The Monarchy The Burning Lands

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Queen Galvin sits there bruising her hair and hears the peasant "my lady you asked for me." the peasant sits at her side and she turns to him nodding her head towards the boy a bit older than her.

"I hear my husband the king has a firstborn ready in the womb."

"As I hear, it is from the girl Avery, my queen."

"Avery? what house does this Avery hail from?" 

" well about that my queen. she is, well, she's a peasant."

"a what?" she turns staring the boy close to her down. he bows his head as he comments.

"it is what I hear in the whispers."

"But you can't be sure? surly Ruck would not grant his firstborn status to a peasant child. this action could cause all kinds of issues in this monarchy. he wouldn't be that stupid."

Lady Galvin paces and the peasant asks sounding worried.

"what will we do?"

"I will need to discuss this with Ruck, leave me." he bows his head, turns, and walks out of the room. she takes a deep breath and stares herself over in the mirror. she brings her hand down to her grown stomach. she sighs and walks out into the hall eyeing the few soldiers staring her down and walks further down the hall to a door. she takes a deep breath, knocks, and hears a voice reply back through the door.

"go away!" she enters ignoring the demands and Ruck glances back speaking firm.

"I said-" he stops himself eyeing his wife and nods to her.

"queen Galvin."

"husband." she leaves the door half open and motions to a nearby guard.

"leave us." ruck motions to the guard who stands still as Ruck comments to his wife.

"my personal guard is always by my side."

"I am your wife surely you can trust me?" 

"it is those closes who are close enough to stab me. you're close to the throne I surely can not drop my guard."

"I am your wife.." she steps forward and the guard steps towards her and ruck sits back as lady Galvin whispers lowering her voice.

"ruck it is bad enough I can't even sleep next to you anymore but not allowing me even close to you. we have a child on the way." she places her hand softly over her growing bump and he nods his head to the guard.

"leave us."

"Lord Galvin you said-"

"I know what I said." he nods to the guard "it is fine." the guard nods to his king and walks out.  ruck motions to his wife.

"come." she steps closer and ruck sits back asking

"what do you want?"

"to discuss the issue we have.

"We do not have an issue."

"I should be next to you as your queen ruck and yet you keep me away in a room, you do not trust me."

"can I?" he asks her seriously and she turns her head with a smirk "you are my husband."

"yes, I am." he nods agreeing with her and she steps closer as she eyes ruck grow tense but stops and asks him "are you afraid of me?"

Ruck gets up from his seat and stares his wife over as he speaks freely to her and truthful "you are my wife that is true, but you are one of them. you don't get what it was like for me growing up in everyone's shadow, cleaning after Alvis, dirtying my hands for him, and clawing my way to nobility."

"you are king, ruck." she says convincingly and ruck shakes his head agreeing with her "to some yes I am a king but I see the looks, the disrespect on some of my own men's faces, I see it sometimes on yours too. you think you are better, you think you deserve this throne-" he grips her arms tightly in his hands and she stares up to him as she asks sounding upset

"is that why you will not make our child firstborn? why you are cuddling up with that peasant, ruck? you realize no matter how bad father treated you, no matter if you cleaned floors the fact was you are a Galvin son" he licks his lips, and lady Galvin steps up to him as she lowers her voice making sure the guards outside can't hear her.

"do you really think Dorian would have allowed you to marry a peasant? no matter how low on the rung he treated you. no Galvin son would marry a peasant, surely not sleep with one." she leans back sure of her words and ruck shifts as lady Galvin speaks firm telling the truth.

"the more father loved you the more pain he put you through. he made Alvis strong by keeping him away from his city, he made you strong by making you endure the worst. he was preparing you-"

"your lying." ruck states sure of himself and shakes his head disagreeing "I know Dorian he was a monster."

"he cut off Alvis's hand but he also wanted him to be king. if he showed you love it jus met he saw you as weak and no threat but you, he treated the worst out of anyone, why do you think that is?"

Ruck shifts and she grips his hands as she whispers to him "he saw your potential ruck.  he saw the person who would end his reign."

lady Galvin watches ruck sit back in his chair and she bends down whispering to him.

"do not make your heirs weak. they need to be true Galvins as heartless and as cruel as we are. they need to rule this monarchy, to control it and especially to control the people in it."

"you don't think I know that-"

"I think you have soft spots ruck. it is okay it is a human thing to do but you know the truth, you know the history-"

"of course I do." ruck states sure of himself and lady Galvin nods to him as she speaks firm  

 "We cannot let our grip go on the people. if you create a weak king, they can take control again. don't make the Galvins weak." She stands to fix her clothing and ruck speaks to her firm.

"I will raise the strongest Glvins this monarchy has seen."

"I hope so whatever you chose I am at your side, husband." She nods her head and places her hand on his shoulders, she leans down and kisses his cheek and ruck closes his eyes and lady Galvin speaks the truth to her husband.

"you know very well that child's blood, his background would not be good for the Galvins"

she leans down and whispers into his ear sounding superior.

"you know what you have to do, true king."