The King's Poison

32

Anna

Now that the dancing and festivities were over, it was time for the sit down dinner. I was the king's taster which meant I was in charge of serving and tasting Henry's food.

I take a big heap of veil, lamb, and stewed corn before before taking my seat next to Henry at the long dinning table.

"May I tempt your satiety my king?" I ask, knowing he would deny me but surprisingly, he looked at the plate of meat in my hand and nods, signifying his intent to eat.

I was surprised that he had taken the offer. Usually, he was too paranoid to consume food but I guess the festivities of the night had put him in a better spirit.

How dare he be so bold?
Was he not scared of his impending doom. News of the popes death had spread like wildfire and the people had their suspicions.

Lady Seymour eyed me suspiciously as I looked at the plate of food, but she had nothing to worry about. I was here to do a job and only that.
Or maybe she was staring because of the poison she had put in the plate?

I look over at Henry and he nodded again, urging me to sample the food.

Great.
He was really serious about this? I prayed he had not made any enemies over night.

I take a deep breath and break a piece of each entree, sticking it into my mouth. Slowly, I chew and swallow them, making sure to keep note of any textures and change in profile.

Although it tasted fine and I felt fine, it would take 15 minutes for any negative effects to rear its head.

——

Henry spoke with the people, laughing and drinking barrels full of wine to pass the time.

More than 15 minutes passed and I was fine. No convulsions, no fainting or spells. It was poison free! I brought the plate to him and tempt him to eat it.

And guess what he did?

The king ate. In fact he ate two rounds. Three for good measure.
He continued drinking and laughing. There was dancing and games.

Jane's eyes were on me the whole night. I knew what she was thinking.
Why isn't she fainting to the floor?
She should be dead by now.

What a wicked woman she was. Wishing death upon someone as innocent as me.

All was well in the night until...

"Help! Help!!" A woman shouts in the distance. A man collapses to the floor and starts convulsing wildly. The people gathered nervously as the man shook against the floor.

"Philip!!! Philip?" Jane screams running to the aide of her brother who was now foaming at the mouth.

The women screamed and some servants gasp. The men tried their best to slap him out of it and poured wine down his throat to wake him, but it was no use.
A couple of minutes passed before he stopped moving completely.

The castle's doctor finally came and pushed through the crowds to assess the scene. It didn't look very good.

"He's dead" The doctor said as he bent beside him. The doctor looked at Jane then at the king, unsure of what to do.

I couldn't hide the smirk on my face as I watched Cromwell and Jane's face. Looks like their little plan backfired.

I felt sorry for the poor chap but he had a missing arm already. There was no hope for a female prospect or impending joy in his life. May he Rest In Peace.

"Who cooked this?" Jane asked, walking over to me.
I smile at her but remain silent. "Was it you?" She says through clenched teeth.

How quick she was to show her impartiality!

"I am only a lowly taster Lady Seymour" I smirk.
I glare at Jane as she cries. She glared back at me, assuming I had something to do with this.
I would never accept the accusation but her suspicions were not far off.

She really thought she was so clever! Her and Cromwell. What they failed to realize was that I was always one step ahead.

"Who was responsible for dinner?" Henry says rather calmly. I guess the death of his friend hadn't hit him yet. Maybe he was more concerned of the recent poisoning. There hadn't been one in months.

Henry stared to the man that was now lifeless. Was there a hint of pity in his eyes? I guess he felt bad already cutting off his arm for prior to this.

"No one is to leave this room until we get to the bottom of this"

I knew the servant who had done it. He stood rigid but tried his best not to show his guilt.

Here was the issue. If I announced I knew it was him, then I would be convicted as guilty for conspiring. The server had probably already threw away the vial anyways.

There would be no admission until someone was threatened with death.

Cromwell steps beside Henry and points his finger at me.
"It seems as your job as the kings taster is not as intent? You let poison slip so easily?"

"If I may speak your majesty?" I look at Henry. He nodded.
"My job was to be the king's taster. His food is fine and he is still living, is he not? He even went for three rounds.
It is a lot to have the weight of evey peice of food in the kingdom when the king assigned me only to his.
Should this truly be my fault?"

The people whispered and hummed in agreement, pleased with my answer.

Henry still stares at me before looking away.
He didn't know what to do.
What I did know is that someone would die tonight.

Author Note
If you could kill of one main character, who would it be? Looks like someone has to take the fall....
Her name rhymes with batherine 👀🤧