So why now?
Who wants to overthrow me? It could be anyone.
The palace is quiet, and the fact that my three ladies-in-waiting are not in tow does not go unnoticed by my court. However, no one says a word.
I enter my chambers and quickly bathe and dress. As I peer at myself in the mirror, I no longer see the young woman who wished to change her beloved Northumbria. I was determined and believed that people were good.
Now, all I see are the eyes of a woman scorned.
I brush my long brown hair, wishing I could cut it off. I did that once and never felt freer. Placing the gold crown onto my head, I sigh, feeling like nothing but a fraud for what I must do.
A knock on my door announces the time has come.
I am wearing my best dress, made of blue silk and embroidered with yellow flowers. I slip into my role of queen. Beneath my dress, I wear my Mjolnir, needing the strength of the gods now more than ever. Even though they are not my gods, they are to my sons, and my God seems to have taken a sabbatical.
So I will pray to whoever listens.
Lord Louis is at my door, his eyes filled with nothing but concern. He does not like this plan, but he knows this is the only way.
“I shall escort you, my Queen. Your ladies-in-waiting are tending to your property in York with your sons, are they not?”
I would not survive this without Lord Louis. He’s never let me down. He knows who I am and what I have done, yet he still vows to protect this kingdom and me with his life.
“Yes, that is correct, my lord. I believe there is much to organize come spring.”
The guards at my door don’t stir, and it seems our ruse has been accepted as fact.
They march in front of me, Lord Louis standing close by, ready to strike at the first sign of trouble. I enter my chancery and sit behind the large oak table. Everything I need is here—parchment, ink, and my royal seal, as I have no doubt Lord Gunter will want my agreement in writing.
I know what it means for me to back out. But I will do anything to save my children, and if that means marrying the gnat from East Frankia, then so be it.
Lord Gunter enters with my ealdormen, and it’s apparent by Lord Gunter’s smile that he believes he has won. “How fare ye?”
“Let us be frank, Lord. I have thought over the prince’s offer, and I—” But the words suddenly get caught in my throat because once I say them, I cannot take them back.
I do not want to be chattel once more. I fought so hard, but here I am, once again being used as collateral for political gain.
Lord Louis stands close. I know I would only have to say the word, and he would happily take the heads of those who wrong me. But I think of my children and know what I must do.
“And I accept.”
And just like that, I have condemned my kingdom; the kingdom I worked so hard to change.
Lord Gunter mulls over my comment, his dark mustache twitching as he purses those fat lips. “I did not hear you, my Queen. The echo of the breeze drowned out your words.”
I grip the wooden arms of my chair, wishing it were Lord Gunter’s neck I could squeeze. He heard me. He just wishes for me to repeat myself to humiliate me. But until I find my children, I am at the mercy of those I want to slaughter.
Straightening my spine, I smile, but there is no warmth behind it. “Your hearing fails you already, lord? Or do I speak too quickly for you?”
Lord Louis stifles his laughter because I will not roll over and surrender like the doting little wife they expect of me. If Prince Ludwig insists on this marriage, it shall be on my terms.
Lord Rufus quickly interjects. He is so slender, his appearance is akin to a snake, which seems fitting because his serpent tongue has been hard at work, it seems.
“I have drawn up the agreement. Just in case,” he adds as I narrow my eyes at him.
He steps forward, unrolling the parchment onto my table. I read over the terms of marriage and am sickened to the core. This is what my father did when I was a child—he sold me to a monster for his own personal gain.
The terms are what I’d expect—Prince Ludwig would own me, and I would share my throne with him.
