Beyond the King's Gate

Chapter Eighteen

"What is this I hear about a broken engagement?" His fathers voice boomed in the otherwise silent, drawing room.

Ronald held his peace. Every time his father was angry, he would wait before speaking. He would rather have all the anger and rage pour out all at once, then have more explosions later.

"Speak! What have you done?" His voice trembled with anger.

"I won't be controlled by you anymore. In fact I came here to tell you, father, if you oppose my marriage to Bethany-"

"Bethany," his voice full of disdain. "Bethany this, Bethany that! It's all I hear around this palace! How can one servant create such an upheaval?"

"Darling," his mother, who sat silent, was now stroking the king's arm, willing for the anger to pacify. "Don't get so worked up. It's not good for you." The king and queen gazed at each other.

And as though a plug had been pulled, the red slowly drained out of his face. "You're right." Then Ronalds words settled, and they finally made sense. The red came back with a vengeance. "Marriage? Did you say marriage?" He was practically delirious now.

The king's eyes all but bulged out. "To a servant?"

Ronald was unmoved by this. "Yes." He held his fathers scowling gaze, "if you oppose," he continued, "I will abdicate my rights to the throne."

At these words, his posture changed, and his face paled.

"I don't want to live in a loveless marriage. Even Kathrine agreed, she was relieved."

"Of course she would be. She doesn't want to take her place." His words were scathing.

"You're not changing my mind." Ronald stood and left. He knew that this was difficult for his father to understand, since he never loved anyone in his life. Maybe the queen, his mother.

If one loved someone deeply enough, they would give up anything for them. And that's what he would do.

Now to find her and bring her back home. To be by his side.

Change POV:

The next house over, a woman came to visit when she noticed Bethany early in the morning, digging in the overgrown garden. She made her way over with a basket in the crook of her arm.

Bethany greeted her with a small wave and a smile. This was exciting. Her first neighbor.

She swiped dirt off her skirt and stood tall, like her mother taught, when in the presence of company.

"Now I was just so beside myself to find out who had moved in this gorgeous house, I had to come see for myself. My husband thought it to be forward of me, but," she laughed, shrugging her shoulders, "I couldn't help myself."

"I'm Bethany Bolace." She held her hand forward, and then quickly retreated when she noticed a layer of dirt. "Sorry, my hands are filthy." Nervously, she smiled.

"Oh your...wow you've grown." She looked her up and down. Taking her height, and looks, in.

"You knew my mother and I?" She piped up.

"And your older sister. I watched her and my own daughter, Clara." She studied Bethany as though she were trying to figure out things about her past. "Is your mother here?" She looked past Bethany, towards the wooden door.

"No, I'm afraid it's just me." Her earlier enthusiasm deflated at the mention of her mother being gone.

"Oh, why is that so?"

"I had to move on without her, my mother and older sister stayed back at the Langston Palace."

The woman's left eyebrow rose. "She married a king? I thought she was with the King of Iris."

Bethany felt her head swim. "What do you mean?" She asked, her voice sounding far away from her own. Images flooded her mind, memories swam together. King Fredrick was enraged at seeing her at the palace, long ago. Lady of Ascott's hating her all those years. Was it possible?

No. It was not. Not in this present time or future.

"I mean he would visit her and stay for sometime here. I just supposed your mother was his mistr-" she cut her words off at Bethany's blanched face.

"Oh." The woman said, "I see, you didn't know."

"Didn't know what exactly?"

The woman shifted the basket, buying herself time. "Ahem." She cleared her throat. "You're his illegitimate daughter."

Bethany was sure she was falling, her head swam, and the earth swayed beneath her. She felt the woman catch her just in time.

"You okay?" She asked, panic coloring her face.

She didn't pass out! "I just felt as though I were fainting."

"Come on, let's get you inside, possibly get some food in your stomach. You look awfully pale."

Had this lady completely gone mad? Of course she was pale, she just told a servant that has worked all her life for a king who hated her guts, that she was the daughter of another king.

Illegitimate or not. It was crazy, simple as that.

"Yeah, I probably should." Inside the woman pulled back the cover on the basket to reveal fresh white loaves of bread.

And Bethany's stomach growled, her attention quickly averted to her hunger. She scarfed down a chunk of bread, and the woman cut a slice of cheese for her, she ate that too.

Then after the second chunk of bread, Bethany was alert enough to ask the questions begging to be freed in her mind.

"So you're saying that my mom had an affair with the King of Iris?" She still couldn't believe the words that passed her lips.

"Well, yes, it was rather scandalous. Lady of Ascott's found out that he was madly in love with your mother and tried to get her killed. She escaped, I never knew where to. Now I know it was to Eldore. This land used to belong to Iris, after the first war, it was taken over by Eldore. I never knew why she didn't come back after that. She could've lived here freely. Without fear. But I suppose your mother wanted you girls to be as far away from that wicked lady as possible."

Bethany zoned her out, leaving her babbling to herself. She thought back to the time when King Fredrick first met her at the ball. He must have not known about having an illegitimate child. He had paled much like Bethany had just moments earlier.

After that meeting, it was no wonder he often visited the palace. He wanted to get to know her. And get to know her, he did.

It was all too much to take.