"Your highness!"
The soft sound roused her from her troubling thoughts as a small shudder passed through her body.A single tear left the corner of her eyes creating a salty track as it crossed her left cheek, before dropping on her hands that were curled around each other.
She could hear the nervousness in the steps behind her as their owner made its way toward her. As god was her witness, she tried with every ounce of strength left in her to regain her composure but limited well was already finished.
She failed.
She was unable to do nothing as one after the another more tears left her eyes following the first one in its closed her eyes as she felt a warmth of a body next to her.
"My Lady, Lord Jasper is here with the news. The King lives!"
The breath, which she wasn't even aware of she was holding, left her body like a prayer of thanks to heaven.
The King was alive.
Her eyes opened as the rustling of clothes indicating that the person has moved and she opened her eyes to find her maid kneeling before her , the skirts of her dress creating spreading around her like pool of water.
"Bella"
"The King lives, my lady! The king lives. His highness would reach the kingdom today's eve with victory."
Her First thought was to rejoice at the news of meeting her husband after one months, followed by the anger at the King for his choice to travel so soon after his recovery.
"It is the time for celebrations, My Lady. I urge you to wipe your tears and allow me to dress you in your most lavish gown for the welcome the King, Queen Katrina."
The Queen, averted her eyes and made haste to get up from her bed but the heaviness of thoughts felt her thousands of ton of weight upon her. Her body sagged as the despair enveloped her.
The king has won the war securing the security of the kingdom but she, as the queen, had been a failure in providing the future of her kingdom.
She had failed in providing the heir.
Ten years. One hundred and twelve months. Every month like the clockwork, her courses had been upon her, proving again and again that she had failed her biggest duty as the queen.
King, bless his heart, had never blamed or cursed her in her inability to provide him with his heir but she had still heard the horrid whispers in the court.
She was a failure.