Majesty Castle

Matthew followed the sound of the piano down the long, dark hallway of the lower chambers. The sound he heard was coming from his very own piano. When he reached the chamber, he stopped in the doorway. Allegra played as he watched and listened intently. She was so focused, that she hadn’t noticed him standing there until minutes later when out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow move.

“What are you doing in here?” Matthew asked his wife whom he barely knew.

“I-I I’m sorry, no one usually comes down here.” Her reply gave him the notion that he made her nervous, when in truth, he did.

“I know, and it is for that reason, I came down here myself. To be alone.” His tone was strong as were his features.

“I’ll just go then,” Allegra stood from the piano bench, but Matthew stopped her.

“No. It’s fine, I’ll go.” When he walked away and out of her sight, Allegra sat back down on the bench and folded her hands together in her lap. She hadn’t seen her husband in two whole years and had Grandfather not died, he would not have returned to Majesty Castle.

It was the morning after they married that he’d left with no warning. She was just 16 years and a complete stranger to her betrothed. Allegra’s family was wealthy and what ever land the Majesty’s didn’t own, Allegra’s family most likely did. On the day of her birth, the marriage to Matthew was arranged. Some even said, she was born for the sole purpose of being his wife.

Matthew, when told he was to be married to Allegra Montague, was fit to be tied. Not only did he have no desire to be the next King, he also had no desire to marry even though the marriage would keep peace between the two wealthiest families in the land.

Allegra had tried to get to know Matthew on several occasions, but he spurned her every time. As far as he was concerned, she didn’t exist and she was to be his wife in name only. The morning after their wedding, he left without a word to anyone and never looked back. Now that he was forced to return, he wasn’t going to make things easy for anyone.

Allegra wiped a tear on her sleeve and stood from the piano bench to close the lid over the keys. After wiping her face one last time, she walked out of the chamber and down the hall to the stairs that led back up to the main hall. Although she had been in the castle two years now, she still felt like a stranger out of place. Now and again, her parents would visit, but it was usually to see Peter to discuss a business transaction, not to see Allegra. To them, she was no longer a Montague, she was Majesty now.

“Care for an apple, Lady Allegra? I’ve just picked them from the orchard this very afternoon.” Pippa was as servant who worked in the kitchen. When Allegra first came to Majesty Castle, Pippa was the first person to show her kindness.
“I would love an apple, thank you.” While Allegra sat at the counter, Pippa cut an apple into slices for her and set them down on a plate in front of her. “Thank you, again.”

“It’s my pleasure, darlin’.” Allegra sat and ate her apple while Pippa cleaned the rest of the fruit and vegetables she picked from her garden out back behind the kitchen.

“Pippa, could I ask you a question?”

Pippa turned around to face Allegra and stood with her hands about her hips. “I believe you just did.”

Allegra smiled at Pippa. She was a portly woman with a lot of gusto and spirit. One thing was for sure; she knew how to tell it like it is. “How long have you known my husband?”
Pippa turned off the water in the sink and walked over to stand in front of Allegra on the other side of the counter.

“Why since the day he came screaming out of his mamma’s womb.”

“Tell me about him. What was he like growing up?”

“Oh he was a fine boy with a healthy appetite. He used to sneak into the kitchen before breakfast and I would sneak him pancakes before everyone else ate and then he would go on and have his breakfast with the rest of the family.” Allegra couldn’t help laughing at the thought of her husband as a boy sneaking about. “Lord Matthew was a fine young man, well mannered too. Cant say that for the rest of them though.”

“Did he have many female friends?”

“Child, he could flutter the heart of a girl a mile away at the mere mention of his name. He didn’t waste too much time on chasing skirts around though. He kept at his studies and liked spending time in the lower chamber by himself.” Allegra finished the last piece of the apple and pushed the plate away from her.

“So, you’re saying he isn’t fond of girls?”

“Oh no, My Lady, I’m not saying that at all. He is a man and men have needs. When the need called for it, he would find a girl to suit him. I can’t say that I would call him a ladies man though. Now, Brian on the other hand, that one left broken hearts at every turn.”

As Pippa picked up the plate and put it in the sink, Allegra asked her one last question. “Why doesn’t he like me?”

Pippa walked over to the counter again and placed her hand over Allegra’s. “He’d be a fool not to like you. Be patient and understanding of his situation. Try and get to know him and in turn he will get to know you. Lord Matthew is a fine man.”

“Thanks. I should be going. I think I’m going to spend some time in the Garden before the temperature drops.”

