Hunted Queen

Chapter 3 • Missing him

*Very long chapter*

*MATURE CONTENT*

Did you miss them? (I did, especially dear William)
Well, they're back... and... they're still all over each other.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two months earlier...

-Jade-

It was early spring. The days were still cold and the nights freezing. The only positive thing was that the gardens were slowly coming to life. Little green buds were sprouting shyly here and there, promising that warmth and beauty was coming.

Besides that, Jade could find little to nothing that lightened her mood these days. The war had become part of her every day. William spent his days with his father or his war council, writing to their allies and gathering forces across the continent for what was to come. 

Jade's days, on the other hand, consisted of either joining her husband during audiences or spending time by herself since she was of little use when it came to war. The gardens were the only thing that did not remind her of the war, and they could not burst into bloom soon enough. She had yet to see it in bloom for the first time since they had arrived north in midwinter. 

Jade's library, which William had prepared for her, had large windows so she could enjoy the gardens from inside the warm castle. She had been brought to tears the day William finally showed her the library. When he had told her that it was all hers, she had not believed him. It had taken him many nods and quiet chuckles until he succeeded to convince her that he was telling the truth. The library was even more spectacular than King Uldard's. However, Jade's was built differently and housed more bookshelves. It had two stories and was built in such a way that it was all in one room, almost like a loft. It was still hard to grasp that it was all hers. How William had found this many books, she would never understand.

King Uldard had also, very kindly, added his own collection to hers by sending the books she still had not had the time to finish from his library. She felt spoiled beyond reason.

In the center of her library, stood a round oak table which she had filled with the books she wanted to read next. They were neatly stacked into piles and in the specific order in which she wanted to read them.

That morning, she sat in her favorite chaise lounge with a book in her lap. Although her eyes followed the lines, constructing words of the letters on the page, nothing appeared in her mind. No images or scenes from the tale in her hands came to life as they usually did. The wind howled outside and a violent rainstorm hailed against the windows. It was all very grim and did not lift her sullen mood.

With a frustrated sigh, she closed the book in her lap shut and held against her right side as she walked up to one of the windows. She studied the nature outside. The wind was tearing the bushes and trees to and fro with a violence she had not seen in a while. This was by far the worst storm in a long while. The rain splattered angrily against the glass in front of her and left streams running down it. 

As always since William's uncle had proclaimed war, when she was left alone with her thoughts, her mind wandered off to what was to come. Naturally, it consumed not only her husband's life but hers as well. The people were concerned beyond comfort as well. It made her stomach churn when she let herself drown in all of the worried faces that stared at their king and queen for answers during audiences. The questions asked during audiences rung in her own mind as well as theirs; What was going to happen? How much bloodshed would there be? Would the war be fought here, or would the soon-to-come battlefield take place elsewhere? What about their families? Their children? How many husbands, fathers, sons and brothers would never return?