A beautiful girl sleeping on the bed moaned softly when she heard the knock on her door, she tried to ignore the disturbing sound but it came again and she could only groan and open her eyes which was a beautiful big emerald green that sparkles like a gem, her hair was black, blacker than the dead of the night and long that it could touch her waist when she stands. Her face was oval and made her look younger than her seventeen years of age. Her lips were redder than the rose and her nose so small and pointed that it complimented her child's look and also made her so beautiful that one cannot not look at her twice when she pass.
"Come in," she said in a voice so soft but yet with authority that shows her status in life, she might look calm but she wasn't so, in her beautiful green eyes, one can see the fiery passion to know more about life in them but as the daughter of the king's special adviser, they are things she cannot do for her action will always reflect on her father and her chance to marry a noble Lord.
The door pushed open and two handmaidens entered, one carrying a bucket of water and one carrying the hot water, "good morning, Lady Mariah," they both greeted, one walking to the wardrobe to bring out her Lady's dress and the other setting the big bowl for her bath.
Mariah got up from the bed, looking as angelic like she had not been asleep, they had been rumors in the kingdom that both the Prince and King wants to marry her which was why the King treated her father so well. Mariah doesn't care which comes, all she knows is that she would accept any for which maiden wouldn't want to live in a castle and be the Queen or the future Queen? Many a times she had wished to the stars that one of rumored suitors would ask for her hand and it wouldn't be just rumors anymore.
A handmaiden rushed to her and helped her pull off her nightwear which reveals almost her nakedness, she helped her tied up her hair and she walked to the bath and stepped into it. The other maiden prepared her dress while the other bathed her, scenting her body with the jasmine scent which she had loved since she was a child.
"Is my father already gone to the castle?" She asked.
"No, my Lady, he is waiting to share the morning meal with you and your brother and your mother," the handmaiden answered.
Mariah closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of the water and the gentle scrubbing of the maiden on her body, she breathes in the scented water and it was like every bone in her body relaxed because of it.
After her bath, she was dressed into a beautiful long emerald green gown that matches her eyes, which was also one of her favorite dress, the neckline was so low that it reveals more than half of her cleavage. One of the days she had worn something like it to the castle and neither the King nor the prince could take their eyes off her chest. She had smiled knowingly at that, and was already counting the days when she would start living in the castle. Although her love to be in the castle was immerse but she was also bothered about one reason, she didn't love neither the King nor Prince but she had also met almost all the noble lords and none of them could move her heart and she had concluded within herself that she was not created to love and therefore, she would live her life to the fullest and in power, and marrying the King or the Prince would give her that life.
With her hair styled to fall on her back and reveal her beautiful face, she walked out of her room to join her family for breakfast. From the stairs, she could see her brother, Roderick, who was only but ten, playing around in the living room and she knew her parents must be discussing in the drawing room as always. She made her to the drawing room, ignoring her brother who ignored her as well, they may siblings but they weren't that close, mainly because he always reminds her to marry so that their father's wealth will only be his.
"Good morning, mother, father," she greeted when she joined her parents in the drawing room.
Her mother, a beautiful woman with short black hair and blue eyes smiled when she saw her, "Mariah, there you are, your father was just telling me how the King wants you to be his companion for the party of Lord Baldwin. It is strange that he would ask something like that but we don't see anything wrong with it, do you?"
"Of course not, mother, if the majesty wants me to accompany him then accompany him I shall, as far as father is fine by it," she smiled.
"Indeed I am dear child, maybe the rumors would soon not be rumors anymore," said her father, a very fine and tall man with black hair, and green eyes, the one she took her beautiful eyes from and a respected man in the kingdom.
Mariah smiled and went to sit beside her mother like a proper lady would. They discussed about a lot of things until the servants announced to them that breakfast was ready, only then did they leave the drawing room and Roderick joined them in the dining room. Her father, Josiah, left to fulfill his duties to the king after the breakfast and Mariah did the same thing she does every day, watched her mother knit and also tried to do so as well.
By evening, they were in the garden, while Roderick ran around in play, Mariah and her mother, Lydia knit and talked about the things that ladies talked about. They heard their father's carriage coming in and there was something strange by how fast he was riding. Lydia frowned upon that, wondering what it could be and she dropped her knitting tools and left the garden to meet her husband on the front lawn. Mariah followed her and they arrived just as her father was getting out of the carriage, he looked so agitated and worried and when her mother rushed to him, she followed.
