THE ROYAL MISTRESS

At Marissa's Home

Odette walked out of the kitchen holding a plate of food in her left hand and a big cup of water in her other hand.

She took it to her children's room and no one was present in the room.

She frowned and dropped the food on the bed.

"After cooking hurriedly for those fools" She was angry.

Earlier that day her children had complained of being hungry and despite it being too early, she decided to cook, not bothering her first daughter, and now that she was done cooking she couldn't find them.

She left the food and water uncovered and then walked to her husband room which they both shared.

Her husband was seen standing in front of a mirror, he was dressed nicely.

"You are going out" It wasn't a direct question cause from the look of things she could tell he was going out.

"Why are you still in your undergarment? Get ready we have to go to the palace" He said, using his hand to adjust the neck of his shirt.

"Why are we..." Odette paused when she recalled that a day ago the town crier had made an announcement that the king summoned the presence of everyone in the kingdom to the royal palace.

She needed no soothsayer to tell her that her children must had gone to the palace.

"I didn't remember at first, I will put on my clothes now".

***

Large crowds filled outside the royal palace, waiting for the presence of the royal family. Murmurings could be heard as the people talked about one thing or the other, awaiting the presence of the king.

Suddenly, the big gate of the palace went opened and everyone became silent immediately.

The king walked out with his two wives and his children with him.

Bennett looked at his immediate elder sister and said, "Prince Matteo and Princess Amira are absent".

His sister stared at the direction again, trying to confirm. "I guess they must be inside their room having sex right now, trying all they can to make a baby" She said and her brother laughed.

A glare from their eldest sister sent them quiet.

"Long live King Albert!" Someone screamed from the crowd.

"Long live King Albert" The crowds replied in same tone.

"Thank you" King Albert began. "The reason for this gathering is to announce the incoming festival of food... " He gestured his right hand man to step forward.

The guard stepped forward with a paper in his hand. "The food festival is to be held four days from now, immediately after moonrise. Everyone is to get prepared for that day, especially the entertainment crew. It will rain food and drinks that day. Put on your best outfit and be merry, that's all" After he finished reading, he bowed to the crowd and stepped back.

"The festival of food is one that keeps us together as a community as we all know. Nobody, nobody should be left out" The king added.

"The king said nobody should be left out, so you all should be present. You wouldn't want to miss my new dance steps" One of the Princesses chipped in.

She did some stylish quick move to show off.

"Go Princess" The crowds chanted happily.

"You will see a lot of her new dancing steps on that day, one of the reasons you should be present. That's all for today".

He turned swiftly and walked back inside, his wives and children did same and the big gate was immediately closed.

People started finding their way home, the murmurings resumed.

Everyone left, except two girls who stood there staring keenly at the gate.

The guards guarding outside found it suspicious and one of them confronted the girls.

"Why are you still here" Came his hoarse voice, as he tightened his grip around his sword.

The two girls exchanged stares before staring back at the guard. "I heard there's going to be a competition today" One of them said in her little voice, making the guard to wonder if it was actually her real voice or she feigned it.

"Yeah, for maids. Do you wanna apply to be a maid?" He asked, staring at her eyes.

"Marissa, you don't want to do this" The other girl said.

"So how can I get in?" She asked the guard, ignoring what her friend said.

"Come exactly after sunrise, I think it will begin by then" He informed.

"Thank you" She muttered and dragged her friend, then they left the premises.

"Why do you chose to work in the palace? There are a lot of place you could work in but you chose the palace, why? Didn't you hear of how the maids suffers from the princesses maltreatment?" The girl asked as they walked.

Marissa scoffed. She stopped walking and made her friend did same. "The maids in the palace gets paid well, they get to enjoy some certain things, they get to see the beautiful palace everyday. And besides not everyone in the palace is cruel".

She rolled her eyes. "Marissa, you and I know you aren't going to the palace because of that, you don't really need money... Tell me, why are you going to the palace?".

"Why else would I go the the palace?" Marissa frowned.

"I don't know" Her friend shrugged her shoulders.

"See? You are just overreacting. Come on, let's go" Marissa held her and dragged her along.

