Whispers Unsaid

"Is it absolutely necessary to do this now?" I asked. I had been unable to sway Jonathan from venturing into the woods at this hour, and so we were both trekking to where I had discovered the body, with only the torch in Jonathan's hand for light. I, of course, needed to make my unhappiness known.

"Yes, it is," Jonathan replied curtly. "We are lucky the girl's body is still intact. If we wait much longer, beasts may dispose of the evidence."

"I cannot leave the prince for too long," I said. Prince Nicolas was still sleeping peacefully when Jonathan and I slipped out of the castle, and although I had asked another servant to look in on him, I hoped to be back before he awoke.

Jonathan nodded. "Then we should make haste." He forged onward, and I had no choice but to follow. As we walked, I could not help but wonder what someone would think if they were to happen upon Jonathan and I. An unwed young woman wandering around the woods with a man? They would surely think the worst. Suddenly Jonathan stepped on a small branch; the cracking sound stood my hair on end and out of shock, I reached for Jonathan's free hand. From my view of his profile, I saw him smile slyly and I blushed deeply and was thankful for the near darkness. Still, I did not drop Jonathan's hand.

Although it was dark, it was still quite obvious when we reached the body, as the smell had yet to disappate. Jonathan swung his torch over the body, bathing it in light. "I see no marks of beasts," he scoffed. "Do you?"

I gave the poor girl a once over, looking closely for scratches or teeth marks. Just as Jonathan had said, there were none. However, the skin of her neck had a strange dark hue. Finally dropping Jonathan's hand, I crouched down to take a closer look and felt my heart dropped when I realized what had caused this discoloration. Her neck was bruised. And the bruises were in the shape of hands. "She was strangled," I said. I looked back to Jonathan, who's face was ghostly white.

"Then King Zachary was wrong," he whispered. "She was not killed by a wild beast. She was murdered."

. . .

Over the next few days, I watched King Zachary, eager for a sign that he had spoken with Jonathan about our newest discovery. But it quickly became apparent that he and his queen were far too busy preparing the castle for an upcoming party of some sort. It was times like these I was very glad that I had been charged with the care of Prince Nicolas; all of the other servants spent their days scrubbing and cleaning, and their nights cooking. I hid myself away in my chambers, caring for the ever-growing Nicolas.

"Miss Trinity." I looked up at the sound of a new voice. A young female servant stood in my doorway. Out of instinct, I drew the babbling infant close. "King Zachary wishes for you to come to the throne room immediately. And you should bring the infant prince." Before I could ask a single question, the young girl was gone, off to tidy the castle a little more.

I scooped up young Nicolas and stepped out of the room. Winter was quickly approaching, and so the narrow hallways were cold as ice; I drew Nicolas' blanket around his small body, tucking it around him so that only his face remained visible. When I arrived at the throne room, I knocked timidly on the door, waiting for the king's booming voice to beckon me inside.

"Who knocks at my throne room?" he called out. I heard the shuffling of footsteps as a guard approached the door, and it was soon swung open.

"The governess with the young prince, your highness," the guard answered. King Zachary shouted something that I could not understand to the guard, and the gruff man ushered me inside.

King Zachary sat upon his throne, looking highly irritated. Of course, I knew that the King dealt with great matters, but I had still never seen him looking quite like this. His hair was slightly unkempt, his crown slightly askew. There were dark half-circles beneath his eyes as if he hadn't been sleeping well, but his jade-colored eyes themselves shined with a cold intensity. A storm was brewing in King Zachary's mind, and it chilled me to the bone.

"You...You asked to see me, your highness?" I asked. I used my free hand to curtsy. "Is something the matter?"

"No, nothing is the matter," King Zachary barked. "And even if it was, it would be none of your business."

"S-Sorry, your highness," I apologized.

The king rolled his eyes, making no effort at all to conceal his discontent. "In a few days, people will begin arriving at the castle. We need to show them that our kingdom was not left vulnerable after the Great War, as so many others were. On the night of the full moon there will be a grand party at which the queen and I will present our new prince. You will need to be there."

"But why?" I asked. The words had slipped out before I could think to stop them and they only seemed to make King Zachary more irritated.

"Are you stupid?" he spat. "You are the governess. Stefani and I will be far too busy to care for Nicolas while he is at the ball, and so you will need to do so."

I felt my cheeks redden. I was quite stupid for asking that. "Of course, your highness," I said.

"You may go now." King Zachary waved his hand dismissively, and I was quick to exit the throne room.

I took Prince Nicolas outside to the garden. It was frigidly cold out so we could not stay for long, but I knew Jonathan would be there. The secret of the dead girl in the woods had forged a strange sort of bond between us, and so we had formed a unique sort of friendship.

"I do not know how you stand it," I grumbled as I trudged up to Jonathan, who was sitting on a bench in the garden. "It is frightfully cold outside."

Jonathan chuckled. "If you find it so cold, then why are you outside?" he asked. A grin split his face. "But of course, you probably just wanted to see me. After all, I am pretty hard to resist."

"Do not flatter yourself," I huffed, turning away. But still, I could feel my cheeks warming slightly. In an effort to change the course of conversation I said, "The king has informed me that I must be present at the ball he is throwing. I am not sure that I want to be there, but I must care for Nicolas while he is being shown to the rulers of the surrounding kingdoms. Will you be there?"

Jonathan suddenly looked very nervous, and there was something suspicious about the answer he gave to me. "I will be too busy," he said quickly, spitting out his words. "And even so, I do not care to bother myself with such frivolous royal activity."

"If you say so," I replied. I shivered suddenly and tucked Nicolas closer to my body. He did not need to be out in this weather for long - and neither did I for that matter - but the thought of going back into the castle right now made me sick to my stomach.

I was startled when I felt something being draped over my slender shoulders. Looking down at the fabric, it was quickly apparent that Jonathan had given me his coat. It was a nice coat, one made of some sort of fur, and it warmed me quickly. But where had Jonathan gotten such a coat? "Thank you," I whispered. I looked down, adjusting the coat so that part of it covered Nicolas. At this point I was sure the rouge on my cheeks was entirely noticeable.

"It is only polite to give your coat to a lady," Jonathan replied, his smile obvious in his voice.

Jonathan and I sat on the bench in a comfortable silence for another ten minutes or so. As we sat, snow began to fall from the sky, slowly covering the castle grounds in a blanket of white. A few flakes found their way beneath my clothing and I shivered despite Jonathan's coat. I got to my feet. "I should go inside," I said. "Now that it is starting to snow, it will only get colder and Prince Nicolas does not need to be out in the cold for too long. The king will very displeased if the prince falls ill, especially so close to his ball."

Johnathan made a face, one that left no guess as to how he felt about the king. "Of course, we cannot make the king unhappy," he said scathingly. "But I agree, you should get the babe inside. It would not be well for him or you to catch cold." I made to walk away, but then remembered that I still had Jonathan's coat draped around my shoulders. I slid it off and handed it to him, but he refused it. "Keep it for now," he said, smiling now. "I am sure that you need it more than I do in this cold weather."

"Are you sure?" I fretted. "It is terribly cold."

Jonathan grinned smugly. "I am hardy," he assured me. "I can withstand a little cold."

"If you insist," I laughed. "It was nice talking with you, Jonathan," I added when I reached the garden gate.

"Come back anytime," he replied. "You know where to find me."