"Josiah, is something wrong?" Lydia asked, her voice revealing her worry.
Josiah looked at Mariah and then at his wife, "Lydia, come with me," he grabbed her hand and pulled her to the house, passing the confused Mariah who only turned and followed them.
***
Mariah listened on the door of her father's study room, trying to hear what he was telling her mother but all she could hear was faint mumblings, "what are you doing?" Someone asked behind her and she jumped and sighed when she saw that it was her brother.
"Hush, I am trying to listen."
"Listen to what? Mother always frowns upon this behavior of yours, she said it's not ladylike," he cautioned.
"Something is wrong, Roderick, I have never seen father looking so worried before, I think something happened in the palace."
"And if they are discussing it without involving you, should that not tell you that he doesn't want you to know what it is?"
"But I still want to know, anything that has to do with the palace I must know about it, how else would I be a good queen?"
Roderick rolled his eyes, "neither the King nor the Prince has asked for your hand in marriage, I would advise you to stop getting into character that you would not be broken when nothing happens," he left her by the door to go to his room.
Mariah ignored him and placed her ear on the door again only to gasp when the door suddenly opened and she nearly fell on her father who was standing in front of her. "Father…um…I…"
Josiah sighed, he left the door and walked back into the room and Mariah took it as an invite, she entered and shut the door behind her then she looked at her crying mother and then at her father, "is everything alright?" She asked, "Why is mother crying?"
Lydia sniffled and dapped at her eyes, "no, everything is not alright. Mariah, today, the King was poisoned."
"Poisoned?" Mariah shouted.
"Yes and the drink he was poisoned from was served by your father."
Mariah looked at her father immediately, she didn't know what to say or what to ask, her father cannot and will not poison the king, but…
As if reading the question in her eyes, Josiah answered, "I did not do it. The king asked me to pass him his goblet and that was what I did, then he started coughing and spitting out blood. The next thing, he fell on the table, unconscious," he sighed, "from the looks of everyone, I know they are all thinking I did it. But why, why would I poison the king, I don't have any reason for that."
"Oh no," Mariah mumbled and sat beside her mother, with this news, there goes her dream to marry either the king or the prince to live in the castle and to secure a better future for herself and her children.
Neither of the three of them spoke as they were all lost in their own thoughts of what their life would become from now on when the king wakes up to pass his judgment. A knock on the door got them on alert and mother and daughter looked at Josiah to answer the door. "Come in," he said and the door opened to reveal Maxwell, their butler.
"Forgive me sire but there are soldiers outside and the general is asking for you," he announced with a little bow.
Josiah looked at his family and heaved a sigh, "tell him I shall be with them shortly," he said and Maxwell left and closed the door after him.
"The palace soldiers, what do they want now?" Lydia asked.
"I don't know but there could be only one possible explanation, the king is awake," Josiah answered and strode to the door; he opened it and left the room. Mariah looked at her mother and they both followed him almost immediately.
When they got to the living room, they saw the general waiting for them, he didn't smile neither did he frown, his face was neutral but the long scare on his face which he had gotten during the war with a neighboring kingdom made him look like he was growling at them. Mariah trembled softly and grabbed onto her mother's hand, which held onto hers tightly, "Lord Josiah, forgive me for coming unannounced but the king is awake and he summoned for your presence immediately."
Josiah sighed and nodded, "I shall live with you to see him."
"Great, half of my men shall stay and watch your family till we return," he said and Josiah looked at Lydia who nodded softly at him before he nodded to the general and they both left the house.
Lydia hugged her daughter, telling her to calm down and that everything would be okay as they watched Josiah being escorted out of the house like he had committed treason and about to serve his judgment.
***
Lydia was wrong, everything was not okay for when Josiah returned with the general later in the night, he brought bad news. According to him, both the king and the council believed that he had poisoned the king and if it weren't for the prince's pleas, he would have been sent to the dungeon to be beheaded by sunset according to the rule of the kingdom.
But just because the prince pleaded for him doesn't mean he has been forgiven for he and his family had been banished from the kingdom until the king is fully recovered to pass a befitting judgment upon him and his household. The soldiers are to stay with them till morning and to escort them out of the kingdom by sunrise.
Mariah couldn't believe any of the news, how could she have woken up one morning only for her to lose everything?
