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It had taken Madalena exactly five days to seduce the Jester into her bed.
Life as Richard’s Queen was shaping up quite well; she had power and wealth and a room full of stuff that could have paid to feed a whole village for decades. The only thing Madalena truly missed about her old life was Galavant – well Galavant’s undying dedication towards her and, more importantly, the sex. She really missed the sex.
But no way in hell was she warming the King’s bed. He was pathetic, weak, and really not her type. Thankfully, he was also a moron - dumb enough to listen to her when she begged him to abide by her ‘vow of chastity’.
So Madalena had set her sights on the cute and amusing court jester.
The first day, she’d smiled at him whenever they were in the same room together, batting her eyelashes in his direction and dragging her teeth over her bottom lip. That got him interested.
The second day, she’d spoken to him, her voice low and flirty. He had seemed surprised but receptive of her attentions. She’d made sure to be extra attentive, touching his arms and laughing at his jokes, swaying her hips whenever she walked away. That got him invested.
The next two days, she’d ignored him completely.
And at the end of the fifth day, Madalena had dragged the Jester into an empty corridor and snogged him senseless; thus beginning their affair.
--
The first time Madalena spotted the dark letters across the Jester’s wrist, she ignored them, far too focussed on getting in a quick screw with the man before she was required at Court. The realisation that it was his Soul Mark didn’t hit her for quite a few weeks later.
Truth be told, Madalena had almost entirely forgotten about her youthful self’s obsession with discovering the name of her Soul Marked. But suddenly, the obsession was back. Though, where it used to be about fate and love, now her need to know was just a matter of closure. Everyone else knew the name inked into their skin. Why didn’t she?
It eventually struck her that maybe there was someone ruthless enough or afraid enough in Richard’s castle to break the taboo. Maybe she could finally figure out whose name was cursed upon her shoulders.
Unfortunately, the Jester was not that someone.
“It must be nice being able to see your Soul Mark.” Madalena forced an exaggerated sighed one afternoon, lounging in bed as the Jester got dressed.
“Hmm?” The Jester paused mid-buckle to look at her.
“Your Soul Mark. It’s on your wrist.”
Something clouded over the Jester’s face at her words and he hastily pulled his sleeve over the three letters that spelt ‘Ava’ against his skin. He muttered something about wishing he’d never known and Madalena sat up straighter.
“You know her?”
“I did.”
Not wanting to get into some sappy conversation about some girl she’d never met, Madalena swung her legs out of the covers and sauntered over to the Jester.
“But it’s so frustrating,” she whined, pouting and pushing her hands lightly against his chest. “Not knowing.”
“It’s sick and twisted that we know who our soul mate is.” He wasn’t looking at her, his eyes fixated on some spot over her shoulder. “Because when they die, you’re left feeling like you’ll never recover.”
Madalena roll her eyes and sighed.
“Fine, okay, whatever.” She pulled her hands off his chest and turned back to the bed, looking for her dress.
The Jester gasped and Madalena realised with dread, that he’d never seen her back before, or the word that rested there. She stilled for a moment, but when he didn’t say anything further, she continued grabbing the pieces of her clothing that lay strewn across the sheets.
“I…” the Jester stuttered something incomprehensible.
Madalena huffed out a breath and turned back round to face him, both eyebrows raised demandingly. The Jester’s mouth was hung open slightly, his eyes flicking from her face to the top of her shoulder. Something dawned on her and Madalena’s eyes widened.
“You know my Soul Marked, don’t you?”
“No?” His reply was far too quick and far too high pitched for him to be telling the truth.
“Who is it?” She snarled, stepping towards him.
The Jester backed up towards the wall; hands held up in front of him – for protection or in a sign of surrender, she wasn’t sure.
“Someone in the castle?”
Madalena grabbed the collar of his outfit and twisted it in her grasp. The Jester made a strangled noise, fear appearing over his face.
“Tell. Me. Jester.” She growled, tightening her grip as she spoke each word.
Somehow he managed to escape out of her grip and dodge around her, hands still up in front of him. He stepped backwards until he hit her bedroom door with a jump. Madalena watched as the Jester scrabbled behind him for the door handle, and with one more shocked look in her direction, slipped out into the corridor.
“Tell anyone and you’re a dead man.” She yelled after him.
“Urg!” Madalena yelled again, kicking the clothing she’d dropped to the floor to grab the Jester.
Now, not only was she back to wondering about her Soul Marked, but she knew he was somewhere in the castle. Oh, and the bloody Jester knew who it was too.
Great.
