Chapter 32

SABINA

“Aboloft, you need to hear me out. Aboloft!” I called out to him, but it was like talking to a brick wall. He just kept walking, not even acknowledging my voice.

He’d just declared to the entire kingdom that I was to be their queen. He’d kissed me, taken my hand, and led me back into the castle.

He’d helped me navigate the long, winding staircase, but that was the extent of his assistance. Once I was steady on my feet, he let go of my hand and started walking ahead.

I needed him to reconsider his decision. The citizens of Quopia were celebrating, but I was certain the people from Wilsden weren’t sharing their joy.

If they decided to storm the castle with torches and pitchforks, we’d have a serious problem. I had to eliminate any potential threats to Aboloft’s life. But he wouldn’t listen.

“Aboloft, please, hear me out,” I pleaded, out of options.

He finally stopped, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Whenever I pleaded with him, he’d stop and listen.

Maybe that was the key. If I wanted something from him, I’d have to plead. Right now, I wanted to protect him from future problems.

I thought he’d listen to my concerns, but my hopes were dashed when he pushed me against the wall and kissed me.

His kisses were like a balm to my soul, making it hard to remember what I wanted to say. But I managed to hold onto my thoughts.

After a few long, precious moments, he pulled away. “Don’t worry, Bina. There’s nothing to fear.”

“I’m not scared for me, I’m scared for you, Aboloft. People will rebel. They’ll fight. You need to change your decision. Making me queen will lead to disaster,” I tried to reason with him.

“No one will dare to object. There won’t be a rebellion. Didn’t you hear how happy the people were when I announced you as their queen? Don’t worry, Bluebell, I won’t let anything happen to you,” he reassured me, kissing my forehead.

“They will rebel. I’m sure there were people from Wilsden in the crowd. When the news reaches Wilsden, there will be trouble. Aboloft, you need to listen to me,” I insisted.

“Wilsden won’t be a problem because I plan to destroy it in the next few days,” he declared, causing my eyes to widen in shock.

He was planning to destroy Wilsden? But why? Wilsden was a crucial part of the kingdom.

“Why? Why would you destroy Wilsden?” I asked, already fearing for the safety of its people.

I knew they weren’t the best people, but they were still human. What would they do without their homes? Where would they go?

“My beautiful goddess, I’ll destroy anyone who’s hurt you. The people of Wilsden almost took you away from me. I’ll never forgive them…any of them,” he vowed.

“Aboloft, that was eight years ago. Let it go, please. Killing people and destroying their homes will only bring you misery. Forget about Wilsden.

“You have your own home to worry about. Let those people live their lives, and you focus on yours. Please don’t destroy Wilsden,” I pleaded.

“Oh, Bina,” Aboloft smiled, cupping my cheek. “My sweet, sweet Bina. Your beautiful, kind heart takes my breath away. How could anyone accuse you of being a witch when you’re so pure?”

“And yes, it’s been eight years. But you still suffer from what those monsters did to you. You wake up in the middle of the night, terrified.

“You’re scared that the people of Wilsden will find you and hurt you again. The past isn’t truly the past as long as you’re still suffering, my sweet.” He kissed me again.

“But I’ve gotten better. Since you came back into my life, I’ve been sleeping more peacefully. The nightmares don’t bother me anymore,” I protested.

“Don’t lie, Bluebell. I know you’re still haunted by your past. And the people of Wilsden are to blame. I will destroy Wilsden. My decision is final,” he declared, leaving no room for argument.

I knew he wouldn’t listen to me anymore. With a soft kiss, he let me go and continued walking, with me trailing behind him.

“Is there anything I can do to change your mind?” I asked as we entered a large corridor.

“No—” Aboloft’s response was cut short when he saw the people in front of us. Fear gripped me when I saw King Bancroft striding towards Aboloft, dragging a half-naked woman with him.

I gasped when King Bancroft roughly pushed the woman, causing her to fall at Aboloft’s feet. My heart ached seeing her sob.

“Bancroft, what’s going on?” Aboloft demanded.