At the crown Prince's chamber*

Amira could be seen sitting quietly on the bed with her hands folded on her lap.

A tray of food was on the table in front of her but it was left untouched.

The door to the room opened and she didn't even blink, she already knew who it was without seeing the person.

Prince Matteo frowned when he saw the food was still there.

"Amira?" He called and she lifted her head up.

He noticed her red eyes and sighed. He sat beside her and started patting her hair slowly. "Sobbing won't solve anything".

Amira removed his hand from her hair and shifted to the other side, creating a huge distance between.

Matteo stared in shock, wondering why she did that.

"Go away!" She snapped.

Prince Matteo was totally mesmerized by her choice of words. "Mira, what came over you?".

Amira didn't reply, she increased her sobbing.

Matteo scoffed, he stood up and walked out of the room without saying any word.

He had been trying all he could to make her happy, why couldn't she just appreciate his efforts?.

"No!" Amira screamed and everything in the room scattered.

She started breathing heavily.

"Why can't we have a baby" She muttered after calming down. "Goddess Eloise! Show yourself to me and tell me why I can't have a child for prince Matteo!".

*

Prince Matteo couldn't get his mind off how princess Amira had yelled at him, he wasn't expecting her to do such.

He was the one taking the blame for everything, never for once had he blamed her for their misfortune, as a matter of fact he was always doing his best to make her happy but she wasn't appreciating his effort and it was sad.

His walk to the throne room was cut short when he spotted his mother and his elder sister discussing.

From the expression on their faces he could tell whatever they were talking about was something serious. However he decided not to listen to their conversation and continued his walk.

When he got to the entrance of the throne room he sighed.

He walked in and met his father talking with his step mum - The second Queen.

He bowed immediately.

"Why are you here?" King Albert asked. He was seated comfortably on the throne.

"Father, I would like to speak to you but in private" Matteo said, staring majorly at the Queen.

The king stared at her in a way which simplified she should leave.

"With all due respect my king, we aren't done with our conversation, you can't just dismiss me like that. If he has anything to say then he should say it now, I won't leave" She said adamantly.

"I want to have a word with the king!" Matteo raised his voice

"He's my husband!" The Queen snapped.

"And he's my father!".

King Albert didn't say a word, he was just staring at the drama, he would only say something when he's fed up.

"The kingdom comes first before personal stuff. I am requesting to have a word with the king, not as his son but as the crown prince of the kingdom" Matteo stated.

The Queen gave in cause she had nothing else to say.

She glared at him for a moment and then walked out of the throne room.

"Sit" King Albert ordered.

"Thanks your highness" Matteo bowed and sat down.

"You look disturbed. What could be making a prince look so worried?".

"Father, I will be going to see the seer later in the day" He informed.

The king was silent for a while before he finally spoke up. "Get another wife, Matteo. I'm sure she will bear you a child".

Matteo sighed. " It has been two years now, father, but still no child. What could be wrong... He paused to see the king reaction and when he saw the king said or did nothing he continued. "I really want to know , by seeking the help of the ancient seer".

King Albert dipped his hand in his pocket and brought out a letter. He pointed it towards Matteo.

Matteo stood up and walked up to the king to take the letter from him. He took the letter and returned to his seat before opening it.

His hand shook as he read the first line of the letter and fear gripped him immediately.

Matteo finished reading the content of the letter and he slowly squeezed it with his hand. He could feel tears threatening to fall from his eyes but he held it, as a Prince he shouldn't be allowed to cry over petty things.

King Albert looked at him for a while before looking away. "Amira's father said you are cursed and that's the reason you aren't able to impregnate his daughter. He want to end the alliance since there's no children to seal it" He stood up from his seat and walked down to where Matteo was seated.

"I was only seventeen when I fell in love with your mother, I had watched her dance in a festival and it was love at first sight. As the crowned prince I could do anything I wanted to, I got married to your mother, she was sixteen then. We had our first child which was your sister but then I wasn't satisfied with your mum, I realized I was only infatuated by her. I got remarried and no one dared question me, not even my father... All I'm trying to say is that you are the crowned prince, you will become a king someday, you can have as many wives as you wish. You have a reason to get another wife, no one will question you".

