A SU ANTOJO (at her whim)

Chapter 13

The way to her chambers was dimly lit and often made Sálenos paranoid of lurking shadows. "You must relax yourself," she repeated, regretting leaving Catalina's side. Fortunately, she had nearly arrived but was met with a woman facing her door. "Who...no..it..can't be." Slowly, the woman turned to reveal sister Agullona with crimson eyes and a laughter that echoed through the corridor that somehow turned this grand hallway into a small room. "Say Jesús, ayúdame," the old woman whispered as Sálenos became petrified in fear.

"Say it!" Agullona screamed, revealing sharply jagged teeth. "Jesús ayúdame," Sálenos finally said with tears in her eyes as the pale woman fell silent before placing her wrinkled finger to crusted lips. "God doesn't save savages," Agullona mocked before charging at her. "No!!" Sálenos shrieked, racing through empty hallways, before cold hands tugged at her hair, which caused her to stumble to the floor, with Agullona standing over her with a sinister grin. "arrepentida," she finally says, reaching down for Sálenos as her vision blurs into men holding up the queen in their arms.

Last night's terror was only a sore reminder of the nightmarish hallucinations that somehow crept out of Sálenos mind, one of the first being when she swore Father Ignacio had entered her chambers while she bathed. Ignacio wasn't considerably fond of Sálenos, as he would often beat her for putting her hands on the fellow nuns when she attempted to resist reciting prayers. Solitude became her greatest challenge. Now able to find friendship within stone walls. It transformed her, and for the first time, she wished to not be alone.

Queen Sálenos made haste in her steps to confirm Sancho did not somehow lose consciousness in his state but was ordered to halt by Isabella. "Must you continuously harass my physicians with your nagging?" Isabella ruled with a smug appearance that again caused Sálenos to retaliate. "At least I make my concerns known," she argued.
"How dare you?" Isabella shouts, readying her arm to correct Sálenos. "Before you waste your breath, I would advise you not to have your palm slapped against my face. I am queen after all, and you're no one," Sálenos says with confidence, which is unveiled by the growing smirk on her face. It was a bold move indeed, but Isabella withdrew her stance and fell to her knees with tearful eyes and a quivering voice, humbly pleading for mercy. "My queen forgives me.

Sálenos was unsure of this sudden plea for forgiveness but went along anyway. "Just do not let it happen again," Sálenos said as Isabella nodded her head and asked to be excused. Whatever caused this shift in demeanor? Sálenos thought had quickly terrified her.

At first, when she entered Sancho's chambers, Sálenos was hysterical. All that blood became too much for her, but afterwards she became intrigued. Sancho had maps across the area with compasses, protractors, and scales scattered across his room, along with an assortment of extravagant items he must have discovered. "Sancho," she called out. Her hand caressed his cheek. "You worry yourself too much," Sanchos disregard for his life frustrated Sálenos. Without him, how will she protect innocent lives? But she composed herself and laid with him. "I never did ask your first name," Sancho blurted with an upturned grin. "Oh, it is Inés," Sálenos replied with her fingers delicately brushing through tangled curls. "I apologize for not asking, per me being stabbed," he chuckled.

"No worries," Sálenos assured him. "Could you share a destination you wish to explore?" pointing up at a map just above his head. Sancho remained silent, yet eager to reply. "If I must choose one, I would say China, but mother would not approve." Unfulfilled wanderlust clouded his expression, leaving traces of sorrow in the lines of his face. Sálenos then noticed a bag propped up on a chair. "Had he thought about running away?" She pondered, but more interestingly, could she escape this tumultuous nightmare? To have freedom and go home. "We would like some privacy," Sálenos ordered. As servants made haste in their steps, Sancho had a confused look drawn on him. "Is something of the matter?" he asked. Sálenos heartbeat quickened, fingers tapping a restless rhythm on her thigh. Anxiously, she glanced back, ensuring no watchful eyes found her. With deep breaths, she rested by Sancho's side. "Do you know how I happened to come here?"
"I presume you were the daughter of a lord or lady; why do you ask?" Following the moment Sancho's gaze fell on her, Sálenos thought of the people she could lose. With a moment's interlude, Sálenos withheld her engagement and agreed with Sancho; however, he saw through her concealment. With a gentle touch, Sancho held Sálenos hand. "You are not required to speak if you're not comfortable, but I implore you to understand that I am here for you as much as you have been for me. Warmth radiating from his eyes as the corners of his mouth gently curved upwards, Sanchos compassion had melted the icy fortress encasing Sálenos in isolation.

"I—" she stuttered. "I had been unwillingly brought here," Sálenos confessed with a teary expression. "Your mother and father ordered me to remain silent, but the longer I hide my torment, the harder it is to continue."
"That cannot be, how?" Sancho wanted to believe this to be untrue, but Sálenos profound cry confirmed it to be genuine. "I'm not just the only one; many of my people have been enslaved and stripped of their identities by your country."
"How come no one told me?" Sancho thought to himself, but the more Sancho pondered, the more he came to a realization. From the moment Sancho was born, Isabella and Felipe despised Sancho's empathetic nature, calling him weak-minded. A king must set aside womanly emotions and become a man. "That is why my mother never let me go beyond these walls; she knew I would retaliate against my father's and hers inhumane persuite." Sancho concluded by pulling away his blankets and using all his strength to stand.

"You cannot confront her," Sálenos begged. "She may not be queen, but she still has influence." Despite Sancho's growing rage, he could not bear Sálenos cries. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to upset you," he said, making his way back to her with an embrace. Without a second thought, Sálenos presses her lips against his neck, which Sancho returns. Was this sudden urge for physical contact love? "I want you," Sálenos says softly. "I may not have much strength, but..." Sancho is silenced by Sálenos finger as she begins to remove her garments. "You have welts," Sancho said, his face carrying a pained expression as scars became apparent in the candlelight. "I—"
"No, I apologize; I will not pry," Sancho remedied, pulling her close with his hand grazing upon fibrous tissue. "You're beautiful," he said softly, kissing Sálenos breasts before pressing his lips against hers. They were soft and had a fullness that became a vivid sensation all over his body.

Queen Sálenos laid atop him, reaching into the pouch of his garments, freeing out his phallus as she must insert it herself. The moment his member entered Sálenos body, it became clear of her feelings towards him. Sancho was a man whom she indeed cared for, but this was not love. Sancho let out a loud grunt that Sálenos found concerning. "Is your wound causing you discomfort?" she asked.
"No? Is my sound that strange?
"Not at all." Queen Sálenos quickly replies with a smile that fades when she has to reveal her true sentiments. Despite him being in an already shaken state, Sálenos could not deceive a man she does care for, so with a deep breath, Sálenos begins to speak each word, creating an angrier expression on Sancho's face.

"I had thought I was beginning to fall for you, but I just can't see us as more."
"Then why would you say you want me when you don't?" Sancho retorted with tears in his eyes. "I know it has been hard for you, and I tried my best, but I cannot believe you would lie to me after our discussion." Sálenos cried.
"I do love you, but not in that way," Sálenos conveyed with sincerity, but Sancho would not hear it. "Get out; I wish to be alone," he shouts as Sálenos follows.