A Night With The King

Sophie stared in awe as guard after guard came into her cell room taking out all the things that were inside, she didn’t know what they were up to and they refused to answer her. If this was the king punishing her then not only was he an evil man, he was also petty too. She did nothing wrong. He was the one that came to meet her when he was drunk and insisted on laying on the bed with her even when she tried to send him back. Last night had been hell for her, she barely got any sleep being squished up against him and when she finally fell asleep, she was woken by him while he was trying to leave. The way he had asked her if anything happened between them the night before, if anything, it was enough to confirm that he really has no memory of what happened that night two months and a week ago. She wondered if it would have been different if she had not sneaked out that night before he woke up, maybe it would have been easier to tell him about the baby being his.

“And be faced with getting the baby collected from you?”

The voice in her head queried. She was right, It was better that he didn’t know they slept together and she made sure to tell him that nothing happened between them last night. He looked relieved by her answer and left without even apologizing for crashing into her bed the night before. She didn’t really expect a king to apologize to her.

Sophie looked around the now empty room, wondering what he planned on doing, he couldn’t possibly want her to lay on the bare floor with nothing in the room right? She was still pondering over the thoughts when the guards and some help came back with things, not the same that they took away but new things.

“Please step aside while we dress this place up, watch her,”

One of the guards instructed and she was shown out of the room but wasn’t left on her own. She stood with two guards with her outside of the room she was in. The dungeon wasn’t huge like a regular one, it was just a place where the kings kept the people they wanted to handle personally. Most times women.

She was given a chair to sit on while they worked. It didn’t take long for them to be done and they all left. They didn’t even bother to lock the door.

“Now what?”Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

she asked when they all left, at least he wasn’t punishing her. The room now looked better than any room she has ever had in all her thirty-one years alive. She should be grateful that he wasn’t punishing her but he trying to make her life livable even though she was still stuck in his dungeon, still, a prisoner with a huge case over her head so even if she wanted to be, she couldn’t be happy that he was being kind to her or maybe he was doing this because he plans on coming here a lot, she didn’t like that idea either. She wanted nothing to do with the king, it would only bring trouble for her. She didn’t want any trouble.

She lay on her new bed trying to get her mind to relax but she couldn’t. For the last two years, she lived in constant fear of being discovered and sent out of the kingdom, now with all the things that are happening, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that she would be sent away soon. Once the king finds out she lied about who she was, she was sure he would throw her out of the kingdom. Or if he finds out the baby belongs to him, he might take her child and still send her away. She didn’t want any of that to happen. She didn’t want to overthink either so she decided to just live each day as it comes without worrying about what will happen the next day.

Sophie did not see nor hear from the king for the next couple of days, she was able to tell the time by following when Emily or other palace maids brought her food. They made sure to feed her three times a day and even give her things to snack on. She couldn’t tell if the snacks were the king’s instructions or if they were doing it out of the goodness of their heart. She couldn’t ask them as they refuse to speak to her, not even when she says thank you. They just come in, drop the food at her door, knock to alert her, and leave. All day she sat bored out of her mind with nothing to do, she asked for them to give her books to read to keep her mind off things but they didn’t bring anything like that to her. She gave up after asking for the third time and concluded she only got the things the king asked them to give her. If only he would come around now so that she can personally ask him to give her something to do while he kept her here.

She already took her bath and had breakfast, she just sat alone feeling bored out of her mind when the door opened. She stood up expecting to see the king but it was one of the palace guards.

“Let’s go,”

The guard stated and Sophie looked at him like he had lost his mind.

“Where are we going?”

She requested but she was already walking towards him.

“Out,”

That was all he said and for a moment she let herself hope that the truth was out and she would finally be free but that couldn’t be the case. She was sure so she crushed that hope.

“Out? Where are you taking me?”

She asked when she stepped out of the room. It was the first time she was leaving the room since she got in. Even after they started leaving her door unlocked, she knew better than to leave.

“To the clinic as the king instructed,”

The guard responded as he led her out of the dungeon. The questions running through Sophie’s mind were much but she couldn’t voice them out as she was hurriedly led into a waiting car. She looked around from inside the car. It was the first time she was seeing the outside world during the day since she became a prisoner, she didn’t know how long she would be locked away again before she would be let out so for now, she would fill her eyes with the outside world so that she can remember when she is back to her dark place. Okay technically, it is not a dark place but it was lonely and she was locked away.

When they arrived at the hospital, she was sent directly to the doctor’s office even though there were other people outside waiting. She spoke with the doctor, answered all his questions and someone came to draw her blood for tests. She only left the doctor’s office for a scan and came right back after the scan. The doctor gave her the vitamins that she needed and told her to get enough sleep and try to keep herself from thinking too much. She agreed to it even though she knew she could not stop herself from thinking too much when she had nothing to do but stay bored out of her mind all day.

On the drive back to the place, she decided to try her luck with the guard that took her to the hospital, he seemed nice and approachable.

“Can I ask you for something?”

She said and he turned to her.

“Sure, what is it?”

“Can you please get me books? I am always bored out of my mind and the doctor said I have to stop overthinking, I can’t stop if I don’t have anything to do so, please, get me some books,”

She pleaded.

“I will talk to the king about it and if he allows it, then I will send some to you. Though I am not sure you will be needing them anymore,”

The guard said. He kind of confirmed what she already knew that everything she got was approved by the king. But she didn’t know what he meant by ‘she might not need them anymore.’ She couldn’t bother to ask as the car entered the palace. She wished she didn’t have to go back to that place, no matter how good they make it look, it didn’t change what it was. However, the car did not drive in the direction of the dungeon, nope, it took a turn and drove towards the left wing, she looked at the guard in confusion as they drove into the emerald house. The house was separated from the main palace and only the king and the people he gave access to could enter, it had its own gate and fence, and the king could enter through his bedroom. She has been inside only once when the king had been drunk and passed out inside and the guards had sent her there to clean up after him. Her mind went on overdrive wondering what was happening. Why did they bring her here of all places and what did the king have planned out for her?