Chapter Eight-The Knives Are Out
The guards dragged the body of Amy to the Royal Ovens. "Oi! What do you think you're doing? You can't burn dead bodies here or we'll all end up with disease, from the lowest gong-scourer to the Queen herself." It was the Chief Royal Cook who spoke, his hands on his hips, ignoring the fact that the guards were armed. "Throw the body into some unused dungeon cell instead." The guards looked at each other and then decided to do what he said. Having served for fifty years in the Royal Kitchen, progressing through the ranks from spit-boy to dogsbody to waiter to cook to Chief Royal Cook, he knew what he was talking about. This was his environment and the guards knew that they were outsiders within it. They scuttled out and dumped the body in the deepest darkest dungeon cell that they could find.
Before she was abducted and placed in Princess Training, Chrysta Two had been a farmer's daughter named Emma. She was shaking as they escorted her to her royal bed. "Don't worry Amy, I will avenge you," she whispered to herself. The next day she acted for several hours as she was expected to do, and then said aloud to the Queen "Mother, Dracia Eldren is plotting against you."
Queen Yocasta laughed out loud. "You do like playing the jester, don't you? Lady Eldren would never be a threat. Many people might be, but not her."
"But Mother..." Emma halted. If she explained what was going on and the Queen believed her, then she might be executed for taking part in High Treason, even though she had been forced to do it.
"No buts, I won't hear any more about the matter," said the Queen. "Lady Eldren, I'¢m sorry about my daughter. Chrysta, one more word about the subject and I'll send you to your bedroom." Emma saw the look in Lady Eldren's eyes and thought back to the agonised face of Amy after she had been stabbed to death. She decided to stay with the Queen, as nobody would dare to lay a finger on her whilst Queen Yocasta watched. For several hours she stayed with the Queen, knowing that the knives were literally out for her, and playing her role to perfection, even taking a perverse pride in it, knowing that the Queen loved her.
At last the Queen said to her, "The Foreign Minister of Karnivahl is coming to speak with me about a delicate matter of trade, and you can't come with me. I don't want to have to get into a war because you said the wrong thing at the wrong time. So run along now."
"Please let me come, I want to gain experience so that I can be more use to you."
Queen Yocasta shook her head. "No. I'll tell you all about it later, when I come back."
*When she comes back,* thought Emma *I'll be dead and my body will be rotting somewhere. And poor Olga who never did anything seriously wrong will be in my place. And the worst thing is that I was just beginning to love Yocasta-she loves me with a deep motherly love. *
She said "Mother, could you kiss me goodbye?"
The Queen planted a big warm kiss upon her forehead and left the room. Emma stared around expecting to feel a dagger blow at any moment, but none came. The hours passed and she began to relax. Then it was time for her to go to bed. She said to the guards outside her bedroom door Whatever happens, stay at your posts, even if the Lord Chancellor himself should call you away. I will see that you are rewarded well, I promise you."
It was not long before the Lord Chancellor was speaking with some very irate knife-wielding guards from the Princess Training School.
"Why are the guards still on duty? You said you'd call them away."
"They said that the Princess had ordered them not to move from their posts. You'll have to get crossbows and kill them as well. I will report them as deserters. Desertion happens occasionally despite the heavy penalties for it. You will be assigned to guard the Princess from now on."
The killers walked up to the guards who thought nothing of it as these were Guardsmen like themselves, and shot them at point blank range with crossbows that were meant for penetrating the armour of mounted knights. The chainmail armour of the guards had no chance against the arrows and the killers grabbed the dead bodies before they had time to hit the ground. For an hour they stood on guard duty and then crept in and stabbed Emma through the throat and heart. The three bodies were carried to the Princess Training School and laid in front of Olga, the next Princess to be.
"This girl dared to say that I was plotting against the Queen. Her guards have been replaced with more...trusted figures. Never think that you are not being watched, my dear. Every step you take, every move you make, every word you say, is known about by my spies. So you will play your part to perfection or you will die. Put all thoughts of your former life as Olga out of your head. Your sole reason for living now is to be Princess Chrysta and to keep the Queen happy. Get busy acting, or get busy dying."
