#i mean like please allow my ally father to keep his pension but

[terrainofheartfelt]

this week the global united methodist church is having the four years delayed conference where they are finally going to make a decision about whether gay people are real & deserving of rights and I know it’s an important thing but the gay preachers’ kid side of me is just like yesssss burn it all downnnnnn

[joetatoeheads]

Word Count: 13K

Warnings: Possibly lots of spelling errors 

Masterlist

“Understand that we had no choice.”

Elisabeth could not move. She could only feel this pain in her stomach. For years she had called this place her home and now they want to kick her out as if she did not help them all. She had come here as a child and kick out as a woman.

“When do I leave?” asked Elisabeth.

“We have been told you leave tomorrow morning.”

“What about my things?”

“You will not take any processions with you. Everything belongs to the duchy, not to you.”

“It is my money that has kept this duchy from anarchy,” fought Elisabeth.

“You will have no need for those possessions once you are remarried. You will adopt your new husband’s court etiquette.”

“And who is my new husband?”

“We have not received any confirmation. No doubt it would be someone very close to the king.”

“What if they marry me to a knight? What happens then?” asked Elisabeth.

“Then you will marry the knight and he shall be the richest man in the kingdom.”

“Not the king?”

“What about the king?”

“I won’t marry the king?” asked Elisabeth.

“King David will more than likely never marry. His courtship ended in a failure and the young man is still heartbroken.”

“So I’m going to King David’s court?”

“Clever girl, but King David’s court is quite large. Even if you can name every man you won’t know who he will choose for you.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. Shouldn’t they have already decided who I am going to marry before I leave.”

“Perhaps King David is kind. They say he would never force anyone into a marriage they would not want. He is a good and merciful king.”

“No good king is merciful,” replied Elisabeth.

“He is a foreigner and yet he still loved by his people. He controls one of the largest kingdoms this world has ever seen and he has spilled little blood in that effort.”

“You won’t come with me, will you?”

“I am a servant to the duchy, not to you.”

“You have been a friend to me since my marriage.”

“A servant, not a friend.”

“You may leave now.”

The elder woman nodded at Elisabeth and left the room. Elisabeth was now assured of what she thought about for over a decade. At the age of 3 her father had died leaving her one of the wealthiest heiresses in the world. While his money had been left to her, his title had passed to a distant male relative. Had the distant relative not been married, Elisabeth would have been married off to secure the linage and stop any of Elisabeth’s descendants from claiming her father’s title.

At the age of 7 her mother died thus making Elisabeth a little bit richer. Her mother was an only child as well as her father, leaving Elisabeth completely alone. At the age of 11 she was married off to a man three times her age. He was kind and had not made her do anything, which was a blessing even if she did not know it at the time. They lived in separate homes and occasionally interacted with each other during business of the ruling of the duchy. Elisabeth was a widow at the age of 14.

Now she was a woman grown living in her dead husbands’ lands because the lords and clergy refused to give her up. But now she was being summoned by a powerful King and these small lords had no option but to comply. If she remarried, her money would be transferred to her new husband and away from the duchy. It would cripple the duchy but the money belonged to her, not her dead husband.

There was a knock at her door, “Enter.”

“Ma’am, the duke is here to see you.”

“Give me a minute.”

Elisabeth stared in the mirror, trying to fix any imperfections in her hair and clothes. Her deceased husband’s successor was only a couple years older than her with a fertile wife and two sons. Elisabeth always thought if polygamy was allowed, he would take her as his second wife to keep her money within the duchy.

Once perfect, she left her bedroom to go to the red room where her and her husband used to take guests. There were a train of people who followed her around and this instance was no exception. While she did not like a dozen people following her every step, it was easier now as Dowager Duchess than consort with over fifty people who used to crowd around her.

“Her Grand Ducal Highness The Dowager Duchess!”

Her entrance had never been a quiet affair. Her husband’s successor sat on the chair her husband once occupied. In a short chair to his right, was an empty seat typically given to the consort and it was the seat she hated as she sat next to her husband. It was more of a stool than a chair and Elisabeth’s back would hurt from trying to keep her back straight while her older husband would lounge back. There was only hatred for that chair and her position.

“Elisabeth!”

Elisabeth had gone into a deep curtsey, always mindful of her place, “Your Highness.”

“Elisabeth please there is no need to curtsey to me!”

She had smiled knowing there were no more than a hundred people in the room who wanted her to be informal. She was the center of gossip since she was married off at the age of 11 and learned quickly to not give them a reason to talk even more.

“Your Highness I’m am honored to be in your presence today,” spoke Elisabeth.

“No need for formalities. Call me Hal.”

He always requested for Elisabeth to call him that, but she never could, “It is not formal.”

“Then we shall make this less formal,” smiled Hal. He ordered everyone but a dozen people out of the room to give him more privacy. A couple of Elisabeth’s ladies-in-waiting and some of Hal’s men were left. Total privacy between the two would have caused more problems than anything else. “How are you?”

“Fine considering I was told not even hour ago that I am being forced to leave.”

“I would have stopped it if I could but I am no match to one of the most powerful kings in all the realms.”

“Did you know I leave tomorrow?”

“I did.”

“I am told that King David is kind, but I will not marry him.”

“Yes that is true. Do you want to be his queen?”

“I am a Princess and a Duchess, why not add Queen to the list?” asked Elisabeth.

“I do not think being queen would suit you.”

“Why not?”

“You are an empress not a queen.”

“There are no empires.”

“Not yet.”

“My lady-in-waiting believes I am to marry someone of King David’s court.”

“And you are not happy about that.”

“I know very little about the lands compared to what I want to know but he is not one to give out titles and pensions. He had no dukes in his kingdom meaning I will marry below one.”

“And you are not happy about that?” asked Hal.

“I would rather not marry, but if I have to I rather it be a duke or a king.”

“What about a prince?”

“An heir.”

“Become an abbess if you wish not to marry this man.”

“And give up everything?”

“As your friend I say don’t marry and stay here, as your liege I say don’t marry and stay here, and as duke I say marry and make sure you are close to the king,” explained Hal.

“So I can provide you with an ally?” asked Elisabeth.

“Without you and your money, this duchy is left in a vulnerable state. Besides, I would hope that I have shown you kindness by allowing you to stay here after the death of my predecessor and not shoving you in a convent like others would do. That has to have earned me some loyalty.”

If Elisabeth had a knife on her, she would have stabbed Hal in his heart for that. Alas, she did not, and her only weapon was her smile. She smiled as a defense letting Hal think he had any friends, but after she was remarried, she knew Hal would either be killed by his lords or abdicate in favor of his young son with his wife as regent to escape. Most men would try to fix their mistakes, but Hal was the type of man to run away from them.

“I will be sure to mention your name to the king.”

Hal did not question her, which proved to Elisabeth that the man was stupid. He could never see his enemies, mistaking them for allies and she could only hope her new husband was not the same way.

Elisabeth dressed for the night knowing she would be leaving this place forever. She could not sleep that night, finding herself wondering around the house. She was gifted Lime House after her widowhood and kicked out a castle that belonged to the reigning duke. The twenty-bedroom house originally had white brick but the natural elements had turned the house a light green color. The house did not have a name before Elisabeth’s marriage but when she was twelve, she had commented on the color so her husband had the house named the Lime House.

