the haunted kingdom by Charles E.J. Moulton (snow like ashes txt) 📕

gone to the victim and saved our name. But I came here. Do you have anything to say?”
“How much do you know?” Morgana asked.
Alex smiled. “How much do you want to tell me?”
“We had a misunderstanding.” Morgana continued.
“The Hell we did.” Belinda snapped. “You tried to seduce my husband.”
“No way. We fell.”
Belinda laughed.
“You are jealous of me.” She sneered. “Fell, ha!”
“Girls!” Alex snapped. “What happened?”
Belinda spoke first. She, however, looked at her father's knees, for she could not bear looking into his eyes. She knew somewhere it was wrong what she felt, especially in front her own father, she had never been able to hide her own truth from her predecessor and patriarch.
"You have always been honest with us, Father, so I will be with you." She looked at him and her eyes bore through her father.
He could only feel disappointment and her heart sank.
"Morgana has long craved my future husband and flirted with him behind the scenes, that when she actually tried to get him into bed and this being so close to our decision to engage, I called off the speech." Belinda raised her eyebrows and smiled. "That's that, Dad. Patsy can do it just as good."
She tried to hide her anguish. Ice crept through the room like a virus.
Alex spoke softly. “You did not answer my question, Belinda! If you think you can call off this speech because of love-trouble you are crazy enough to make me withdraw your kinship to the throne.”
“You mean that, Father.”
”I mean you have to stop acting like a primadonna.”
She sighed. “When I came in Morgana was lying on top of Steven with his face up to the ceiling. They were clothed but it was clear what Morgy was trying …”
“I fell.”
“On top of Steven? How dumb do you think I am?”
“Girls … May I remind you to be a little tactful?”
“Steven assured me that Morgy surprised him with jumping on our marital bed from behind.”
"Morgana?"
Morgana played with her tongue at the side of her mouth and made a sneering face, her eyes looking at the side of the room. She then looked at her father.
"Your daughter is a liar, Father."
Alex cocked his head and showed her his left ear, shaking his head, indicating he hadn't really understood. She bent forward.
"Father, I flirt with everyone. I sleep with women and men and ..."
"Spare me the details."
"We were joking and I went a bit too far just as Belinda walked into the room. Only flirting though, nothing more! Jokes … I wanted to joke with Steven."
"That is lie and you know it." Belinda interrupted, bending over her sister like an angry wolf.
“Girls …” Alex shouted.
"You are such a prude that half of it could be enough” Morgana spat, leaning over and displaying her gums. “I don't need to steal your hubbie. You’re as randy as I. You wish you had Richard."
Belinda sneered: "You'd be happy to break us up, wouldn't you, you overweight whore?"
They stood up and started tearing at each other.
Alexander stood up and screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Will you two stop this ludicrous gibberish?"
The two girls stopped abruptly as if someone had just slammed a large door in their face, their hands still clinched around each other's dresses.
"Sit ... down."
They did and folded their hands. Alexander didn't. He walked to the clock and looked at it, then to the window and then to the girls while starting his diatribe.
“Good Lord.” He shook his head. "I thought you had more brains. Of you Morgana I would've expected this, but Belinda ... You?" He shook his head and spoke very fast and coldly. "Your mother can save her family in Margetania and maybe have the alliance work, just perhaps. The Medatlantian Conflict Eliminator Treaty will work if you promote this cause well as promised. And you are concerned about who slept with whom and why. You have to be above this. This is about our continent. You start tearing at each other like some infantile puberty struck babes because of a thing that has gone on forever anyway and only can be solved thru discussion ... not catfights. If you, Morgana, want
to go out of harm's way, stop insinuating yourself on the man and you know very well who I speak of, so don’t give me that look. You have enough boyfriends and you know what it means to Belinda to keep Steven out of trouble."
He looked at her and pointed a finger in her face before going to the window.
"Stop fooling around."
Morgana said nothing, just half-smiled, cynically.
"I expect you two make up and hold that speech tomorrow as planned. I will even consider drawing back your succession, Belinda."
Belinda looked up and her eyes were wide large as some of the castle finery. She realized now what she had done. She was full of anguish.
"And as for you, Morgana." He walked back to his throne and sat down. “How would you like to be denounced?"
"You can't denounce me!" She screamed.
"Don’t push me!" He bellowed and Morgana sat down. "Girls. I love you more than myself, but when you bring my ... our country in danger because of something that does not concern it I am angry and realize your heart is not in this. And it needs to be. I need to hear your apology. I need to know that you will fight for this treaty. What's it going to be?"
Surprisingly enough, Morgana started. "I am sorry."
“I didn’t hear that.”
”I am sorry, Belinda.”
“What about you, Belinda?”
Belinda succeeded Morgana’s whisper. "I apologize."
Alex leaned back. He smiled. "Good. Now keep it that way."
The girls looked down and said nothing. They were obviously hurt. "I ..." He sighed. “I am urging you as a father, not as a man, to appeal to your minds to reason with excellence. Don't let your privacy excel your need to bring our country some good politics. Hate each other in private. Arrange staged fist fights I don't care. But be professional about your work and do not call off something this big a day before the event happens."
He tried to smile.
"Next time you want to cancel something this big, tell me a month before, all right?"
They looked up at him. "Shake hands, girls."
The girls looked at each other and Morgana reached out her hand.
Apprehensively, Belinda took it.
"Look into Belinda's eyes now, Morgana, and say I will never try to get Steven into bed."
"Father, I never ..."
"Say, it!" he said calmly and smiled.
"I will never lure Steven and never try to get him into bed."
"Belinda." He started to say and she sighed. "Look into your sister's eyes and tell her you love her." Nothing came out. "I'm waiting."
Her hand tensed. Gritted teeth.
"I love you."
"That sounded more like I hate you to me. Mean it!"
"I love you, Morgy, and I wish that you will never ever try and seduce my husband again, but, for my father, I want you to do that speech tomorrow with me."
Morgy nodded. "Fine."
"Good." Alex nodded. “Margetania is important and this treaty can change its future." Alex looked at them with his official ice. "So, what’s this I hear about your refusal to carry on as planned with this speech? Did you make that up or is this only a game to impress me?"
“We mean it!”
“Good. Prove it to me tomorrow.”
“We will.”
“Don’t worry, Father.”
"I don’t. I know I can trust you. If I can’t you will certainly feel my anger at the reception afterwards. You made up. How does it feel?"
They both shrugged.
"Go to bed. We will speak in the morning. The angels grant us enough strength to do a good job." They began standing up. “Oh, by the way, Morgana. Before I forget, I wanted to ask you how Cretan was?”
Morgana’s jaw dropped.
“You told Rolf. I know that my children are taking things into their own hands.”
She sighed. “He can sponsor a trip to the coast. I want to help them fight the pirates.”
Alex laughed. “You want to get the honour and the credit.”
“I want to help them fight the pirates.”
Alex leaned forward. “Stay out of my league, Morgy. Pirates lack prisons, not women.”
One by one they exited the throne room and didn’t speak to each other but for a small, high pitched Good Night at the end of the landing that separated their walk.