Matteo wasn't convinced by his father's words. He knew getting a second wife would so much hurt Amira and he wouldn't do anything to hurt her.

Their marriage was just for the union of the kingdom but after spending time together they became in love with each other, and he had made a promise to her that when he becomes King he wouldn't get married again, he would stick to only her and not get married to several women like most king did. "I don't want to hurt her feelings".

King Albert couldn't help but to laugh at Matteo's words. "Two years ago I forced you to get married to Amira for the benefit of the kingdom. You didn't know her then, you didn't care about her, so what changes? Are you in love with her?".

"Father, we shared a room together for two years and you expect me not to care about her feelings?".

King Albert opened his mouth to say something but he immediately closed it back.

He glanced at the window and when he saw it was sunrise he muttered. "Noon".

"You have somewhere to go?" Matteo asked.

"A royal meeting for the upcoming royal convention".

"A royal convention? But we have a food festival to plan".

"It will happen months after the festival... You can go to see the ancient seer. Do what pleases you, my son" He patted Matteo's shoulder and walked out of the throne room.

Prince Matteo stood up and sighed. "Am I really cursed?" He asked himself.

He stared at the squeezed letter in his hand and sighed.

He stepped out of the throne room and didn't fail to notice how cloudy everywhere had become.

He lifted his gaze up and stared at the sky. "It is going to rain, I will visit the seer later" He muttered.

It was raining heavily and both children and adults could be seen playing outside under the rain.

As usual Marissa just stared from her window with no expression on her face.

She could see her siblings playing outside and it didn't even bother her.

She walked away from the window and sat on the bed.

After some time, the rain stopped falling and she knew it was time to go to the palace for the competition.

She picked up her woolen bag and walked out of the room.

She got to the main entrance and was about walking out of the house when she bumped into her siblings.

Both of them were about entering into the room.

"You guys should go dry up and change your clothes, otherwise you would catch a cold and our parents would only yell at me when they return" She told them and left the house without even waiting for their reply.

She walked slowly in order not to slip on the floor which had some water on it because of the rain that had fell earlier.

She spotted some girls from afar and she wanted to turn back but decided to just pass them silently. A gasp escaped her lips when one of the girls pushed her, making her to fall on the mud floor.

"Oh my days!" The girl who had pushed her exclaimed.

The other girls began laughing.

Marissa slowly stood up from the floor. Her outfit was ruined with mud and she started dusting it off with her hands but it didn't come off.

She threw a glare at the girl who had pushed her. "What's your problem!".

"I'm sorry, it was a mistake" The girl apologized dramatically.

The other girls stepped forward to do something but the hovering of horses made all of them turn.

They were curious to see the people riding the horses, because in the kingdom only those from the royal palace and those from a well to do noble family were able to afford a horse.

The horses came to view and the three horses stopped right in front of them.

Seeing who it was, their eyes widened and they all bowed immediately.

"Greetings his royal Highness" They chorused.

Prince Matteo jumped down from the middle horse and nodded his head in attest to their greetings.

"Have any of you seen the ancient seer?" He asked calmly.

"No, we haven't" The girl who had pushed Marissa replied with a smile on her face. She was stylishly adjusting her shirt in order for the prince to notice her.

Marissa noticed it and she thought of something. She knew where the seer was and she would like to see the look on the other girls faces when they hear that.

"My prince, are you in a haste to see the seer?"She asked and that was when Prince Matteo got the chance to stare at her.

The first thing his eyes came in contact with when he stared at her was her charming small blue eyes which pierced back at his.

Marissa looked down as soon as her eyes came in contact with that of the Prince.

Prince Matteo on the other hand couldn't take his eyes off her, and he wouldn't deny the fact that she was the most beautiful girl he had ever set his eyes on.

His eyes moved from her smooth face to her body and when he saw how dirty she looked, he wanted to ask her why but he was able to stop himself from doing so, as that was not the reason he approached them in the first place.

"Do you know where she is right now? Can you take me there? " He asked, not as a Prince ordering his subject, but as a gentleman asking for direction.

"There is a place she spends her noon everyday. If that's what you want I could take you there" She offered to help.

