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

need to know what all that was about ten years ago. It’s been too long. These nightmares are not a coincidence. I am called to go there.”
“Belinda, please. Has it occurred to you that this might be a trap?”
”Trap?” Belinda snapped. “No, it has occurred to me that this woman is a part of my mind.”
“I need to have my family alive,” Alexander responded.
“Trust me, I will not run into a trap. If you are the King I think you are then you will trust me.”
“I am a careful King, Belinda.” His Majesty replied. “Careful and Christian,… and firm.”
“Then you are a different kind of ruler than I in the careful part. And you should be there, too.”
“Gordon Lateras is coming tomorrow morning. I cannot go. I will not be responsible for this.”
“I will take the responsibility upon me,” Belinda snapped back.
”Alone without protection you will face this girl that you have dreaded all of your life?”
“Mormidar and Ulfaas will have to cancel all other appointments to protect me.”
“You just change their schedule without inquiry?” Alexander cried. “Belinda, come. They …”
“This must be fate. It has to be. Yesterday they gave me their eternal support. Their guards will ride before us, Father. Philip and Marcus will be there as well. I will disguise myself well, so no one will recognize me. You must trust me on this. I need to see her. I’ve got a hunch she is more than she says.”
“Darling, you are a public figure. If you question this enemy firsthand, you will pay for it.”
“How will I pay, Father?” Belinda spat. “Don’t you want to know what this is?”
Alex nodded. “We must find out. It is our duty. And certainly its’ prehistory is ordained. But the first vital questioning must take place securely without us, the responsible available for later just inquiry.”
“I foresaw it. We must go. I want to go, Father! There has to be a questioning by me firsthand.”
”My girl.” There was a long pause. “Don’t fall for this.” Alex looked at her. “Don’t tempt fate.”
“How many times will you say this,” she said, almost in a whisper, tenderly. “I have to do this.”
Alexander laughed bitterly and walked away to the middle of the room. “I don’t want to find out what is in that cell or who sent the person. I have enough on my hands.”
“We can’t run away from this. They obviously want it.”
“Stubborn girl.” Alex said, sighed. “These things take time. Questionings are very sensitive matters. Don’t you understand? She might be dangerous, the powers in command burgeon in your memory.”
She looked down and shook her head. “I want to stop this before it gets out of hand.”
Alexander looked at his daughter. He cocked his head and half-smiled. “When you make up your mind, you have made your mind. You are a woman and women always see themselves right firsthand.”
Belinda shook her head and eyed heavenward. “Father, women are right most of the time.”
The King smiled benevolently.
“God be with you on your quest.”
She rushed to him with the document in her hand, embraced him, and looked at it over his shoulder. “I will light a candle for you tomorrow, Father.” She nodded. “Fine?”
He agreed. “Belinda.” She looked baffled for the tone in his voice was one of deep worry.
“Yes?”
“Light a candle for yourself while you are at it.” She gazed emptily at the document again and shook her head.
The King said, “Light one for Prosperania, as well, all right?”
“I shall. This might be the end of a long journey.”
“Or the beginning of a new one.” He nodded. “I think you are unwise, but I cannot stop you, so I will do what I can and talk to the angels.”
She gave him a sound, which resembled a yes. She looked at the name again.
It said Nina Ray, a name that previously only had appeared in her nightmares and in Lucinda’s dungeon.

Thursday morning, May 14th, 1422 A.D.