When she could not roam anymore, she watched the sunrise from the roof. When the staff had woken up and tried to wake Elisabeth up as well, she was not in her bed. Everyone started to freak out and believed she had ran away to escape a second marriage. She could hear the commotion below her. The men were not quiet with their footsteps and the woman were not quiet with their screams and gossip.

It had a maid who found her on the roof. She screamed thinking Elisabeth was going to jump and end her life, but that was the last thing on her mind. Then a handful of people climbed to the roof to remove her.

“Ma’am! We have been looking everywhere for you! You are due to leave soon.”

“Yes, I know.”

Elisabeth was whisked away from the duchy soon after. She was met with cheers and smiles as she saw the silhouette of the duchy disappear. Hal, his wife, and young sons waved goodbye as Elisabeth smiled and waved at everyone. Once everyone was out of view, her smile and hand dropped fast. She was alone for the first time in a long time.

There was no indication of how long it took her Elisabeth to leave the duchy and travel to King David’s court. She could not sleep and the thought of another marriage had kept her mind busy. One day she was woken up by a soft voice. Elisabeth opened her eyes to see a blonde haired, blue eyes woman, and she was perhaps one of the most beautiful woman Elisabeth had ever laid eyes on.

“Forgive me but you were asleep and we have to get you dressed.”

Elisabeth was changed into clothes she had never seen before. From the style and the way the blonde woman had been dressed, this was the clothing of King David’s court. She did not like it; it was more revealing than she was used to. Her husband was religious, and always had Elisabeth cover up every bit of skin. At first, she found it restricting but then she found it her own haven.

“You do not like it.”

Elisabeth looked behind her, “I do not even know your name.”

“Corinna.”

“Is this how everyone dresses?” asked Elisabeth.

“Yes, it is.”

“Will my husband require me to wear things like this?” This was her chance to see if Corinna would slip up and tell her who she is going to marry.

“I don’t know.”

“Do you know who I am going to marry?”

“In all honesty, no. You have a choice from the different men,” replied Corinna.

“How many?”

“A couple. You could do much worse. They say you are very beautiful; they were not wrong.”

Corinna gave her a smile thinking Elisabeth would smile back, she did not. Instead, Elisabeth thought if befriending this one woman who do more harm than good. In the minute that followed Elisabeth could not smile, which gave off the imprecision that she was graceful for the compliment.

In her husband’s duchy she was quite dull, but her mother had made it her goal to make her intelligent so Elisabeth could rival any man. Her thinking meant silence and Corinna stared at her awkwardly not knowing what to do, “How long until we arrive?” asked Elisabeth.

“Not long,” smiled Corinna.

Elisabeth did not like not having answers. Nobody could give her an answer and Elisabeth did not know how long she could take getting treated as a child. Again, the sleepless nights started again and Elisabeth could not sleep for more than a few hours at a time. When they all arrived at the kingdom it had been in the middle of the day. Of course, she knew her arrival would be a celebration, but she did not expect King David to spend so lavishly.

The ride to the palace was both long and short. From she was told, the way to the palace was not long walk for everyone else, but the hundreds of people hoping to catch a glimpse of her made everything longer. There were hundreds of men protecting the streets and her. Apparently, there was a fear she would be killed by the crowd or a crazy man. Elisabeth thought that would never happen, she did not believe she was that important.

King David did not take any risks when bringing Elisabeth to him and his court. She was worth him a hundred times more and he would not let a wealthy woman like Elisabeth slip through his fingers. King David was pacing back in forth waiting for her arrival, his mind going to the craziest thoughts about why Elisabeth could be late. He could hear the cheers close to the palace but he imagined that she was dead and his people were cheering for her death.

Then in a dramatic entrance the doors were swung open, “Her Grand Ducal Highness The Dowager Duchess of Nemours!”

Perhaps David was hoping to find a lavish beautiful woman standing before him, but instead Elisabeth stood before him in a plain red dress with her hair down, an image of modesty and a stark difference between her and the woman of his court. He looked at Corinna who was trying to apologize to him since Elisabeth was not wearing the dress that Corinna picked out for her.

“Lady Elisabeth-“

“Princess,” corrected Elisabeth. “I’m sorry?” asked David.

“I’m a princess not a lady. My mother and father were a King and Queen of a kingdom,” replied Elisabeth.

“You were the last of your line.”

“I was born with that title. Would you prefer that I call you mister since you were not born a king nor was your father a king?” asked Elisabeth. There were times were her tongue got the best of her. It would save her a lot of heartaches. Her husband always laughed whenever Elisabeth could not mind her tongue, and he laughed very often.

David could not answer but instead he laughed which in turn made the court laugh as well, “Forgive me princess.”

Elisabeth nodded not liking how this was going. She could keep her mouth shut and find herself married for the second time or she could be rude as possible and be sent back to her Hal and become a nun. Right now, she was not sure which option she wanted more.

“Forgive me Your Majesty, I was out of line,” smiled Elisabeth. The smile was of course forced, but Elisabeth believed the court was fooled.

“I hope you feel at home here. I know that you will find this place as breath taking as I found it when I came here,” smiled David.

He was being cautious but genuine, Elisabeth could tell. King David was not a harsh man as she read and heard. He made small mistakes but he was loved so there had to be a reason not to hate him.

“Thank you,” Elisabeth turned around to face the people behind her, “and thank you all for accompanying me.”

An acknowledgement of the common people was necessary. Her husband told her that he needed the people’s love to keep his land and money. For the first time in her life Elisabeth stopped thinking about other people and focused on her husband alone. She still referred to her dead husband as her husband as if he was still alive which some days Elisabeth wished he was to make her life a little better.

Elisabeth spent 3 of her formative years with him and while he did not touch her, he tried to teach her as much as possible about the world and how to run a duchy or a small kingdom. Now, years later, Elisabeth was thankful for a lot of reasons.

“You are very kind Princess Elisabeth.”

“Thank you but kindness is hardly a reason to compliment a woman,” replied Elisabeth. In an effort to sound modest, she found herself sounding arrogant. Her mind was in shambles trying to find a good balance, “Forgive me your majesty but I feel very tired from the trip to your beautiful kingdom I wish to retire.”

To not listen and wait for an answer would be incredibly rude of Elisabeth. King David looked straight at Elisabeth thinking he could see what she was thinking, but the woman would not budge. Finally, the king broke first, “I think it is time we all retire before the festivities tonight.”

The people in the room nodded and smiled letting King David dismiss the court. Elisabeth was escorted to her rooms by a large group of soldiers who entered and checked the room before Elisabeth was allowed to enter. When the soldiers disappeared and closed the door they were opened again and a dozen women came in.

“Your Grand Ducal Highness, His Majesty The King has gifted you our service until your marriage where your new husband will choose your household.”

More than likely spies, than ladies, thought Elisabeth. It was a smart move on the king’s part but an annoying one for Elisabeth. She would now be watched at all times and King David would be updated on her every move.

“Ma’am would you like something to drink?”

“No, thank you. Could I have the room?”

The women looked at each other not knowing what to do, one of the older ones finally stepped forward, “Of course, ma’am.”

The women curtsied to Elisabeth and left the room. The oldest woman who spoke up smiled at her while she closed the door. For the first time Elisabeth could feel the silence that surrounded her. There were no more background noise of dozens of people or even hundreds of people crowding around her. She could enjoy this break from the world.

Elisabeth laid on the bed playing with the ends of her dress. She would have to marry and there had yet to be an indication of who she would marry.