“You promised me a woman from your kingdom, and I want this one,” King Bancroft replied, grinning at the woman sprawled on the floor.

Her clothes barely covered her, leaving her almost completely exposed.

I didn’t recognize this woman. I’d never seen her before.

Something in my heart told me I knew her, or at least I’d seen her before. But I couldn’t remember. Even though I didn’t know her, I could see her pain, her fear.

“She’s from my harem, isn’t she?” Aboloft frowned, looking at the woman lying at his feet.

“Yes, she is. But now she’ll be more than just a common whore. I want this woman, Aboloft. You promised me,” King Bancroft insisted.

“Please, my lord, don’t do this. Don’t give me to him. I’ll do anything you ask, but please, don’t give me to him,” the woman begged, clutching at Aboloft’s legs.

“You seem to frighten her, Bancroft,” Aboloft observed, looking at the woman who was now sobbing uncontrollably.

He was right. She was terrified of Bancroft. But why? What had Bancroft done to make her tremble like this?

For some reason, I felt a pull towards this woman. I wanted to know her story, to understand why she was so scared of Bancroft.

“It doesn’t matter. You gave Eldon a woman from your kingdom, his choice. I want this one,” Bancroft declared.

“Eldon didn’t exactly give me a choice when he took Lorelle,” Aboloft replied, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“In that case, I’ll take her tonight. She’ll stay in my quarters while I’m here. When I leave for Sodora, she’ll come with me,” Bancroft announced.

“Please, my lord, don’t do this. I’ll do anything. I’ll be your slave if you want, but please don’t give me to him,” the woman pleaded, her tears flowing freely.

“I don’t keep slaves, dear girl.” Aboloft glanced at me, a mysterious look in his eyes before turning back to the woman and Bancroft.

Since when did he not keep slaves? He called me his slave and treated me as such. Was I his only one?

“So, is she mine now?” Bancroft asked, growing impatient. What did he want with this woman? What was his plan?

“Stand up, girl,” Aboloft commanded the crying woman. She rose, her body shaking. She was about to collapse, but Bancroft wrapped an arm around her waist, steadying her.

She froze, her eyes wide with a terror so intense, it made me bite my lip. “Good. Now tell me your name,” Aboloft ordered.

“Hi—Hil—Hildred, my lord.” It was a wonder she could even speak.

“Alright, Hildred, Bancroft is going to take you back to Sodora. You’re no longer a part of Quopia. You belong in Sodora now. Understand?

“You’ll do as Bancroft says. You won’t dare to defy him. Is that clear?” Aboloft said.

The woman shook her head. “Please, my lord, don’t do this to me. Please, I want to stay here. I don’t want to go with him.”

“I said, is that clear?” Aboloft asked, his voice hard.

With no other choice, she nodded. I could see the defeat on her beautiful, tear-streaked face. She knew her fate was sealed, and my heart ached for her.

Bancroft was a dangerous man. I could understand why she was afraid to go with him.

“Thank you, Aboloft,” Bancroft said, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

“Don’t thank me, Bancroft. You gave me happiness. It’s only fair that I return the favor. I’ll see you both at breakfast tomorrow.”

With a nod, Aboloft took my hand and led me away from Bancroft and Hildred.

As soon as we were in Aboloft’s chambers, I started, “Aboloft, who was that woman? Why didn’t you listen to her? She’s terrified, and you just handed her over to Bancroft. Do you know how dangerous he is?”

“I know exactly how dangerous Bancroft is. But he wants her, and I won’t deny a friend,” Aboloft replied, shedding his robe.

“She doesn’t want to leave Quopia. Tell Bancroft to choose someone else,” I argued.

“That’s not her choice to make. Once a king chooses his bride, no one can object, not even the queen.”

His pointed look told me that no amount of pleading would change his mind.

“You said she’s not a slave, so she has a choice. And you said I’m your slave, which means I can’t be the queen,” I countered.

