A Pure Maiden

Almost immediately Ronan left, Queen Margaret's trusted maidservant rushed into the room. "Queen Dowager, it's a disaster!" She cried as she fell on her knees.

"What is it?" Queen Margaret immediately stood as she asked.

"It's the King. He is in a critical condition." The maidservant said.

Queen Margaret's face twisted in shock. "What did you say?" She exclaimed.

She and her maidservants immediately left her chambers, and went to the King's chambers. The royal physician was already attending to the King who was laying unconscious on his bed.

"What happened to him?" Queen Margaret asked the physician.

"It was a case of severe ingestion, your majesty." The physician answered. "Thankfully, we were able to discover it on time, and take care of it."

Queen Margaret sighed in relief. "Oh, it's such a relief. But then… how were you informed very quickly?"

….

In Nimueh's quarters, the servant that had come to report that the King was in danger, was on her knees, while Nimueh stood before her, looking at her with interest.

"What's your name and how did you know the King was unwell?" Nimueh asked.

"My name is Hera, and as for the second question, I'm not sure myself, ma'am" The servant answered.

"You are not sure?" Nimueh probed further.

"Yes, ma'am. I only hear sounds of whispers, and whatever I hear always comes to pass." The servant explained.

Nimueh smiled as she nodded. "Since when have you had this ability?"

"I can't remember when exactly, but I've been able hear those sound right from a very young age." She answered.

"You've done well, and I'm sure you would be rewarded. You may now return to your quarters." Nimueh dismissed her.

"Yes, ma'am." The servant said, as she stood up. She then bowed and quietly left Nimueh's quarters.

Nimueh on the other hand couldn't stop smiling. I feel a strange aura coming from her. She's definitely no ordinary girl.

….

The next morning, at the female servants' quarters. All the ladies gathered together, as they looked at the two royal guards that were standing beside their horses, just right in front of their quarters.

"Wow, she must be so happy." One of the servants said as she eyed the horses in awe.

"Yeah, she gets to ride on one of the royal stables horses, and is escorted by royal guards to visit her home. How lucky."

"Ah I'm so jealous!" One of them exclaimed. "How I wish I could see visions in my dreams too, but no, all I do is sleep like a log of wood."

"There she is." Another person said, and everyone turned to look at Hera, who was dressed in a gown fit for a noble's daughter.

As she got close to the horses, two royal maidservants came forward, with something that was wrapped properly. "Queen Namarie asked for you to receive this gift, it's her little way of saying thank you." One of them said, as they handed it over to her.

"Please extend my gratitude to the Queen." Hera said as she accepted the gift with a bright smile on her face.

She said her goodbyes to her friends before she was then helped to get on the horse, and soon, the two horses galloped out of the castle.

….

By nightfall, in Queen Namarie's chambers. The Queen could be seen shifting uncomfortably on her bed. She was asleep, but she was muttering some words which didn't make sense, and after a while, she sat up and gasped as she clutched at her night wear. She was sweating profusely, and was breathing heavily.

She didn't have time to think about what had just happened as she heard a familiar voice in her room. "Finally awake, your majesty?"

She looked towards where the voice had come from and saw Nimueh sitting on the chair which was in front of her dresser. "What is it now?" She asked, clearly not happy with her presence.

"You are barren, your majesty. I thought I should come tell you, since even the Queen Dowager is aware of this." Nimueh said.

Queen Namarie's eyes widened in shock, and she bit on her fingers in worry, and… fear.

"Do you really want to get pregnant?" Nimueh asked, "If you do as I say, then I would make it happen."

Queen Namarie didn't hesitate, and quickly got out bed, running to Nimueh and grabbing her hands. "What do I have to do? I'll do anything!" She spoke with determination.

….

Later that night, Queen Namarie sat on her bed, fully dressed like she was preparing to go out. She seemed to be restless as she kept tapping her feet on the floor, as if impatiently waiting for something… or someone.

The door to her chambers were suddenly pushed open, and a few ladies which she recognized—through their dressing and veils—to be Nimueh's assistants, came into her chambers, holding a lady whose face had been covered with a leather sack.

One of Nimueh's assistants removed the sack, revealing the face of the lady. It turned out to be Hera.

"Your majesty!" Hera exclaimed in shock to see Queen Namarie. She and the royal guards were ambushed on their way to her mother's house, and she thought she had been kidnapped and was most likely going to be killed, so she was shocked to see that she was back at the castle, in the Queen's very own chambers.

"Are you the one who alerted the chief shamaness about the the King being in danger?" Queen Namarie asked.

"Yes, your majesty." Hera answered.

"Good. From this point onwards, you will follow my commandments." She paused, and it looked like the next words she was about to say pained her say. "Spend the night with the King."

"What? What do you mean by that, your majesty." Hera asked in shock, clutching her dress in uneasiness.

"That is what the chief shamaness has decided on for the sake of the King's vitality, so all you need to do is to follow this command. Understood?" The Queen said with authority.

"I'm sorry, your majesty. I'm a pure maiden who has never been defiled. I can't just let any man touch me." Hera said with a shaky voice.

Queen Namarie frowned and moved closer to Hera, and slapped her hard across the face. "He is not just a man. He is the King of Eldrador!"

"But…" Hera still tried to argue, but the Queen interrupted her.

"I heard your little brother is sick, and your mother can barely fend for them both." She said, surprising Hera. "If you do as I have said, I would make sure to take care of your family for as long as I'm still alive. So just sleep the King so that your purity will cleans the King. What do you say? Would you still disobey me?"

Hera bit her quivering lips, as she considered what the Queen was proposing. "Your majesty!" She sobbed as she bowed so low that her head touched the floor.

….

Hera gave in to the Queens command, and was bathed in the Queen's chambers by the attendants of the Queen herself.

While Queen Namarie waited for Hera to be prepared, her mind couldn't help but wander off as she replayed her conversation with Nimueh in her head.

"What do you mean by someone getting pregnant in my stead?" Queen Namarie had asked Nimueh.

"Someone else would get pregnant, but the baby would be delivered by you" Nimueh replied.

Queen Namarie couldn't hide the pained look on her face as she asked, "Someone else? Who?"

"She is someone special. I'll bring her to you, you just need to order her to spend the night with the King." Nimueh replied.

"Even if I manage to convince her to spend the night with the King, how can we be sure that the King would agree to it?." Queen Namarie had asked, and Nimueh just smiled and said, "Leave the King to the Queen Dowager. She would handle him like she has always done."

After the attendants dressed Hera up in a sexy night wear, they then covered her up with a cloak, and with the Queen's orders, they sneaked her out of the Queen's chambers and escorted her to that of the King's.

All the guards that were usually stationed around the royal chambers were nowhere to be seen. It seemed like everything had been taken care of.

Since Hera was still a bit scared, one of the atttendants was the one who had knocked on the door to the King's chambers.

"You may enter." King Victor's voice sounded from inside, granting them permission.

The maidservants opened the door to the King's chambers which was very dark—so dark that even the King couldn't be seen from outside.

Hera swallowed as she took slow steps into the King's chambers, and the door was closed shut behind her.