Dusk, Saturday, April 11th, 1422 A.D.
The Royal Castle of Rigor Mortis close to the Dark Forest

There was another king.
He was the king of a country that lay next to Prosperania.
His name was Adnicul. Many people claimed him to be the devil himself, but he was no more than a misguided reincarnation of a lost sinner. At this moment he was reprimanding his two servants, a couple by the names of Eric and Rebecca.
As King Adnicul pranced back and forth before him, the young man by the fireplace next to the throne stood completely still. The king’s one intact eye now and then stared at the young man from the side angrily. Adnicul’s cape swung back and forth, black hair tousled and thickly uncombed, his red satin vest with golden buttons glittered in the light of the flames in the fireplace.
"You rebel against me and expect me to reward you for it?” Adnicul spat and peered at Eric, who shook his head. He walked on, talking. “Idiots with bad table manners that’s what you are. That is all you are, boy. Your chaotic girlfriend keeps fumbling about all the time. I do expect some sort of strict work ethics and receive hogwash. You know what I am speaking of, Eric?"
Eric shrugged.
“Rude answers. Tardiness.”
Eric nodded. Eric said nodding, hands folded and eyes downcast as his girlfriend wandered in unannounced again, picked up the leftover plates and cups and walked away to bring them out. She cast a small glance at Eric, who wide-eyed tried to signal at her to get the hell out if she didn't want to be a head shorter. How many times should he have to tell her she shouldn’t come in unannounced? Adnicul swung his head toward her, his one unpatched eye desperately glaring at her. His eyes were wicked, mean, the sides of his mouth cocked downwards. Eric could hear the meat cleaver rattle on one of the wooden plates she was carrying away.
“Que pasa?!” he screamed even louder. “Usted me entendía, puta? ¿Hey, perra? Perra, puta, mal del infierno, voy a golpear hasta que te sangrienta y hemorragia.¡Contésteme! Yo les he dicho muchas veces a ser cordiales, estúpido puta! Qué tengo que libra en su gruesa cabeza?“
Eric’s emotions caused a stir inside his body. His stomach was rumbling and his eyes were fluttery. He was sweating and mumbling. He could have jumped at the king right then and there, choked him to death and kicked in his groin. He spoke to his girlfriend as if she were a whore. Why did he have the feeling that Adnicul was playacting? That some other person was hiding behind that mask of hatred? She put down the plates where she'd picked them up, on the floor. She glanced at Eric, but her head was downcast as she arrived by the elaborately-decorated fireplace. She glanced up with her big