Not so black and white

Four hours later, the royal physician walked out of queens chambers to find the king waiting for him outside.

“How is she?” he inquired with a strained voice.

“She inhaled too much smoke, Sire,” the physician informed him . “It is a miracle that she is alive,” he added with a depressed sigh. Having discharged the queen just a few hours ago, he had much more he ought to say about her condition, but his king had a temper and he had no intensions of losing his life.

“Is my queen going to be okay?”

The physician nodded. “Yes, Sire. I have prescribed medication for her. She will require strict bed rest and good nutrition for some time after this.”

The king nodded before walking into the queens chambers and closing the door shut behind him. He completely missed his mistress lurking in the shadows, cursing the first responders who resuscitated the only stumbling block to her much desired reign.

Laying on the bed next to the pale, fragile, unconscious figure, King Maxwell could not ignore the knot forming in his tummy. She got into his nerves like no other, yet she had this effect on him he just could not ignore no matter how heated their fights became. He gently tagged her hair back.

“Zania. Why are you so stubborn?” he asked before lying quietly besides her. “Why do you continue cheating on me?” he asked with a bitter taste in his mouth. “I was prepared to let Mary go. To be faithful to only you. Why couldn’t you do the same?” he asked a flood of questions before his tears rolled down. “Why are you turning me into this monster? Is he truly better than me that you cannot give him up? You would really rather divorce me for him? I can’t let that happen, Zania, ever.”

Five days later, King Maxwell had not left his queen’s side, an act that forced his mistress to come with a ploy that would get rid of her rival once and for all.

When Queen Zania woke up, her heart pounded when she found her husband seated on the couch never her bed. How dare he sat there when he killed innocent animals to get his way? She swinged her feet to the side of the bed and pushed him off when he attempted to assist her.

“Zania,” he called to her softly, her blazing eyes breaking his heart.

“Don’t talk to me. Don’t touch me. You are evil. I hate you!” she yelled with tears flowing down her cheeks.

“Zania,” he warned with a soft tone. Her continuous rebellion was testing his control. “You need to get rest,” he urged the woman shooting daggers at him. He wondered how they got to this. Yes, he gave her a cold shoulder at the beginning of their marriage. That was because he had planned on spending the rest of his life with Mary. His whole life changed when their dying fathers suggested an alliance that would end the island’s bloodshed. By the time he came to accept her, it seems she had already chosen someone else.

“I hate you! I am divorcing you!” she screamed, raising his jealousy and temper. It seemed that she was still hellbent on choosing her lover over him and the kingdom. Their divorce would lead to another bloodshed their marriage was meant to end. It infuriated him that she no longer cared about any of that, but her lover.

“I am warning you, Zania. Stop this nonsense this second,” he finally snapped with his fists clenched.

She let out a weak laugh. “Or what, Maxwell? You have already taken everything from me. I hate you!” she spat before dragging herself to the closet and getting dressed.

He took deep breaths to calm himself before trying to reason with her.

“You almost died. The physician said you need strict bedrest. Please, just get back to bed.”

“And you care?” she asked in disbelief. “Leave me alone and go to your pregnant mistress!” she yelled, tears rolling down her cheeks.

He took everything from her. The images of dead animals continuously flashed in her eyes, multiplying her hatred for him. He had no right to ack all caring all of a sudden.

“I am going back to my castle. You disgust me!” she added while he smirked. He banned her form ever going to her castle because that was where she was sneaking around with her lover. The images of her with another man ticked him off. In a split second, he had his hand around her throat, strangling her. “You are not going anywhere!” he yelled before snapping out of his rage and a cold chill descending his spine. His wife did not look the least scared by his act. She did not even try to peel off his hand. He would kill her if he was not careful. That thought sent him flying out of her chambers. They needed time apart from each other.

He was at the end of the corridor when he met his best friend.

“I heard about the reserve. Tell me you didn’t,” Sir Luke said before he could greet.

“Didn’t what?” King Maxwell snapped. He was already in a foul mood and had no patience to try and guess what his friend was asking.

“Tell me you didn’t have the game reserve destroyed and killed all those animals,” Sir Luke said cautiously.

“Seriously? Do you think I can be that evil? Zania adored that place. The animals were our responsibility and Zania almost died in that fire. How can you ask me this?”

Sir Luke studied his friend and shook his head. So much was happening between his best friend and his queen, he did not know what to believe anymore.

“Her people think you did this. Rumours of her asking for divorce before the place was set alight is all over,” he informed his exhausted friend.

“Well, I am the monster who killed all her best friend, loyal friends and now the animals,” King Maxwell sneered before massaging his painful temples.

“Max,” Sir Luke called to him softly.

“Look, I know that Zania and I are not in a good place right now. Most of it is my fault, but how can anyone believe all that about me?”

Sir Luke’s eyes widened at his friend’s question. “You really didn’t do it.”

King Maxwell shook his head. “I only imprisoned Celia and the rest because someone laid charges against them. I did not even sentence a single one of them. They each killed themselves before a trial. I had nothing to do with that.”

“Does Zania know this?” Sir Luke inquired. He was close to the king, yet he also had never heard about this side of the story.

King Maxwell let out a weak laugh.

“I don’t think she cares. It’s good for her when the people believe that I am a monster. She can justify having a lover.”

Sir Luke was left stunned. Things were spiralling out of control very fast. He needed to do something before another civil war broke out in their island.