The Usurper's Queen | COMPLETED

23 | above them all

"Lady Anne!" I heard Princess Cecily cry, and I saw her fumbling with a bunch of keys while attempting to open the door. "Cousin Edmund has arrived home!"

I was overjoyed by this news, but the young girl's face was pale and taut. "Is something not right, Your Highness?" I asked her groggily, as I had just awakened from sleep.

"The king told him that you have ran away from the palace with another man! He lied to Cousin Edmund, and I know that whatever he means to do, it can't be good. So, I stole these keys from the guard, but I don't know which is the key for this cell!" she said urgently. Her hands were now shaking as she helplessly tested out each key but to no avail. There were at least a hundred keys in that bunch, and it would take forever to test them all.

"My father intends to take you as his mistress, Lady Anne! I can't let that happen, not to you!" she cried.

Suddenly, we both heard heavy footsteps echoing from the dungeon entrance, and from the sound of it, I could tell that there were multiple people. Princess Cecily breathed sharply and desperately tested out the keys, and I saw tears run down her cheeks. I could not understand why she cried, for at that moment I only felt empty. I didn't feel like crying, and I was resigning to whatever fate that would befall me.

The footsteps grew nearer and nearer, and the keys fell down onto the floor due to Princess Cecily's shaky hands. The large metal ring that kept the keys together broke from the impact, and the keys were scattered all over the dungeon floor. She let out a whimper and stared at the scene in horror, and with shaky hands she reached for the keys.

"That is enough, Sissie," I heard a familiar voice say, and I quickly turned around to see Edmund standing in the hallway, still wearing his battle armor. Princess Cecily stared at him in shock before covering her mouth with her hands and breaking down into sobs of relief. It wasn't until I felt something dripping off my chin did I realise that I too was crying.

Edmund lifted his battle axe and hacked off the lock that keep me captive, and he forcefully pried open the bars with his bare hands. He smelled strongly of blood, and I could see that his armour was splattered with the red liquid.

He dropped the axe on the ground and quickly rushed towards me, and I felt myself being surrounded by his strong, warm embrace. "I knew the king was lying, Anne. You wouldn't leave me-no, you can't leave me," he whispered in my ear as he affectionately ruffled my hair.

My hair was still sore from when Queen Jane had pulled on them, so I winced when Edmund touched it.

"What's the matter, Annie?" he asked, but then he saw the dried blood on my scalp. His eyes trailed down to my wrists, which were severely bruised, and a long, thin scratch on my jaw.

"Did she do this to you, Annie?" he urged, and I knew that by 'she', he meant Queen Jane. I nodded, almost tearfully, and Edmund held me even tighter, while simultaneously caressing the bruises on my wrists gently. "Let's bring you home, Annie," he spoke softly as he led me out of the dungeons.

Outside, I saw both the King and Queen rushing towards us, their attendants loyally following them like mindless sheep.

"You cannot take her away from here!" the King shouted loudly, and I felt Edmund's hand on my shoulder tighten as he stood forward to shield me from their view.

"Why can't I?" Edmund challenged.

"She is to become my mistress!" the King bellowed.

Edmund's eyebrows furrowed at the King's words. "Your mistress? You want to take my betrothed as your mistress?"

King Edward let out an indignant huff and puffed out his chest proudly. "I am the King. I can marry anyone I want!"