“All right, thank you much for the company, Lady Allegra. Don’t be late for dinner, I’m making apple tarts for dessert, they are Lord Matthew’s favorite.” Pippa winked at Allegra and received a smile and a wink in return.

“I wouldn’t dare be late!” She smiled and left the kitchen through the back door.

It was the time of the day when the sun was still shining, but the temperature was about to change from warm to cool as the day transitioned to evening. Allegra sat alone on a bench that Rupert made for her with his own hands. Rupert worked in the stables with the horses, but like Pippa, he had also shown Allegra kindness when she arrived.

She had been reading for a good half hour when someone startled her. “What are you doing out here alone?” The sound of her husband’s stern voice made her jump and the book that she was reading fell out of her hands to the floor.

“I was just enjoying the sun.” She scrambled to pick up the book before he saw it and put it in her pocket. Reading was something that for women was not encouraged. Education was for men and women were meant to serve their husbands, not read books.

“What are you hiding?” Matthew walked closer to see what his wife had put in her pocket, but she didn’t show him.

“It’s nothing, I swear.” That was a lie and he knew it.

“Let me see it.” It wasn’t a request, it was an order.

Allegra sighed and pulled the book out of her dress pocket and handed it to him. “Please don’t take it away. It’s my favorite.” She pleaded with her husband as he looked down at the book she set in his hands.

“Sounding the Seventh Trumpet – A collection of epic poems by M. Shadows.” He looked back at her after reading the title aloud. “What’s so special about this book?”

“I can’t explain it really. It’s more like a feeling I get when I read it. It makes me want to know more about the author. There’s one that kind of reminds me of you. It’s called Darkness Surrounding.”

“Is that so?” He asked raising his eyebrow at his wife. “Explain.”

“An imprisoned soul trapped for eternity. It’s like you in the fact that you’ve been trapped in a life less than the one you chose for yourself and there’s no way out.”

“I suppose, when you put it that way, it sounds about right.”

This was the longest conversation that Allegra had ever had with her husband. “Are you going to take it away?”

Matthew sighed and handed the book back to her. “No.”

She put it back in her pocket and looked back up at her husband who seemed as if he were about to speak again.

“Where did you get it?”

“I went into town and found it at one of the street vendors.”

“A peasant sold you that book?” He laughed heartily at the notion.

“Yes, My Lord. Why do you find that funny?”

He calmed himself down and set his hands in his pockets. “It’s nothing; I can just picture M Shadows now knowing his book is being sold on the street by peasants.”

“You know M Shadows?” Allegra looked at her husband with wide eyes.

“You could say we’re kind of close.” Allegra turned sideways to face her husband. “Will you tell me about him? I bet he’s handsome!”

“No.” Matthew smirked and walked away leaving Allegra in the garden wondering even more about him than she was before. Little did she know, the person she wondered about, was the altar ego to M Shadows.

Matthew took his writing seriously. It was his one passion in life and a passion that was cut short by his family. When he left the castle two years ago, he purchased a small stone house far outside of town. It was in that house where he spent all his time writing without another care in the world. He did manage to send his mother and father letters from time to time to let them know he was still alive, but he refused to accept his fate as the future King.

Later that night at dinner…

Everyone sat around the dinner table as the food was being served. Allegra sat across from her husband, but he hadn’t spoken a word to her since the incident in the garden earlier. When her stomach was full, she set her fork down and picked her napkin up from her lap and brought it to her lips before setting it down on the table. As she looked across the table, her eyes met her husband’s gaze. He’d been staring at her for the last few minutes. “Would you care for more, Lady Allegra?” Pippa stood behind her and she turned and smiled. “Oh no, thank you. Everything was wonderful.” Pippa nodded and picked up Allegra’s plate from the table.

“Very well, I’ll bring dessert in a few minutes.”

“Thank you.” Allegra smiled and looked down at her hands so as not to make eye contact with her husband again. He was pleased that she was so well mannered and treated Pippa kindly. He had a fondness for Pippa. She, in a lot of ways, was like a mother to him. Granted his own mother had lived in the same home with him. Pippa gave him the one thing his own mother didn’t, affection.

When Pippa returned with coffee and dessert she served Matthew first. “I made your favorite apple tarts. Lady Allegra helped me.”

Matthew smiled and cut into the tart with the fork picking up a piece and bringing it to his lips. After the first bite he nodded his head. “Well, my compliments to the chefs.” Allegra face beamed with a smile as she looked back and forth from Pippa to Matthew.

Pippa winked at her and began serving dessert and coffee to the others. Matthew ended up having two tarts before dinner was fully done. When the table was cleared, he excused himself leaving his wife there to wonder where her husband was going to disappear to tonight.