The guards dragged the body of Amy to the Royal Ovens. "Oi! What do you think you're doing? You can't burn dead bodies here or we'll all end up with disease, from the lowest gong-scourer to the Queen herself." It was the Chief Royal Cook who spoke, his hands on his hips, ignoring the fact that the guards were armed. "Throw the body into some unused dungeon cell instead." The guards looked at each other and then decided to do what he said. Having served for fifty years in the Royal Kitchen, progressing through the ranks from spit-boy to dogsbody to waiter to cook to Chief Royal Cook, he knew what he was talking about. This was his environment and the guards knew that they were outsiders within it. They scuttled out and dumped the body in the deepest darkest dungeon cell that they could find.
Before she was abducted and placed in Princess Training, Chrysta Two had been a farmer's daughter named Emma. She was shaking as they escorted her to her royal bed. "Don't worry Amy, I will avenge you," she whispered to herself. The next day she acted for several hours as she was expected to do, and then said aloud to the Queen "Mother, Dracia Eldren is plotting against you."
Queen Yocasta laughed out loud. "You do like playing the jester, don't you? Lady Eldren would never be a threat. Many people might be, but not her."
"But Mother..." Emma halted. If she explained what was going on and the Queen believed her, then she might be executed for taking part in High Treason, even though she had been forced to do it.
"No buts, I won't hear any more about the matter," said the Queen. "Lady Eldren, I'¢m sorry about my daughter. Chrysta, one more word about the subject and I'll send you to your bedroom." Emma saw the look in Lady Eldren's eyes and thought back to the agonised face of Amy after she had been stabbed to death. She decided to stay with the Queen, as nobody would dare to lay a finger on her whilst Queen Yocasta watched. For several hours she stayed with the Queen, knowing that the knives were literally out for her, and playing her role to perfection, even taking a perverse pride in it, knowing that the Queen loved her.
At last the Queen said to her, "The Foreign Minister of Karnivahl is coming to speak with me about a delicate matter of trade, and you can't come with me. I don't want to have to get into a war because you said the wrong thing at the wrong time. So run along now."
"Please let me come, I want to gain experience so that I can be more use to you."
Queen Yocasta shook her head. "No. I'll tell you all about it later, when I come back."
*When she comes back,* thought Emma *I'll be dead and my body will be rotting somewhere. And poor Olga who never did anything seriously wrong will be in my place. And the worst thing is that I was just beginning to love Yocasta-she loves me with a deep motherly love. *
She said "Mother, could you kiss me goodbye?"
The Queen planted a big warm kiss upon her forehead and left the room. Emma stared around expecting to feel a dagger blow at any moment, but none came. The hours passed and she began to relax. Then it was time for her to go to bed. She said to the guards outside her bedroom door Whatever happens, stay at your posts, even if the Lord Chancellor himself should call you away. I will see that you are rewarded well, I promise you."
It was not long before the Lord Chancellor was speaking with some very irate knife-wielding guards from the Princess Training School.
"Why are the guards still on duty? You said you'd call them away."
"They said that the Princess had ordered them not to move from their posts. You'll have to get crossbows and kill them as well. I will report them as deserters. Desertion happens occasionally despite the heavy penalties for it. You will be assigned to guard the Princess from now on."
The killers walked up to the guards who thought nothing of it as these were Guardsmen like themselves, and shot them at point blank range with crossbows that were meant for penetrating the armour of mounted knights. The chainmail armour of the guards had no chance against the arrows and the killers grabbed the dead bodies before they had time to hit the ground. For an hour they stood on guard duty and then crept in and stabbed Emma through the throat and heart. The three bodies were carried to the Princess Training School and laid in front of Olga, the next Princess to be.
"This girl dared to say that I was plotting against the Queen. Her guards have been replaced with more...trusted figures. Never think that you are not being watched, my dear. Every step you take, every move you make, every word you say, is known about by my spies. So you will play your part to perfection or you will die. Put all thoughts of your former life as Olga out of your head. Your sole reason for living now is to be Princess Chrysta and to keep the Queen happy. Get busy acting, or get busy dying."
