Why Are You Playing Games?

Wessex

There were people for as far as the eye could see. They were all dressed in their best attire. It was a special occasion. They all were there to witness their prince choose a bride.

King Edward saw his son standing in a corner speaking with Darcy, the artist. He excused himself from the group that stood by him. He strolled casually to where they stood. He gestured with his hand, “Well, Michael, what do you think?” he asked.

Prince Michael and Darcy were already discussing the situation. The majority of the prospects were good-looking, yet, neither of them moved him. He sighed.

His father folded his arms and stared, “Either of those ladies would be perfect. Simply choose so I can get these people out of my castle.”

Darcy saw the **** look on Michael’s face, “If I may, Your Grace?” Darcy said.

The King looked at Darcy, “What is it, Darcy?” He was not one to solicit advice from anyone, but he was partial to Darcy since he painted magnificent pictures of him.

“As you know, my father and mother are Mercians.”

The King leaned forward, “Go on.”

“My father is often invited to the castle. He brings the King wines to taste. And my mother was one of his former wive’s Ladies.”

King Edward rubbed his chin, “Well, I thought the King had already married off both of his daughters. I should feel slighted since we weren’t invited to the last wedding.”

“I’m sure King Charles meant no harm. Perhaps it was an oversight by one of his servants. You are a wise King and I’m sure you’ve had your orders not followed thoroughly.”

He nodded, “Yes, but not following orders renders unpleasant consequences.”

“As it should, Your Majesty,” Darcy responded, “King Charles has a niece. She is quite fair and is of age. I’m sure The Prince would find her most endearing.”

The King let the idea roam his mind. They watched as the wheels turned. It was as if he was playing out the scenario.

“The great people of Mercia would love to have the added protection of a brave and wise King such as Your Majesty.”

He looked at Prince Michael, “I think we should ride to Mercia tomorrow morning and secure this match," he said as if the idea was his all along and then he walked off.

Darcy looked at Prince Michael, “It worked.”

He laughed, “I can’t believe you got him to agree.”

Darcy took a deep breath, “One thing about your father...he loves a great idea. I suppose a celebration is in order." He looked and saw a handsome guy eyeing him from across the room.

"But what if King Charles doesn’t approve?”

“Don't be dismayed. I'll send a messenger ahead of us to ensure she agrees. When we arrive, she'll be dying to leave with us.

The prince smiled, “I’ll meet you at the studio.”

I'll see you there momentarily," he said before leaving the Prince and following George outside.

****

It had been months since Darleen walked the halls of the castle. She was alone. Only her footsteps guided her to her old room. “Mooooooo,” she heard. It was the same deep eerie moan that taunted her before. She gulped. Her head moved vigorously, “You’re not real. You’re dead. And you can’t hurt me,” she declared.

The sound grew louder. She placed her hands over her ears and walked faster. She stopped in her tracks and gasped as the faces appeared. She shook violently, “No, no, no.”

“Darleen,” Queen Godgifu called out. She hurried to where Darleen stood trembling as if she had seen a ghost. She studied her face, “What is it?” she asked with urgency.

Darleen inhaled and released her breath slowly, “I am. I just. I can’t stay here long. Do you think my uncle will give his blessing for me to marry Lord Samba?”

The Queen was taken back, “Lord Samba? What? When? Have you gotten yourself in trouble?”

“We are in love.”

She huffed, “Why must you do these things? First Arlegde, then the Prince, now a Duke from Portugal. When will it end?”

“This will be the last time. Once I am wedded, I will not need to be so busy. Samba is the one. I swear it.”

The Queen shook her head, “I do not know. Are you thinking of going to Portugal?”

“I was hoping we could have one of the estates. There is plenty of land here. Samba and I could raise a family and he could work for the King. His sister is here. I’m sure he would want to be close. Although she doesn’t seem to like me very much.”

The Queen sighed, “I’ll speak to the King. I am not making any promises.”

“Thank you, my Queen.”

“Don’t thank me yet.”

Darleen looked at the door to her room. The Queen eyed her, “Aren’t you going to go inside.”

She shook her head vigorously, “No. I think not. I am going to go outside for a bit of fresh air.”

The Queen shrugged as she watched Darleen hurry down the hall without her. She shook her head, “Strange girl that one.”

