ALLEGIANCE OF THE INFIDEL

SIN CHILD

Deviated by the thoughts of the former, she struggled to mitigate the resentment she felt for the lady who stood before her. The lady glared at her like a hawk and clenched her arm tightly. Though Astrid was a lady, her temperament and mannerisms resembled the ways of the men and not women. She had a fierce temper, which even earned her the resentment of several lads. Messalina was no different. She was the second wife of Astrid's father and a heinous woman, she held nothing but resentment for Astrid. But the aspect that was unbearable for her was Astrid's way with the words and her acrimonious behaviour. There was soon going to be a celebration for Prince Sirius for his coming of age, and the last thing she wanted was Astrid's wittiness that might end up becoming the cause of inconvenience for many. "If you'd try to attack any of the lords or ladies with your crude words in the ceremony that day, then only God will be your salvation", exclaimed the lady. Astrid stared at the woman with her resentful eyes that had a hint of disgust as well. Since Astrid knew the vile manner in which Messalina acted, she refrained from disobeying her. While being quiet, she seemed just like an innocent four-year-old. Astrid's appearance was deceiving as her true nature was quite contrary. She appeared like a meagre little girl from the outside. She was also good at camouflaging her fiery temper quite well. However, she still had a lot of anger for a child of her age. It somehow only escalates when Messalina's around her.Upon listening to the instructions laid out by her stepmother, Astrid finally stood up and moved in haste to disentangle herself from the matters of the atrocious woman. Aghast by the indisciplined action of the young lady, Messalina's contempt for her only worsen. The lady walked back and forth in the room and cursed her fate for having to deal with the ‘little monster’. After making sure Astrid was no longer present, she held a huge breath and blubbered with seethe. "Second lady, is this what they call me? No, that's just the affair of the present, 'the tomorrow' will bestow upon me all the rights of the only lady of my lord. It was my womb that gave him a son, so it will eminently be me who will be the rightful Lady of Xadaria."Lady Messalina, the second wife of Lord Julianus Artorius Caelestius was notorious for being a cruel woman. Her intentions revolved around the purpose of eradicating any person who might prevail in her way of becoming the Queen. Although the first wife of king Julianus, Lady Florinda was still alive, he desired Lady Messalina and wedded her as well. Even though Astrid was in her adolescence, she could very well fathom the infidelity of her father. Lord Julianus was a brute who used to rely upon his strength even for handling penury matters of the kingdom.Though resilience was a natural gift bestowed upon him, he lacked the wit which was essential for a king. Other lords of the court were threatened by his clout, tenacity and competence. Lady Florinda, too, grew vigilant with the time about the dangers that possessed the position of being the 'First Lady' of Xadaria. She was a nymph who was forcefully captured and had her virtue forsaken by Julianus, and the result was a half-nymph child. In order to protect the daughter from the threat of being harmed by the people of the kingdom, she bestowed blessings upon Astrid and bequeathed her powers upon her. Although Astrid was a reminder of her lost virtue, she still loved and adored her daughter. She, however, still despised the king for her misfortune. On the other hand, Lady Messalina enjoyed the disgust that Florinda held for Julius, and she further won the favour of the king after giving birth to a male heir, Sirius. Consequently, her words held much more efficacy. Tormented by the pangs of a constant reminder that she was a captive in the mansion, Florinda even decided to end her life but was rescued by a knight, Knight Serlon the Worthy. After laying eyes on her, he grew affectionate of the lady and confessed his amorous feelings for her. The moment she reminded him of the matter that she was lawfully wedded to the king, his heart shattered into a million pieces. After acknowledging the existing circumstances, he vowed to protect her with his life since he couldn't marry her. Instead, Florinda pleaded for him to train her daughter in Swordsmanship and aid her in developing the seven virtues - Courage, Justice, Mercy, Generosity, Faith, and Nobility in the name of love. The convalescence of a mother compelled him to take an oath for the same. Florinda rejoiced with tears of joy, and knight Serlon embraced her. Unfortunately, Lady Messalina caught them in the embrace. That's when she devised a method to eradicate the other woman from the household. With swift steps, she went towards the chamber of the king. She approached her lord and enlightened him of the existing predicament (which was her bogus plotting) and deceived him into thinking that Lady Florinda cuckolded him. He began to strangle her and advised her that her lies would drive her to her death. After struggling to free herself from his grasp, the lady insisted, "I saw it with my own eyes. She was with a knight."After believing the words of the mistress, he came out of the chamber with furious rage. Messalina, on the contrary, panted and tried to catch her breath again. When she calmed herself down, she realised that the king had left his chamber to punish Florinda. That realisation brought a smile to Messalina's