Chapter Sixteen

By the time they got back from riding, Prince Cyrus was already waiting for the Queen in her parlour. Helena sent away the servants and gave the order not to be disturbed.

"So?" – she asked eagerly after the two maids left the room closing the door behind them.

"You won't be happy." – said her brother-in-law and for a moment he seemed like he actually cared about her. – "Are you sure you want to know?"

The Queen didn't know how to interpret his strange behaviour. She wasn't used to people trying to protect her from the truth. It made her a bit nervous, but she managed to use a scornful tone as she answered:

"What a stupid question! Of course I want to know. Otherwise, I wouldn't have wanted you to find out. I can imagine what you will ask in return…"

"One of the nannies. The blonde one, preferably, but we can discuss this later." – replied Cyrus willingly, then he continued more seriously. – "Paul Whitely. Does this name ring a bell?"

Helena shook her head.

"No. Not really."

Her brother-in-law didn't seem surprised.

"He worked on your father's estate until ten years ago. Then, he bought a small piece of land from his property. It turned out, he didn't choose the best time for making such an investment. Well, what happened to him is pretty similar to what happened to your father. Except, he didn't have a daughter to marry the future King."

The Queen was shocked, she didn't know how to react to that. A variety of confusing thoughts flickered in her mind and she failed to notice that she said some of them out loud:

"So it was my fault…" – she mumbled and she backed away toward the door.

"Hardly. You don't even remember the poor guy, let alone…" – started Cyrus, but his sister-in-law has already fled the room before he could have finished.


Helena wandered around the corridors of the Palace, deep in thought until she found herself in front of the children's playroom. She stopped at the door and watched them sitting on the carpet and playing with each other. Katie was reading a storybook while Robert and the other nannies built a tower from building blocks for the twins to destroy it. The babies enjoyed this activity so much that their brother had to rebuild the tower again and again so they could see it collapsing repeatedly by their own hands. Finally, Katie noticed the Queen's presence and stopped reading. Robert looked at her in surprise and also stopped what he was doing.

"Walk away." – Queen Helena ordered the three nannies without further explanation.

Prince Robert wanted to protest, but it was too late. The three young women hurried out of the room before he could say anything.

"Mommy, you are mean. Katie was in the middle of a story." – he finally remarked.

Helena didn't care much about his complaint and shrugged her shoulders.

"She can finish it later. Aren't you happy to see me?"

"No." – answered Robert firmly and he turned back to his building blocks.

"Why not?" – asked his mother a bit offended.

"You were mean to Katie. And you smell like a horse." – came the honest response from Robert, then he added. – "Are you going to tell a story?"

As a matter of fact, Helena wasn't keen on storytelling, but since the attack it was hard for her to say 'no' to Robert.

"What kind of story do you want?" – she asked resignedly and sat next to him on the floor.

"Tell me about when we were attacked!" – cried her son excitedly.

Queen Helena downcast her eyes and began to twiddle the building blocks between her fingers.

"Robert, I don't need to tell you, you were there. Besides, I don't like talking about it."

"Please!" – pleaded Robert.

It didn't need much for the Queen to give up her resistance.

"Once upon a time in a kingdom..." – she started with a sigh, but almost immediately the little Prince interrupted her.

"… in the Ice Kingdom." – he corrected her.

Helena nodded and continued.

"In the Ice Kingdom, there was an Ice King, an Ice Queen an Ice Prince and two Ice Twins."

"… And a Rachel." – added Robert.

Her mother approved the change and she began to tell the tale:

"One day, the Ice Prince, the Ice Queen and Rachel decided to travel around the kingdom to show the country to the Ice Prince and present him to the people… the snow goblins. The Prince was very excited and the snow goblins were looking forward to meeting him as well. They passed through snow-covered hills and valleys until there was only one mountain to cross before they reached the village of the goblins. The Ice Prince, the Ice Queen and Rachel were about to climb it when… when an ugly beast attacked them."