“You’re a slave to my desires and happiness, Bina, but you’re the queen of my heart and home,” he said, leaving me speechless. Ignoring his words and the feelings they stirred in me, I focused on Hildred.

“She’s a human being, Aboloft. She’s not a slave. She has the right to choose where she wants to live,” I said.

“But a king’s decision overrules hers. Bancroft chose her. She’s his now. Don’t worry about her, Bina. She’s in safe hands,” Aboloft tried to reassure me, but it didn’t work.

“How can any woman be safe with you and your friends?” The words slipped out before I could stop them.

And now I regretted them. Especially when I saw Aboloft’s eyes darken as he walked towards me.

“I can’t decide whether to punish you until you’re begging for mercy or kiss you until you forget your own name,” he said, his voice low and husky.

His words confused me and stirred a desire in me. I was expecting him to lash out, but instead, he was talking about kissing me.

“Wh-what?”

“I wish you were like this all the time. Arguing with me. Defying me sometimes…”

“Defying you? If I defy you, you punish me. You hate defiance, Aboloft,” I replied.

“I do hate defiance, my beautiful goddess. But nothing pleases me more than seeing your eyes ablaze with anger.

“Your defiance reassures me that ~my~ Bina is still here, that I haven’t lost her to the monsters of Wilsden,” he said, wrapping his arms around my waist.

Wilsden might not have lost me, but its people had certainly changed me. I wasn’t the same naive, self-centered girl who used to disregard others’ feelings for her own happiness. At least, I didn’t think I was.

Or maybe I was. I wasn’t sure. His words brought me back to the real issue at hand, making me momentarily forget about Hildred.

“But they’ve changed me, Aboloft. And I don’t want their actions to cause trouble for you. So please, reconsider,” I whispered.

“I’m not changing anything. I don’t go back on my word. You know that, Bina. No one is going to object, and if they do, they’ll have to deal with me. You don’t need to be scared anymore.

“Just focus on the crowning ceremony. It’s not far off,” Aboloft replied, tracing a finger down my cheek.

~But they will cause trouble, Aboloft. Why can’t you see that?~

***

It happened late at night. I was jolted awake by the sound of roars and screams. Aboloft was sound asleep next to me. I didn’t want to disturb him, but the noise was getting louder.

Frowning, I slid out of bed and went to the window to find out what was causing the commotion. I gasped when I saw rows of flaming torches piercing the night’s darkness.

Why were these people here? What was so urgent that they couldn’t wait until morning?

I didn’t want to believe what my heart was suggesting, but with all the torches and the unmistakable silhouette of pitchforks, denial was becoming harder.

The knock on the door only intensified my fear. Despite everything in me wanting to let Aboloft sleep, I knew I had to wake him. He was the king. He had to deal with the people’s issues.

“Aboloft, wake up. There are people outside.” I shook him. At the same time, there was another knock on the door. “Aboloft, someone’s at the door. Wake up, please. It’s urgent.”

“Huh? What?” Aboloft mumbled before sitting up. The room was so dark it was hard to see him.

Only a small candle flickered in the corner of the room. My fear of fire meant Aboloft blew out all the candles every night, except for that small one in the far corner.

“Something’s wrong, Aboloft. There are people outside the castle, and I think they’re angry,” I told him.

“Enter!” Aboloft ordered when there was a third knock. The door opened to reveal three guards, all looking ready for a fight.

“My lord, there’s an angry mob at the castle gates. The people demand to see you,” the guard in the middle informed us.

“You may leave. I’ll handle this,” Aboloft said. The guards bowed deeply before marching out.

“Where are you going?” I asked as Aboloft got up.

“To see what the people want. You go back to sleep,” he replied, already heading for the door.

“I’m not letting you face these people alone,” I declared, following him out of the room.

“It’s okay, Bina. Don’t worry, go back to bed.”

But I had every reason to worry. As soon as Aboloft and I reached the balcony where we could see the people outside the castle gates, I knew my worst fears had come true.

Standing outside the castle gates with torches and pitchforks were none other than…

The people of Wilsden.