I do not own anything except for characters that I have made up... Names and people belong to Tamora Pierce. It starts out depressing, but I swear it's not all like that. Comments are greatly appreciated. This is my first fanfic.
Tortallan Royal Palace.
12:59 A.M.
All is well.
1 A.M.
King Jonathan IV of Conte is taken to the Realms of the Dead by the Black God. The Palace sleeps.
5:30 A.M.
Queen Thayet of Conte wakes up in a cold sweat after a nightmare. She is breathing heavily and sweating under her down comforter. She rises, placing her feet on the cold flagstone floor beside the bed. She stands and walks to the window, opens the shutters, and stares out into the cold winter night. She watches the snow fall on the palace and the gardens.
5:45 A.M.
Thayet notices and unusual silence around her. She turns from the window, leaving the shutters open, and feeling uneasy. She walks slowly to the bed and stands beside her husband's body. The king lies still; no breath escapes him. She takes his hand in hers. It is cold as ice. Thayet drops to the floor as her legs give way beneath her.
5:50 A.M.
Alone, Thayet cries on the cold stone floor. Tears stream from her eyes. She wraps her arms around her body and holds on tight as she rocks back and forth, shaking from head to toe. Her world has come crashing down and lays in ruin. The man she loved with all her heart is dead beside her.
6:00 A.M.
A young chambermaid wakes from a restful sleep. As she gets out of bed to begin her day's work, Mae hears a noise in the adjacent room. It sounds like crying, but she thinks she imagines it. No one would be crying at 6 in the morning in the Royal bedchamber. As she crosses the room to the washroom, she hears the noise again. She opens the door adjoining her room to the king and queen's and knocks. No one answers but the cries seem to get louder. She pushes open the door.
6:05 A.M.
Mae enters the Royal bedchamber to find the king alone in bed, the queen nowhere in sight. She gingerly walks around the base of the bed and finds the queen on the floor beside the sleeping king. The queen's face is red and splotchy, and the front of her thin gown in soaked through with tears. Mae looks at the king, wondering why he didn't wake to his wife's cries. The king remains unmoving, dead.
6:10 A.M.
After attempting to comfort the queen, to no avail, Mae leaves the bedchamber at a run. She sprints through the halls of the palace in her bare feet. She races toward the infirmary as fast as her legs can carry her. Entering the waiting room she rushes toward the receptionist and urgently explains her findings. The Chief Royal Healer is summoned.
7:30 A.M.
Chief Healer Warric, after careful examination of the king's body, cannot determine cause of death. Thayet's tears have subsided, but her sorrow still aches through her body. Her stomach is in knots, and her chest is tight. Her eyes burn and her face is speckled red from crying, but she doesn't care. She fears at any moment that her tears will return. Questions now surface in her mind. What happened last night?