Cindra sat and played with sleeves of her dress. She was so bored. Meetings of the court back home had always been exciting with wine for everyone and jesters to entertain them.

Sometimes one of the ladies had sung or she had been asked to tell a joke (and everyone knew that she had the biggest collections of bawdy jokes despite her young age). She was very proud of her jokes, even though they often made the ladies gasp and blush. She didn’t care about the ladies, but she liked the way the men roared with laughter. She had gathered these jokes from countless soldiers and sailors, from feasts held in the old court, from her now dead brothers and most of all from her father, the bawdiest joker of them all. But he too was gone so it was now up to her to carry on the tradition.

She surveyed the room looking for some form of entertainment. She liked to watch what people did, count the number of times Alexis stroked his goatee or the Queen nervously played with her hair. The King and Queen sat now straight backed in their chairs, listening to someone talk about plans for the new church or something equally boring.

Opposite her sat Valeriya staring unnervingly at the wall behind Cindra, her face beautiful and blank. Valeriya did not say very much and usually when she did her husband shushed her or talked over the top of her. Sometimes Cindra wondered if there was even a person behind that expressionless face.

Valeriya had always reminded her of a marble statue, exquisite but lacking in warmth. And her husband, well he was a dreadful man, even if he did laugh the loudest and hardest when she told her stories.

Next to her sat Alexis chatting animatedly with Cordell for once leaving his poor, patchy goatee alone. Neither were accompanied by their wives.

She didn’t know where Morven was and Lisbet wouldn’t go anywhere with Cordell. She was the one person Cindra could really talk to on this island, apart from her husband of course, and they had confided in one another many times. She knew that Lisbet despised her husband and that they did not even share a bed. She felt a bit sorry that this was the state of affairs, as she did not think Cordell was such a bad man and if Lisbet could see through her anger at the arranged marriage she could realise this. But for once in her life Cindra did not meddle, she was too terrified of losing her one friend.

On her left sat Sigurd and next to him Varda. She didn’t think much of Sigurd, he always seemed so apologetic and snivelling to her, and she knew that Varda hated her. Well, Varda wasn’t so wonderful anyway, she was only the wife of knight and not a very good one at that. And imagine choosing to marry a man like that. Cindra was very grateful for her strong, manly husband when she looked at them.

Then of course there was Lochan, her cousin and the biggest stick in the mud of them all. He seemed to be intent on taking the fun out of everything. Isaura wasn’t there of course, she was probably lying in bed at home feeling sick as she usually was. Sometimes Cindra wondered if she wasn’t making a bit more of a fuss than she should. If she just went out in the sun and ate some food and stopped moping about she would probably be fine.

She had to admit Lochan was a very different man than the playful fourteen year old she remembered who used to carry her around on his shoulders while she squealed in delight and help her make mudpies, always taking the blame when they returned home covered in mud. She missed that muddy boy a great deal. The constant death and sickness had all but sapped the life out of him and his youth was long gone.

She focused her attention back to Radomir who was delivering a monologue about how they should make a list of the most important things that needed to be done to renew their kingdom.

Her cousin Eallair was looking bewildered as he often did in these discussions and she thought that perhaps she should help him by suggesting something a bit more light-hearted and save everyone else from the displeasure of having to listen to Radomir drone on.

“I know one of the most important things that needs to be done”, she piped up.

She could feel Varda’s gaze boring into the back of her head, she did not even have to turn around to know that the woman was disapproving of her nerve at interjecting in the conversation.

“What was that Cindra”, Eallair asked her gently.

With more courage she continued, “Well… I think that the most important thing is to try and encourage everybody to start having lots of babies”.

She saw Valeriya nervously clasp her hands opposite her.

“I mean… I guess most importantly the Queen, cause we are definitely going to need an heir to the throne around here”.

She heard the kings sharp intake of breath and noticed Varda cringe next to her.

Lochan was glaring angrily at her and the King’s mouth had seemingly dropped open in disbelief.

“What?”, she asked bewildered, “Did I say something wrong? Why are you all looking at me like that?”.

“If it’s so easy to have a child Cindra, then why haven’t you produced one yet”, Madlenka spoke up haughtily, “I haven’t noticed your waistline swelling as yet and you have been married for almost half a year now”.

Cindra thought the criticism would have been much more effective if the Queen had been able to hide the waver in her voice a little better. Madlenka now turned to her husband with a distressed pleading look on her face. Eallair looked as if he had no idea what to say or do.

It was Lochan who spoke up.

“This is what comes of allowing silly, young girls into the court. We are all to bear the brunt of tactlessness and stupidity. Do you not think that everyone is trying to have children. Do you not remember that Isaura and I have tried four times. It is not so easy as it seems to you, and it is not a matter which should be discussed in the court”, Lochan almost yelled, so angry he was waving his arms in the air.

Cindra realised she had offended him and Madlenka and maybe others in the room too, but she had not meant to and she would not back down easily. She clenched her fists and opened her mouth to say something horrible to him.

And it would truly have been something horrible, that she would have regretted her whole life if her husband had not come to her aid, laying a hand on her arm to quiet her and taking up her cause.

“Listen… she did not mean any harm, and her point was valid. We should be encouraging the peasants to have children if they are not already trying. Of course it doesn’t need to be said that all of us in this room will be trying to increase the population of our kingdom, but that still does not mean you should treat her this way”.

At that point Cindra’s heart swelled with love for her husband. He truly was a great man. His interjection allowed her to stand haughtily and move towards the centre of the room. Garrick smiled at her reassuringly.

She stood tall before the court determined not to let them see how hurt she was.

“I am so terribly sorry for offending you, that was not my intention. I was merely trying to offer my opinion, but obviously it was not well-received”, she could not keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

And with that said she flounced out through the door.

Arwaduhn, Hwratar, Inbar, Moraghdu, Murchadh, Tadhgar, The Royal Family