Page 77 of Their Chosen

Noticing movement near the throne, I turned to see the Queen rising, obviously preparing to retire for the evening. A loud knock drew everyone's attention to the front of the room as the Queen waited for all eyes to be on her. Once she had everyone's focus, she began speaking. “Thank you everyone for joining me tonight in celebration of our Chosen and the start of the trials. Other business matters call me away, so I must leave you now, but please enjoy my hospitality. Servers and staff will be present through the night to meet any of your needs.”

Suddenly, Rhowyn stumbled forward, bumping into a human servant holding a tray of drinks. I watched in almost slow motion as Arryn caught Rhowyn from falling on her face, but the servant dropped her entire tray, shattering every glass and spraying drinks and shards all over everyone in the area. A couple of guests shrieked in response before silence settled in, along with a sense of foreboding that skittered up my spine.

Not noticing the change that had everyone holding their breath, no doubt waiting on the Queen's response, Rhowyn rushed to help the human servant up. Just as Rhowyn reached the girl, placing her hands out to help her stand up, the room echoed with a resounding “Halt!” from one of the Queen's Consorts.

Rhowyn froze, her hands still on the servant, as she turned her head to face the dais, finally noticing the tension in the room. A look of confusion crossed her face, I wanted to draw closer to them, an almost overwhelming need to protect Rhowyn rushing through me, but I didn't dare risk angering the Queen further.

“What is the meaning of this interruption?” the Queen demanded as she descended the dais and made her way over.

The servant simply whimpered and started to cry. Seeing her discomfort, Rhowyn stood to face the Queen. “It's a simple accid...”

“Silence!” the Queen snapped, causing Rhowyn to flinch back as if physically slapped. “I didn't ask you. I was addressing this human who was granted my gracious benevolence and has proceeded to disregard this fact, only to cause disruption.” The Queen glared at Rhowyn before facing the servant still on her knees, a furious glee entering her eyes. The Queen was enjoying this.

Off to my side, I caught sight of another Chosen with her Consorts, blonde and slender, holding back a smile, but the joy and satisfaction on her face were evident.

The timing was a little suspicious, but before I could identify why exactly my warning bells were going off, the Queen snapped, “I asked you a question, child. Why would you think you could take advantage of my kindness, only to destroy my property and interrupt my gathering?”

Lennox's body was vibrating with tension next to me, but his expression remained blank. The servant blubbered out, “I...I... I'm sorry... Your M...M...Majesty.”

The Queen glided around the servant, who kept her head bowed dutifully, even if she trembled as if in an earthquake. “Sorry, doesn't put my beautiful China back together. Sorry, doesn't replace the time you've stolen from me now that I have to deal with this. Sorry, doesn't bring back the joyous atmosphere that your clumsiness has thoroughly ruined, now does it?” The Queen paused in front of the servant, her hands clasped behind her back as she spoke, her tone chastising.

“N... no... Your Majesty,” the servant whimpered brokenly, her sobs making enunciation impossible.

The Queen studied the servant for a long moment before sighing. “As much as it pains me to do so, I cannot allow this to go unpunished. If I did, chaos would ensue among all the servants. You understand what that means, don't you?” She spoke each word patiently, almost as if speaking to a toddler.

“Y...y... yes, Your M....M...Majesty,” the servant stuttered as her body almost began convulsing, shaking that hard with fear.

“Jensen,” the Queen called, holding out a hand patiently, her eyes never leaving the poor girl. Her face displayed displeasure, but her eyes betrayed her this close up. They sparkled with what I could best describe as glee at the prospect of the whipping she was about to dole out.

The crowd remained silent as Jensen scurried up and placed the coiled whip in the Queen's waiting palm. Once in her grip, the Queen slowly unfurled it. “This hurts me more than it will hurt you.”

The simple statement caused realization to dawn on Rhowyn's face. The horror and disgust were unmistakable as she realized just what the Queen meant by punishment. Just as quickly as the horror arrived, I watched as her demeanor hardened, and anger flared her nostrils. It was at this moment I knew she was going to intervene, and fear claimed me fully as I also realized I couldn't stop her in time.

The Queen raised her hand holding the whip, preparing to snap it down on the back of the servant who remained kneeling. Before the whip could fall, Rhowyn stepped between the Queen and the servant. “Your Majesty, if I may?” she said, her head bowed meekly. She rushed on, barely waiting for a response. “It's not her fault. I ran into her and caused her to break the glasses.”

The Queen's eyes flashed with anger, obviously not liking being questioned, but I could also see extreme pleasure. It was then I realized that things were about to get a whole hell of a lot worse before we got out of here tonight.

Chapter Thirty Two: Lennox

“Is that so?” my mother questioned Rhowyn in front of everyone.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Rhowyn said calmly, with absolutely no idea what was coming her way. My body tensed with dread as she continued, obviously trying to reason with someone who was often unreasonable. “Somehow, I must have lost my footing and stumbled into her, knocking the tray from her. There was no way she could have possibly avoided me.”

With a patient look on her face, Mother turned to the servant. “Is this true? Were you pushed?”

Still not daring to raise her head, the human girl replied, “Y...yes, Y....Y...Your Majesty.”

“I see,” she replied, and I could envision the wheels turning as she determined what to do next. I knew the moment she made a decision, as she turned to face Rhowyn again, a look of excitement in her eyes, even though her face remained passive and benevolent.

“It seems I was just a little too hasty in trying to dole out punishment. I thank you, Rhowyn, for clearing this up. It indeed takes quite a bit of bravery to speak up like you did.”

Rhowyn sighed in relief, her shoulders lowering slightly as Mother turned to the servant. “You may go, child, and count your blessings. But let this be a warning to those who can't respect the belongings of others.”

The servant rose unsteadily, her body still shaking. “T... Thank you, Your Majesty,” she sputtered, keeping her head down as she scampered from the room, not giving the Queen a chance to change her mind.

Nobody dared to move, knowing the threat hadn't passed. Everyone, that was, except Rhowyn, who turned her back to the Queen to face us, her intention to return to us clear. Before she could take a step, the Queen shrieked, her anger slipping from the carefully controlled facade. “I have not dismissed you, Rhowyn. You dare turn your back on your Queen? Despite what you may think, I am still your Queen until after the trials.” It hadn’t been her fault, but Rhowyn had just hit on a sore topic of Mother’s, which was the fear of losing her power and grip on the Court. With the trials looming and the hope of a new queen, people would take advantage of any weakness Mother showed. Rhowyn was a threat to that right now for so many reasons.

Rhowyn tensed and slowly turned to face the danger she could no doubt feel. “I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I meant no disrespect.” Unlike the servant, Rhowyn kept her chin up, meeting the Queen's eyes. “I'm still learning all the ins and outs of the Court. This is all so new to me.”

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