Chapter 9: Part 9
The king quickly rushed towards his wife, took her head in his hands, and planted a kiss on her forehead while saying: "She is clever ... clever and sly as a fox" .
Then, he glanced out of the corner of his eye at the hunter and added: "But let this man stay out of my sight" .
The hunter replied maliciously :"At your command, my lord."
"Shut up," the queen shouted, then turned to the witch saying :
"Take him to your tower and place two of our men as guards at the entrance to his room, for the two guards who brought him here left a few hours ago returning to Manfee" .
"They must be discreet and trustworthy guards, so it's best to let the hand choose them, for he knows his men better than anyone" ,said the king, adding to the queen's words. Then he followed with:
"Is the council still in session?"
The witch replied: "I left shortly after Your Majesty, for my knowledge is from your knowledge."
"Many have already seen you entering the castle with the jars, and the gossip has begun to spread indeed, so we cannot keep this matter quiet for long and delay it as we should. Therefore, we must hurry and make plans tonight to maintain the element of surprise",said the king .
The king called the two guards at his door as the witch and the hunter were about to leave, and he ordered them to accompany the two and stand at the hunter's door until replacements could be sent for them there.
The night was at its halfway point, and the atmosphere was tense when the king's advisors gathered again in the small and suffocating council chamber, each seated at the table in their usual place, anxiously awaiting to learn the reason for the meeting at this late hour, with tension evident on their weary faces.
The king entered proudly, holding the queen's arm, and the two walked until they reached the witch's seat .The king placed his hand on her shoulder, saying sarcastically:
"Two women did what the finest men of the kingdom could not do collectively. Here is the hand with which I strike, raising the white flags of surrender .And here are my eyes that do not sleep, now resting peacefully. As for the 'word'... ah... you understand" .
He then recited the idea of the two ladies as if it was his own, and everyone listened intently at times and with surprise at others.
Once he finished, the 'eye' adjusted his position and began to think deeply, while the 'word' and the 'sedition' immediately agreed with the king, praising his insight and great wisdom as they always did.
The king looked towards 'the hand' and found him silent, his eyes roaming around the seated guests before casting a cautious glance at the queen. Finally, he reluctantly stood up, leaning on the table as he let out a long sigh:
"Your Majesty, with all due respect to you and your household, ...and also to your esteemed wife's family. We cannot be assured of what the manfee army will do if they anchor their ships on our shores and settle among us. What can we do if they refuse to return after the war ends and are tempted by their numbers? "
"Is this your opinion of my people, Lord Marwin !... do you see us as savages? ... We are honorable people like you, and our knights do not earn their positions through nepotism, but by demonstrating signs of dignity and pride. Rest assured, they are here only to help".
the queen said angrily and continued, turning her head yearningly from side to side:
"If our army had triumphed at Lord Henry's castle, we would be celebrating your son's victory now... poor boy!... My warm condolences to you".
The king looked sharply at the queen and shouted in anger:
"Woe to you, woman! The boy is not dead yet, and you went on offering condolences!"
The 'hand' swallowed the insult and ignored the poison that the queen was spewing from her mouth, then said:
"This is the essence of the problem, they did not come to our aid out of desire or goodwill, but because we used devious methods, and our combined forces do not exceed a fifth of those of the manfee army. The kings there change with the seasons, today your brother rules, but who knows who will be the king tomorrow. and I doubt that the war with the 'riverspears' will end overnight, even with your brother's forces helping."