The Broken Crown

Chapter 5

Anaïs

It was incredible how quickly the time had gone by after the King’s death. He had been brought to ground only two days after that night, and once his body was gone, so, it seemed, was the family’s grief.

Sometimes she had to remind herself that she had done it; that the hands with which she now poured wine had been stained by the blood of her King. The memories of the event were unclear and she could not figure out in what order they came. In between, there were black dots that she could only fill in with her imagination.

She still had the cheese cutter, pushed in between her mattress and the bed in her room. Sometimes, especially in the evening, she brought it with her to work for security. When she had it, it felt as though no one could touch her.

The chirping of the birds in the garden seemed distant and the heat of the sun’s rays seemed to not reach her skin. The world was still distant. They may have buried him deep beneath the ground, but the harm he had done lived on.

Her feet brought her over to the table where the young woman sat. She looked like a true princess; tall and beautiful, pale and bright. A true princess, like princes and kings, needed beauty to hide their true souls – so that they could trick those who were naive into thinking they were as good and sweet as they seemed. “My lady,” she said politely, placing the cup on the table in front of her.

On the table, there was a chessboard. Some of the pawns stood beside the board and the black king was lying down. It was not the Crown Prince’s betrothed who had played, though; Adrianne had just sat down by that table for some reason, looking at the game with a puzzled expression.

The future queen looked up at Anaïs, smiling. “Thank you.” For a moment, she seemed to consider saying something more, but then she just looked down at the board again, a furrow appearing, and Anaïs returned to her corner of the garden.

It was a small quadratic courtyard, two of the sides leading to hallways flanked by archways and the other two consisting of stone walls. Far above, the blue sky could be seen, birds appearing like small shadows against the light.

Adrianne let out a soft sigh and Anaïs watched her eyes rake across the garden, trying to find something to settle on. She wondered if she was expecting someone for a moment, but when footsteps could be heard from the corridor, Adrianne looked surprised.

From the shadows between the pillars, a Servant of the solar temple came. He was neither the oldest Servant nor the youngest she had seen. He wore the traditional toga, one that had all the shades of red and orange, both blazing with the sun’s light and holding the mysterious shadows of smoke. His hair was dark, almost black, and so were his eyes. They were so dark that they shone.

His eyebrows flew up in surprise when he saw his future queen sitting there. “Oh.” He composed himself, bowed and stepped forward. “My lady. Did I interrupt you?”

Adrianne shook her head. “No. In fact, I was just killing time.”

The Servant smiled warmly, looking at the board in front of her. “Were you playing chess?”

She laughed, as much at herself as at him, and Anaïs could not help but be drawn in by it; it seemed true. “With myself?”

The corners of his lips quirked upwards in a small, repressed smile. “I am sure you would make a great opponent to anyone.” Anaïs found that she despised the man already, but in spite of this, she was fascinated by him.

Adrianne stood up. “What is your name?”

He bowed his head slightly forward in respect and Anaïs suddenly realized that his every motion was calculated. He’s one of those, she thought. “Jeffroy, Your Grace.”