King Henry

Chapter 26 - Facing the King's Council

**** The Next Morning ****

Eleanor woke up early the next morning because was so nervous about the meeting with the King's Council. She had tossed and turned half of the night, but she woke up with Henry's arms around her and that made her smile.

He blinked his eyes open, as if he could somehow tell she was looking at him. A smile crept across his face and he whispered, "Good morrow beautiful. Hopefully I'll be waking up beside you like this every day for the rest of my life."

Then he leaned in and kissed her bare shoulder.

There was a loud knock on the door that startled both of them.

"Henry? Are you in there?" she heard a man's deep voice ask.

Henry looked at her and his eyes widened. "That's Duke Montelbane's voice, my royal advisor."

"Yes, I'll be there shortly," he called out before getting up and getting dressed in the clothes that were now dry. Eleanor got up and got dressed too before Henry finally opened the door.

Standing there was a skinny old man in a long robe, with a ring of white hair around the bottom of his bald head. He looked to be in his late 60's.

Eleanor had seen him around the castle but had never actually spoken to him. He came inside and closed the door behind him.

"How did you know where to find me?" Henry asked.

The Duke looked over at Eleanor with a hint of judgement before looking back at Henry. "When I found your private chambers empty I had a feeling I might find you here. I wouldn't have bothered you, your highness but it's an urgent matter."

"What is it?" Henry asked, sitting down on the bench and letting out an exhale.

The Duke looked over at Eleanor and then back to Henry. "Can we speak privately sire?"

Henry shook his head. "No, anything you have to say to me you can say in front of Eleanor. Go ahead. Speak freely Duke."

The Duke looked surprised and a little taken aback by that. He cleared his throat and composed himself before saying, "Well, the King's Privy Council members have all shown up unexpectedly. They're waiting in the council room, but we don't have a meeting scheduled. None of them would tell me why they were here. It's most unusual."

"They're here because I asked for a meeting with them," Henry said matter-of-factly.

The Duke's eyebrows raised. "Without consulting with me first?"

"Last I checked Duke, I was the King," Henry stated, emphasizing the word I.

The Duke looked flustered and lost for words. "Of course you are, but the Kings have always given me prior notice before a council meeting so I could be prepared and give advice."

"Well in this particular instance, your advice isn't needed. If it were, I obviously would have consulted with you. In fact, your presence at the meeting won't be needed. We can handle this one just fine on our own."

"We, sire?" he asked, scrunching his eyebrows.

"Yes, we. As in myself and Eleanor."

Eleanor couldn't help but notice the shocked and insulted look on the Duke's face before he looked over at her, wrinkling up his nose in disgust before looking back at Henry.

"You're taking a commoner you've only known a week into a meeting with the King's Council and not your trusted royal advisor?" he asked, sounding offended.

"Yes. Duke, it's no insult to you. I can't explain the reason to you right now but you will understand in due time. Now you best be off so Eleanor and I can go. We don't want to keep the council waiting."