Hunted Queen

Chapter Sixty Five • Home

**Warning! This chapter touches on the subject of miscarriage, contains gore and disturbing punishment and physical and mental trauma.**

Read at own volition. 

*Long chapter*

-Jade- 

Weeks went by as she laid tethered to her bed. Forced in place by her slowly healing wounds that had had the entire court walking on egg shells ever since that one audience. That last soul she had allowed to come forth because she felt so bad for not seeing them, wanting to tend to their needs and aid them in whatever way she possibly could. It had nearly cost her her life. Might still have cost her the life of William's and her child. 

Elizabeth assured her that the baby was probably fine. That if she had lost it, the would have known. That it would have been impossible to miss. However, she had not felt a single thing from the little one, could feel nothing at all inside of her. No matter how long she would sit with her palms gently pressed against her stomach. No sign of life was shown. 

The constant concern diminished her appetite and had her sleeping even worse. An evil spiral which caused her recovery to take longer than it probably should. 

Poor Elizabeth almost lived in Jade's and William's chamber. Only leaving to fetch food, water or new bandages whenever Jade's needed changing. Apart from that, Jade never noticed her leaving her side to rest or eat. 

Apparently, Elizabeth and Master Bergen had sent a messenger to the front to inform William of the attack while Jade swayed in and out of consciousnesses. Letting him know of it, but not how she had fared because there had been no way of knowing. This messenger had returned sooner than expected it seemed, having met another emissary along the way, offering to bring the news to the king since he came straight from there - leaving the messenger unable to tell Jade or  the court nothing of their king's fate. All he had said was that the last time the other messenger had seen him, William had been alive.

She did not remember much else than that. She had a hard time remembering anything between the attack and now. Being constantly exhausted and thrown in to unforeseen fits of weariness that could have her sleeping or incredibly lethargic for days. 

Three hard knocks ripped Jade from the oceans of her thoughts. Causing her to flinch and instantly causing her immense amounts of pain from moving even the slightest. 

"Enter." She managed to call out in a groan.

"My queen." Hart's voice filled her chamber hoarsely as he entered, closing the door carefully behind himself. He bent the knee a meter away from her bedside, one hand to the floor for stability and the other at his sword. Avoiding to look directly at until she would speak to him. 

Always ready. She thought and was reminded of someone she could not even think of without crying and exhausting herself. 

"What do you need?" She asked, seeing the apprehension in his face immediately once their eyes met. He had something to ask of her and it was as clear as a day. His honest eyes and the transparent way he carried himself told her as much. It was something he did not want to say or was unsure of how to say. 

"The... uhm... The body... my queen." He began, almost stumbling over the words when reminding her of the order she had given when asked what to do with Rowan's follower, her almost-assassin. "It is starting to... uh... rot and there are animals fea-" 

"Leave it." She ordered him calmly when she could sense what the cause for his visit was - cutting down her attacker's corpse from the city walls. She turned eyes away from him and straight ahead, into the stone walls. "No one cuts him down, is that understood?" She continued.