page looking at them fearfully. Juana looked at the door. The bolt was not in place. Her mother had gone out during the night. She then looked at the table and the cloth her mother had used to clean the dagger. The dagger was gone.
Juana: Grab your things. We are going to go find my Pedro. I am afraid Mama is doing something insane.
The quarters of the servants.
Melina walked down the narrow corridors to the kitchens. She prepared the sleeping draught for Guillermo, as she had done many times before. She carried the tray with the remedy and a folded napkin covering the dagger. She waited in a shaded corner where the page could not see her. When the soft bells of the tower struck twelve, the page left and another took his place.
The woman approached the young man and smiled: Page, I am sorry, but I forgot to bring some pieces of bread for the Herald. He needs them to go with this drink. Please, run to the kitchen and bring me a few.
The page was new and tired. He looked at the banner of the herald on her dress and the silver coin in her hand. He took the coin and ran off without saying a word. Melina entered through the door silently. She placed the tray on the table gently. She could hear the sounds of the sleeping man. She closed the door latch without making a sound.
When the paje returned with a napkin full of bread, he stopped in front of the door. In the dim candlelight, he could see the blood slowly spreading across the floor beneath the door. The boy dropped the bread and screamed.