Chapter 10 - Is It A Crime To Be A Woman?..

Queen Ariadne's POV.

Few days later, there was no sight of the emperor. We all became worried. He didn't sent a letter to tell us how he was fairing. Mother said its was unusual of him. I prayed that night, and asked the creator to protect my husband and bring him back home safely.

I sat down in my room reading some of the poems he wrote to his grandma. Most of them confused me, they spoke about a curse that needed to be undo. I wondered who was cursed in the family.

The Emperor's grandmother lived in a castle outside the empire, they said she was there due to the misunderstanding she had with her grand son. Many said he hated his Grandmother and tagged her as a "sick woman".

The letters I saw here explained a different thing, I wasn't able to put words together but from the little I gathered, this two really loved each other and the relationship they shared was precious to them. But I think Grandmother was cursed that why she was isolated.

My father was the one who taught me how to read and write . These letters reminded me of him, he always sent letters to us while he was at work. I left all his letters at our house, I didn't know if they were still in there or not.

"Mother is not feeling well at all" Anne reminded me of the Queen's condition.

"I Know Anne, she is worried about her son".

"You are right , my queen".

" I wondered what happened to the Emperor, that stopped him from writing to his mother. This is not fair the poor Woman is sick now" .

"Am sure, he has a reason. The Emperor behaves badly, but he thinks before acting".

"You think he does?" I asked.

"Yes, he is very conscious of what he does. If the Emperor hurt you, then it was intentional".

I shook my head in disagreement despite knowing she was correct. Why was I taking the king's side? He treated me poorly when I first came to the palace, he looked for ways to disgrace and scold me. Such a man doesn't deserve my pity.

"He is aware of what he does at any moment" Anne added.

"You know much about these men, is not easy understanding the Emperor, he is so complicated".

"The Emperor might be a complex human but you are his wife , it's your duty to understand him".

"Why does a woman always has to understand?" I asked.

"The men made life difficult, but we are left with no option than to find solutions to their problems.

"We are women my queen" Anne said.

"Is it a crime? To be a woman?". I know my question was difficult for Anne to answer, but I had no choice than to let it out.

" No my lady. These are just our duties and we must fulfill them for the sake of our love ones" she replied.

Someone knocked at the door. Anne answered.

"Queen Ariadne, princess Morgana wants your permission to come into Chambers.

"Let her in please". Princess Morgana was the Emperor's step and only surviving sister. The Emperor's elder sister died years ago, Morgana was like a gold in the mist of stones. She was among the special people the king counted. I stood up from my bed and adjusted the dress I wore.

"Good morning queen Ariadne, hope you sleep well?" A young lady in her sixteen greeted. She had her hair packed in a ponytail style, she wore a smile that matches her.

"I did , princess Morgana"

"Are you still worried about mother's health?" my eyes swollen, I did cry last night because of the Queen's health.

"Yes, both her health and the king's absence" I answered.

"Don't worry about my brother, he can take care of himself" Princess Morgana said. I knew she wanted to comfort me.

Suddenly, we heard a loud scream from outside. Drumbeats and songs could be heard coming from the main gate. I looked through the window to see what was going on but I couldn't see a thing. 

"My lady ... My lady" Anne ran back into the room. At first, I thought we were under attack. But her face carried happiness and not sadness.

"What happened Anne?" I was too anxious to hear the news that made her so excited.

"The Emperor is back" she shouted.

"Are you sure of what you are saying" princess Morgana asked.

"Yes my lady, I can't make a joke of this, you know that too well" .

At last the Emperor was back, I closed my eyes and said a little prayer to the gods, thanking them for bringing my husband home safe.

Going out was a big problem to me now, I looked through the window again, to if I could get a glance of the emperor but I couldn't, every where was covered with a lot of people. The road to the gate was filled up with people shoving each other. 

"My lady, won't you go out and greet the emperor? I Know you want to" Anne teased.

"Is not necessary, he is still at the gate, there is no need of me going there".

"Are you sure my lady" she asked again.

Yes! I wanted to go the gate but my legs were weak. All of a sudden my body felt extremely sluggish.. I felt like I just finished running a marathon and now needed to rest. What was wrong with me?!