A Timely Knight

A Shadow in the Hall

Estella Rose Lovegrove sat on her chair, facing the mirror, trying to avoid her own reflection. Her left cheek still bared the bruise from her son's hand, a painful and constant remainder of her own failures, as both Queen and mother. Behind her, the scared little girl brushed her hair with delicacy, as she had done for the last half an hour. Since that fateful night in the throne room, both women had barely spoken again. They were now content with each other's silences.

With everything that had happened in the last few days, the number of people she could trust and rely on had severely diminished. A sudden and rather heinous realization came to her one afternoon, as she had her supper. She was all alone. There was no one left other than the scared little girl. And she was also the only person Estella felt comfortable around. What a twist of fate.

The girl also seemed to have resigned into her new situation. She no longer seemed so terrified and there were times when she actually seemed at peace with her new normal. Estella wasn't exactly sure how she felt about the idea of the girl being happy, but she knew she no longer found the thought repellent.

The girl accidentally pulled her hair. She immediately apologized with a feeble Forgive me, Your Grace. A few days ago, Estella would've slapped her senseless for the offense. Tonight, however, she found no pleasure in picturing the girl's pain. Tonight she was in the mood for something else.

"It's quite alright," she said, waving the accident away with her hand. She watched as the girl drew a timid smile before continuing her task and felt a sudden urge to speak to her. Who else was there to speak to, really? "Make sure my dress is ready for tomorrow. The pink dress with the red corset. It'll be a long day and I wish to be comfortable."

"Yes, Your Grace."

"And tell the cooks we shall have the pastries at noon. I'm meeting the Marquise and Lady Livilla for tea, to discuss the wedding preparations."

"Of course, Your Grace."

"Are you excited? About the wedding, I mean." The girl's large almond eyes shined with confusion as she looked at Estella, as if asking for her permission to answer that question. "Perhaps you should be. There'll be plenty of available bachelors. Now that my husband is gone, perhaps we can find a suitable match for you. One that doesn't mind your questionable past, of course."

"I don't know if marriage is for me, Your Grace," the girl replied, perhaps too earnestly.

"A charming notion. That of a woman making it on her own, playing by her own rules. Unreal, but charming."

"Shooter Viola seems to have done it." The girl froze as soon as the words left her mouth, perhaps fearing retribution for the comment. Estella, however, simply smiled.

"Ah yes, Shooter Viola. Quite the liberated woman. You think you could do a good job in the army? Could you kill someone?"

The girl lowered her eyes and for a moment, it seemed as if she wouldn't answer. "I don't think I could."

"I don't think you could, either, luckily for me. Women like us were born to be wives and mothers." The girl's eyes finally met hers and Estella found in them a glimmer of haughtiness she had not been expecting. Perhaps the girl wasn't as broken as she had thought. "Your reject such notions. You see yourself not as a mother or a wife, but as something else entirely. A free woman."

"What does that even mean in Makina? Being a free woman."

Estella didn't know what to answer. "You got me there, little girl."

The girl smirked as she put down the brush and began braiding the hair. "I'm just not sure I'd make a good mother. Unconditional love; I don't think I have it in me." The girl's honest answers were clear indication that she, like Estella, was desperate for someone to talk to.