“A fitting name for a beautiful woman like you.” Thomas said, blushing fiercely after. “I’m sorry. I mean, you are but I had no right to say that.” he groaned as he mentally kicked himself. A little freedom to speak and he says stuff like this…
He managed to pull his gaze back up to her as he listened. It was a surprise to hear that she saw all that but nodded, understanding. “Even if you didn't see them, the gate is not very quiet to open or close.” he agreed softly. “I wouldn't think he would want you to know unless he didn't care. But I… He’s my king. I have a hard time thinking of him as careless.” he admitted, despite the evidence in front of him. “May I make a suggestion, Your Majesty?”
Eleanor flushed a bit as well, adding a bit of pinkish color to her naturally pale complexion. She was a delicate sort of beautiful – the kind that if you touched her too roughly, she might break. "It's… uh, thank you, I suppose," she whispered, unsure of how to respond.
She listened to him and inhaled swiftly. "Of course, you may. And call me Eleanor, please."
Thomas cleared his throat softly, a little surprised that she seemed so unsure about being called beautiful. Though he thought that her blush complemented her well. “To be honest, I don't have many opportunities to talk with people either so maybe we should just stop apologizing to each other while we're… here.” he offered. “I don't mean anything offensive and I don't believe you do either so why should we. I’ll admit that we may have some awkward moments but nothing that we can't work on.”
Eleanor laughed again quietly, again raising her hand to cover her lips as she did so. She let it drop a few seconds later. "Yes, I agree," she replied simply. Her hand reached up again to brush a piece of her dark hair behind her ear as she smiled up at him. "I believe we're making progress already."
Thomas smiled a little more, relaxing a bit since the Queen… Eleanor liked his idea. “I think so too.” he nodded. “Perhaps not much yet, but some.”
Eleanor dipped her head in acknowledgment. "Indeed. In the future." Hopefully the near future.
A loud knock on her door made her jump.
"Yes?" she called hesitantly.
"Breakfast is being served in the dining hall," the king's voice came through the wood.
Eleanor nodded, even though he couldn't see. "Yes, alright. Thank you."
Thomas nodded again and was about to reply when the knock startled him back into silence. The voice of the King, instinctively, made the guard stand straighter in case he decided to enter. Fortunately, he didn't but it he didn't relax yet. “Shall I escort Your Majesty to the dining hall?” he asked, formally, once he heard the King walking away from the door, though he kept his voice down.
Eleanor noticed the change in Thomas's behavior instantly, and she oddly found herself hating the part of her that wanted him to be close with her. Part of her wanted him to stay the distance, stony-faced soldier while the other part longed for them to sit close and whisper secrets into each other's ears. She felt a strong connection to him, and she wasn't sure if it was simply because of how lonely she'd been or if it was because he was a genuinely nice person.
"Yes," Eleanor answered in her natural quiet tone. "If you don't mind." She hesitantly slipped her arm through his, unsure of how this was to work.
Thomas gave a stiff nod until she placed her hand on his arm. He hesitantly took a shaky breath to steady himself before opening the door, unsure if this way actually part of his duty. After all, he was still learning his way around parts of the castle. He did know where the more “popular” locations were, such as the dining hall, the ballroom, and the throne room. But the rest of them… He still needed to work on that part.
Eleanor allowed him to lead her, and she kept her head down as she was accustomed to. It was odd how short the walk felt with him by her side. She wished they could speak, but that would be impossible outside of her quarters. Besides, he was already stiffened like the other soldiers were. Her hand looked small and delicate on his arm.
She entered the dining hall, and her husband was already seated at the head of the table. "Eleanor," he said, inclining his head to the chair on his left. The woman nodded a silent thanks to her guard and slowly lowered herself into her seat, smoothing the skirt of her dress as she did so.
Once they reached the dining hall, Thomas gave a customary bow to both royals and took a post near the door.
It had been a little strange walking here with the Queen holding his arm. He could almost still feel where her hand had been. So small. So gentle. Though he thought it hadn't been right for her to let her head hang down like that. Eleanor was a shy person it seemed, from their brief time together, but she was also strong and had more authority than she seemed to realize.
The king and queen were silent throughout most of breakfast. It was pretty standard for how their meals went, but just before he was finished, the king looked over at her. "Eleanor?"
The young woman had already finished with her meal. She raised her head to look at him and hesitated a moment before speaking. "Yes?"
The king leaned back in his chair and let his gaze linger on her. "I'd like to see you tonight."
Eleanor's heart began to race. She didn't know why. He was her husband, and she was his wife. It shouldn't scare her to be with him. "Alright," she murmured quietly, rising to her feet and heading for the door. "Come on," she whispered to Thomas, pushing open the doors and taking her leave.
