Chapter 132: Chapter 132 - Mad Princess (Part 7)
Winter had come silently to the Kingdom of Seraiya.
It was snowing in the capital, covering the roofs of buildings with a blanket of snow under the pale light of the morning sun. There were smoke from the chimneys, stores were open once again, and children started laughing in the streets.
Life had returned.
Fields were restored.
Roads were reconstructed.
Slowly but steadily trade with other kingdoms was resumed.
Seraiya was recovering from the damage it had sustained.
And most of that recovery process was due to its young queen.
Every morning Lilia KingHeart was already up before sunrise.
Her attendants usually discovered that the lights in her room were already burning long before the sun rises.
Reports and letters were stacked on her desk.
Harvest reports.
Patrols’ plans.
Budgets for reconstruction.
Requests and letters from governors.
Requests from villages.
She went through each and every letter herself.
If a farmer needed help building irrigation canals – she approved it.
If a physician retired and there was no one to take care of the sick in a remote village – she ordered royal healers to go there.
If storms had destroyed bridges in the northern mountains – she sent engineers to repair them before the snow melted.
The people noticed it.
"Queen Lilia personally goes through all the petitions."
"She really listens to us."
"Our village got help in a week."
"She doesn’t forget us."
Slowly...
Hope returned to the Kingdom of Seraiya.
Royal council sessions were held twice a week.
In contrast to many rulers before her, Lilia never came late to those meetings.
She carefully listened before she spoke.
If ministers argued – she let them speak till the end.
And only then she quietly summed up the discussion.
Her decisions were reasonable.
Fair.
Practical.
Many old noblemen were starting to respect her judgments.
An elderly minister smiled after one council meeting.
"She governs precisely as King Aldric did."
Arthur, standing beside him, shook his head.
"No."
"Actually, there is one difference between them."
The minister seemed to be curious.
Arthur smiled sadly.
"He used to laugh more often."
Lucas spent his days inspecting the Royal Knights.
Crime rate dropped considerably in the kingdom.
It rarely happened now that bandits were attacking merchants.
The western provinces, which had seen war, were slowly recovering under a meticulous management.
After one such inspection, Lucas reported to Arthur.
"The soldiers respect her."
Arthur nodded.
"They should."
Lucas hesitated.
"But..."
"She never rests."
Arthur sighed deeply.
"I know it."
Every evening...
Unfailingly...
Lilia climbed the top balcony facing the western horizon.
The servants had become accustomed to her schedule.
Right before sunset...
A small table was put out there.
A silver teapot.
Two porcelain cups.
Fresh flowers.
Always two cups.
Never one.
No servant could dare to ask her why.
But she herself didn’t know.
She just felt...
Like setting only one cup there was somehow wrong.
When the sun slowly disappeared beyond the distant mountain range, she poured tea into both cups.
There was steam rising gently in the cold evening air.
She drank from one cup.
The other cup remained untouched.
One evening a young maid gained enough courage to ask.
"Your Majesty..."
"Are you waiting for someone?"
Lilia looked at the empty chair.
For a long time...
She said nothing.
And then she smiled weakly.
"I..."
"I don’t know."
"It just feels wrong without a company."
The maid bowed politely.
She didn’t understand.
Neither did Lilia.
Her peculiarities continued.
Each time white flowers bloomed in the royal garden...
Lilia stopped to look at them.
For some reason she couldn’t comprehend...
She was heart-broken because of them.
When snow covered the palace grounds...
She found herself watching it much longer than anyone else.
Sometimes...
She even whispered.
"...Beautiful."
Without understanding herself.
One evening Arthur quietly approached the balcony.
He stayed several steps away.
"I hope I’m not disturbing you."
Lilia looked over her shoulder.
"You never disturb me."
Arthur smiled warmly.
"The ministers are worried."
"So does Lucas."
She smiled softly.
"Worried about what?"
"About you."
Lilia looked ahead toward the sunset.
"I’m alright."
Arthur said nothing.
Instead...
He noticed the second teacup.
Once again.
Untouched.
"You always set two cups."
She nodded absent-mindedly.
"I suppose I do."
"Do you remember when it started?"
She frowned.
"No."
"I tried."
"But whenever I think about it..."
"My head starts hurting."
Arthur’s expression softened.
Somewhere behind the altered memories...
Someone once shared those quiet evenings with her.
Although history forgot it...
Her heart didn’t.
He quietly changed the topic.
"The reconstruction of the western provinces is almost done."
Lilia smiled gently.
"That’s good."
"The people need peace."
Arthur looked at her for a while.
She was thinking about the people.
As always.
Never about herself.
That night, when Arthur had left, Lilia was left alone on the balcony.
The stars appeared overhead.
The untouched tea cooled.
She was looking at the empty chair across the table.
Strange feeling appeared in her chest.
Not a feeling of sadness.
Not exactly.
It was...
Longing.
As if somebody important should have been sitting there.