When the time for Elisabeth to leave her room, the palace was transformed into something she had never seen before. Flowers covered the walls and the main dining hall was covered in red roses. The coincidence between her simple red dress and the color of the flowers was charming but trying too hard on behalf of the king.

“Princess Elisabeth, His Majesty was requested you sit on his right.”

“Is that not the side of the queen?” asked Elisabeth.

“His Majesty has no queen. Usually Lady Natalie sits at his right as his advisor but your presence tonight has changed that.”

“Will I be introduced?”

“Of course ma’am.”

“And am I to meet my husband tonight?”

“No doubt he will be in the crowd tonight.”

“Thank you… forgive me I do not even know your name.”

“My name does not matter ma’am. I am just a humble servant of His Majesty.”

Elisabeth was escorted to the king’s right side by his soldiers and all eyes were on her. This time Elisabeth donned a white gown which at King David’s court was rarely worn because it had been banned for a large number of people. King David wanted white for he and his friends not for the public but he did not give permission to Elisabeth to wear it so for the rest of the court it came to a great shock.

“Princess Elisabeth you a vision of beauty!” smiled David.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Everyone please sit down! We can all eat now!”

Even then everyone waited for King David to sit down first. It would have been very rude for anyone to sit before him. Once the king sat down, footmen served drinks and foods to the people seated. There were only a couple dozen people dressed and sat down. Elisabeth knew the people seated closest to the king were his friends and probably the ones he trusted the most. She looked around at the men wondering which ones she could possible marry.

There were half a dozen men seated close to the king and Elisabeth found more trouble trying to find her future husband.

“Princess Elisabeth might I introduce you to some of my members of my court.”

“I would be honored, Your Majesty.”

“Natalie here is my oldest friend and closest advisor. It is she that chose you,” smiled David.

Elisabeth smiled and nodded even though she did not want to. It was her that Elisabeth had to blame for any misfortune from the moment she left.

“It is an honor to meet you Princess Elisabeth.”

“And I you, Lady Natalie.”

“And my most trusted friends Zane, Heath, Jeff, Matt, Jonah, Jason, Todd, and Scott.”

“You are so lucky to have so many loyal friends Your Majesty.”

“Thank you. I would have introduced you to Carly and Erin but they are visiting family. You would have liked them.”

“I look forward to meeting them Your Majesty,” smiled Elisabeth.

“Please call me David. After all you are to marry one of my friends soon.”

From the looks at the table two of the men introduced to her had wives or significant others so they would not be a candidate for her future husband. That left six prospects for Elisabeth to figure out so she spent the rest of the dinner studying the men.

Zane always had his drink filled to the brim so he could never wait for the next drink. Jeff was quiet and drank nothing but water which made Elisabeth question everything about him. Matt always had a smile on his face and he did not stop talking with everyone around him. Jonah was disgusting and looked either lost or at the women servants around the room. Jason was older but his attention was always on David which led Elisabeth to believe he was the most powerful one of King David’s friend. Todd flirted with anyone and drank as if you had no worry in the world. “You are thinking… about what Elisabeth?”

Elisabeth’s head snapped to the king not thinking straight as she thought alcohol would be fine, “Life.”

“Life? What about life?”

“I am here to marry am I not?”

“You are.”

“You know that I am widowed.”

“I do.”

“I am wondering about my future husband that is all,” replied Elisabeth.

“Are you drunk Elisabeth?”

“Please do not call me Elisabeth.”

“Why not? That is your name is it not?”

“Using my name as if we are familiar bothers me.”

“Okay, Princess Elisabeth… are you drunk?”

“I think I am. My husband never let me have anything like this.”

“He sounds that he was very protective of you.”

“I was a child barely past 11 when we married. I do not think it was appropriate for me to drink such things at the time.”

King David froze up. He had known that Elisabeth was married and widowed but he did not know she was a child when it happened. There were more questions raised but David dared not to ask anything, especially in front of so many people. He would have to get Natalie to get more answers.

“… No, it would not be.”

Elisabeth could barely remember the rest of the night. It was her first time getting drunk and it could not have been at a worse time. She felt sad and cried herself to sleep remembering the only home she ever had. Her father King Edwin died when Elisabeth was just 3 years old and she could barely remember him most days. King Edwin’s successor had exiled Elisabeth and her mother fearing the people would demand Elisabeth as their Queen instead of him.

Elisabeth’s mother Queen Matilda did what she could to protect her. They spent years traveling around trying to find Elisabeth a husband who would welcome them but no man wanted a child bride, until her husband came around. He promised to marry her when she came of age but Queen Mathilda died when Elisabeth was 7. He kept his promise to marry her but did not wait until she came of age.

He was poor and the younger son of a Duke who already had his first-born son, grandson, and great-grandson to succeed him. Tired of being poor and living off the generosity of his father, he married Elisabeth for the money when she was just 11 and by 12 she became Duchess after a sickness had taken them all, save her husband.

By age 14 she was a widow and Hal succeeded her husband and let her stay. When Elisabeth had woken up the next morning, she had a headache and was dressed in last night’s dress. The sun was just peeking through her window when Elisabeth woke up. She changed into a simple yellow dress and headed down to the garden behind the castle. With no ladies following her every move Elisabeth felt free once again.

After walking around for some time Elisabeth laid down on the grass staring up at the sky. Her eyes closed for an unknown time and when she opened them up, she saw someone standing by her head, blocking the sun.

“What are you doing?”

Elisabeth saw a shirtless man standing which made Elisabeth think she should just get up and leave, “Trying to enjoy the sun but you have seemed to have blocked it for me.” Elisabeth sat back up to see Jeff. Of course, she would remember his name out of everyone.

“Forgive me but I usually do not see such a beautiful woman laying in the grass this early in the morning.”

“Beautiful? I think you are still asleep my lord.”

“Wide awake at the sight of a beautiful women like yourself.”

Elisabeth laughed at the flattery because everyone was saying she was this beautiful woman but that was the farthest thing from the truth, “I think I should go back to my room.”

“Will I see you later on today?”

“I’m not sure my lord.”

“You can call me Jeff.”

“No, that would not be appropriate.”

“Why not? David said you would marry one of us so why should we not be informal?” asked Jeff.

“Because there are half a dozen of you to choose from. To be informal would be again, be inappropriate.”

“We are all friends here. To call me Jeff would not be a big deal because if you marry me or not, you would still call me Jeff.”

“I have to go before my ladies find me missing and freak out.”

“Has that happened before?”

“It has actually.”

Elisabeth did not go back to her rooms instead she wondered around the palace while people went crazy looking for her. Elisabeth did end up getting lost because she lost her guards and her new ladies-in-waiting could not find her since the morning. David of course started going crazy demanding everyone try and find Elisabeth. His mind went to bad places thinking she was murdered, injured, or ran away for a better life.

“Twice in one day, I think god is telling us something Princess Elisabeth.”

“My lord, you should not sneak up on a woman.”

“You have been stressing David for days and now you pulled this stunt. I am sure you will send him to any early grave. If not him then Natalie,” explained Jeff.

“Is she his mistress?”

Jeff laughed at her, “Natalie has higher standards than him.”

“But he is a king,” replied Elisabeth.

“A king yes, but David does not always act like it.”

“This sounds like treason.”

“I could call for him to be overthrown and David would not hate me for it. We are all friends.”

“So he and Natalie are not together in any form?” asked Elisabeth.