*****

He looked upon her with the sweetest glance as she picked a few roses from the garden. She used her blade to cut the stems and later placed the roses into a basket that was gifted to her by the Queen of Mercia. She turned and witnessed his smile, “What?”

He looked around, “We should see if my mother and father are ready to leave. Or we could just go on ahead of them.” He moved closer and touched her chin, "I am dying to touch you again and hear your voice as you float high into the sky and touch the clouds."

"Liam," she said blushing, “we could do that.”

Just as they were about to kiss, they heard a voice. They looked up and saw Princess Winfred approaching with her little brother, Prince George. “Liam,” she said and halted, “Prince George wants to invite you to play a game of cards.”

Liam smiled, “We were preparing to leave.”

“Leave? We’ve only just gotten here,” she replied.

“Won’t you stay a little longer, Prince Liam?” Prince George asked politely.

“I suppose I can play a game or two,” he replied before walking off with the young prince.

Winfred stood before Yande, and smiled, “I want to show you something.”

“What is it?”

“Come. I know you love horses."

She looked at her basket of roses, "But--"

"Leave them. I'll have one of the workers place them in your room for later. Come. I have some beautiful horses that I want to show you." She took Yande's hand and began to walk.

They ended up by the stables. She stopped and stared at the place where Arledge used to reside. Where she had so many secret encounters. Yande looked at her, “Is everything, alright?” she asked hesitantly.

“Yes,” she replied with a head nod. “Come,” she added and continued to walk.

Yande followed her into the stables where the beautiful horses of various breeds and colors were. There were a few workers that greeted them as they walked by. Princess Winfred stopped. She stood in front of a majestic black horse. “Here she is, Black Rose,” she said as she touched her horse’s face.

The horse whinnied. She smiled as reflected on the times Arledge would help her onto the horse.

“You’re happy to see me, girl. I’ve missed you too.”

“She is gorgeous. I have a beautiful horse back home. I miss her.”

Winfred turned to Yande, “This is your home now. We will be your family.”

Yande smiled, “You all have been so kind to me.”

The Princess reached for her hands, “I know we have only known each other a short while, but I feel deeply connected to you.”

“Thank you, Princess Winfred. I feel connected to you as well.”

Winfred studied Yande’s face, “Do you believe that people have special gifts.”

Yande’s head tilted slightly, “Such as?”

She hesitated, looked around, and then spoke, “You must not speak a word of this to anyone.”

Yande leaned in, “What is it?”

“Before I left Merica, one of my servants revealed some information, which later became my reality. She told me that I would meet a woman and she would be my greatest friend.”

“You believe _I _am the woman she spoke of?”

She nodded with conviction, “With my whole heart.”

“I am pleased to be your greatest friend. And what else did she say?”

“Well, I shouldn’t say. Just know that I believe some people can sense things, feel things...the rest of us cannot.”

Yande nodded, “Speaking of such things could get us burned alive.”

“We shall only speak of it to each other.”

Yande took a deep breath and nodded. From the corner of her eye, she saw something exquisite beyond where the horse stood in the stable. There was a beautiful hair comb with shiny pearls.

The Princess stared until she spotted it in the corner of the stall. She gasped, “It’s the comb I gave to Gunna before she and her sister Agnes disappeared,” she said as she attempted to enter the stall.

Yande stopped her, “Allow me,” she insisted before stepping cautiously into the stall. She walked by the majestic beast, stooped, and touched the comb. She was still for several moments as a vision flashed in her mind.

A woman was struck in the head. She hit the ground hard and was later carried away.

“Is everything all right, Lady Yande?”

Slowly Yande stood. She breathed deeply and fixed her face before facing the princess. She smiled. “Yes.”

Just as she left the stall, they heard footsteps, “Cousin, here you are, are we ready to leave?” Darleen asked impatiently.

“I thought we could stay the night. The three of us could have sweet bread and tea. We can stay up all night talking. Soon the three of us will all be married.”

“Has your uncle given my brother permission to wed you?” Yande asked.

“The Queen is working on it. I don’t see a reason why he would disapprove. Although, I’m sure you’d like it if he declined the proposal,” she sneered at Yande.

Yande rolled her eyes, “If you truly love Samba, as you say, then my thoughts should not concern you.”

