I awoke to voices in the room next to mine. I crept closer to the door not wanting to alert them to my being awake. 

"how can we be sure that she was not having this affair long before the baby was concived. if that was the case we could claim the baby was his and we would be free of her" the king suggested. 

"father you all but made a public decloration that the baby was mine to go back on it now would tarnish your word and make it seem like a niave little girl out smarted all your men" the prince was sitting in a chair by the fire. they were seriously trying to make it seem like I was a cheater, after I had been attacked. 

"oh be realistic my love that girl didn't step out of wedlock your son did and to try and claim the attacker as the fater of her child would ruin her if anybody bellieved it. all my laides and five guards saw what happened it is already spreading around the castle. none of those people much like myself would ever believe that histerical girl who ran and fought while pregnate wanted what was happening. you know whose reputation it would also ruin his, your son would be seen as a cowardly father abandoning his child and blaming his pregnante wife for the security breach which people are very aware of" the queen spoke firmly before sitting across from her son "I know it is not what you wanted but she is your wife and that is your child. I know you don't love her but you could learn to besides I thought you two agreed to be friends" 

"that is if she is still willing to be my friend after what she was screaming about in the garden" the prince said 

"what was she screaming about?" the king was pacing thinking through everything that people were saying 

"she was screaming and crying about how brutish men our and how no one hurt her in her homeland. no one broke her or forced her. no one was killed in front of her." the prince explained "she was shouting all the horrible things people had done to her since she got here she wouldn't even let me touch her. a maid and her ladies in waiting had to clean her up and up her tobed any time a man was in her vicinity she cowered and cried" 

"can you really blame her for being scared I didn't know half of the things she spoke of" the queen stood like she was going to walked into my room but the prince grabbed her hand 

"mother will I ever be able to fix this?" he asked and she touched the side of his face gentle 

"you are part of her fear, she has been shown all the horrible things that can happen to her at the hands of a man perhaps it is time you show her a more gentle side but I warn you to move at her pace becuase if you move to fast she may interperate it as forcing yourself on her and she already know what you forcing her is like" 

"you forced her?" the king paused in his walking "I raised you better than that. what eles have you done out with your sins boy"

"I ignored her attempts at kinship. I spoke crudly to her, I insulted her, I pulled her hair, I pushed her into a wall, I broke her wrist, and I bent her over a table and took her without her agreeing to it" the prince deflated as he relaied every sin commited against me. "and now my most recent regret is that I was with Cora when that man attacked her in the garden" 

"and what are you going to do about this?" the king asked. 

"I am going to lead an inqury into the mans Identity. I think it might be good if I make Cora one of her ladies in waiting so that they can learn to get along and then I will never be to far away from her" I think it is best that she has a guard posted outide of her room and on her person, there will be no more walks alone through the garden" the prince declared "she and I will have dinner together everynight unless there is an event and this should allow her space to trust me. and if she would prefer I can have Ziv and her sister join us for her comfort." 

"I think those are all excelent ideas I shall assist by making an iquary team as well to figure out how this intruder got in the castle" the king left a new job to be started giving him energy

"I am not sure about make Cora one of her ladies in waiting. she might chafe at being forced to spend time with your love" the queen hedged

"nonsense they will be fast friends I am sure" the prince kissed his mother on the cheek "I must get a team for my inquary as well would you mind either staying with her or getting her ladies to watch over her" 

"of course" the prince ran out of the room and I made my way back to my bed as the queen opened the door. 

"are you feeling more settled dear?" she didn't make a fuss about me being awake. I nodded "would it be okay if I sat on the bed with you?" I nodded again

"did my sister get me clean?" I wanted to know who cared for me 

"yes your sister, and your other two ladies Helena and pricilla were in a fuss over what happened to you they wouldn't even let poor Nema help. she was beside herself waiting outside of the washing room door to be needed." 

"She is a good soul, Nema I like her" I whispered. 

"she knows that and cares for you as well" the queen hesitatly patted my knee waiting for me to explode. I didn't "we need to discuss what you overheard my son planinning on doing"