“No, they are not. They grew up together and Natalie followed him all the way here. He made her a Lady, a Countess in her own right. He would have made her a princess but she objected to it,” explained Jeff.

“Why would anyone object to such things?”

“He was a new king and giving the title princess to an unmarried woman who he was not related to would cause too many rumors at the time.”

“And they somehow died down after he become king with no heir.”

“Technically he has an heir his younger brother.”

“He has a family?”

“He does. He chooses to leave them out of all of this.”

“All of what? The dangers of a king’s court?” asked Elisabeth.

“You think everyone is pleased with a foreigner as their king? He has to be careful and that means leaving his family out of his duties as king.”

“I think that is a horrible mistake.”

“And why is that?” asked Jeff.

“He is a foreign king and needs an heir to succeed him. He is of marriage age and needs an heir so his lords do not think of him as week. It would make sense for him to marry. Probably someone of great influence.”

“Like you?”

Now it was Elisabeth’s time to laugh, “I have no influence.”

“You are the daughter of a king and the widow of an influential and strong duke.”

“I am the daughter of a former king whose kingdom is the size of this palace and the widow of a dead duke who was succeeded by a distant cousin he never knew nor I. I have no influence,” corrected Elisabeth.

“You are very wealthy. David is very wealthy and you make him look like a poor farmer compared to you.”

“You overestimate.”

“You underestimate.”

“I can hear the soldiers yelling for me. Do you think the king would be very upset?” asked Elisabeth.

“Upset no, just very concerned. David tends to freak out over little things.”

“I should go so the king does not die over me.”

“Let me escort you back.”

“You are very kind.”

“Beautiful women like yourself might get kidnapped or worse.”

The two headed to the main hall hoping to find the king, “Why does everyone refer to me as beautiful?”

“What do you mean?” asked Jeff.

“You are not the first person to call me beautiful and I do not believe it.”

“Why do you not believe it?”

“In my home I was never referred to as beautiful. My mother would tell me I was quiet plain and I had to read as many books as I possibly can. A man would not look at my face but he could look at my mind,” explained Elisabeth.

“Then they were very wrong,” replied Jeff.

“Or maybe you all are the ones who are wrong.”

“I doubt that.”

“Princess Elisabeth, everyone has been looking everywhere for you.” The soft toned Lady Natalie walked directly up to Elisabeth and led her away from Jeff. Lady Natalie was going to take her to the king and Elisabeth would more than likely have to apologize to the king in front of almost a hundred people.

Once in the sight of the king Elisabeth was left alone in the middle on the main hall while Natalie took her placing by David, standing up.

“Forgive me Your Majesty I went out for a walk this morning and seemed to have gotten lost.”

“Princess Elisabeth I think I should keep you on a leash to know where you are at every moment of the day.”

“It will not happen again.”

“I found her with Jeff,” whispered Natalie.

David nodded and irrationally thought of a solution, “I think it is time that you have a companion to show you around so you do not get lost Princess Elisabeth.”

“I would be honored Your Majesty.”

“Jeff! Come up!”

The crowd of people looked around for him and once they found him, they parted to let Jeff through, “Yes?”

“You will be a companion to the Princess Elisabeth. You will show her around the grounds and will help in whatever she needs.”

The whispering started soon after that. For Jeff to be Elisabeth’s companion as opposite genders was controversial. It led some to believe that Jeff would become Elisabeth’s new husband but that was no one’s intention. King David wanted to see if Jeff and Elisabeth would work or he could simply pair her with Matt or Zane. He did not know enough about Elisabeth to pair her confidently with just one man.

The court dispersed but David, Natalie, Elisabeth, and Jeff along with some guards, footmen, and ladies stayed behind.

“Princess Elisabeth you will send me to an early grave,” spoke David.

“That is not my intention Your Majesty.”

“Did you treat your first husband like this?” asked David.

“My husband would not let me out his sight in the first place Your Majesty.”

“Then Jeff you will not let her out of your sight.”

King David and Lady Natalie left the room leaving Jeff and Elisabeth alone, “So this is my punishment?” asked Elisabeth.

“It seems to both our punishments. I think Natalie told David you were with me.”

“I do not mind it. Do you?”

“I do not mind it either. Although I barely know you, so you could still annoy me to death.”

“I do not think that would be possible.”

“You clearly have not meet yourself.” He was teasing her and Elisabeth did not like it. She was getting annoyed very quickly. Rather than stay Elisabeth went to the direction of her rooms, “Where are you going?”

“To my room.”

“David clearly wanted us together and I cannot enter your room.”

“Then you can wait outside like my guards do.”

Elisabeth spent the entire day in her room. She was given food around dinner time in her room and then a host of ladies came in to help her bathe. Elisabeth did not miss this. When she was The Duchess of Nemours, she had a couple dozen people feed, clothe, and bathe her every day. When she became The Dowager Duchess of Nemours those luxuries were taken from her because she was not married to the man in charge. Clearly, King David did not care for such formalities.

Day after day, Elisabeth did not completely leave her room. Early in the morning she would walk in the garden and sometimes she would see shirtless Jeff returning from something. He was sweaty and always gave Elisabeth a smile whenever he would walk past her. David was getting impatient with the timing of everything.

“Well?”

“I cannot say.”

“What do you ‘cannot say’ Jeff? Do you like her or not?” asked David.

“I barely know her but she is nice and she is also reserved.”

“Do you think you could be happy marrying her.”

“Possibly but again, I barely know her. She could be a murderer for all I know.”

“You are the only one she was fully talked to. She has completely avoided Matt, Zane, Jonah, and Jason.”

“To be fair she has avoided everyone, I just so happen to see her because she likes the gardens.”

Perhaps Jeff should not have said that, but he did. David lit up at the mentions of the garden already planning how to introduce Elisabeth to the other men, “Someone call Elisabeth!”

“David think about this,” spoke Jeff.

“She has been here for weeks and nothing has happened! I cannot wait around while she takes her time choosing a husband. I am not a dog waiting for a bone.”

“This is a husband who she will have to spend the rest of her life with or until death do them part.”

“Someone get Elisabeth in here now!” Jeff looked at David with worry. David was impatient and often times was irrational. If Elisabeth did him wrong, he would marry off Elisabeth to Jonah of all people, “Find the rest of them. I want Matt, Zane, Jonah, and Jason in here as well.”

“David you should think about this more. Jeff is right, her choice is a big thing and you agreed to not push her in the beginning of all this,” soothed Natalie.

“Well I am getting bored.”

The doors opened to introduced Matt, Zane, Jonah, and Jason along with some other friends. They all stood in silence waiting for Elisabeth. Jeff looked at the four other men Elisabeth could possibly marry and they were not good enough for her. Well, possibly Matt, but everyone else was a poor choice.

Zane liked to drink and he was not content with settling down right now since he wanted to enjoy his youth with his friends. Matt went through women pretty quickly because he got bored with them. They were cunning enough to keep his attention for a couple of months, but not enough to keep him by their side for the rest of their lives. Jonah was rude and entitled despite having no reason to be and Jason was probably three times older than Elisabeth with two young children. Jeff was no strong contender and he had no intension of settling down either especially with someone he did not know, but David was determined to have her settle down with someone even if she did not want to.

David wanted Elisabeth for her money and she was going to have to marry someone. David could try and marry Elisabeth to Natalie if he could, “Her Grand- “

“Stop! Princess Elisabeth while your company has been the best I have seen in years, this kingdom needs you to choose a husband.”

