The Chronicles of the Runaway Queen: Escape to Danger

Chapter Three : The Bishop

The Bishop was many things, but I will tell you first what he was not. He was not a kind man, nor was a he a generous one. He was not compassionate nor caring. Instead he was cruel, hardened by his many years. Old and bitter. He was however wise, wise with the words of the Gods who he said spoke through him. He had sat on the royal council since Vivienne's mother's father's father had been crowned as a child king, and even then he had long passed his youth.

He was a man of greed, taking for himself the largest chambers in the castle, clothing himself in velvets, silks and furs. Everything he wore was rich, his chains made of solid gold. Even his teeth and fingernails glinted with the precious metal. When he prayed he would pray for himself, for more riches, more women, more power. The girls he took into his chambers at night would emerge the next day tearful, scared and often hurt.

Vivienne entered his chambers without knocking, he had sent for her hours ago but she had kept him waiting out of spite. She entered to see him sat proudly behind his desk, scrawling something on the parchment which he stared at with intent. On this day, the bishop had swapped out his usual costume of red and gold for a set of black robes embroidered with dark crosses, his mourning costume.

On a seat opposite the bishop sat a man, also clothed in black, with dark hair and a sword at his side. Although his face was partially obscured by the dark beard that sprouted from his chin, Vivienne recognised her cousin at once, although he had grown since she had last seen him, she had been just a girl when they had last met.

As the girl entered, the Bishop rose to greet her, pushing his work aside, while her cousin, Lord Darle barely looked at her.

"Grand Bishop, Lord Darle." Vivienne greeted, nodding to the two of them

"My dear," Said the Bishop, "Please take a seat."

He motioned toward the vacant seat next to her cousin, and so the princess obliged.

When they had been children, Henry Darle and Vivienne had got along well, although he being six years her senior, liked to boss the poor girl around. He had lived in the palace for a time when he was twelve, having been sent away from his own home in the country to be trained by the royal masters of arms. It was his family's plan that his time in the royal residence would strengthen and train him, preparing him for his adult years. Every morning he would rise at sun up and train with the other young boys of the castle. They would fight for hours until it was time to eat, then were dismissed. The boys would run down to the stream that bubbled through the castle grounds and Vivienne would follow them, just a young girl of six, and dip her feet in the water as the older boys splashed and jumped deep in the water. After their swim, most of the boys would go home, and Henry and another of the lord's son's would drag Vivienne back to the castle, where they would spend hours exploring and playing games. In their games Henry and the other boy were rival knights and their quest was to save the princess Vivienne.

Now Henry Darle was a Lord, and had no time for saving Princesses. He had, in his adult years, shown himself to be something of a conquerer, taking the land's his father left him and tripling them in size, taking over the adjoining lands as well. The lands he had inherited from his family were only small, they Darle's had been relatively wealthy, but now he was richer than the crown.

Vivienne looked to her cousin. "What brings you here Henry, the coronation isn't until morning."

"It is you that brings me here," Lord Darle stated, "On behalf of the Lords in the east."

"And what may the Lords in the east have to say that cannot be said in a council meeting?" She asked, angered that her nobles sent couriers like her cousin to spread their words.