/8/ Speculations
Sania was already used to staying indoors all day, but it wasn't her room back on Cyris where she had numerous unread books to keep her mind occupied.
When she wasn't eating the food that was brought to her, Sania would stand by the window and stare down at the courtyard hoping that something interesting would happen.
She got bored and thought to go out of the room for a moment, but she remembered Taffi's warning and held back. The handmaids also made her feel uneasy, they did nothing but stare at her, or handed something to her whenever she needed them.
"Can you do my hair?" She asked them and they replied simultaneously with a nod,
"Yes, my Queen."
'Queen' the word sounded so powerful to Sania especially since she was just getting used to it. She took her seat in front of the mirror and said,
"I want to change the style to something more presentable for the meeting at noon, do your best." She said to them with a smile.
Her tone and how she relates with them made the handmaids feel strange. They were used to being yelled at, or commanded to do anything. But Sania knew nothing about it. This was because, in Cyris, her handmaid was like a sister to her so she channeled the same sister-like attitude towards the two.
Both handmaids tried to select a style that suited her, and Sania found it entertaining. Better than having to stare out the window or eat like a glutton.
Once they decided on a hairstyle, one of them proceeded to begin. But the question Sania threw at them next wasn't anticipated.
"Who is Tehila?" She asked, and both handmaids froze as though they had just stepped into a frozen land without clothes on.
"What is the matter?" Sania inquired as she observed the look on their faces through the mirror.
"We are forbidden to talk about her, within the castle, My Lady, the King will surely punish us if we do," one of them replied.
It wasn't a lie, and the handmaids feared for their lives. They gossiped about Tehila among each other knowing that it wouldn't get to the King's ear. But to talk about Tehila to the King's new mistress was far worse than touching the tale of a tiger.
What if she gets angry and talks to the king about it? And when he asked her how she knew, she'll report them? These thoughts ran through their minds and they were convinced that it was a bad idea.
"And may I ask, who among the three of us would tell him?" Sania persuaded them, She was curious to know who Tehila was and how the lady got into the castle in the first place.
"I'm very sorry my Queen, we will lose our lives if we disobey the King."
"But I'm his wife," Sania interjected.
"I can make him change his mind, that's if he ever finds out. I'm the second ruler around here."
Sania couldn't believe those words escaped her lips. Firstly, calling herself Taffi's wife was something she hated to imagine, but she certainly found it amusing how she abused her power as a Queen just to get information about her ally.
The handmaids still hesitated, but Sania persuaded them with more words, she made them understand how much control she had over Taffi's decisions, even though she wasn't convinced that she had that much control.
"Our lives are in your hands, my Queen." One of them finally opened up. The other gave her a stare of disapproval, but she ignored it and proceeded.
"Mistress Tehila was betrothed to King Taffi from birth."
Sania's eyes widened in shock. Her assumption was wrong because originally, she believed that Queen Lila had picked Tehila as a wife for her son.
"But, King Taffi despised her, from what I've heard from the others, they said he always had." The handmaid continued, while she assisted in fixing Sania's hair.
For some reason, Sania was delighted to hear that Taffi disliked her, she believed that Tehila was bad news and had bad intentions, but it was an assumption since they only just met.
"I see," Sania uttered to indicate that she was listening.
"Is there a reason why?" She inquired with a quizzical expression.
"What do you mean, my Queen?" The handmaid asked briskly.
"Why he never liked her," Sania made her statement understandable, and the handmaid thought about it for a while.
"There are no specific reasons, my Lady, but there have been rumors," she replied, but the other handmaid kept giving her eye signs to stop talking.
Sania noticed this and was greatly displeased, she gave them a chance to express themselves, yet one of them was hesitant.
"Can you excuse us?" Sania said to the handmaid who was making her hair.
"Me, My Lady?" Asked the handmaid to ensure that she was the one being asked to leave.
"Yes, you," Sania answered and chuckled inwardly, it had only been a few hours and she believed she could handle taking control like she ought to.
Once the handmaid was out of the room, Sania asked the young lady who gave her all the information she needed.
"What is your name?"
"Melissa, my Lady." She replied with a bow.
"Melissa, henceforth, you are my handmaid, you'll attend to all my needs, and be here when I need you, are we clear on that?" Asked Sania.
With a bow, Melissa replied,
"Yes, my Queen."
"Good," Sania uttered,
"Now tell me, what were the speculations?"
Sania hadn't had her fill of the gossip and had sent the other away to give Melissa room to freely express herself. Nevertheless, Melissa was worried, because being picked by the Queen over another maid always led to controversy amongst the two maids involved, and it was something she avoided.
"Yes, my Lady." She began. Melissa took over the other maid's position and continued to fix Sania's hair from where the other had stopped. But since she wasn't conversant with the braids, so Melissa opted for a new look entirely.
"Some claimed that the betrothment was forced, and King Taffi's father was against it. However, Queen Lila wanted it by all means. Others believe that Mistress Tehila was a North witch and the King was trying to avoid getting a Queen that'll ruin the Kingdom."
Melissa went on and on with the numerous rumors, while Sania listened with interest, because she believed that one out of the many, was true.