--
The next day found Madalena in a sour mood. Not that many of the castle inhabitants noticed a change from the usual, which suited her quite well. She didn’t need people wondering what had her left her in such a sulk. She was sat on her throne, fingers splayed against her temple and elbow on the arm rest. The Court was grinding on her last nerve and, as usual, Richard was making things worse.
“Are you okay, my Queen?” Madalena jolted her head from her hand at Gareth’s whispered question.
She looked up at him from the corner of her eyes. What was Gareth doing next to her throne instead of Richard’s? And why was he butting in on her business?
“Yes?” Even she couldn’t tell if her reply was an answer or a question.
“I just thought you looked even more pissed off than usual.” He smirked and Madalena flashed him an insincere smile in return.
He made to move back over to Richard’s throne, when she stopped him by laying a hand on his arm.
“Actually…” She gave him a real smile this time. “There’s something you could help me with.”
Gareth’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he bowed his head in obedience.
“Meet me in my chambers after this debacle is over.” Madalena gestured half-heartedly at the audience conversing with Richard.
Her tone was dismissal enough. And though surprise was evident on his face at her words, Gareth bowed his head again before moving away from her side. Madalena went back to resting her head on her fingers, staring unseeingly at the crowd of people gathered before the thrones. Tonight she’d get her answers.
--
After Richard dismissed the Court, he had called Gareth over, wanting to discuss some boring topic that, quite frankly, Gareth hadn’t paid the slightest bit of attention to. He’d nodded, ahh’d and hmm’d at the appropriate times, and generally made Richard think his ideas were genius. But other than that, he didn’t have a clue as to what Richard had been talking about.
Gareth wasn’t usually so inattentive to his King’s thoughts, but the Queen’s request had been playing on his mind for most of the afternoon. He eventually pardoned himself from the room, and left for Madalena’s quarters. He was late, but he was more amused than worried at the idea of the Queen being even more pissed off.
He knocked on her bedroom doors and was all but dragged into her room.
“Steady on, Queenie.”
The nickname slipped from his mouth before his brain caught up. Thankfully, Madalena seemed too distracted to notice. She led him into the centre of her room, turned to face him, and drew in a deep breath.
“Gareth,” she breathed out his name. “I want you to read my Soul Mark to me.”
That was not something he’d have guessed she was going to ask. His brow rose in surprise and he pressed his lips into a thin line, thinking of the best way to respond. Madalena apparently took his silence as compliance, because before he had a chance to rebuff her request, she was already turning around and loosening her night gown over her shoulders.
Gareth’s mouth dropped open. Madalena’s gowns apparently made her look less skinny than she actually was, and Gareth’s eyes spent far too long on the outlines of her ribs before he caught himself and jerked his eyes to the dark ink between her shoulders.
He knew they were letters. He knew there were six of them. And he knew the second letter of her Soul Mark was also the second letter of his. But that’s where his reading ability ended.
“Well?” She snapped, turning her head to the side.
There was not a single way Gareth could see that would get him out of this without bringing her ire down upon him. For once, he was glad Richard considered him such a close friend, because at least the Queen couldn’t have him executed...
“My Queen,” he forced extra respect into his tone. “I tried to tell you before you…”
He waved a hand at her state of undress, trying to avoid staring at the bared skin.
“But I can’t read.”
The silence was deafening.
“What?” Fury seeped into every letter of the word.
Madalena shrugged her night gown back over her shoulders, secured the tie more firmly around her waist, and turned slowly to face him. Her eyes were narrowed, her nostrils were flared, and Gareth could see the muscles in her jaw flexing in anger.
“I was never taught to read or write.” He reiterated.
She sighed angrily through her nose.
“But you’re the head of the King’s Guard!”
Gareth shrugged, wincing. Madalena dragged a hand down her face before pointing at the door.
“Out.”
He didn’t need to be told twice.
--
Madalena threw herself onto her bed with a dramatic sigh. Why was everyone in this castle so God damn fucking inept? She’d finally realised Gareth wouldn’t care about the taboo. She’d seen him deal with people who pissed off the King – he wasn’t the weak willed type at all. But who didn’t teach the protector of a royal family how to read? Were Richard’s parents as inept as Richard himself? How had they ruled a kingdom for so long?
She sighed again.
She hadn’t bothered asking Gareth to copy the letters onto parchment. If he’d never been taught to read, his control of a quill would be so terrible, she wouldn’t have been able to make out the word anyway.
But Madalena was determined. She knew her Soul Marked was in the castle and that was a start. Wasn’t it? She rolled onto her back and pressed her palms against her eyes. She was getting a headache.
Bloody hell.