2 The Devil Take the King

"You sent for me, my King?" the figure on the bed whispered in a voice laced with fear. Sorrentino’s felt his heart miss a beat. No, it could not be. It just couldn’t be. He had to be hearing wrongly. That could not be who he thought it was. "You do not need to fear my dear." Malcolm crooned. "I do not wish to harm you. Your King only wants to know you better. Ensure that your welfare is as it should be." "I don't understand," The woman responded. "I am but a lowly kitchen maid. What could His Majesty possibly want with me? I do not think I deserve such honour." Sorrentino could not hold back a gasp. He clapped a hand over his mouth as he watched the figure on the bed turn to look in his direction. Evidently, she had not known there was a second man in the room. Luckily the king did not seem to notice. He was speaking to the woman with a note of impatience in his voice now. "Oh, not you too going on and on with this Majesty nonsense. Please dispense with such formalities for goodness sake. Come on, let’s have a look at you. I hear you are a very fair maiden, my dear. And I expect that as you're well versed in the ways of the world, you certainly know what I'm here for." There was a fumbling sound in the dark followed by the sound of fabric tearing. The King cursed loudly. "Damn all these clothes anyway," He muttered. "Hey you, my dear girl come over here and undress your King." Sorrentino was swearing freely under his breath. He could not see the figure who had still not budged from the bed. But he knew that voice. He would know it anywhere. He had heard it in his dreams for a month after all. This was his woman, Helena! He gritted his teeth and hoped the king would not feel the hot anger radiating from him. How had this happened? “Do you not hear me?” Malcolm’s voice was still cool, relaxed. "No, no, you can't do this, my Lord. You must not do this." Helena was weeping now. "What do you mean I can't?" he asked casually. "Can there by chance be another man in the picture?" Again, Sorrentino gasped. This time, the King turned to look at him. "Are you okay Sorrentino?" He asked. This time, it was the turn of the young lady on the bed to gasp. The King turned back to her. He asked his question again this time meaningfully. "My dear girl, is there some man in the picture that I should know about? Speak now, you have an audience." But the edge in his voice could not be mistaken. "No my Lord," the woman said meekly now. "What was I thinking? I am yours to use as you please, your Majesty." Malcolm merely grunted as the woman slowly got up from the bed and shuffled over to him. There could be no doubt about it now. It was Helena. And worse, she now knew that it was Sorrentino who was here. The guard buried his face in his hands as his heart clenched painfully. Helena’s usually impeccable dark hair was rough and disheveled and she was wearing a threadbare robe but to Maxwell, she could have been covered in precious stones. "Sorrentino you may like to step out now." Malcolm had a smirk in his voice. "Just hang around outside the portrait till I'm ready to take my leave." Helena tried to seek out Sorrentino's eyes in the dark but he had already turned back to the portrait. "You were awfully quiet on the way back." Malcolm said. They were back in the king's quarters now much later. Sorrentino bowed very low critically aware that a slip up in word or facial expression could prove extremely fatal. "It was all that smokiness in the room, your Majesty," He said, trying to make his face as normal as he could. "I must be allergic to something in it." "So that's why you were making all those sounds like a fool." The King said looking extremely amused. "You are a soldier Sorrentino and you're jaded by a little smoke. How can you defend your king then eh?" "I will die before I let harm come to my Lord the king." Sorrentino bowed again. “I should hope so.” Malcolm said softly. “You are a good man Maxwell. I think you would know that your king comes first in ALL matters huh?” “I exist to serve my king.” Sorrentino said bowing low again. He did not miss the stressed word. There was silence for a while as both men pondered issues in their mind. "What do you make of the lass Sorrentino?" The King asked suddenly. He got up and paced around. "Well, I didn't see her too well." The castle guard chose his words carefully. "It was very dark in that room." "Really," Malcolm said in the tone of a man who was deep in thought. "I like that one Sorrentino. She's different from the others." The other man's heart sank for the umpteenth time that cursed evening. But his king was not done speaking. "Find her a place in the castle Sorrentino. See to it that she’s removed from her kitchen duties to somewhere I can access her more easily and more readily. I like that one. I will be seeing her often." "As you please," Sorrentino muttered dully. "I beg your pardon?" "Your Majesty's pleasure is my ultimate concern." The guard hastily rephrased. "I should think so," Malcolm agreed, one eyebrow arched at a dangerous angle. He waved his hands once. Sorrentino got the message, he was dismissed. That night, at about midnight, a guard could be seen stepping casually into the kitchen quarters. He strode purposefully to a big table at the eastern side of the kitchen and picking up a piece of lettuce chewed thoughtfully. Even though it was midnight, there was still a great deal of activity in the kitchen as could be expected in a palace. It was a regular sight to see guards stroll in from time to time to sample any delicacy lying around. And so no one paid this particular guard any mind. Except for a particular young lady, with curly dark hair hidden under a bonnet, who sidled up to Sorrentino for he was of course the guard. "Why did you come here?" Helena did not look at the man beside her as she picked up a knife and began to slice some vegetables. "I feared he might have caught on that time back in the… in the…" Her voice broke and she sliced even more fiercely. Sorrentino looked upon the woman he loved and his heart ached. He wanted more than anything else to take her in his arms. "The damn fool," He muttered bitterly. "He can have any other woman he wants. Why must he add you to his escapades?" Helena jerked her head up and looked around fearfully. "You need to be careful." She said severely. "A man could get killed for statements like that." "How did he find you?" Sorrentino snarled. Another kitchen maid passing by looked at him in concern. "Sir, are you alright?" "I'm alright." Sorrentino said through gritted teeth and waited until the girl has moved on. "How did he find you?" he asked more gently now. The lettuce he was eating had finished now and he did not even feel the taste once. He picked up a carrot next. "I don't know." She sighed. "I was as inconspicuous as possible. He must have eyes all over the place scouting out fresh meat for him." The mention of eyes jolted the guard out of his anger and back to reality. He had stayed too long at the table. Any watching eye by now would be able to see that they were conversing. He had to wrap it up quickly. "Well, he has taken a liking to you." He said bitterly. "Said to get you out of the kitchen to a higher station in the castle, furnish you with a room and the likes where he can be closer to you. I have failed you, Helena. I was not able to protect you.” "Oh Max," She laid an involuntary hand on her lover's arm. "Don’t talk like that. What can we do? There must be something we can do." Sorrentino did not know. He hated this feeling of helplessness. He cursed the bad luck that had made Malcolm Corrad take a liking to his woman. On impulse, he suddenly took her into his arms. She gasped. "Max, the King! Anyone could be watching." "The devil take the King," The castle guard muttered caught up in the dangerous reckless moment. As the woman relaxed in his arms, he vowed that he would never leave her no matter what.