Elisabeth walked up to David, “Your Majesty I was given the impression that I would have enough time to choose a husband.”

“You have had time Princess Elisabeth.”

“David,” warned Natalie.

“Could I have even a day to think about it?”

“I would prefer that you, right now, in front of the court swear an oath to make sure you keep your word,” replied David.

Elisabeth looked around seeing all eyes on her and she did not like it. David was pushing her to commit in front of so many people because if she backed out then they could send her away and people from the continent could gossip about her. It was a tactic that Elisabeth had not seen in a long time, but she did not appreciate it then, and she did not appreciate it now.

“Jeff.”

“Speak louder please I cannot here you.”

“Lord Jeff, Your Majesty. I choose him as my husband.”

David was the only one satisfied with the answer, “Lord Jeff upon your marriage with Princess Elisabeth I shall elevate you to the title of Duke with the style of Highness. A hereditary title,” smiled David.

There were several things that happened in one sentence. Elisabeth and Jeff were to marry which in all honesty no one in court was surprised at the choice. David made Jeff a duke, which was the only one in the kingdom. That showed David thought Jeff was above every other of his close friends but in truth he did it for Elisabeth.

David was not going to make Elisabeth anything less than a Duchess so he could show the older kingdoms that he could treat a foreign bride the same as they could. It could open doors for David and bring in marriage alliances and treaties that he had been isolated from, though he did not mind the cold shoulder from other kings, princes, and dukes.

The added style of Highness was above Elisabeth’s styles of Grand Ducal Highness. For Elisabeth that was not a major step but for Jeff, a mere lord in a foreign place, it was a move of great significance. The added privilege of a hereditary titles meant that David could always reply on the Wittek family for their loyalty, but it signified that David believed his kingdom may extend past his own lifetime.

The court clapped in what was half joy and half a show, “Thank you,” replied Jeff. The absence of ‘Your Majesty’ was noted by members of court but not to King David’s group of advisors and confidantes.

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for your graciousness. I and my descendants shall be forever indebted to you,” added Elisabeth. Another show, but this time by Elisabeth who had seen two homes and now found herself a third.

“You shall be married by the end of the week,” announced David.

“Your Majesty would you not want to wait several months so guests from other kingdom could attend?” asked Elisabeth.

“No need for them. We shall have a private and intimate ceremony with the members of this court, and only this court,” replied David.

For years he had been excluded and now he was the one doing the excluding. Elisabeth was technically the only one in David’s court that had noble ancestry. David and his friends were foreigners, commoners, and Elisabeth was the only child of a king whose family could be traced back centuries to nobles and kings of great significance.

Elisabeth and Jeff looked at each other while David stepped towards Elisabeth, “You could do much worse. You could have been married to Jonah.”

While Elisabeth did not understand, Jeff did. Out of everyone, Jeff was the most desirable. Jonah had no good traits that Jeff could immediately think of. Jason was kind and loyal but with being much older and with two children closer to Elisabeth’s age than Jason was, he was not the first choice. Zane and Matt were kind but had no desire to marry when they could have their fun during the next decade or two filled with women.

“I will get wedding details written up,” spoke Natalie.

David gave deadline a deadline of 5 days for the wedding to go through. Natalie had it done within 3 days and Elisabeth spent every one of those days in her rooms thinking about her new marriage. The absence of Jeff in those days was worrisome for a lot of people. David believed him to be doubting himself and the marriage which could prove disastrous in the future.

“What do you think?”

“I’ll told you a million times in the last few days, you rushed things.”

“Well that’s not my fault!” yelled David.

“They were doing well, she was doing well, and then you rushed things because you were getting bored and now she won’t come out of her room and Jeff is barely seen at all!” yelled back Natalie.

“She needed to choose.”

“And somehow you still chose for her. You played with her letting her think she had the option, the power, and then you just took it away from her. Like playing around with a child to prove to yourself that you are the adult.”

“It is not like that,” fought David.

“Isn’t it?” asked Natalie.

“No!”

“You want her so badly that you are treating her badly.”

“You are making it sound as if I want her for myself.”

“I know you do not want her like that but you want her for this, for what you have made because you think she will validate you to everyone else.”

“I know she is worth is all,” corrected David.

“But why?”

“Her money.”

“But beyond that. Why is she worth it?”

“Once I make Jeff and a duke, she will be the most senior member of court, except for you of course. I hear what they saw about me. A king in a foreign land with no real allies. I make one wrong move I could find myself in a war with a dozen kingdoms who are all related because they are brother and sister, or cousins. I know I do not have that safety; I need to make it and I make it through her,” explained David.

“Then stop playing with her before you find yourself on her bad side and you will never make allies that you need.”

It was the night before the wedding and David could not sleep. He felt like he was doing something wrong. Walking down to the garden, he saw Elisabeth laying on the ground and David could not tell whether or not she was sleeping or not.

“Princess Elisabeth.”

Surprisingly, she was not startled by David. Elisabeth sat up and looked straight at David. Despite the darkness, there was still some light from the rooms surrounding the gardens and Elisabeth could not mistake him for another, “Your Majesty.”

“I couldn’t sleep and I wanted to say I am sorry for rushing you. I gave you the option and I took it away.”

Elisabeth ignored him and walked past him not giving him a word. David went after to her, only to have the door slammed on his face by Elisabeth. He went back to his rooms finding Natalie waiting for him.

“What are you doing?” asked Natalie.

“I went for a walk.”

“They saw you with her. She ignored you.”

“What about it?”

“You are stupid sometimes; do you know that?”

“Because I tried to apologize? That doesn’t make sense.”

“Not that! She is clearly upset and you keep pushing,” fought Natalie.

“I just wanted to talk.”

“David you have to leave her alone, at least until she has settled and then you can pry her for allies and money. Give her time.”

When the wedding came, David had spared no expense for the wedding of Elisabeth and Jeff. Elisabeth had been covered in diamonds from head to toe, which technically came from David. The dress and jewels were gifted to Jeff for Elisabeth and the wedding. Officially Jeff gifting Elisabeth her wedding attire was controversial. A lowly lord could not afford such things without help and it made Jeff look like a laughing stock in front of the rest of court because he could never afford such things without David’s help.

Elisabeth said ‘I do’ and Jeff said ‘I do’ in a small declaration. The whole process was rushed with only a couple of hundred people in attendance compared to the thousands who should have been invited and been able to celebrate. The only one who could smile was David at the thought of securing Elisabeth to him and his kingdom.

The reception was quick and David rushed Jeff and Elisabeth into their new rooms at the end of the night, and it was the thing Jeff dreaded the entire day, “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“I could have talked to him, told him to not rush things,” answered Jeff.

“A king does as he pleases,” smiled Elisabeth.

“I could have still done something.”

“We cannot go back in time now.”

“They expect us to… to, uh-“

“Have sex?” interrupted Elisabeth.

“Yes,” answered Jeff.

“They are outside the door?”

“Yes.”

“And they are expecting evidence as well?”

“Yes.”

If Jeff thought Elisabeth was nice before, the day after their wedding night he liked her now. While it had been expected that Elisabeth and Jeff would have sex to consummate the marriage, the two laid on their bed and talked. Elisabeth had slept on the bed while Jeff slept on the floor and shortly before the maids came in to clean the sheets Jeff got in the bed they were originally supposed to share.

