"Kat," Christine did not want to discuss anything right now. "Show everyone their rooms and we will meet at eleven thirty to converse, understood?"
"Yes Majesty." The woman nodded towards the others. "Follow me." The men all moved to the inside of the great white palace, but Kat stopped and turned to her queen. "It is very good to have you back Christine."
"Thank you, Kat." She smiled as they all stepped in. The group of men with Kat went one way, while Christine and Erik began to go another.
Everything was very dark. None of the torches that hung on the wall were lit, only the moon's quiet light made it possible to see. The palace itself was bare, it was not elaborate in anyway. There were not any paintings on the wall, or any decorations at all and nothing that could compare to the beautiful exterior. The walls were simply stones.
"We sold all of our precious artifacts." Christine noticed Erik looking around at the bareness of everything.
"You had to." He noted softly.
"Once," She sighed. "Liren was known for its art, its culture, now we are struggling to live because of the mistake of two people."
"It will be great again." Erik nodded. "You even said there was progress in the streets."
"A few less dead bones." They stopped at a door and she turned to him before she opened it. "This is our room." She opened it.
Indeed, it was visibly plain, but it was beautiful. Erik could only imagine what it looked like at in its prime. Flecks of golden decoration hinted on the walls. The curtains, although little ragged were made out of fine fabric. There was a fireplace with two chairs facing it, a small table in the middle. The bed was a deep blue that matched perfectly with the room.
They dropped their bags on the chairs and Christine flopped down onto the bed. Erik just smiled down at her, for one she actually looked somewhat peaceful, her eyes closed and a faint smile on her lips.
"You're happy." He stated quietly.
"For the moment." She sighed and pushed herself up to a sitting position. "Tonight begins the real work and I, for one, am very exhausted from our journey."
"Lady Kat is waiting for you." He found it very odd that the woman that greeted them did not refer to his wife to her title.
"She is always waiting for me." A fond memory came to her. "Why not make her wait a little longer?"
"Christine…"
"I know." She sighed. "We can wait. We can always wait."
"Christine you do no know how good it is to finally see you," Kat hugged her queen and released her and curtsied to Erik. "And of course, His Majesty."
"I was not excepting all of you." Christine looked around at her most trusted advisors, six in all including Kat were there and one was missing. "Jane is missing."
"That is what we must speak to you about." Daniel stood up; his blond hair scraped the tips of his eyes. "Jane is missing and has been for three days."
"Three days?" She asked, hoping it was a cruel trick.
"Our reports state that she was taken." Jake spoke dark reddish hair with warm brown eyes, and a kept, short beard to match.
"By whom?"
"Plantne." Kat answered. "We do not know exactly where she is, but she could be with the troops that are coming towards us now."
"Luckily she did not have any plans with her or any letters." A young woman by the name of Beatrice spoke.
"Then what was she doing out?" Christine asked.
"She was going to search for you to warn you of the spy traveling with you." Kat nodded. "Luckily it seems that you caught him."
"Indeed." She rubbed her temples. "Is there any other news?" Silence descended upon them and Christine's head shot up to look at them. "What news is there?"
"We have not received word from Borswan's troops." Jake threw a glance towards Erik's dark figure standing off to the side in the shadows.
"Of course you haven't." Christine huffed. "Their King was not here yet. The only people that Borswan trust are themselves and even then the trust is loose."
"But will they be coming?" Daniel fiercely questioned.
"Yes." Erik's voice shot through the small meeting room, and everyone eyed their strange, new king.
"There is your answer my friends." Christine stood from her seat. "I call this meeting to an end; it has gone on far enough. Tomorrow we shall meet at one, right after lunch."
They all nodded in agreement and removed themselves from the room. Erik watched silently as the last person piled out and shut the door Christine sat back down in her seat. She placed her head in her hands and her shoulders began to shake. He slowly went over to her and came down to her same height. His hands gently turned her around to face him.
Her eyes were slightly red and circles were beginning to form under her eyes. She looked utterly exhausted and depressed. A sigh escaped her as more tears rolled down her cheeks. Erik brushed his hand along her cheek. Leaning into it, she caught her hand with his and they stayed like that for a while, just letting the moment stay there in silence and memories.
"My people will die because of me." She was trying desperately to hold in the tears and he just listened. "I killed Jane."
"You did not kill her." His head shook and stood, watching her. "They are loyal to you."
"I should have killed Borgia." Her tears rolled swiftly upon his hand. "When I walked in the doors I could see the men and women lying there, on the floor bleeding, and their blood filled the air. It could be that again." She closed her eyes, for a moment's peace. "How? How did I ever let it come to this?"
"You had no choice."
"But I did! Look at this!" Christine suddenly stood and began to walk around the room, which Erik began to notice that it was a very large room with a table in the middle, but strangely enough, there was enough seating for more than a hundred people. Seats were all around there with stairs leading up to a row of seats. He saw columns line the outside and he assumed that more people could sit there.
"This!" Christine snapped him from his thoughts. "Was the Delegates! We planned everything here, passed laws, and the people would come and sit there," She pointed to where the columns were. "They would listen and if one was brave enough challenge us! Now, what is it? Seven people meeting together and deciding if the country if even going to survive!
"Seven!" Her eyes flashed. "This place once filled eighty people! Eighty! And now I am afraid to even choose others from my country because they may betray everything we worked so hard to build again! Why!" She sat down on the cold stone ground and whispered, "Why?"
Without any explanation, Erik went to her and bent down to pick her up. She was not asking about herself or him or Plantne or Borgia, she was asking of her people. Why did she care for them? She wanted to know why she cared. Erik knew why and he loved her all the more for it. He held his sobbing wife in his arms and whispered to her,
"Because you have a heart."
WOW! I'm actually updating on time again! I really hope that you guys like! Please review!
EV