Robert had some pretty specific ideas regarding the story, so once again he interrupted her mother:

"No." – he protested. – "It was the seven-headed dragon who spat fire on them."

Helena wanted to get over with the story and she didn't appreciate her son's behaviour very much.

"Fine." – she remarked resentfully. – "The seven-headed dragon spat fire on them and the Ice Prince and the Ice Queen melted."

"Nooo!" – cried Robert who didn't like this turn of events. – "They didn't melt, they slayed the dragon with a sword."

"Then what?" – asked Helena giving over the control to her son.

"They escaped and they saved the snow goblins." – said Robert with ease because for him it was the clearest thing in the world. Just to make sure that his mother got it as well, he added: – "And then everybody was happy."

"And then everybody was happy." – repeated the Queen and she was relieved that the story finally ended. However, she suddenly had an idea: – "But the Ice Queen was afraid that other dragons would come after them and asked the snow goblins to hide her and her children. They all stayed in the valley and lived there for the rest of their lives."

Prince Robert frowned.

"What about the Ice King?" – he asked in confusion.

"He must stay in the Palace and rule the kingdom." – Helena answered in mock ease. – "But the Ice Prince can go to see him any time."

Robert shook his head and announced the verdict.

"This is silly. We can't live with the goblins. I want to stay here."

"Of course." – the Queen mumbled and she kissed her son on the top of his head. – "I'm sorry. The next time I let Katie finish her story."


The encounter with the children made it clear to Helena what she had to do. Five minutes later she found herself knocking on Rachel's door. At the moment it opened, she gave the order:

"Give me your car keys."

"My car keys?" – the assistant asked in shock.

"Yes. Not that you need it right now…" – the Queen remarked, looking at Rachel's arm which was still in a cast.

Rachel shrugged and took the requested item out of her pocket.

"I call your security detail." – she said as she handed the keys over to Helena.

The Queen shook her head.

"It's not necessary. Which car is yours?"

"A silver Toyota." – replied her assistant, who already regretted to lend her car so easily to the Queen. – "Where are you going?"

Helena smiled at her.

"Are you worried about me or your car?"

"Both, to be honest." – Rachel remarked and she looked at the Queen with concern.

"It's better if you don't know." – replied Helena and she waved the keys in her hand. – "Thanks, anyway."


Rachel's car was a bigger mess than Robert's room on Boxing Day. There was a leather boot and a glossy black dress piled up on the passenger seat while the back seat was covered with stilettos and different kinds of riding equipment. The Queen didn't give much importance to these things as she started the engine and took the direction to East London. Thirty minutes later she stopped the car in front of a cottage with a large pot of daisies in the front yard. She walked up to the porch and, after a slight hesitation, rang the bell.

Alistair Lacey recoiled as he saw the Queen of England on his doorstep.

"Hellie, what are you doing here?" – he asked and nervously looked around the street.

Helena found out his thought and she replied his unspoken question:

"I'm alone."

Her lover stood aside to let her in while he remarked:

"You shouldn't be. Especially now, after the attack."

"They can't protect me." – answered the Queen with ease.

"Who?" – asked Alistair in confusion as he followed her with his eyes.

Helena went straight to the kitchen as if she lived there and came back with a bottle of scotch and two glasses. She poured a drink for both of them. She quickly downed hers and poured another one. She looked out the window and saw that it was raining outside.

"I love your house. It's very nice." – she remarked as she walked around the living room.

"You picked the furniture…" – remembered Alistair.

The Queen let out a small laugh and she turned back to him.

"So it only reflects my taste and not yours?" – she asked in mock resentment in her voice.

Alistair stepped closer and put his arms around her.

"Your taste is perfect for me." – he said and kissed her. – "I wouldn't change a thing."

Helena pulled away from him so she could look him in the eyes as she spoke:

"I imagine what it would be like if I lived here too… Do you remember that supermarket back home? We always went there shopping before our little picnics. It could be like that. Living together, it would be like that."

"Yes, it could be…" – Alistair agreed with a dissatisfied sigh.