Darleen was about to speak, but she saw what Yande was holding, “Where did you get that?” she asked almost trembling.

“It was there,” she replied as she pointed to the corner of the stall.

That night, after getting rid of Gunna and Agnes, she met up with the worker in the stall. They had a wild hump. The man pulled the comb from Darleen’s hair and ran his fingers through the long soft strands. After the deed, she quickly left and she forgot to collect the comb. She didn't understand why Winfred had given a servant such an extravagant gift.

Yande handed it to Princess Winfred, “Here you are, Princess.”

She held it in her hand, “I wonder what ever became of Gunna.”

“She most likely has found another wealthy family to steal from. She and her sister were thieves. If you had not given her that hair comb, she certainly would have taken it without your knowledge.”

Winfred scoffed, “Darleen, those ladies never took anything from me or anyone.”

“They took several of my things. The night before we left for North Umbria. I’m sure that’s why they left so abruptly.”

Winfred stared at Darleen. Yande saw the annoyed look on the Princess’s face. “Perhaps we should go see what everyone else is doing.”

“That’s the first good thing you’ve said,” snapped Darleen.

“Darleen, apologize to Yande.”

“For what?”

“For being rude and an ass.”

Her jaw dropped, “Pardon?”

“You have been nasty towards Yande for no reason and I do not like it. You will discontinue your unpleasant demeanor toward her this instant."

Darleen gulped, “Yes, Your Majesty," she replied almost mockingly, “am I allowed to walk away?”

“The apology,” Winfred reminded her with authority

She turned to Yande, “My apologies.”

Yande nodded.

“Am I free to leave now?”

“You may leave my presence but we are staying the night here in Mercia. We shall leave tomorrow.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Darleen marched off cussing up a storm.

*****

It was a beautiful day. The horses’ hooves sounded against the hard dirt path through the woods. There was a group of men walking ahead of Lord Bartholemew as he rode on his horse next to his shifty assistant.

“Do you really think that old fool is the King of Mercia’s brother?” the assistant asked.

He grunted, “He better be. Why would he lie? Have us travel all this way for nothing.”

“To a trap.”

“A trap?”

“Don’t be foolish.”

“I’m just saying, sir. What if he really is the King’s brother and he gets the king to turn on us? You weren’t exactly kind to him during his stay.”

He inhaled slowly and released the breath, “You’re right. If the King hasn’t seen his brother in some time...I’m sure he thinks he’s dead.”

The assistant grinned, “We can abandon this voyage and leave his body for the wolves.”

He nodded, “Excellent idea. What would I do without your quick thinking?”

He smiled.

“Halt! Let’s rest here a moment,” Lord Bartholomew insisted.

They dismounted their horses and secured them to a tree. The other men relieved themselves. James walked toward a running creek that had fresh water. He stopped, placed his hands into the cool water, brought them to his face, and smiled.

He reached into his pocket and found a necklace with a gold cross. His mind wandered to the sweetest place.

She found him by the water. Her hands rubbed his strong shoulders. He smiled, “You shouldn’t be here.”

“But I want to be,” she replied softly. Her voice was melodious.

He turned and stared into her lovely eyes that begged for a kiss. So, he obliged. For seconds their tongues danced a sweet dance until he was sitting by the bank with her on his lap moving up and down to her delight.

It was after that encounter, she gifted him the necklace. Shortly after, she became ill when the plague swept through the village.

He heard rustling. He turned quickly to see the assistant holding a blade. Lord Bartholomew walked up behind his assistant and watched.

James held out his hands. The necklace dangled from his right hand. “What’s the meaning of this?” he asked uneasily.

“You’re no King’s brother and even if you were, we’re not taking any chances of you turning on us,” barked the assistant.

“I wouldn’t do that. I swear.”

Lord Bartholomew approached him. He stared at the necklace, “Where did you get that?”

James stammered, “It, it, was a gift.”

His eyes squinted, “My wife had one just like this. Did you take this from my belongings?”

He shook his head.

“A liar and a thief. Let’s leave his body here to rot,” said the assistant.

Just as the assistant took a step, an arrow pierced his back and another to his head. Lord Bartolemew hid behind James but James swiftly took his sword from the man’s sheath, “Your wife whom you did not deserve gave this to me,” he said before plunging the sword into him and fleeing.

