19 Truth

AFTER a reasonable amount of time had passed...

The Castle's court lady was in her personal space, perambulating the entire breadth of her bedroom. All the while she did this, she thought deeply about a certain someone— Elizabeth.

After the brief encounter with Beth, Sigrid had tried her best to suppress the deep concern she felt towards her, but to no avail.

"Why this? But I've said already that I will have no involvement in the matter, yet my heart continues to trouble me sore," said Sigrid to herself.

Next, she walked to her bedroom window, and peeped outside. To her greatest surprise, she saw some members of the king's echelon getting set as though they would be heading somewhere with His Majesty. Beside them were some stablemen who had just got out some healthy saddle horses.

As Sigrid continued to observe the men intently, her eyes met with the king's aide, Ezekiel. He was standing in direct proximity with the other men—noble knights.

Thus, Sigrid's suspicions were confirmed about the king's involvement in the movement and also due to the fact that the horses she had seen were being covered head and face with a steel-plate armour(Shaffron), and their chests armoured alongside with a Peytral.

At once, she panicked and clutched at her chest as she staggered two light steps backwards.

"This certainly means that the king is set to head out with some knights on some dangerous mission. . . since they could go that far to cloak even the horses for battle. If that be the case, should the maiden rot until the king's return? What if he takes longer than three days? No! I should at least try to find out if the maiden was truly innocent," pondered Sigrid as she moved away completely from her bedroom window.

As soon as Sigrid departed from the area where her window sat, she got a knock on the door and informed the person at the other end to come in.

"Ah, Meera. It is you!" exclaimed Sigrid with a note of enthusiasm in her voice. She was particularly excited to see the girl, who did not understand the meaning at first.

"Senior lady. . . I have come to inform you that the job has been done, and the water is undergoing preparation for the Queen to have her second bath soon," said Meera meekly.

The court lady nodded.

"Good, but there is something else on my mind. I will like us to hasten up in doing it first before we go to be of service to the Queen," revealed Sigrid.

By now, she had come to the conclusion that she would trust her guts and not feel hesitant any more about relying on her instinct. They had never failed her before, not once! So why should she be doubtful this time around?

By now, the picture of Elizabeth's face, especially her beautiful sparkly eyes which had expressed innocent emotions, had continued to seep into Sigrid's mind like a rigid reminder—a continuous reminder of her (Beth's) angelic reflection.

Thus, Sigrid had such thoughts floating about, in her mind...

'That maiden. . . she didn't seem harmful to me. Instead, her aura spoke of admirable goodness and much innocence. Should I not render the least assistance in proving her to be not guilty as my heart has inclined itself to think? For surely the king must have been mistaking about his verdict, and I should put in the effort to protect her as though she were my very child,' concluded Sigrid.

Meanwhile, Meera was joggling her mind to figure out what the court lady had meant by her words. What did she mean by 'a matter they needed to tackle' before appearing in the Queen's presence?

"Senior lady, what do we need to hasten up and do before going to be with the Queen? Also, we barely have little time left before we appear in Her Majesty's presence," concluded Meera.

The court lady nodded in agreement to Meera's last words, which had tapered off as a sort of reminder that time was indeed of valuable essence.

Next, Sigrid parted her succulent velvet lips to speak.

"It is true, but what we need to do will be of immense help to that poor maiden who is at the Dordragon prison even as we speak."

Meera was shocked. Her countenance couldn't mask her disbelief. Were those really Sigrid's words?

"That. . . maiden? But you shut me up from speaking about her a while ago," said Meera, though meekly.

However, in her mind she was thinking, 'Why would she rebuke me from blurting my concern about the maiden in distress only to dwell upon it herself? It doesn't make any sense.'

This, Meera conceived in her heart, taking care not to spill her words openly to the court lady's hearing.

However, Sigrid had expected Meera's reaction. She was not the least bit surprised by it. Hence, she smiled briefly and prepared her response speech.

"I know I shut you up a while ago, but we were still within the hallways and not too far from His Majesty's former room; the echoes could have gotten you in trouble. What I did was to save your head, Meera. How do you not know this? You should be more mindful of your environment before you mutter words carelessly next time," cautioned Sigrid.

Meera understood instantly, the sense in her lady's words.

Thus, she muttered, "You are right, senior lady. I will be mindful next time."

"That is fine, but we need to do something together..."

After speaking those words, Sigrid urged Meera to come closer, and she hinted her of her plans to have a look at the hall of Termarth for any jewellery lying idly by. Meera understood but she had her interjections.

"Senior lady, I am sure the king would assign someone to do the deed. It is my opinion that we shouldn't bother about this," insisted Meera.

Sigrid said nothing at first. Instead, she poked out her index towards the window to hint at Meera to have a look outside.

Meera did so, and walked back to the former position where she had stood initially.

Next, she conveyed her intelligence to the court lady.

"I saw some knights, even the king's personal aide beside some horses. It seems they are prepared to go somewhere, although I think it is too soon for His Majesty to step outside the Castle. Besides, has he not just been inaugurated as King?"

"You have spoken sensible words, Meera, but that was not why I told you to look outside."

"Then, why else did you have me look outside, lady Sigrid?"

"I wanted you to see for yourself that the king is headed somewhere with his knights, which you have done. Now, let us analyse some things. . . If the king should embark on his quest and gets to return in a day, two or even three days. . . what do you think would have become of that maiden by then? What if she starves to death or worse still, the lurking dark spirits of the Dordragon pit pollutes her before she gets her freedom? Can you have it on your conscience?"

"No, senior lady," answered Meera.

"Then is it wrong to at least help her by searching out the sole culprit of this entire misunderstanding?" questioned Sigrid.

"You mean, the jewellery?" asked Meera.

"Yes, the jewellery," Sigrid replied, quickly.

"But one question, senior lady."

"Ask your question, Meera."

"Why are you so sure that she is innocent, and that she is indeed telling the truth?" asked Meera who could not seem to understand her lady's concern in that maiden's affairs. She began to feel as though the court lady, Sigrid, had formed a somewhat bias opinion about the girl in question, but wasn't that too soon?

At Meera's question, Sigrid smiled into a smirk, before attempting to speak.

"Meera. . . when you have lived as long as I have, when you have worked as long within the castle walls, and have interacted with as many humans as I have—people of distinguishable charisma, maybe then the gift of perception will naturally come to you. . ."