"No, you don't understand." – protested the Queen while she poured another drink. – "It could be, it can be like that, Alistair."

The man next to her frowned in puzzlement.

"Why are you saying that? What is going on with you?"

His lover didn't answer him. She took a sip of her whisky and she just looked at him for a while.

"Can you protect me?" – she finally asked.

"What?" – Alistair cried in shock.

"Answer me! Can you protect me? " – Helena demanded again, more urgently because even if he did not know yet, that was the reason she came to see him.

"Yes." – Alistair mumbled, still trying to follow her train of thought and find out why she became suddenly so upset.

Apparently, Queen Helena didn't hear his answer or wasn't satisfied with it because she repeated her question again:

"Can you protect me and my children?"

"Your children?" – her lover asked back in confusion.

"Yes, the ones you were so eager to meet. – Helena replied scornfully, then she added: – "Now you don't want them anymore, do you?"

Alistair looked at her with concern. She poured another glass of scotch, he lost count of how many drinks she had.

"You are drunk, I don't understand a word you are saying." – he remarked sadly and took the glass away from her.

"You would love them, I know you would." – insisted the Queen with tears in her eyes. – Especially the twins since they…"

Alistair couldn't bear to see her like that and he interrupted her:

"Hellie, please. Why don't you just tell me what is going on?"

Helena winced at the sound of thunder and sank into a chair next to her.

"It all happened because of me." – she whispered and buried her face in her hands. – "The attack, it all happened because of me. I have enemies everywhere."

"They caught the man, he is in prison now. It's over." – Alistair said softly and knelt beside her.

The Queen lowered her hands and let out a nervous sigh.

"No, it's not. I have to tell you something. Do you remember that girl who died on our farm?" – she asked and she took a deep breath. – "That girl was Simon's fiancee and my mother killed her."

Alistair shook his head in disbelief.

"That is not possible. It was an accident, we all saw it."

"It wasn't. She drugged the horse so I would become the Queen." – Helena continued her confession. She stood up and paced the room nervously. – "And now my children are in danger. That is why I have to leave. I will leave the King and I will be with you again. As I should. As I always should have. Do you want that?"

"No." – came the firm answer from him.

Helena stopped and looked at him in surprise.

"No?" – she asked back.

Alistair walked over to her and put his arms tightly around her.

"I love you and I want to be with you more than anything, but not like that." – he whispered as if he was afraid that anyone could hear them. – "I don't want you to come here because you are afraid. I don't want you to choose me out of fear."

The Queen emerged from his embrace and roughly pushed him away.

"You are throwing away your chance for happiness." – she remarked objectively, without any emotion.

"Maybe. But I can't risk that you throw away yours." – answered Alistair with a sigh.

Helena acknowledged his words with a single nod, then she headed for the door. Alistair tried to stop her, but it was too late.

"Hellie, wait. You can't drive like that you drank too much." – he cried, but she was already outside. – "At least wait until the rain stops. Please, let me drive you back to the Palace."

"Wonderful idea! Let everybody see the Queen taken home by her lover. The people would be delighted. Especially the King." – cried back Helena in a sarcastic tone as she got in Rachel's car. – "Good night, Alistair!"


The rain was still pouring and Helena wanted nothing more than to be home already. She left the highway and chose a less busy side road to get to the Palace sooner. There was only one other car on the road behind her which was trying to overtake. It was a bunch of teenagers in there and the Queen didn't want them to recognize her so she sped up. The driver of the other car considered it a challenge and he also switched into higher gear. They were almost side-by-side when they noticed the red light and a pedestrian on the crossing. Helena slammed the brakes and she stopped a few yards away from her. The other car, however, couldn't brake in time and hit the woman.

The Queen heard their screams and watched as they drove off in panic without even looking at their victim. Helena quickly got out of the car and ran to the lying woman. She called an ambulance and stayed with her until the paramedics arrived.

When she finally got home, it was already late. Helena was relieved to think that her little outing remained a secret, but the next morning she was given a rather unexpected welcome.