Like clockwork the maids came in hoping to see something but instead they saw a sleeping Elisabeth and a wide-awake Jeff putting on his shoes. Elisabeth’s ladies-in-waiting came in next hoping to bring the sheet to David and the rest of the court with evidence that the deed was done. Instead, they were met with an annoyed Jeff.

“Good morning Your Highness.” All the women curtsied to Jeff which never happened before. Such formalities now came with his elevated position.

“Leave her alone. Do not wake her up.”

“We are required to get the sheet.”

“There is nothing for you to get now all of you leave before you wake up Elisabeth.”

Jeff rushed out the other women leaving Elisabeth sleeping with clear instructions to everyone from maids, ladies, and guards that no one was to wake her up. He headed for David who was having a meeting with Natalie.

“You’ve been married for not even a day and you are already kicking people out.”

“They wanted to bother her,” explained Jeff.

“Now that you are here we can talk about Elisabeth and her money. The Duke of Nemours is on his way and I will repeat that he is very angry about not being invited to the wedding.”

“He shouldn’t be considering you barely invited anyone,” replied Jeff.

“He is on his way and he will be releasing all accounts from the duchy to your name and we can work out the details later.”

“How much is it?”

“From what The Duke of Nemours had explained there are about 500 million florins that goes to upkeeping of the duchy in one account and that transfers to about 700 million liras here. There is a separate account meant for The Duke and Duchess of Nemours annual spending of 25 million florins that does not have a set amount. The third account which accounts for the largest amount is Elisabeth’s personal account of about 2.3 billion florins that have remained in her name since the death of her father,” explained Natalie.

Jeff tensed up after hearing the numbers, “What happens to the first two accounts?”

“The account would transfer from the duchy of Nemours to the duchy that David gives you. The second account would be a joint account in yours and Elisabeth’s name meaning you have money to spend more than before.”

“How?”

“How, what?” asked David.

“How did she get all this?”

“Her father’s land was rich and her mother and first husband were frugal,” answered Natalie.

“Money makes money when you leave it alone in enough time,” added David.

Before the conversation could continue there was a knock at the door and Natalie told them to enter. Jeff recognized him but he never bothered to learn his name. He bowed to Jeff and nodded to Natalie the custom for them and then went straight for David. The older man whispered in David’s ear to which David nodded.

“Thank you, you may leave now.”

Natalie waited for the man to leave before asking, “What was that about?”

“Rumors about the Duke of Nemours,” answered David.

“Is it about Elisabeth?” asked Jeff.

David was hesitant, “It seems that the duke will be here later tonight.”

“We just announced the wedding yesterday how is he already here? You said he was on his way to release the accounts?” asked Natalie.

“It seems that the duchess has died and the duke’s intention was to get Elisabeth back.”

“He wanted to marry her?” asked Jeff.

“Wants to marry her. He is a man with connections he will try and get her,” answered Natalie.

“We are married.”

“Not even a day and even then, he could challenge it.”

“I think someone should get Elisabeth now.”

The three waited for Elisabeth to come into the room, “I will cut to the chase, the Duke of Nemours will arrive tonight. Rumors are that his wife has died- “

“She gave birth?” asked Elisabeth.

David ignored her, “She died and there is strong reasoning to believe he will challenge your marriage with Jeff in order to marry you.”

“But I am already married. Why would he… he wants the money.”

“A good enough reason to challenge the marriage and with my decision to rush the process, he will have an upper hand,” added David.

“Do you want to marry him?” asked Jeff.

“Well no, I did not expect to marry again but Hal… is difficult.”

“We can annul our marriage and you could return to your home. Becoming Duchess of Nemours again,” suggested Jeff.

Elisabeth looked at him, “Nemours has never been my home. I could never be Duchess of Nemours again and Hal does not have the capacity to care for anyone but himself. I do not wish to be his wife.”

Elisabeth’s declaration to not marry Hal brought assurance to Jeff that they would stay married. Although, she did not say she wanted to remain married to Jeff for the sake of Jeff which bothered him a little.

“Then we can tell him that you will remain here,” smiled David.

When Hal did arrive, he was not met with a grand arrival like Elisabeth had. Instead he was asked to wait until David and his closest friends finished dinner. It was at dinner David finally gave Jeff his title. Jeff would not be introduced as His Highness The Duke of Lamberg making Elisabeth The Duchess of Lamberg.

“His Majesty will see you now.”

“Thank god,” murmured Hal.

Once the doors opened to the great hall Hal was announced, “His Grand Ducal Highness The Duke of Nemours!”

“Forgive me duke we were having an intimate moment,” smiled David.

“I can see… I heard Elisabeth married again.”

“Yes! Let me introduce you to the new Duke and Duchess of Lamberg.”

Jeff had moved his arm to Elisabeth’s waist and gave a small smile to Hal while Elisabeth could not bother to look Hal in his face.

“I would congratulate the couple but I believe you all know why I am here.”

“You want to take me back to Nemours,” whispered Elisabeth.

Hal walked up to Elisabeth, “I did and I will fight to have the marriage between you and this lord annulled should you say it.”

Elisabeth looked up to Jeff, then to Natalie and Jeff before staring at Hal again, “I wish to stay here… with my husband.”

Hal was not happy, everyone could see it, “Elisabeth he is poor lord, he only cares about your money.”

“There is no need to speak to my wife as if you do not want to insult me to my face,” Jeff stepped between Elisabeth and Hal, “I am a poor lord but that does not mean that I am after Elisabeth’s money. She knows I am not. I would not take a single penny from her should she ask.” “Well then we can sign the papers now. Transferring all accounts in Elisabeth’s name.”

“No.”

“What?”

“No,” repeated Elisabeth.

“Elisabeth he could spend all your money on whores for all we know.”

“He is my husband and I am only going to ask you this once to please stop insulting my husband.”

Jeff should have been happy that Elisabeth was standing up for him, but in truth Elisabeth probably wanted Hal out of her presence, “Elisabeth let us speak alone so we can figure this out.”

“I will go nowhere alone with you,” declared Elisabeth.

Hal was getting angry and quick. Elisabeth was challenging him for the first time ever and she was hell bent on sticking by her husband against Hal. He did not like it and would do anything to take apart the two as Elisabeth continued.

“You would choose some commoner over me?”

Elisabeth could not truly understand where this anger was coming from. She was not oblivious to Hal wanting her for the money, but to be so angry with her was being over dramatic. There had never been once time where Elisabeth had led him to believe she was attracted to him nor a time where she let Hal believe he could someday marry her.

Jeff blocked Hal from seeing Elisabeth thinking he may try and grab at her or yell in her face and that was the last thing Jeff was going to let happen. He did not know Elisabeth that well but he would never let a man speak to a woman that way. David whispered to Natalie to get the guards and she left the room to get guards but also the rest of their friends.

“I am choosing my husband,” clarified Elisabeth.

“Elisabeth look at me,” whispered Jeff. For a couple seconds they forgot the situation, “We can leave and go to the gardens before anything get too out of hand. Just tell me.”

Elisabeth nodded but did not say a thing. She was going to stand up for herself and push Hal back for being horrible to her.

“Your Majesty as a member of your court I would ask that you remove this man.”

“I think that is a good idea.”

“I slept with Elisabeth,” spat Hal.

Jeff, Elisabeth, and David went wide eyed at the confession, of course all for different reasons, “What did you say?” asked David.

