Some few minutes later, Bronwyn leaned against the headboard of her bed, anxiously waiting for any announcement to inform her of the arrival of the Blackstones. suddenly a soft knock jolted her from her train of thoughts.
"Imelda, check who's at the door." she beckoned her nanny.
the nanny obliged, pulling the door back to reveal the knight who stood just outside her room, resting his foot against the wall.
"it's Vered, your highness.."
"leave us." bronwyn ordered.
the nanny nodded hesitantly again before hurrying out of the room. bronwyn gazed upon the lad in front of her, he was somewhat taller than her but somehow managed to come down to her height whenever he'd been around her.
she breathed a sigh of relief, glad to see a face that could soothe the anxiousness she'd felt. she took fast strides towards him, her arms snaked around him as she pulled him closer into an embrace.
"Bronwyn," Vered called
"mother sent you?is it time already? the Blackstones....the Blackstones are here already?"
"it's time. The emperor of Narva and his household are already present and waiting in court."
he sighed, his hand pulling her at arm's length. The emerald in his eyes swirling with something even Bronwyn couldn't fathom.
"so, you're going to become the Narvan prince's betrothed today." he paused, "when did you plan to tell me about it, Bron?"
her steps faltered, her eyes lingered on his for a while, tring to read his expression. he was livid, that much the princess could tell but he hanged on to his thread of calmness.
"i..i" she stuttered, " the news was also sudden for me as well. mother planned the whole thing without informing me."
his thread of control was slipping, his emerald eyes darkened with anger in them, he reached out to pull her to himself. "why didn't you refuse? was i worth nothing to you? we made a promise Bronwyn, a promise that you'd be mine."
True. Bronwyn had a fondness for the knight since he was an esquire, the moment she'd come of age, she'd happily let him take her chastity. And he on the other hand had opened her up to an entirely new world; a world she'd never thought existed, within the confines of his room.
"we did Vered."
"then what changed? why didn't you tell the queen? why didn't you express your displeasure on this?!"
Bronwyn winced under his biting tone, "i could never Vered! the queen would kill me if i as much as let her know of my refusal to this union."
he chuckled coldly, "the queen you speak about is your mother. You know she's just using you, you know that and you let her. to what extent? until when would you keep sacrificing your happiness to please her? the queen is selfish and will not stop until she's ruined you completely."
Bronwyn gritted her teeth in dismay. She'd never seen him speak this way to her, never seen him show this much disdain for her mother, and more importantly, she'd never felt so upset about someone speaking ill of her own mother.
"do not speak of the queen in such manner!"
"i will speak of her how i see fit, Bron, you know i speak nothing but the truth."
"fine! the queen is using me and i know that but what about you? are you also not doing the same?"
his eyes widened in shock at her words, "what do you...what do you mean?"
"i know you've also been using me! I know and yet, I let you. I know you tell all the knights every single thing we do to spite and ridicule me. I know you tell everyone who cares to listen that you have been bedding the princess. I know how they make fun of me, how they mock the this royal family because of me. So no, i'd rather be used by my own mother than by the likes of you."
"Bronwyn, i swear on my life it's not what you think. I will never spite or ridicule you. I know I said some things to the others in my drunken state but it was an honest mistake. Please, I would never. Let me tell the king how I feel about you, let me make this right Bronwyn." he gritted out.
her gaze hardened she tutted, letting out a scoff. "Honest mistake?! You would tell what to the king?! My mother would have your head if she as much as sees you gaze upon me."
"i cannot let you go without fighting for us. I'd rather die trying." He turned to leave but she halted him.
"where do you think you're going?!"
"to the king!"
"and what will you tell them? That you love me? Did you ever think that I had loved you even once? I didn't, Vered."
He blinked, taken aback when he spoke, his voice filled with agony, "but..but-"
"–but what?!"
"i don't understand. You gave yourself me. Your virtue."
She cackled hysterically, "what I gave you was my virginity, and I do not regret doing so. You were only as useful to me between the sheets. It's been that. Just that."
Defenseless, he cried out. " You swore we would be together, you.. you promised. But that had only been the deceitful words of a woman in the throes of pleasure."
"oh please. Took you long enough to realize we've only been playing each other. You never really thought I would marry you did you?" She bit the bottom of her lips, she would never have thought a day would come where she would have to hurt him with her words.
His steps faltered and his shoulders sagged, he'd always been told she'd only wanted what he had to offer her when they'd been tangled up between sheets and he never believed but hearing her say the words shattered him in more ways than one.
"did you?" She asked again, shocked herself at how naive the esquire had been to think she'd wanted more from him than his body. "you can never be more than what you were meant to be; the king's knight. Nothing more." Her words hurt, she knew. But it was the only way she could break him, the only way she could stop the lad from getting himself killed by proclaiming his love for her. She'd liked him yes, but love, that was a whole different thing.
He gritted his teeth, "i should have known"
"known what?"
"that you were no different from the queen" he turned out to leave.
At his last words, Bronwyn had felt like she'd been stabbed a million times in the heart. His words were sharp and they pierced deep.