The Divorced Queen

Chapter 4

TANHYA

The queen dowagers' palace was a building separated from the rest of the castle and was located behind it.

As I passed through the castle gardens on my way there, I tried to calm myself down before I saw the Queen Dowager. Breathing in and out deeply, I didn't want to cause her any concern, since she was really good at reading my facial expressions.

"Good day Queen Dowager. " I greeted upon entering her bedroom.

The Queen Dowager sat in a seating area near the window of her room. I was pleasantly surprised to see she wasn't lying in bed. She looked up at me as I approached her.

"Hello my dear." She kindly greeted back. "Come sit down, have some tea with me." Her hand gerstured toward the teapot on the table in front of her. There were also a number of plates of all kinds of finger foods arranged on the table.

The Queen Dowager smiled at me as I sat on the seat opposite hers.
She was an elderly woman in her late 60s. She had a small frame and though she had aged her beauty still shown through. She had dark brown eyes, long greying brown hair that was neatly styled in a bun and wore a simple yet regal gown.

Dowager Amalia was and has always been the picture of elegance. From the way she talked, to her posture, the way she walked,her dressing. Even now despite what she was going through, she still made an effort to look good. Growing up in the castle I always aspired to be like her some day. A good and well respected Queen like her.

"Let me pour you a cup of tea. She said as she bent over to pick up the tea pot. However, her arms were shaking as she did so, and her fingers weren't quite gripping the teapot handle properly. I knew she was going to hurt herself.

I quickly placed my hands on the teapot to support her. "Don't worry let me do it." I offered politely.

Even her lady in waiting who was standing in the corner of the room was about to rush to help.

"Very well." The Queen Dowager yielded as she removed her hands from the teapot. She slowly placed her hands on her lap wincing as she did so before quickly composing herself. From the look on her face one could see the tremendous effort she was making not to look like she was in pain. I knew her movements had hurt her.

Dowager Amalia had a severe case of osteoarthritis in which her arms and legs were often stiff, painful and swelled up. Sometimes her limbs were so swollen she couldn't move at all and had to stay in bed.

"To think I can't every pour a cup of tea for my daughter-in-law." Amalia said as if dissapointed in herself.  Amalia had always liked to be active and to be doing something. So for her to constantly have to sit still must have been frustrating for her. 

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You're out of bed today. Maybe tommorow you'll be able to move around. Be more patient with yourself." I tried to reassure and make her feel better. I truly believed she was a strong woman and was doing her best to cope with her condition.

"Yes, I've been feeling a little bit stronger these past few days. The royal physicians' medicines are helping and the chefs' they've been preparing a lot of meals with ingredients that help with Arthritis."

"That's good to hear. So you wanted to see me?"

"Oh yes," The queen dowager recalled. "I just wanted to see you before you left. You're leaving tommorow right?"

"The day after." I corrected.

In less than 2 days I would be touring around the kingdom as a part of the flood relief plan. It was a way to interact with the citizens of the kingdom and giving speeches to reassure and give them hope after the disaster. As well to inspect the damage and the repairs that would be taking place. I'd probably return after a month or so.