Beauty and the Damned

17 | The Good Queen

Rowan was early to knock on her chamber that morning. She had just finished her bath and she wondered what could he want so early in the morning.

“We’re going now,” he said. Her jaw dropped.

“Now?” she asked, making sure if she had heard him right. But he nodded and leaned on the door frame, crossing his arms.

“Yesterday must have been so good you forgot all about the more important thing we had to do.” A grin was plastered across his face and she couldn’t help but be flustered when she realized what he was talking about. The hairs in her body rose as she remembered how many times they did it last night.

Rowan liked to experiment. He would do her from behind, sometimes he had her body pressed against the wall while he would thrust inside her until the pictures on the wall fall off. But her favorite was when he let her sit on top of her while she was in control.

Ariadne cleared her throat to clear the memory. She decided not to indulge him with that kind of talk and just sighed. “Wait for me in the foyer. I’ll meet you there.”

But Rowan raised his brows and looked at her from head to toe. “What, are you going to take another bath and dress up?”

She looked at him, baffled. “Of course! I’m going out I should at least wear something nice—“

Rowan laughed. Actually tipped his head back and laughed. Then he looked at her. “Your Majesty, you might be forgetting something. We have to avoid getting seen, remember?”

“Yes, I clearly remember that. That’s why we are going there on foot, right?”

Rowan sighed. “You don’t need to wear something fancy. Wear something that isn’t too expensive or else we’ll attract bandits.”

Before she could even say another thing, Rowan was already walking away down the hall. She went back to her chamber and sat on the bed. She isn’t even certain why she’s thinking about what to wear.

Ariadne rummaged through her closet and it was then that Delilah entered the room. “Miss, I have prepared your traveling clothes. Prince Rowan had told me to get you something that would not get too much attention,” Delilah said and placed something on her bed.

It was a kirtle made of undyed linen, a tunic, and a thin shirt. It looked…

“Ordinary,” she said and looked a Delilah.

“Yes, miss. You have to blend with the people. You can’t dress like how you used to dress here.”

“Of course,” she said and took the clothes. She immediately wore them. The fabric of the kirtle was especially itchy. She couldn’t imagine people wearing that kind of clothing. She wore her riding boots and beheld herself in the mirror. She then heard Delilah let out a small chuckle.

She looked at her loyal servant. “What is it?” she asked. Perhaps she looks funny wearing ordinary clothes. Perhaps it didn’t suit her at all. But most importantly, why is she worrying whether it suited her or not?

“Nothing, miss. It’s just that even with those ordinary clothes, you still look good,” Delilah beamed as she was looking at her in the mirror.

She let out a small smile but then it disappeared when she realized something.

“What about nighttime?” she asked and faced Delilah. “We are traveling on foot and that means I would be sleeping outside for four nights.”

Delilah got her concern. “I am afraid you’ll have no choice but to remove your clothes before your transition, Miss—“

“Oh god.” She closed her eyes and massaged the bridge of her nose. She really had no choice.

“It’s Prince Rowan, Miss. There shouldn’t be any problem. And besides, he has seen you—“

“I get it,” she said. Holding up her hand. Delilah knows what’s been going on between her and Rowan. She is not surprised. After all, some of the walls in the castle are not soundproof.

She cleared her throat and faced Delilah. “I will be back after ten days and I will have the cure for this curse. Please watch the castle for me,” she said and Delilah smiled.

“Of course, Miss,” Delilah said and did a small bow. She then walked out of her chamber to meet Rowan Casteel waiting in the foyer. He, too, was wearing a simple black tunic and a cloak. He did not say anything when he saw what she was wearing but she could see approval in his eyes. Then he handed her a cloak made of wool.

“It’s almost winter and perhaps we would encounter the first snow during our travel,” he said as she wrapped the cloak around her and put on her hood. But then Ariadne noticed something different with Rowan and the more she looks the more she realized how he looked different. His hair was unkempt as if he purposely made it look like that. If he was trying to look like someone un-Princely, he is successful with it. Only that his unkempt hair only made him more striking. He doesn’t look like a Prince. He now looked like someone who’s used to live in the streets and is still heartbreakingly handsome about it. 

Ariadne realized how her clothes and her hair didn’t match. She removed the hood in her head and with one pull, she untied the ribbon that was elegantly tying her hair. Letting her hair flow down, she removed the pins that are keeping her hair organized. Rowan watched her as she braided her hair. When she looked at him, he was nodding in approval.

“That look is much better. You look like a flower vendor,” he said and smiled and she isn’t sure why she was smiling the moment she heard it. She wasn’t even sure if it was a compliment.

They trudged the garden and into the gates of the castle. When they were out, she was greeted by tall trees with thick canopies. The sunshine could barely get in and it was cold. The thick roots of the trees made it hard to walk but Rowan helped her maneuver until she got used to it and she was walking faster.

“This is one hell of a thick forest,” Rowan mumbled as he was trying to maneuver over the thick roots of the trees. She couldn’t agree more. It was indeed thick. The last time she came here was years ago but she did not enter. Perhaps it was fear of what would greet her at the end of the forest.

It was the village. The village whom her people lived. There weren't a lot of houses. Some have been destroyed, some are just on the verge of getting destroyed. There aren't a lot of people living there and she knew the people who used to live there have moved to other places. The people who remained are those people who couldn't afford to move.

When she looked around, she could clearly see the scarcity. She could see a couple of children wearing scraps of clothes sewn together. They were playing with a ball made from tumbleweed. When one of the kids kicked the ball a little too hard, it hit her calf.