Thomas held his breath quietly to keep from reacting to the King’s request to his wife. It was none of his business, at all, though he was conflicted. On one hand, it was completely natural for a husband and wife to be together. But he couldn't deny feeling a little nervous for Eleanor’s sake.
At the Queen's hushed command, he put forth his arm and walked back towards her room. “Are you alright, Your Majesty?” he whispered very softly, not daring to look at her yet.
Eleanor slipped her arm through his once he offered, and she kept up her heightened pace back to her room. She inhaled sharply and lifted her chin a bit at his question. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "I don't know."
Once they'd made it back to her room, she closed her eyes and sighed. "It's no secret what he wants," she whispered, still speaking quietly even though they were in the safety of her room. No one would dare enter without her permission, even the King.
“No, it's not.” Thomas nodded, feeling more relaxed again now that they were both back in her private room. “I… I wish I knew what to say right now. I don't condone what he's done but I haven't been working here long enough to have much of an opinion except for what I grew up with.” he admitted softly. “He’s not a bad King… but he doesn't seem to be a good husband yet.”
Eleanor paced to her window and looked out at the castle grounds and the small merchant village just outside the gates. She blinked rapidly and fidgeted with the large ring on her finger. Don't cry, she ordered herself. You can't.
"The last time I was in his room, it was a week after our wedding," she recalled with a strange tone to her voice. "I-I… I couldn't walk in the morning." Her hands were trembling.
Thomas’s eyes widened at the information, turning bright red. “I… I… I’m sorry.” he said once his voice stopped cracking. Really he didn't think he needed to know that much detail but… “Has he hurt you when you're with him?” the soft question slipped out before he could stop it. “Or is he just…” he trailed off when the right word escaped him.
Eleanor turned her face away from him quickly. "No," she whispered, but the queen was a terrible liar. "He, uhm…" She bit her lip. "He just… gets very passionate, that's all." She closed her eyes, embarrassed that she was even talking about it. She swore to herself that she never would.
Thomas raised a brow at the Queen's unconvincing answer. “With respect, your Majesty, I don't believe that. I know that he's capable of being passionate, considering the other women who walk out of the castle without help but… If I may ask, what does he do?” he had to ask even though he knew he had no right to.
Eleanor inhaled sharply. "I don't talk about it because I don't like talking about it!" she said, not realizing her voice could sound so edged. "I'm sorry I brought it up… can't we talk about something else? Please."
She finally turned back to face him, and her eyes were glistening with tears she was refusing to let fall.
Thomas nodded, not surprised by her reluctance. “I understand. I’m sorry for asking such an impertinent question.” he said respectfully. “I don't know what to change the topic to. I have to admit, this is a hard topic for me to stop thinking about. But I don't want to make you cry.” he told her gently as he met her gaze.
The queen studied his face intently. A tear betrayed her and slipped down her cheek. She wiped it away hastily. "And why is it so hard for you to stop thinking about?" she asked, looking at his eyes with her own green ones.
“Because it's not right.” he said, his voice surprisingly firm and gentle at the same time. “A man should love his wife, not treat her the way the King seems to be treating you. If he were a baker or a blacksmith, you would have every right to leave him.” Thomas told her before sighing. “But since he is the King… It seems we both have an unbreakable contract with him.”
"You're right. It seems so," Eleanor murmured in agreement. "Though yours is perhaps more breakable than mine." Slowly, she approached him and looked up at his face. "You're allowed to leave. I'm trapped here."
“I don't know if I am.” he admitted softly. “I didn't choose to work here. My par… I was sold.” Thomas sighed. He knew why too, though he didn't like thinking about it. “If I had a choice, I would have been content as a farmer.”
Eleanor's expression instantly changed. "What?" she asked looking horrified at his words. "You were sold? Oh God… your parents are cavepeople!" she stated rather aggressively.
Thomas blinked at the sudden change in the Queen's demeanor. “No. No, they were poor and desperate.” he explained, defending his family. “My sister was very ill and I… Well, I've always been fairly strong and many people said that I had a guard’s build.” he shrugged. “There didn't seem to be any better choices.”
Eleanor winced. She'd offended him and his family. Lovely. "Still," she murmured, purposefully not meeting his gaze now. "That's no way to treat one of your children… selling them off for their body…" She curled her fingers into fists.
“If I may say, there are worse ways to sell my body.” he pointed out, hoping that he wouldn't offend her. “At least this way is more honorable and I can try to do some good.” he rationalized as he always did. “Though, I agree that the way I came to this station was less than ideal.”
Eleanor stiffened slightly. "Yes, I'm aware of that," she muttered, toying again with the ring on her finger. "And I suppose you're right. In more ways than one. I–"
A soft knock came from her door followed by a female voice. "Your Majesty?"
The queen had jumped at first, but she relaxed at the voice. "It's my handmaiden," she explained. "I'll only be a moment."
