The Traitor's Daughter

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

“I've got a surprise for you,” Was the first sentence Elizabeth heard when she woke up.

The king had quietly sneaked into her room and planted his cold, wet lips on hers, which initially woke her up. She opened her eyes to find him leaning over her, a childish grin on his face.

“I've got a surprise for you,” He said smugly, as if the surprise was a good enough reason for Elizabeth to get out of her bed and brave the cold, and the judgmental courtiers.

She frowned at the king, then closed her eyes again, furious that he had woken her up before the sun had even risen. But instead of leaving her alone like she'd wanted, the king chuckled, then stuck his arms under the covers and scooped her out of the bed and into his arms. She let out a surprised gasp, but clung onto the king's doublet, not wanting to fall out of his arms and onto the hard floor.

“Are you mad?” She demanded angrily.

“Mad with love for you,” Owen replied immediately, as if he had been expecting her question.

He set her down on the ground, then left her to get dressed. Hours later, the pair rode their horses in the middle of the woods, while Elizabeth fought the shivers that ran down her spine. She felt as though she was a sore threatening to pop at any moment, since she wore nearly every warm article of clothing she owned. It had taken her minutes to mount her house, while the king watched in amusement. She kept her eyes peeled for any sign of spring in the woods around her, but unfortunately, all she could see was snow, which made her even angrier.

The sun was just beginning to rise, and the animals in the forest began to awaken. Birds sang loudly from the trees, the shrill sound unwelcoming to Elizabeth's ears. She longed for her warm bed, and daydreamed about closing her eyes and falling back asleep. The jolting from the horse as it moved, rocked Elizabeth, and she slumped lazily in her saddle and blinked slowly. She knew that if she closed her eyes for a second too long, she'd be fast asleep, and would likely fall out of her saddle. Instead, she fought sleep, and tried to focus on what the king could be surprising her with.

“Are you excited for your surprise?” The king asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

Elizabeth jumped at the sudden sound, her eyes wide open. She turned to the king, an enthusiastic grin on her face.

“I am,” She replied, proud of herself for sounding so convincing.

“Good,” The king replied. “We're nearly there.”

Elizabeth nodded, then straightened her spine and moved around in the saddle as much as she could without falling off. She looked forward to the moment she'd be able to stretch her legs and walk around.

“You know, I never told you how much I enjoy this horse. It was the best gift I've ever received,” The king lied. In truth, the horse rode fine, but was stubborn at times. He'd received much better gifts from others in the past.

“I'm glad to hear that you like him,” Elizabeth said with a small smile. “It took me a while to pick him out. I wanted to make sure that he was the most perfect horse I could find. Does he have a name?”

The king appeared startled that she asked.

“He does...” He trailed off and avoided all eye contact with Elizabeth, which told her that he hadn't named the horse yet, although he had had the animal for nearly two months.

“Oh?” Elizabeth asked, while she tried her hardest to keep a smirk off of her face. “What's his name?”

“His name is...Louis. This is Louis.” The king patted the horse's neck with a gloved hand, then faced Elizabeth with a large smile on his face.