face. The king had fallen into her trap and believed in Florinda’s unfaithfulness. The trial was held the very next day. Several filthy accusations were heaved on the first lady. Though she knew that it was the arrangement of an enemy in the disguise of a friend, she chose to stay quiet. The torments that she suffered had made her vulnerable, and death seemed to be a sweet escape. Knight Serlon tried to intervene, but his actions were haltered by the pleading eyes of Florinda. He had to give in since he loved her. Her broken eyes wanted nothing but emancipation. His love offered her that.Due to a lack of evidence to save her honour, the jury decided to execute the nymph. While the crowd cheered for the execution of the poor lady, Astrid ran towards her mother and wrapped her arms sternly around her mother’s waist. Although the scene would eventually bring tears to anyone's eyes, the blood-thirsty spectators weren’t affected. The whole kingdom was only ruled by power. Nobody seemed to be curious about even hearing Florinda's confession. As there wasn't anything that could save Florinda, Astrid was forcefully dragged away by the atrocious mistress, Messalina."My dear daughter, You have my love and blessings with you for your whole life,” exclaimed the nymph. With tears dripping constantly from her big hazel eyes, Astrid swore vengeance. Her mother was confiscated in a dungeon until her execution. With the dawn, the woman came out with her head being covered with a cloth. The whole crowd cheered for the castigation of an infidel woman. Consequently, the woman was hanged. The crowd unaware of the accuracy of the truth cheered. The scenario was dreadful enough to terrorize any being. Meanwhile, Astrid wept for her loss inside her chamber and placed her hand on her heart to calm herself. It was the first time she was going to be alone in the evening. Usually, she used to hear stories of the land owned by the nymphs from her mother. Shortly, the quiet surroundings were disrupted by the sudden burst of laughter. Astrid quickly averted her gaze towards the source. It was Sirius. “I do not intend to sound obnoxious but isn't this how deceitful women should be dealt with?" inquired Sirius."If that had been the case, then the one hanging would be your mother, whoreson", yelled Astrid. Sirius's eyes turned dark and he clenched her golden hairs in his fist and made her fall on her knees. Astrid woke in a haste and kicked him on his groin. Soon after, she landed a swift blow on his face. Due to a concussion, he fell down. Astrid then sat on top of him and slapped him mercilessly. Sirius cried due to the torment. His yelling disturbed the whole Senate. People came rushing towards Astrid's chamber. The scenario proved to be dreadful for the onlookers and they were petrified of the young lady. Seeing the fierceness of the young child, Messalina couldn't dare to get her off her son. Accordingly, King Julianus ordained Astrid to halt her actions and to get Sirius treated by the Maestros. He had gotten seriously injured. The king ordered her to be confiscated in her room without food for a week. Before departing, Messalina eyed Astrid with rage and discontent. Astrid returned the honour with a dreadful smirk. With blood in her hands and an evil grin on her lips, she resembled a tormented demon who was ready to pounce on her prey. Bewildered by the strong wave of menacing aura of Astrid, Messalina decided to run away frantically. The actions of Astrid became the cause for the discomfort of the lords. The strength of the little woman threatened their honour and pride as men. Whereas, the helplessness of Sirius made it clear to them that he wasn't carved to be a strong ruler. Though it was the wish of the king for Astrid to remain inside her room, she slipped out through the window. She covered herself with a tiny quilt, stole some food and went towards the woods to eat it. After easing her hunger, she breathed out a sigh of relief. Precisely then, she was approached by a man. The man had broad soldiers, a coarse voice and a scar on his forehead. He also had long black curls and azure eyes."I am Knight Stetson the Worthy, and I will be the one to guide you in your training of swordsmanship and you will be my apprentice,” exclaimed the proud man. While tilting her head, she uttered, "I have been warned to stay wary of strangers and why would you aid me? In fact, there is no gain in this for you. I don't even have my mother anymore.”The knight wasn't in the best of his moods. He had lost the only woman that he ever loved. Thus, he refrained from entertaining the young woman's queries. She, however, just wouldn't let go and keep questioning him further. Exasperated by the senseless delays, Stetson let out an outrageous cry, " I knew your mother and I took an oath to aid you in becoming a stronger woman. It was your mother's last wish.”Being deeply moved after learning about her mother's last wish, Astrid firmed her resolve to fight off the boorish king, his atrocious mistress and their son. She vowed on the death of her selfless mother to torment the wrongdoers till their last days. Her eyes glistened with the fire of revenge, and her heart raced to the very thought of it. The knight was perturbed by her drive for bloodshed and violence but chose to disregard it on purpose in the name of the vow that he had taken.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

AUTHOR'S NOTE

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Show your love to the author by adding this book to your library.

Thank You