Madame Swan
(Swords with Souls)
Cover by Darren Joy
Dark Fantasy Fiction
(Adult content)
Within a year she had arrived at the kingdom of Damp Wind. The current king’s father ruled then. She remembers the first time she saw King Charles. Very tall and gangly. Unhappy, it seems with marrying one of his noble born cousins, he had married a merchant’s daughter named Catherine instead. Whereas, King Charles was simple and preferred to hunt and rut rather than rule, Catherine was shrewd and manipulative. While the old king visited the brothel, she found herself working for, Catherine had forests cut down to make gardens, open lawns, and roads for merchants and travelers. Queen Catherine argued that open lawns and vast gardens allowed guards to easily see approaching enemies.
She had lain with the old king a few times. He was always inebriated and complaining how his wife let him enter her only until she gave birth. The present king, Leopold, most certainly took after his mother when it came to shrewdness. He also came to the brothel when he was of age but stopped when he fell head over heels for the current queen.
Over the years she had learned to read people’s expressions and actions. And how society would react to certain events; such as Prince Williams right hand being lopped off by Sir Ganbold.
She desperately wanted some Camomile tea to relax her nerves but her supplies were dwindling and she didn’t know when the merchants would cross the sea to bring more. Money was getting short. With so many men dead from the latest king’s wars and having to guard the borders, women were now competing to mate with the healthier men. The brothel, a place where women of questionable character worked, was being replaced by willing women seeking a fertile lover.
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