“I had an affair with Elisabeth. Once I tell my court and yours, Elisabeth will be branded a whore.”

Hal was trying to ruin her, but she would never allow such a worthless man to do so, “Lies, Your Majesty. Lies from a weak and desperate man.”

“You have a birth mark on your inner thigh. I know you have one.”

David believed him for a second, “Jeff is that true?”

Jeff could not had known because the two never had sex. So he looked at Elisabeth and then back at David, “She does not have a birthmark on her inner thigh.”

David believed him, he had no reason not to trust Jeff, “So obvious lies.”

“I will ruin her and all of you. I slept with her and the right thing to do is annul this marriage with the commoner and allow me to marry Elisabeth to save her reputation.”

“I rather be a whore than your wife.”

Hal got angry then and lifted his arm to slap Elisabeth before Jeff violently grabbed Hal’s arm and pushed him away. He barely let Hal insult Elisabeth without getting angry but he would never let a man hit a woman in front of his eyes, “I suggest you leave now or else I will be locked up by tonight on murder,” threatened Jeff.

Hal composed himself then gave off a little laugh, “You have no idea what you have done.”

“Believe me, I do,” replied Jeff.

Guards and friends came in. Guards protected David, Jeff, and Elisabeth by forming a line between them and Hal. David and Jeff’s friends rushed to their side ready to defend them.

“You will be escorted out of my kingdom and banished for your behavior tonight. You have insulted The Duchess of Lamberg and therefore have insulted me and by tomorrow morning I am sure others will hear of it,” said David.

Hal stormed off with the half a dozen guards following him out of the room and then out of the kingdom. When the doors finally closed Elisabeth let out a deep breath and started at the ceiling. Natalie nudged Jeff to comfort his wife, which he did once he got the push. It only took one step in Elisabeth’s direction for her to lunge at him with open arms. She was shaking and Jeff only held her tighter.

One of Jeff’s hands held Elisabeth’s body against him and the other went to the back of her neck to keep her close to him. She was breathing heavily and Jeff could not see if she was crying from the angle.

David ordered the room to be clear but Elisabeth immediately objected to it, “I wish to retire to my room,” she then added.

“The guards left in the room can escort you two.”

Elisabeth saw Jeff’s friends whisper to each other about what happened as Jeff led her out of the room. It took some time for Elisabeth and Jeff to come to their rooms and they passed people already whispering as they looked at them.

As Elisabeth sat down on her bed she looked at Jeff, “Do you believe him?”

“What are talking about?”

“Do you believe he and I slept together?” clarified Elisabeth.

“Never. A woman like you would never go for a man like that.”

“I’ve never had sex before,” confessed Elisabeth.

Jeff was not expecting that, “You do not need to explain anything.”

“I married my first husband so young. He thought it was be a sin to have sex with someone so young. He died when I was young too. Any other man would have taken me on my wedding night but he was kind and understanding,” explained Elisabeth.

Jeff did not want to hear this, “I respect you enough to believe what you are saying to me.”

“Hal was right about one thing.”

“What was it?”

“I do have a birthmark but not on my inner thigh. I have a birthmark on my stomach. On the lower right section.”

“Okay.”

“As Duchess of Nemours I was bathed by half a dozen young girls. Nothing I did was ever private and I know one them probably told Hal about it. They seemed to have gotten the location wrong. Do you believe me?”

“Of course I do.”

“Would you like to prove it to you?” asked Elisabeth.

“There is no need for that.”

She ignored him and started to unlace the back of her dress. She had layers on but that meant nothing when she had easy material to work with. Jeff could not look; he was embarrassed to see his wife undress in front of him. While in an effort not to scare him, she grabbed a robe from the bed side and put it on.

Elisabeth fixed the robe to show the part of her stomach that housed the birthmark, “You can look.”

Jeff was hesitant but he did look at the tiny piece of flesh Elisabeth allowed him to look at. The birthmark looked like a misshaped heart and Jeff gave a small smile at such an intimate thing.

“I can show you I have no birthmarks between my legs too,” spoke Elisabeth.

Jeff was hesitant at first and was not expecting his night to go this way. Elisabeth slowly opened the robe from the bottom half as Jeff stared at her legs. She was watching his hands wondering if Jeff would touch her but he had done nothing so far. Elisabeth opened up her legs, slightly turning so that Jeff could see her inner thigh, but she was not entirely exposed.

Still, Jeff’s hand did not move and his gaze only lasted a few seconds before they were pointed elsewhere. It was then Elisabeth was reassured that she could trust Jeff with a lot of things. He had defended her, protected her, and in such a vulnerable state, he had not attempted to touch her.

“I will be sleeping on the floor again.”

The next morning David made it a deal to start telling his court about the vulgar behavior of The Duke of Nemours. David had painted Elisabeth to the victim, Jeff to be the hero, and Hal to be the crazy man in the whole situation. It was an image Elisabeth was not too happy about, but she was glad that Hal was made out to be the bad guy.

Of course, King David’s court had sided with Elisabeth and Jeff because of their loyalties to King David and once the details of the events started reaching far ends of the continent, most people had sided with Elisabeth and Jeff. Elisabeth had money and for a good amount of people, that was enough to stay on her good side.

People had offered their condolences on the whole situation. Details then turned to rumors that Jeff would one day be assassinated by a group of men or the duke would sneak into their bedroom and murder Jeff while he slept. Rumors had made rumors of their own and weeks passed to the point where no one could stop talking about the new Duke and Duchess of Lamberg.

Jeff was handsome beyond words and Elisabeth was rich beyond belief. They were a match made in heaven in a lot of people’s mind but to Elisabeth they were not. Jeff had continued to sleep on the floor and soon weeks turned to months. Weeks before their one-year anniversary, the entire court was hoping for a child and their patience was wearing thin.

Elisabeth’s stomach was the daily gossip and on slow days, every hour was talked about Elisabeth being barren or Jeff being into men. Everyone had an idea as to why Elisabeth was not with child just yet. No one could get an answer, even David who once in a while asked Jeff how things were in the bedroom. It was not that he was curious as a friend, but more curious as a king. He had set up the match so he would be responsible.

“I see them stare.”

“You should ignore them like I said,” replied Jeff.

“That is easy for you to say since you barely deal with them. I have to see those women on a daily basis and I can hear them staring at my womb thinking the intense staring would somehow produce a son.”

“They have nothing better to do with their lives. We should continue on with ours and forget everyone else’s comments.”

“Are you attached to me?” asked Elisabeth.

“Why would you ask me that question?”

“I have to ask since you have never touched me and we have been married for almost a year.”

“Your first husband did not touch you when you two were married.”

“That was different. I was too young at the time. Now I am a woman and I think my husband finds me repulsive.”

Jeff laughed at her as he put sheets on the floor to get ready for bed. Even after months of being married, Jeff continued to sleep on the floor just like their first full night together, “That is not true.”

“You still sleep on the floor.”

“After all this time I think I’ve gotten used to it. If I sleep on a nice soft bed now, it would ruin me,” explained Jeff.

“But this is what I am talking about.”

“Why are we just talking about these things?”

“The Countess of Kohary commented on how handsome you looked today. She said if she had a husband like you then she would not have a reason to leave the bed.”

“So this is jealousy?” asked Jeff.

