Whispers Unsaid

With my hand in his, Jonathan led me away from King Zachary's body. I was still so shaken that I nearly forgot that I had not come here alone and that three of King Ethan's men still waited for me outside. "Jonathan, wait," I said, halting in my tracks. He turned to face me, his eyes betraying his confusion. "Your brother sent three of his knights with me. I am sure they still awaiting my return."

"Trinity, we do not have time to go and fetch them, we must leave now," Jonathan urged. He tugged on my hand but I refused to move.

"I will not leave them here to think I am still inside the castle," I said firmly. "And could we not use extra protection? Surely King Zachary's wife will not be happy when she discovers his body."

Jonathan sighed. He did not speak, only gestured with his free hand for me to lead the way. We slipped quietly out of the castle and into the crisp spring morning. I led Jonathan to where I had tied up my palfrey and also found the guards nearby. They drew their swords as Jonathan and I approached but sheathed them once again when they saw that it was us.

"We must depart for my brother's kingdom immediately," Jonathan said. "It is safe here no longer."

Each of the knights gave a curt nod before mounting their palfreys. It surprised me at first that they asked no questions, but I remembered that Jonathan had once been their king. I was sure he had been a fair and gracious king, one much more deserving of a crown than King Zachary had been.

Jonathan helped me to mount the remaining palfrey before climbing on himself, and we departed. The journey seemed much shorter than it had before and it felt as though it had been no time at all before we once again approached King Ethan's castle. I knew that Jonathan would want to seek counsel with his brother immediately, but my worry was elsewhere. As we had traveled, there had been nothing on my mind but Nicolas. Although I knew he was safe in the care of King Ethan's servants, my heart would not rest until I held him in my arms once again.

As I hurried off in the direction of the room where I had left Nicolas, I felt a hand close around my wrist. "Trinity, where are you going?" Jonathan asked. "The guards have gone to fetch my brother, we must go wait for him in the throne room."

"I must go check on Nicolas," I told him.

"I am sure he is fine," Jonathan assured me. He pulled gently on my wrist, attempting to draw me back towards the throne room. "He is probably sleeping, you should not wake him." Jonathan obviously noticed the look of worry still on my face and he sighed softly as he drew me close. "I know that you are worried about Nicolas, but I promise you that he will be fine for a little while longer. It is imperative that we speak with Ethan. If King Zachary's knights are approaching my brother needs to be prepared."

"I cannot help that I worry about Nicolas," I whispered. I slipped my wrist from Jonathan's grasp, reaching down to pick at a thread on my tunic. "I have always felt as though he were my own babe. And now that both of his true parents are dead, I certainly must act as his mother."

"And you will make a wonderful mother, just as you will make a wonderful queen," Jonathan replied, smiling softly. I could feel my cheeks flush. "But for now we have more pertinent matters to deal with. Come now, I hear my brother approaching."

Although I still wished to check on Nicolas, I knew that Jonathan was right. I allowed Jonathan to lead me into the throne room, gripping his hand tightly as we approached King Ethan's throne. "Please tell what is so important that I was pulled away from my breakfast?" King Ethan asked, looking at Jonathan.

"King Zachary is dead," Jonathan answered quickly. His brother's eyes shot open wide. "He confessed to the crime of murdering King Rowan, as well as Nicolas' true mother."

"So you killed him?" King Ethan pressed, his voice rising. "Are you completely dense, brother? Surely such a powerful king has powerful armies, ones I cannot hope to contend with on such short notice."

I stepped forward. "Please Ethan, it was not Jonathan who killed King Zachary. It...It was I. But if I had not, he would have slashed Jonathan's throat."

King Ethan closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. I was sure that our news was not any that he wanted to hear. "I am glad that you were able to save my brother's life," he said dully. "But now there is the possibility of war and our armies are not prepared so shortly after the end of the Great War."

"Maybe there will not be a war," I said, hope cracking my.voice. "King Zachary had only Nicolas as an heir and he is still but a babe. Who is there to take control and lead the armies? Surely the queen will not."