"Thank you" He flashed her a smile but Marissa didn't smile back.

She stared at the girls and when she saw the look on their faces, a feeling of happiness flooded her.

"Priceless" She mumbled to only her hearing and then smirked, but it didn't even last for a second.

"Let's go, your highness" She took a step and was about to take another when Prince Matteo held her hand, stopping her from walking further.

The other girls gasped immediately.

Marissa turned back with furrowed brows, her gaze not leaving the Prince's hand on hers for a bit.

When the Prince noticed he was holding for long, he quickly let go of her hand. "You are going to lead the way so you should come with us" He said.

"That's exactly what I was about to do. I will lead the way by walking and you will follow from behind".

"Get on" He instructed.

"Huh?" She furrowed her brows again, staring at the horse. She hadn't rode on one before, it would be her first time.

"Get on" He repeated.

"My clothes are dirty, I fell down earlier and..."

"Get on"

Marissa stared at the other girls and then smirked, this time around it lasted and even Prince Matteo saw her.

Seeing how the girls had been reacting, he confirmed they weren't in good terms with the young lady offering to help him.

Marissa tried climbing but couldn't and that made Prince Matteo to chuckle.

"Your highness, you don't need to ride with her, she can ride with me" One of the two guards said.

"It's okay, I will ride with her".

"But..."

A Sharp look from Matteo shut the guard up and he didn't say anymore word.

Prince Matteo carried Marissa and placed her on the horse before he climbed.

Marissa led the way and after riding for a long time, they got to a river and the three horses came to a halt.

"Your highness, this is the place"

She jumped down from the horse and Prince Matteo did same.

"Where is she?" He asked, looking around.

"There" Marissa pointed up to a tree near the river.

Matteo looked up at the tree and he spotted her.

"Thank you..." He paused when he didn't know her name.

"Marissa" She informed.

"Thank you, Marissa. You can go now" He told her.

Marissa bowed, she turned and took a step but she stopped and turned back to him. "It's quite far, my prince. I will like a ride back".

"Oh" Prince Matteo mouthed. "Where is your house?".

"I am not going home. I was actually heading to the royal palace when you saw me".

"The palace? For what exactly?" He asked.

"For the competition. I..."

"I came here for some peace but I guess here isn't as peaceful as before. Prince Matteo of Westeros, why are you here?" The voice of the seer was heard.

She jumped down from the tree but didn't face them, instead she faced the river.

Prince Matteo didn't want to say whatever he wanted to in front of the strange girl, he had to dismiss her first.

"Take her to wherever she is heading to" He ordered one of the guards.

Marissa immediately thought of something, she shook her head in protest to the Prince's order. "I will wait till you are done, my prince. There's something I would like to discuss with you"

"Hmmm, okay".

Matteo signalled the guards to take Marissa to go stand at a distance from them and they did.

"When you are sad, this is the best place to come to" The ancient seer said as she dipped her hand into the water.

She had some strands of grey hair, she was in her late eighties and it was surprising how she still looked young. If not for her grey hair one wouldn't know she was that old.

She had been a seer since she was a child, it was her destiny.

Prince Matteo walked up to her and stood beside her. "Greetings, ancient one".

"Greetings, my prince" She faced him and bowed.

"You should know why I'm here" He said and she began laughing.

She stopped laughing and faced the river again.

"Make more sacrifices to the goddess, she might consider giving you a child".

"I have been making sacrifices and you know that... Just tell me why my wife hasn't gotten pregnant yet" He demanded.

"I don't know" The seer replied bluntly.

"What do you mean by you don't know" He frowned.

"I am the ancient seer, I say what the goddess tells me to. And the goddess told me to tell you to make more sacrifices or... " She paused.

"Or?" Prince Matteo asked curiously.

"Or get a mistress to bear you a child" The seer completed.

Prince Matteo shook his head and stepped back. He didn't even know what to say to the seer, he didn't want to say any offensive words. He turned and walked away, going to meet the guards.

The ancient seer began laughing. She plucked a leaf from the tree and chewed it. "Prince Matteo of Westeros, you will suffer from the sins of your forefathers".