Someone who face she couldn’t remember anymore.
There was a cold breeze passing the balcony.
For a moment...
She thought she heard a gentle voice.
"Your tea will get cold, Princess."
Lilia quickly looked around.
Nobody was here.
Only the wind.
She closed her eyes.
"...Who are you?"
There was no answer.
Far beyond the mountains Jennie continued her journey with Snow and Roxy, completely unaware of the queen who was waiting for her every evening on an empty balcony.
Though the time erased the names.
Though the fate rewrote the memories.
Some ties couldn’t be broken.
They were only waiting...
To be remembered once again.
Yet another calm evening ended.
The silence fell over the Royal Palace as ministers went back to their homes, knights exchanged the guard, and servants lighted lamps in the marble corridors.
Queen Lilia signed the last paper on her desk.
Arthur had already tried to remind her to get some rest twice.
Lucas firmly insisted to eat something before checking another report.
She thanked both of them politely.
And then continued with work.
Only when the last sunbeams started to shine through the windows of the palace she got up.
"As usual, Your Majesty?"
asked her attendant.
Lilia nodded.
"To the balcony."
Her attendant bowed and answered:
"I’ll prepare your tea."
The western balcony offered a view of almost whole capital.
There Lilia could see busy markets, fixed bridges, roofs covered with snow and beyond them – distant mountains glowing in the evening sun.
It was her sanctuary.
The one place where she was able to forget about her role of Queen for some time.
Young maid called Iris hurried to arrange the table.
She had come to the palace not more than month ago and was afraid each time she had to serve the Queen.
In her hands was a silver tray with a teapot and porcelain cups.
While she arranged everything she stopped.
"...Oh."
Unconsciously she placed two teacups next to the teapot.
Only when she stepped back she noticed her mistake.
"My goodness..."
She immediately grabbed the second cup.
"I’m sorry, Your Majesty."
"I wasn’t paying attention."
Lilia gently lifted her hand.
"Stop."
The maid froze.
Lilia looked at the second cup.
For a long time...
She simply watched it.
Evening breeze moved her silver hair.
Somewhere below – the soft chime of bells of the capital.
She could not explain what feelings she had.
But the sight of this empty cup seemed...
Correct.
Warm.
Belonging there.
The maid lowered her head.
"Do I have to remove it?"
Lilia said nothing.
Some time passed.
Then she quietly shook her head.
"...No."
"You may leave it."
The maid looked surprised but bowed respectfully.
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
She quietly left, closing the balcony doors behind her.
Lilia poured hot tea in the first cup.
And then...
Almost without noticing...
In the second cup too.
Steam rose from both cups, curling in the evening air.
She stared at the untouched cup.
"...Strange."
Soft smile appeared.
"I don’t even know for whom this is."
She laid her hands on the railings of the balcony.
The sky was changing into orange, crimson and violet colors.
Sunset was beautiful.
But...
Always made her heart ache.
She searched her memories.
No result.
No face.
No voice.
Only vague warmth which she was unable to reach.
She whispered into the wind:
"I hope..."
"...wherever you are..."
"...that you are happy."
She did not know to whom she spoke.
Only that somebody somewhere deserved such words.
Hundreds of miles away...
Jennie, Snow and Roxy were making halt for the night at the edge of the hill overlooking the wide valley.
Snow slept calmly in the shade of the big oak, lazily moving his fluffy tail.
Roxy was busying with cooking dinner over campfire, whistling happily while stirring stew in the pot.
Jennie walked a bit away.
She stood on the hill and looked into west.
The setting sun was filling the clouds with golden color.
"...Beautiful."
She smiled.
"But..."
"...for some reason it feels strange..."
"...familiar."
Snow opened one eye.
"Familiar?"
Jennie looked at him.
"Not really."
She laughed quietly.
"For some reason I suddenly felt that somebody else could watch this sunset."
Roxy smiled at the campfire.
"Then I hope that he is somewhere nice."
Jennie nodded.
"Yes, I hope the same."
Gentle breeze brushed her white hair.
For a brief moment...
She felt warmth in her heart.
As if somewhere far away, somebody was silently thinking about her.
She could not explain it.
Nor she wanted to.
Across the continent...
Queen Lilia raised her teacup.
Jennie lifted a simple wooden mug with the hot herbal tea.
Both of them did not know what the other was doing.
Both of them did not remember the evenings when they were spending together.
Altered timeline erased their memories.
But it was unable to erase something deeper.
Bond that wasn’t written in memories...
But in souls.
The same golden sun slowly disappeared beyond the western mountains.
Its last light fell on the Queen sitting alone on her palace balcony.
It fell on the wandering swordswoman standing on the hill covered with grass.
For one brief moment...
Although separated by kingdoms, distance and forgotten time...
They stood under the same sunset.
And somewhere beyond the reach of gods and fate...
Invisible thread joining their hearts quietly shimmered.
It had never been broken.
It only was waiting...
For the day when they will meet again.