At this point, King Ethan's eyes opened once again, realization spreading out across his face. He looked at Jonathan and I and grinned. "Of course!" he exclaimed. "How could I not have thought of that? The throne is vacant. Without a son of decent age, it will be weeks, perhaps months, before it would be decided which of the king's relatives will now wear the crown. If we reach the kingdom in time, we may be able to secure the throne for ourselves."

"Let us leave right away, then," Jonathan suggested. His brother nodded, rising to his feet as he started to shout out orders to his guards. Jonathan made to follow after King Ethan, but I pulled him back. "Trinity, I must go with my brother. Time is of the essence."

"I am going with you," I said firmly. I knew that Jonathan would object to this, but I spoke again before he had the chance. "Have I not proven to you that I can handle myself? I managed to track you back to King Zachary's castle and it was I who actually took the life of the king! I may be a maiden, but if I am to be your queen as you continue to say, then you must stop trying to coddle me. I am as much a part of this as you are."

Jonathan was silent for a moment. In the background I could hear King Ethan continuing to shout. Finally, Jonathan sighed. "You are right," he conceded. "This has been your battle as well. So I will not stop you if you truly wish to join us."

With a silent smile, I took Jonathan's hand once again and the two of us hurried after King Ethan. The horses were nearly ready when Jonathan and I arrived and we only had to wait a few short minutes before we departed. I had no idea what to expect when we arrived at King Zachary's castle several hours later, but the lack of activity was a bit suspicious. Surely chaos would have erupted once the king's body had been discovered?

"It is far too quiet," Jonathan commented, reading my thoughts. We dismounted the palfreys and I reached for Jonathan's hand as we crept towards the castle. I wondered when we might encounter a guard, and no sooner had I thought this than a booming voice called out, ordering us to stop.

King Ethan stepped forward, approaching King Zachary's guard. Under the gaze of a man exuding such power, with his knights as his back, the guard shrunk back. "I am King Ethan," he announced. "My brother and his maiden brought word that your king has suffered an untimely death and as such, we have come to claim ownership of this kingdom and land. We are prepared to fight if necessary, as I am sure you can see, but I assure you that it will be much easier for all involved if there is no war."

The look on the guard's face told me that the news of King Zachary's death was not surprising. "We will not fight you," the guard said simply. His tone of voice was snide, but it quickly became apparent that his bitterness was not directed at King Ethan. "I am sure I speak for many people in the kingdom - and surely everyone in the castle - when I say that King Zachary deserved his fate. He was a cruel leader and try as he might, he would never be as great as his father."

King Ethan only nodded. Obviously I was not the only one surprised that this had been so easy. But as Jonathan and King Ethan discussed earlier, with no leader to control the armies, taking control of the kingdom would be much simpler. Of course, I was sure it would not be effortless; after all, this was only a guard.

King Ethan beckoned Jonathan aside; I was pulled along, if only because I still held tightly to Jonathan's hand
"I cannot possibly control two kingdoms at once," he whispered. "It would be impossible, especially with the distance between the two. I will grant the use of my armies as needbe, but I think that after everything is settled, you should take the throne here, brother."

Jonathan's grip on my hand tightened, his eyes glittering with surprise. "Me?" he questioned.

King Ethan chuckled. "Yes brother, you," he answered. "After all, it was you who rid this kingdom of their tyrant king. And you did not do such a terrible job as king before I."

"Very funny," Jonathan chuckled, not missing his brother's joke. He pressed his lips into a tight line as he thought. Becoming king, even though he had already been one once, was a very large undertaking. He would have to gain the trust of the armies and the people in order to run the kingdom efficiently. But I had no doubt that he could do it. "I will take the throne here," Jonathan finally answered. "But I cannot do it alone."

"You will have all the help from me that you need, brother," King Ethan said, laying his hand on Jonathan's shoulder.

Jonathan smiled at his brother before turning to me. He leaned close "And of course, I will need a queen," he said softly. He took my hand and I felt his lips press against my temple. "And there is no one I would rather have by my side than you, my dear Trinity."

"Alright, I think that is enough of that," King Ethan quipped. "I am sure you have nothing to worry about in terms of who will stand by your side as queen. For now we must go and secure your place as king."