“Not jealousy. I constantly hear little comments made by all the women in court about how lucky I am to have you as a husband and how beautiful my children will be. They all think I am enjoying you… like that and I’m not,” explained Elisabeth.

“Would you like to enjoy me, you know… that way,” smiled Jeff.

“I do not need your teasing right now. What I need is an equality.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you hear comments about me made by the men at court? Do you hear them say how beautiful I am or how much they want me?” asked Elisabeth.

“I would have them with black eyes if they ever did such a thing and they know it. If anything is being said about you, it is not around me. The men are too afraid especially after I threatened Nemours about a year ago.”

“So you scare them? That does not help me Jeff.”

“You want men to say things about you?”

“Not exactly. You told me I was beautiful. I heard it before I married you and now I barely hear a whisper about it. You don’t see me that way and I guess I am getting upset that I constantly have to hear women fond at you.”

“Who says I don’t find you beautiful?” asked Jeff.

“You never say I am beautiful anymore.”

“That does not mean I do not think it. A beautiful rich girl like you, I am lucky to have you.” Elisabeth smiled but the smile did not last long and Jeff picked it up quickly, “What happened to the smile?”

“We have been married a year and nothing has changed between us.”

“A lot has changed between us.”

“Clearly not enough if you still sleep on the floor and we have not had sex yet.”

“Is this your way of telling me you want to have sex?”

“Not exactly. I would not mind it should the situation come up, but I would never be so bold as to say the exact words,” said Elisabeth.

“I think you are being bold enough to say something,” teased Jeff.

“No I am not,” fought Elisabeth.

“You just said if the situation were to come up you would not object. So if I were to kiss you, you would not be angry.”

“Well… no, I would not be.”

Jeff laughed at her, “I will be sure to remember that.”

There was a minute of silence between the two, “Are you going to sleep on the floor?”

“I am.”

Elisabeth could not sleep that night and like before she wondered around the palace thinking about Jeff. She had not wondered around like this since she first came here and Elisabeth forgot how exhausting it was. As the sun peaked up she realized that Jeff would be waking up so he and Todd could do for their daily run into the woods that surrounded the northside of the palace. It was a routine that Elisabeth would wake up and hear Jeff move around the room trying his best not to wake her but his heavy footsteps were always his enemy.

The sun came up fast as Elisabeth laid on the ground. Like déjà vu, Elisabeth felt the sun being blocked and she opened her eyes, “We have been in this position before.”

“Yes, we have. It’s been months since I’ve found you like this.”

Elisabeth sat up, “I could not sleep that’s all.”

“Is it because of me?” asked Jeff.

“No of course not.”

“The night we talk about us you wonder around.”

“I do not want to face them and hear about how lucky I am to be married to you when we both know that truth,” said Elisabeth brining up their discussion the night before.

“Would you like for me to come with you?”

“David will want you for the day.”

“I can say no to him and spend the day with you.”

“I would like that,” smiled Elisabeth.

“We can go get dressed and then we will go to great hall to talk.”

“You will stick out in that room. Very few men come with their wives.”

“The point is for me to stick out, is it not?” asked Jeff.

“I suppose… Thank you.”

When Elisabeth and Jeff were announced, the room went into whispers. Day to day life at King David’s court had set rules that took inspiration from other courts. Women were placed in a couple of rooms that led to the great hall while their husbands went about their day. Higher born men had tasks and jobs of their own that were given by the king’s court. Most of the time they did not require much energy to complete.

If they had money, they would spend their time lounging around, gambling, or whoring around. Lower born men had jobs as well but were restricted by court etiquette and the attitude of nobler men who would not like to mingle with lesser people, and those jobs were more manual labor. The room was crowded with woman and once they saw Jeff, they wasted no time gushing over him.

Elisabeth was pushed to the side as women came over and introduced themselves to a new wealthy duke. Mistresses were not uncommon in such a place but Elisabeth did not think of Jeff as such a man to do take one on. As expected, Elisabeth had been pushed aside by the women but did not expect Jeff to reach out for her hand. Once he had found her hand Jeff pulled Elisabeth right by his side showing a big smile that annoyed the woman around them.

“If you will excuse me.”

The two left the main hall and went to a side room where Elisabeth was sure they would be immediately interrupted by noisy people.

“What are we doing?”

“Hold on.”

“What?”

She was lifted onto a small table and Elisabeth panicked thinking she would break it. Her panic was met with a small smile by Jeff who found his wife to be ‘cute’. While that was the last word Jeff wanted to use, but he could not think of another word to describe her. She looked at his every move and he moved himself between her legs. The movements were fast as Jeff wanted to hurry things up before someone ‘accidently’ came into the room.

“What are you doing?” asked Elisabeth.

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes.”

Jeff reached one hand on the back of Elisabeth’s neck while the other went under her dress. The action surprised Elisabeth who pushed his hand away before Jeff spoke again, “Trust me.”

Elisabeth was hesitant but then she agreed. His hand rested on her thigh but the angle was weird, it was clearly exposed that Jeff’s hand was under Elisabeth’s skirt, but did not show anything else.

As expected, the door flew open with an embarrassed group of young girls falling in. Jeff did not remove his hand but he moved it to look as if he was in the middle of pleasuring Elisabeth. The girls stood shocked at Jeff who did not bother to stop, “If you wish to watch that is fine but it will only be my wife and I. I do not share and she does not share either.”

One of the girls snapped out of the state they were all in and pushed the others out of the room. The door closed then Jeff stopped and removed his hand. Elisabeth watched his every move and then the smile that appeared on his face.

“What did that accomplish?”

“We will be the talk of the palace.”

“That I understood but why?”

“Well rumors about us being unhappy go away and the rumors that I am not into woman also go away so it helps us both.”

“Thank you.”

“You do not need to thank me for that. Besides, having my hand up your skirts- “

“Do not finish that sentence!” interrupted Elisabeth.

“Another time?”

“What?”

Jeff ignored her question, “Come on we have to do out there now.”

“Do you think the whole palace will hear about this?”

“Half of the palace has heard about what happened in the room by now. If they call you a whore and stay silent about me, you have to tell me. I will fix it.”

Elisabeth nodded and fixed her skirt. Jeff opened the door with a smile on his face, and Elisabeth could not help but look down at the ground. She did not want to see the faces of those around her fearing it would only be disgust.

Jeff stayed by her side the entire day which helped because soon women were fawning over her. They believed her to be beautiful and lucky, they showered her with compliments, and while she did not hate it, she wish she could go back to how things were in the beginning. When Elisabeth could spend her days in her rooms or the garden and no one really bother her. She did not which one she missed more.

As they were getting ready for bed Jeff noticed her face, “You seem sad.”

“I am just thinking.”

“Enlighten me.”

“Today was overwhelming while I appreciate you trying to make my life better, I realized I may not like all the attention. It was fun at first but hours later it seemed like too much and now I am dreading tomorrow and the day after and the day after that. I was also thinking about how us.”

“Do you want me to sleep with you?” asked Jeff.

“On the bed?” asked Elisabeth.

“Yes, if I meant it in a sexual way then you would know,” smiled Jeff.

Elisabeth moved over and Jeff came sat down next to her, “Will you sleep with me?”

“Are you sure you want me up here? I think after months of having me on the floor will ruin what we have.”

“I do not want to beg my husband to sleep on the bed with me,” replied Elisabeth.

“Then I will save us both the embarrassment of asking.”

For the first time ever Jeff and Elisabeth slept in the same bed.