His body hit the ground. He felt his life escaping. Blood oozed from his mouth. He gasped and eeked out, "Help..."

But no one was coming to help him. His men were slain.

As he lay there barely hanging on, Someone did appear. For a moment he had hope. But when he heard the foreign tongue of the man speaking, he realized it could be over.

The man was covered in other men’s blood. His boots sounded as he approached the running creek and saw the bodies. He bent over and took the purse of gold that the assistant had.

Other men approached, and then there was King Knud, “Are there any others?” he asked.

The man shook his head, “No one.”

The King looked at the men. He rolled their bodies over with his foot. He stared at the Lord who lay barely hanging onto life. He rubbed his chin, “This one is still alive. Looks like he was stabbed.”

The man shrugged.

King stared at him, “Who stabbed him?”

He shrugged.

“Someone is still out there.” King Knud took a blade and slit the man's throat to put him out of his misery.

****

She found herself wandering in the woods. She cussed profusely, “How dare she speak to me that way. I am a lady! If it weren’t for her father...I could be the princess,” she huffed and stopped pacing. “Father, why did you go away? Why did you leave? We had a plan once,” she said as a tear formed in her eye.

She rubbed her arms, “I hate her and her stupid friend. Everyone knows that I am way prettier and smarter. I should be Princess.”

There was rustling in the woods. She paused and looked around, “Who’s there? Show yourself. I demand it!”

The trees towered around her. The dried branches snapped beneath her feet. She turned in all directions until a man showed himself, “What on Earth?” she asked with a touch of relief and surprise.

He smiled, “You remember me?” he asked as he walked closer dressed in his finest attire.

She grinned, “Of course I do. You, Darcy, and I used to have some marvelous times.”

“Indeed we did,” he admitted as he flashed his insanely gorgeous smile.

“I thought you two were in Wessex.”

“We are, but you know Darcy is busy. He spends a lot of time in the Prince’s company.”

She nodded, “And you?”

“I’ve been keeping myself busy. I still work closely with Darcy and the Prince. They’ve sent me a message for you.”

Her left hand touched her chest, “For me?”

He touched her right hand, “Yes, M’Lady. For you.”

She blushed and pulled her hand from his, “Mind your manners. I am soon to be wed.”

“Wed, to whom?”

“His name is Samba Mbengue Morriera.”

“Well, what sort of name is that?”

“He is African and Portuguese.”

His eyebrow lifted, “He’s nobody. The Prince of Wessex would love for you to be his bride.”

“The Prince.”

He nodded, “I think that’s far better than whomever this African-Portuguese whatever. You could be a Princess.”

Suddenly a devilish smile appeared on her face, “I like it. But what is this Price like? Is he kind? Is he handsome?”

“He is exquisite in every way. He and Darcy are close. The three of you could be close. Just as the three of us were.”

She smiled, “Those were some incredible times.”

He nodded, “So, what say you?”

She nodded, “I just have to break it to Samba first. Give me a week or so.”

He shook his head, “No can do. They will be here in the morning for your answer.”

He touched her face, “I won’t be far from you when you are in Wessex. Sometimes, The Prince, Darcy, and I play. I’m sure the four of us could be the best of friends.”

She smiled softly, “That sounds splendid.”

He tilted his hat before leaving.

*****

As Darleen was heading back into the castle, she saw Samba. He had the greatest smile on his face. She gulped as he got closer and stopped. “I am ready to speak to the King. He is waiting in his office to see us.”

She hesitated, “Samba.”

“I can’t wait to make you my wife. I only have to speak to my father about the bride price.”

“Samba, I was thinking.”

“We can move to Portugal after the wedding.”

“Portugal?”

“Well, yes. I am to be in my Uncle’s Court. It is customary for the bride to live with the husband.”

“I no longer wish to marry you.”

His face cracked, “What are you saying? Just last night, you gave yourself to me.”

“Shhhh, do not say such a thing. Someone could hear you.”

“Why do you play games?”

“It is no game. We enjoyed ourselves. Let’s not make a big deal about this.”

His heart sank.

“There will be other women. You are a handsome—”

“Save your words. I should have listened to my sister regarding you. You are as loose as horses in the wild,” he said before storming off.

She grunted, “You’ll eat those words when I become a Princess and later a Queen.” She smiled.