Belinda was walking down the first floor corridor toward the landing that would bring her to the main entrance hall.
Her heels were clicking against the stone. She had just left Steven sleeping in his bed. Marie-Louise had dressed her in silence and Belinda had made herself up.
White flowers touched up her green dress and as a contrast she wore a shade darker lipstick than usual. Her hair was not tied in a bun but free and she had covered it with a light pink shawl that loosely shrouded her head.
She turned the corner where the white corridor turned into the first floor landing with its Persian rugs and mahogany niches in the stone walls were already covered with leaded glass lamps, lit with candles and torches along the walls.
Her mind was fixed on Theo, if he had been able to arrange all the details with the inquiry. He was efficient, but what if not? She came to the main staircase and rushed down the red carpet, lifting her green skirt as she did.
The chequered marble floor somehow glittered in the morning light from the roof surrounding the chandelier.
Rolf was standing there at the foot of the stairs.
“Your coach is waiting for you, Your Highness!”
She smiled back. “Thank you, Rolf. Are Mormidar and Nordhjiil in it?”
Rolf nodded. “Silvia decided to come along as well. The twins are already there along with the Great Danes.”
“It’s good that they are showing support, which is more than I can say from my father.”
”He would wish you wouldn’t leave.” Rolf walked alongside her Highness and felt that her stern walk signified something he had seen before. “May I say that your father finds this a risk?”
Belinda smiled faintly. “May I say I don’t care? He wanted to think about it. I want to do it.”
“He wanted to bring her here, you know.”
They reached the main door. “They found her at the borders. She has been kept in the Senate watchtower since Tuesday. Bringing her here would be even more risky, I’d say, Rolf.”
“May I say something, Your Highness?”
Belinda shrugged and patted Rolf on the cheek.
“You may say anything you wish, Rolf. But it won’t change a thing. Women are always right. I told my Father that yesterday.” she swooned happily. “At least this lady is mostly right and now I am.”
Rolf nodded, half-closing his eyes and smiling. In a sigh he said: “Your father agreed to it yesterday only because he knew that he would not be able to change your mind. What does Steven say?”
Belinda raised her eyebrows. “I am the future queen and as such I will eventually make decisions that other people do not agree with. I have fought Lucinda and Adnicul from a rack in a dungeon. I think I can handle a messenger, Rolf!”
“What is her name, Your Highness?”
”Theo told me that she had come from the border forests on the way to another mission. She claims her name is Nina Ray or something of that ilk.”
Rolf nodded and looked down, fully knowing just as her there was much more.
“Come on, Rolf. You know better than to ask of her name. What’s the matter with you people?”
“I am sorry if I have exceeded my duties.” Rolf whispered. “The name is not new to me.”
Belinda smiled, her eyes sparkling. “Let’s go!”
Rolf opened the door and Belinda walked out onto an arched porch with Hellenic columns.
Its broad corridor looked onto a large open space of long rectangular grass patches, each one with a small fountain.
Way over on a rise was St. Michael, the patron archangel of Prosperania.
Rolf walked down the five steps and helped Belinda down.
The red gilded carriage stood waiting and Marcus held up the door. On top of the carriage was Philip, windblown and hair tousled for this time of day but still chirpy, a brown leather bag next to him on the driver’s seat.
He smiled and Belinda smiled back.
He bowed and Belinda waved his bow away with one hand and he chuckled.
Marcus spoke.
“Good morning, Your Highness!”
“Good morning, Marcus.”
“Thank you. Will you be joining us?”
“Yes.”
She smiled at him. She couldn’t understand why Theo called him stiff. She thought Marcus was rather sweet. Belinda turned around and faced Rolf.
“See you this evening, Rolf.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
She stepped in and sat down.
Marcus sat down on the left of the carriage facing Mormidar and Belinda nodded to him. “Good morning, my liege.”
Mormidar gave her a half smile and kissed her on the cheek.
The half smile made him look somewhat bawdy, what with his thick eyebrows looking like he wanted to do more than kiss her.
She knocked outside the door on the roof of the carriage.
“All right, my friend. Let us move now!”
Philip cracked the whip and the horses started riding.
There was a slight rocking motion and the horse’s steady trot gave the path gravel a fine crackle.
That familiar sound and the open red curtains letting the wind in was a nice morning wake-up-call.
They bowed back into their places.
“You look positively radiant, my dear.”
Belinda smiled gently. ”Thank you very much. That’s very sweet!”
Ulfaas’ long face, his head barely scratching the carriage roof, turned all wrinkly.
Long curves of half-moons formed onto his face, the years of seafaring the North Sea giving him that windblown enigma that he was renowned famous for.
He laid his hand on her waist and kissed her on the cheek.
“Good morrow, Sweetheart!” His voice rumbled.
“Sweet morning to you, Ulfaas.”
Both of them saw that she was worried. “How are you today?”
”Fine today, Ulfaas!” He smiled, as if enchanted. “Good dreams!” Then nodded, approvingly.
They passed the hedges that signalled they were heading for the exit path. Mormidar looked at the Princess somewhat bewildered. “Your father?”
“He is having a meeting with Gordon Lateras, who claimed to see Lucinda when he was performing duty in Vindobon. He is the son of the poor deliveryman whom…” She thought for a moment and looked down. “…this messenger we are about to see might’ve been attacked.” She rocked back and forth in motion with the carriage. She looked out. “He will, if this person tells us something, have a meeting with her himself.” He looked at them and smiled, coldly. “He thought it was unwise of us to go.” She waited for an answer.
Ulfaas spoke. “I am only here because this apparently is one of the few messengers that we have actually caught. These strange people have been ravaging our countryside for a year now.”
She looked at Mormidar.
“Same with me. This is a pure coincidence that we are here for the conference. No one could foresee this, but I think that Ulfaas agrees with me that we will want to be there for the questioning because of all the attacks in our countries.” Ulfaas nodded “Our assistants are already there and the woman is tied up prior to our questioning. She will be quite harmless.”
Belinda nodded. “We hope.” She looked at Marcus. “You have the notes?” He nodded at two parchments in his lap and looked at her. Her hands were trembling.
“Yes, your highness.”
“Give me the official one that I handed you yesterday.” He gave her one, written on thick lightly golden brown sheep’s vellum. “I shall just read it to you again, gentlemen.”
The two gentlemen listened attentively.
What crossed their minds as she read it slowly was that she