The Princess Bride

Chapter 25

The following day, I found myself sitting in the Great Hall again. I hadn't planned on attending, but after thinking about my plan, I decided I needed to hear as much as I could in order to prepare. Even though I didn't want to hear any of it.

Once again, I set my pride aside and snuck in quietly through the side door to join the queen, the princesses, and a few other ladies in our designated area. They all looked stunned to see me, but no one else noticed as, once again, tensions were high across the room.

"Your Majesty," Lord Houghton was saying to the king. "Something has to be decided and soon. People are growing restless. There's simply no other alternative than annulling the marriage and finding someone who can fulfill the duty!"

"I won't do it!" Alex shouted, pounding a fist on the table. "I'll abdicate first!"

"Then you will have civil war," Lord Houghton said. "And they'll be after your head!"

Alex stared at him stonily as men around the room shouted angrily, some directing their comments at Alex and some at Lord Houghton.

Unable to take hearing any more, I stood and briskly moved to toward the king, ignoring the protests of the princesses and a few others. Undoubtedly, I should have listened. This was probably not the smartest thing to do and I might well regret my impulsive decision very quickly. At the very least, I probably should have waited a bit longer to gather information as I'd planned.

But I had thought about it pretty extensively since I first had the idea. I hadn't fully planned what I would say and I wasn't remotely ready to do it, but hearing Alex speaking of abdicating and Lord Houghton's threat, I couldn't help myself. Before I knew it, I was curtsying before the king. The room quieted as the men wondered what in the world I was doing.

"Keira?" My father-in-law obviously wasn't pleased by my interruption, but he was curious.

Alex's head whipped around to stare, only having realized I was present when his father said my name. I forced myself not to turn to meet his eyes.

"I apologize for the interruption, Your Majesty," I said, keeping my eyes on the floor, in a show of respect. "But may I please speak?"

He didn't answer for a few moments, and I began to feel anxious. He was quite fond of me by now, but this was incredibly forward and completely against protocol.

"You may," he finally said, allowing me to look up.

Straightening, I offered a brief smile before I nervously looked around the room, noting all the angry eyes that were now fixed on me. Most were outraged simply at the thought of being addressed by a woman in this capacity. Papa and Aunt Keira exchanged a concerned glance.

Raising my chin, I took a deep breath and found the words.

"I don't mean to be impertinent," I said cautiously. "But it seems to me that an awful lot of discussion takes place about the women of this world without their involvment or concern." I turned to the king. "Sire, I know that you love your wife and your daughters, and that you care for me. My father and husband love me. And I'd wager that every other man in this room loves a wife or a daughter in much the same way."

I glanced at my audience. "Yet none of you think anything remotely odd about planning their lives without even the slightest consideration for their feelings or preferences. I dare say that no man here would stand for even a fraction of that sort of...indignity. But it's merely a part of every day life for most men to manage the lives of those they love, in a way that they would never dream of tolerating themselves."