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

up and walked up to his daughter. He embraced her and kissed her forehead.
“Thanks to your diary, we have almost solved the harbour problem and I think peace with Adnicul is not a bad idea,” the King argued. “How bad can he be?”
“Bad enough to torture innocent people and murder innocent civilians,” she answered. “Don’t forget that the last of the childless Johnathans is on his conscience.”
“We need a cure for the epidemic!” Alexander responded. “Nomed has it. End of story. A peace treaty is being as we speak.”
“By whom?” Belinda said, taking a step away from her father.
“Zedrick and Cretan.” Alexander answered.
“I think we should overlook it, don’t you?” she spat.
“We will, daughter.” he sighed. He laughed. “Don’t worry.”
“Yes, I worry.” she whispered angrily. “Do you know what I worry about most?”
Her father shook his head.
“That you don’t worry,” she said. “That it seems perfectly normal to you that, under the circumstances, Nomed returns with a cure for an epidemic that appears shortly before he arrives out of the blue.” She pointed at her father. “Think about that:”
“I think about being a good ruler for my empire.” Alexander responded.
“Nomed is Lucinda in disguise. Trust me. Do something about that. Think about the fact that your old friend Walter sent his greetings that he is happy to see you after all these years,” the Princess said. “He excused himself for what happened back then.”
“Walter defended Lucinda and punched me in the face.” Alexander chuckled. “I think that serves as a personal affront.”
“Mother says Walter claims it wasn’t all Lucinda’s fault,” she pleaded. “He claims that you should have exiled her long before it happened. You should have seen it all coming before then.”
“He knows so much about that night.” Alexander shouted.
“You can’t spend your entire life grieving over what happened that day.” Belinda responded.
“I can accentuate the positive and try to work against what happened,” he screamed. “I can accentuate the joy and the happiness, Belinda. Forget your suspicions.” Alexander pointed at her. “There’s been way, way too much grief in the Winsletenna family, don’t forget that.”
Belinda embraced his face with both hands. “Don’t overlook or avoid tomorrow’s grief.”
With that, she left, hoping and pleading for a change.
Alexander was left by his throne confused and contemplative.

Iuventus Sacrum, Wednesday Morning, August 1st, 1425 A.D.

The carriage stopped and a very distinguished old man stepped off the front and opened the door. Rolf and Geena were standing by the main doorway, deliberately in the background, whilst all of the children and the grandchildren stood like tin soldiers in a row.
Queen Henrietta stepped out, her gloved hand shaking as hard as her head and looked at the assembled parties. She smiled as she took a few steps forward, shaking her head, now out of joy. Her white robe was almost as bright as her pale milky skin. She looked like a friendly, white prune.
Next, another old woman came out. As prune-like as the sweet Henrietta was, this much younger woman was hefty and resembled a peach. But it was obvious that the red cheeks only hid something much deeper. She constantly looked around her as if someone was going to push her aside. She wore her blue dress well, but it was obvious that she was afraid of life.
Both these women had taken it hard that they were the object of Adnicul’s smuggling affairs. The countryside was completely raped by pirates and Adnicul had not yet admitted to this. Both of the women began hugging and kissing the assembled, trying to understand who was who as Iwar walked out. Sieglinde’s father was a tall man with big puppy dog eyes and grey flowing hair. He at once embraced Sieglinde.
“Hello, daughter!” he said in a low voice. “How have you been? Tell me.”
”I have been fine. And you, father?”
”Well, I am getting old, love. Most of my work is done by your nephew. He is a good man.”
As this was going on, Walter walked out. Alexander never really caught who said hello to whom or whom he said hello to. One thing, however, was clear: Walter and Alexander had not seen each other for too long. Their problems had begun 1392.
Walter was thirty three years older now. They had even communicated with the same people, but for all these years they had not communicated verbally or even met. Walter had not forgiven himself. Nor had Alex forgiven Walter. Once upon a time he had been his best friend. For a long while they just stood there, gazing at each other, not knowing what to say.
Nomed looked at them from a distance. He was laughing.
“Hello, Alex!”
Alexander nodded. “Hello!”
“It has been a while.”
“Yes” Alex said coldly. “It has, has it not?”
Walter stretched forth his hand. Alex took his hand and felt like he shook the hand of a ghost.
“I’m sorry.” Walter said glumly. “I’m sorry about the epidemic.”
Alexander shrugged his shoulders. “It isn’t so bad. We have a possible cure. It is only a cold with a small rash. I know everyone seems to be having it, but it isn’t something that’s out of control.”
Baron Walter von Ochsenskiöld nodded, scratching his beard.
“I’ve been fortunate enough not to have caught it. My staff has been spared.”
“Lucky you.” Alexander gave Walter a cold smile.
“Our staff has not been spared.” he said quickly. “Let’s go in.”
Belinda took her father by the hand and a conversation started between them.
Walter continued his conversation with Queen Henrietta. As father and daughter walked into the main entrance hallway, Belinda spoke.
“Father,” she said. “Open up to him. He has not had it easy. Zedrick’s daughter disappeared and he hasn’t been the same since. His son-in-law misses Oleana so much that he weeps himself to sleep every night. No one knows where she is. Zedrick is his relative. Walter is sorry for what he did.”
“I’ve had it tough as well.” Alexander said and walked away from his daughter. Belinda had never known her father like this. Something had to be done.

