Whispers Unsaid

"Oh, my dear, sweet Nicolas, please quit your crying," I implored, bouncing the small boy in my arms. His cherub-like face was red and his tiny mouth was contorted into a permanent 'o'. But pleading with him was useless; infants knew nothing of begging or of mercy, and Nicolas continued to wail despite my protests. "Shh, my dear little prince," I cooed to him, rocking him gently. "Are you hungry? Perhaps a feeding will quiet you down."

Holding Nicolas tightly against my breast, I walked down the hall to my room. After being given the task of nursing and caring for the infant son of King Zachary, I had been given new chambers, so that the persistent mewling of the prince would not disturb the other female servants. I carefully placed Nicolas on the small bed before closing the heavy door and scooping him up once again. I let down the bodice of my dress and tucked Nicolas against my breast; he immediately attached himself to me and began feeding. When he had his fill, I set him over my shoulder and coaxed him to burp. He shortly thereafter fell asleep.

"I think I fancy a walk around the grounds," I said aloud. I carefully placed Nicolas in a garment which I arranged around my shoulders so that he rested peacefully against my chest; thankfully he did not wake. Since I had started caring for the infant prince, I spent quite a bit of time wandering the grounds of the castle. I had always enjoyed exploring outside, and it also provided a simple way to put Nicolas to sleep whenever he fussed. It also helped to ease the crushing loneliness I had been feeling since I had been snatched from my home and brought here. "It is such a beautiful day today, would you not agree, Prince Nicolas?" I cooed to the babe nestled against my chest. He slept on, unperturbed by my question. Oh, how I wish I had someone besides an infant to speak to.

After a few minutes of walking, I came upon a small garden near the side of the castle which was overflowing with ripe, plump vegetables. There was man in the garden, grumbling to himself as he plucked weeds from around a tomato plant. His brown hair was messy and wet with perspiration; it stuck to his forehead and drew my gaze to his eyes. His eyes were the color of the dirt he stood on and they were sparkling with the reflection of the midday sun. I tried to slip by him silently, but his eyes flickered up at just the right moment, and I halted in my tracks.

"H-Hello," I said softly. "I am sorry if I disturbed you, I was just taking Prince Nicolas for a walk around the grounds, since it is such a nice day outside."

The man's mouth twitched, almost as though he might smile, but he did not. He rose to his full height and approached me, his hand outstretched. "My name is Johnathan Seward," he announced. "I am the new groundskeeper here."

I took his outstretched hand and shook, marveling at how large his hand was compared to mine, and how rough his skin felt against mine; I snatched my hand back like I had been struck by lightning and spit out, "My name is Trinity Mason. I have been entrusted with the care of the new prince."

"So this is the famous prince Nicolas," Johnathan mused, gazing down at the baby tucked against my chest. I urged Nicolas closer out of instinct; after all, I barely knew this man. Who is to say he was not masquerading as a servant of the king in order to come after the first prince born since the start of the Great War? But then I looked at Johnathan, and I chastised myself for being silly. He hardly looked threatening, nor did he look intelligent enough to fool King Zachary. "I have heard quite a lot about him around the castle, how he will be the one to rise above all others and conquer the lands broken after the Great War." Johnathan chuckled. He touched the prince's forehead with his calloused fingers, and the baby stirred gently in his sleep. "Right now he just looks like a helpless babe. Anyway, I really should get back to the garden. I would not want the king angry because his garden is full of weeds." I did not miss the almost sarcastic tone of Johnathan's voice when he spoke of King Zachary, but I shook it away. It was too nice of a day to fret over slight changes in this man's voice.

"I am sorry if I disturbed you," I said again, backing away. Johnathan only gave a nod, waving at me as I hurried down the dirt path into the woods nearby. I came to the woods often; the wind whistling through the close-knit tree tops filled me with a sense of peace. But today, something seemed strange about the forest. Something felt wrong, something felt evil. As I walked, something dark seemed to creep up around me, and a strange smell grew steadily as I advanced further into the woods. "Oh, what is that putrid scent?" I asked when the smell reached its peak.

Suddenly my foot caught on an exposed root and I felt myself stumbling. I managed to catch myself somewhat, falling only onto my knees and one hand, the other still holding tight to the miraculously sleeping prince. I quickly got to my feet, dusting the dirt from my skirt. "I think that is enough adventure for one day," I mumbled to myself. I turned to walk away, but a flash of something pale in the bushes caught my eye. My instincts were telling me that it was nothing, probably an animal that would spook when I came near, but my curiosity urged me forward and what I discovered when I pushed aside the branches made my stomach drop to my feet.

Notes