One of the children ran towards them and picked the ball. The kid looked at them, face covered in dirt. Rowan crouched in front of the kid and the kid sneezed in front of him. She grimaced as she saw how the kid wiped his nose with the back of his hand.

Rowan took something out of his pocket and it was a cloth. When he opened it, it was several cookies.

"Take these and share with the other kids," he said and the kid took the cookies.

The kid eyed the two of them, "Thank you, Lord," the kid said and ran away to the other kids to whom he gave the other cookies to.

She looked at Rowan who was also looking at the kids. He looked at her when he noticed she was looking at him. “I love kids,” he said as if explaining to her why he gave the cookies. But there was really no need for an explanation. She knows Rowan is someone good. Someone better than her. Someone who was born and chose to be a ruler.

“I can see that,” she muttered and let out a small smile. They walked further into the village. She could see some of the villagers doing their everyday routine: keeping their small houses clean, cooking food for their family, and she could see some merchants selling meat they got from hunting.

She knew the village isn’t the only village in her Kingdom. There was also the coastal community that asked for help that day.

Ariadne sighed. Once she marries the Prince, her people will be fine. Cern will help them. But as she saw the situation of the villagers, she couldn’t help but feel something inside her. Ache.

Her heart was aching seeing her people suffer because of her. But it drives her, even more, to cure the curse for as soon as she can and marry the Prince.

In the distance, she could see a woman carrying a baby. The baby was wailing and the mother was trying hard to calm her baby down. From where they stood, she could see hear what the mother was saying to her husband. They don’t have milk for the baby and they don’t have any money. She looked at the merchant who was selling meat and other goods. Ariadne walked towards the stall and removed the ring she was wearing.

“This one for that bottle of milk,” she said. She looked down, letting the hood of her cloak cover her face.

“What is this?” the merchant asked.

“That’s a ring. The stone would cost around a million—“

“I don’t need the stone. I need something in exchange for the milk. What would I do with a stone?” the man said. She could hear the annoyance in his voice. She closed her eyes. Of course. There are no merchants around here that would accept stones and other valuables.

“Then would this do?”

She looked at Rowan beside her who was holding a piece of chocolate. She knew it was from her kitchen. The merchant looked at the chocolate first and then took it. He then gave her the bottle of milk. She took it and sauntered towards the mother who was still trying to calm her baby down.

“Here,” she said.

The woman looked at her, wondering who she could be. She isn’t accepting the milk and was giving her a dubious look and she knew what it meant.

She sighed and opened the bottle. She poured little milk on her palm and tasted it. “It’s not poisonous,” she assured the woman who was still giving her dubious looks. But she accepted it eventually and muttered her thanks.

She walked back towards where Rowan was standing. “I had so many foods in my kitchen. Your Kingdom has given those to the castle and I wasn’t even distributing it to the people here.”

“Ariadne—“

“They’re starving, Rowan,” she said. She couldn’t bear to think that while she was enjoying all the food, her people were starving. She didn’t know because she never cared. She deserved to be shunned out.

“I need to find the village head,” she said and walked forward. She felt Rowan following behind her. He did not say anything because what he said was true. She was cruel and the worst Queen her people ever had. She didn’t choose to be Queen but she became one anyway. She should at least do a better job at it. She should be thankful to Rowan too. Despite knowing all her worst parts, he was still willing to help.

The house of the village head was not hard to find not because his house was different but because of the old man sitting outside his house. She doesn’t know if he was sleeping or just listening to the surroundings but she walked forward and called him.

The old man opened his eyes and looked at her. Ariadne removed her mask and recognition registered on the old man’s face. “Your Majesty,” he said without standing up from his seat. “Forgive me but I couldn’t stand any longer.”

She looked at his state and she could understand why. A crane was beside him, perhaps his only support for walking.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” the village head asked.

Ariadne wore her mask once again and said, “Don’t tell a soul that I am here. I have a favor to ask.”

“I will try my best to honor it, Your Majesty,” the man said bowing slightly.

She looked around, trying to find something she could use. Then she picked up the charcoal and took a handkerchief from her pocket. Delilah would instantly know it was from here based on the handkerchief.

Finding a table, Ariadne wrote on the handkerchief using charcoal.

Delilah,

I have started my journey and I have witnessed the situation in the village. A carriage will arrive in the castle together with the people who brought this letter to you. Give them all the food we have in the kitchen leaving only food enough for yourself while I am gone.

She folded the cloth and walked back to the old man.

“Have a group of people ride that carriage to the castle. Tell them to give this to the Delilah,” she said and handed the folded kerchief to the old man. “Have the food equally distributed amongst the people in this village and when there are scraps of vegetables, tell the villagers to plant them so you’ll have food to harvest when the time comes.”

The old man took the handkerchief with shaking hands and looked at her. She doesn’t know if he was crying or not but she didn’t care. Ariadne isn’t someone who comforts crying people.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” the old man said. “I shall have people deliver this to your loyal servant. Thank you very much.” The old man tried bowing deep but he couldn’t so she stopped him.

“There’s no need for that. Save your energy to distribute the food among you later and don’t tell anyone I was here,” she said. The old man smiled at her and nodded slightly.

She then started walking and she felt Rowan following her. Her heart was aching but doing something for her people somehow gave her relief. Seeing the situation was even worse. She couldn’t help but wonder what would it be like to starve and have nothing else to eat. 

Ariadne was thinking about so many things until she felt Rowan’s hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly.

“You did great, Your Majesty,” he said and smiled at her.

* * *