Chapter 82 - Under Seven Locks

"Alexa, the seneschal, the chancellor and the chambermaid in chief, and their teams, will help you with everything you need. As I am a widower, you will be educated to take on running the castle and its daily activities in the near future," Prince Gutard spoke to her as they ate together in the morning.

Standing beside them were the three persons mentioned, as well as Captain Gunnar and one of the warriors who were always with the Sovereign Prince.

She realized that her father-in-law's mind wandered to other matters while they talked. But she also had to struggle to concentrate and not turn her mind to Florian's brutal death at the hands of Magnus.

Alexa didn't want that responsibility, but as Lady Eudoxia said, 'If a woman lives like a cat, only on pillows, she is nothing more than a pet.' In the East there were concubines and harems, and they all lived in leisure and oblivion. Their opinions did not matter because they had no influence. Only women who held any power were remembered. Having the power to decide who stayed in which room might seem silly to some, but it influenced an entire court. Just to mention one of the several other little and big powers the one in charge of such a castle in a rich kingdom as Holstein could hold. It would have made a eunuch envious, if it was the East.

"I count on your help to supervise this soon, once you feel confident about it."

"I will do my best, Your Majesty," she nodded promptly.

"Alexander also has a property, as does Magnus, but it is further away from here. I would like, however, that you stay here when he comes out of his sleep," he continued. "I feel that you are too young and will be safer here for now."

Alexa wondered whether it was the real reason for this request. But the Princess suggested, trying to be cute and feminine, "Your Majesty should remarry, of course. Your Majesty is in your prime," she was being sincere, because it was true. She only worried about the rumor she had heard from Cordelia. No Prince Gutard's wife survived there.

"Even when you're flattering, you're cute!" he laughed, standing. "If I get married, then you'll have less work, that's what you're thinking about, isn't it?"

"I just feel like I may usurp someone else's place. I'm merely the wife of the second child, Your Majesty," she lowered her head.

"But you're the first daughter-in-law. A beautiful, vivacious, canny and intelligent princess. Who knows how to read and write well, knows several languages, has traveled for many places. You know about commerce and is brave to raise your voice when necessary, and act when imperative. However, you're never where we expect it to be, and it eats more than a goatling," he raised an eyebrow in a provocative and playful way. Alexa returned the small reprimand for never being where expected with a beaming grin, hoping to buy him with that.

As for eating more than a goatling ... Well, she couldn't do anything about it, and she kept chewing.

The First Prince was announced, and Alexa trembled. It hadn't been two hours since the duel, and the last image she had of Magnus wasn't the most pleasant. His savagery had impressed her greatly.

But the Prince arrived after bathing and changing, and smelled of medicinal herbs. Magnus wasn't surprised to find her there.

After greeting his father, he waited, standing, and after chewing and swallowing what he ate, Gutard ordered,

"The Poles must leave in peace."

"Let them do it. I will not chase them. They just need to do it in silence," this was his reply.

"Are you injured, Your Highness?" Alexa asked when she realized that the conversation between father and son would not continue.

"Yes, Princess Alexa, I just had a few scratches," he didn't look at her, however.

"If it's over, Alexa, I want to give you something," said the Sovereign Prince, and Alexa gulped the rest of the wine in her glass at once and stood up, waiting.

A servant accompanied by two royal guards brought an elaborate metal box. Alexa watched with curiosity when the Holstein ruler took the object in his hands. The box had several locks, and the Princess wondered what kind of treasure this little safe kept.

The chambermaid in chief extended her key when asked, and Alexa understood that each of them should have one of the keys to open the safe. The Greek damsel also imagined that each time the box was opened, the keepers of the keys changed. Often the key keepers did not even live in the same city. She had heard a story about it from her brother Narces, but it was the first time Alexa had seen such a box.

One by one the keys were being used, and their holders left the place, until Prince Magnus gave what was in his power, and Prince Gutard used two others in his possession.

With all this suspense, Alexa was eager to know what was inside the box, and was a little confused when she saw three huge keys in its rings. The Princess also realized that the First Prince, at her side, was just as anxious as she was. Taking the three keys, Prince Gutard called the two to go with him. Even the guards were dismissed. Gutard himself took a torch and led the way.

Following a corridor, the trio entered a narrow gallery which only allowed them to walk in a single line. After a long way, they reached a winding staircase, as narrow as the rest of the path.

Now Alexa was sure that she was about to know one of the many secrets of the castle.

A door painted in faded blue, with arabesques that made no sense to the young Greek girl, was where that big key fit. Gutard handed one of the keys to Alexa.

At that moment, the maiden remembered the prophecy. The 'silver bird' could open the door with the key, wasn't that what the prophecy said? She could open the gate on the mountain side ...

'Did this man decide that I would marry Alexander to get this door open? Is it? And what would happen if I had married Magnus? Why did he choose this door and not the other?' she had no way of knowing for now. She was just certain that Gutard was really a strategist as Blue Eyes had said.

The Key was icy on contact, and Alexa felt her hand burn. Although cold, it hurt as if they were putting embers. She wanted to release the object, but Prince Gutard forced the key in her hand, ordering,

"Open it!"

She looked at the men with an anguished look, asking with her eyes not to do this or hurt her. Smoke emerged from where the key was touching her skin.

"AHHHHHH!" she whimpered in pain.

"Open it!!" Gutard took her hand impatiently, and with his hand over hers, drew it to the lock and forced it to open. Her hand hurt a lot, she screamed. When the key turned, she just struggled to get rid of the grip and the object that burned her skin, but she didn't have the strength to do so. He just released the Princess' hand when he heard that the door had been unlocked.

The key fell to the floor, and Alexa moved away from Gutard, frightened and hurt.

Gutard pushed the door open.