Thursday, Monday 9th, 1425 A.D.

Alexander and Belinda had very varied opinions about who Nomed was and if he was dangerous or not. Nonetheless, they made up and were now on good terms after one week of estranged behaviour. It was virtually impossible for them to be enemies for too long. That did not change the fact that Belinda wondered why her father had become so influenced by Nomed.
The princess held a long conversation with her mother that day about her father. Sieglinde agreed with her in saying that Alexander had become very partial to Nomed. The other side of the story was that the King had the last say in the matter.
Belinda left her mother’s chambers that day somewhat bewildered. Was she really the only one that realized how dangerous this man was? Fraytollah was no longer a threat. In fact, according to a messenger that arrived that morning, the entire docking bay was closed and the forest gypsies were all arrested or returned to their forest dominions.
Belinda knew that this was one problem less. It didn’t solve the problem that was overshadowing everything. John Lyghort was away. Steven and Tom seemed to be more interested in feasting and laughing these days. It was as if Nomed’s power included turning everyone into willing and manipulated guinea pigs.
Belinda thought things through. Lucinda had told her about Fraytollah at age eleven. At age 24 the actual harbour was presented to her in the form of William Zebulon and John Lyghort. What was actually happening here, she thought to herself as she sat sipping wine in the Alexander Room that night? People were fooled into believing that Nocturania was a safe haven. Fraytollah was gone, the harbour controls rigid and a peace treaty was being negotiated with the good old friend Adnicul.
People were being lulled into a false security. Steven, Tom, her siblings, her parents, the staff, the orchestra, the stable boys, the senators, the Margetanian royal family and even Marie-Louise. None of them would listen to her pleading cries that Nomed was dangerous.
It even seemed that there was something stopping her from doing anything about it. She was allowed to watch, just as she had in the dungeon at the rack in Rigor Mortis. Nomed spent a lot of time with Morgana and Patricia. He would join in the evenings to celebrate, sing and tell anecdotes from henceforth famous dominions. He looked at Belinda as she if were someone that knew that truth, but could do nothing to stop the ball from rolling. It was cool, sarcastic wrath.
Belinda didn’t feast. Steven was doing the drinking. Mother Belinda read Alfred bedtime stories and heard his vocabulary increase. She saw him run and leap and sang him to sleep and sang him awake. It seemed to her that, in this crazy castle, Alfred was her only friend.

Monday, August 13th, 1425 A.D.

Belinda tossed and turned that night before Monday. Her preoccupation with Nomed and his strange ways wouldn’t leave her. The thought that kept bothering her was so penetrating it was obvious that she couldn’t keep quiet about it. Why was her entire family was so oblivious to Nomed’s perilous nature? This was a mystery to her. Her fear was like an invisible ghost circling her mind.
If she would confront him, then how would she go about it? What would she say to Nomed?
“Your name spells Demon backward and I think you are Lucinda?”
He wasn’t doing anything wrong. Copulating with her siblings was not a crime. Steven stunk of alcohol again. Alfred was snoring in his crib and holding his blanket as if it was a cuddly toy. Belinda walked out on the balcony and watched the full moon. It was Ides again and the crickets were still chirping. There were a few stars out and they looked like diamonds.
The breeze was warm and the still of the night made her feel wonderful for a change. It didn’t take long until she went back to bed again and dreamt strange dreams.
When she woke up it was early morning. Steven was just washing off by the washbasin, for once not going to the thermal bath in the cellar to rinse off in the hot and cold tubs. Steven put on his perfume of an ancient Arabian blend. It was a mixture of fern, oak moss, mint and sage.
Belinda watched him with interest. Steven turned around, putting on his shirt, and saw Belinda watching him. He smiled and she answered by blowing him a gentle kiss. He came over and greeted her with an embrace. “Good morning, sweet pea,” he said. “How did you sleep?”
She snorted. “Badly.” Was she going to say this? Yes, she was. “I can’t get Nomed out of my mind, Steven. Something is not right with that man.”
Steven came and sat down by her bedside and touched her nose shortly with his right index finger. It was lovable peck, teasing and sweet. “Nomed speaks only well of you. I don’t know what you have against the man.”
“Steven.” Belinda groaned. “His name spells Demon backwards.”
Steven broke out in laughter. “My name spells Nevets backward, but that doesn’t change the colour of the furniture.”
Belinda sat up in bed and jumped out of the sheets. She sat up at the edge of the bed.
“Steven. Darling. Love of my life.” She emphasized every word as if it was the last thing she would say before transcending to the next life. “It all