A Queen's Love

Marie Edward was the Queen of the great kingdom of Victory Land. The kingdom had been ruled by the Edward house for almost five centuries. They had vastly been unchallenged for the last hundred years or so. Marie's husband was King George Edward. He was a noble, brave and a kind King. He was a just ruler and was loved by all his subjects. It seemed to the subjects that Marie and George were made for each other. They thought that they were an exemplary couple who had been married happily for ten years. But, things were not quite as good between the two of them as it seemed to others.

Marie and George had been in deep love at one time. But, as their marriage became older, George started to misbehave with his wife. He began to take her for granted and started neglecting her. Marie had been the only daughter of her parents and she was used to a lot of pampering. Even after her marriage, George had made her feel very special for the first few years. But, somehow after Marie gave birth to two beautiful twin children - John and Rosie, her husband started losing interest in her. Marie was also occupied in taking care of her children and somehow the distance between her and George started increasing.

George now started to take more interest in the Kingdom's affairs. He was keen on expanding his Kingdom's territories to the new world beyond the great seas. He commissioned great craftsman from across the world to help him build a powerful Navy so that he could send out his armies to fight and conquer the new world. He also commissioned scientists to build new and powerful weapons. George became so engrossed in all these activities that he completely neglected his wife and his children. Poor Marie had to cope up with the upbringing of her children all alone. She felt sad and lonely all the time. Sometimes, when no one was looking, she used to cry her heart out and remember the beautiful days from her Past when her husband still loved her.

One evening, when Marie was taking a stroll in the garden, she saw someone which made her heart skip a beat. It was her childhood friend Shaun Brave. Shaun's father was consular in her father's court. They used to play together as children. They used to pretend to be husband and wife and hoped to get married one day. But, when they grew up, Marie was married to George and she never again heard about Shaun. Marie was curious and she approached Shaun. Shaun bowed to Marie and greeted her with all the respect which a Queen commanded. The Queen reciprocated and greeted him likewise. Marie asked Shaun what work had brought him to such a faraway land. Shaun said that he had come to the Victory Land to discuss the battle plans with the King. Marie was completely unaware that George had even dragged her father's kingdom into his battle plans. Shaun said that he had an appointment with the King and took leave from her.

Marie could not help thinking about Shaun the whole night. She wondered as to how her life might have been if she had married Shaun instead of George. She thought that she would have lived comfortably in her father's land and Shaun would have kept her happy for the love of his life. She cursed George for marrying her and neglecting her. She wanted to teach her husband a lesson. She came up with an idea to take her revenge.

The next morning she invited Shaun for tea. She talked with him about their childhood days. She learned that Shaun had become a Minister in her father's court. He had married a beautiful Lady and had three children with her. Shaun said that his wife was very loyal to him and that he loved her deeply. Marie said that she felt very happy for him. She gave him some presents for his wife and children. She also gave him a sealed letter and asked him to hand it over only to her father and no one else. The seal on the letter was of her father's kingdom. Shaun promised her that he would protect the letter at the cost of his own life. Marie smiled and wished him farewell for his return journey.

After Shaun departed, Queen Marie hurried to King George and told him that Shaun had betrayed them and was fleeing the kingdom with a state secret. She said that he must stop Shaun at any cost. She told him that he carried a letter of utmost importance with him and it must be recovered at any cost. King George immediately sent out a unit of his cavalry to apprehend Shaun. 

As Shaun was on his way back, King George's horsemen stopped his cavalcade and asked him to hand over the letter. Shaun told them that the letter was meant only for his King and he was sworn to protect it. The King's soldiers forced themselves on him and Shaun was forced to draw out his sword. A small battle took place between Shaun's men and King George's men. King George's men were larger in number and were also very well trained. Soon, they killed most of Shaun's men and imprisoned him along with few of his remaining men.

Shaun was dragged to the King's court. King George asked him why he had betrayed him. Shaun said that he was just following his duty as he had sworn to protect the letter. The letter was handed over to the King. The King ordered the seal to be broken and demanded the letter to be handed over to him. As the King read the letter, he wiped the sweat from his brow. He fell on his throne. After some time he regained his composure and ordered Shaun and his remaining men to be released immediately. He also handed over some Gold and some expensive gifts to Shaun and asked to him to forget about what had happened. Shaun was a bit confused but bowed to the King and swore that no one would come to know of what had happened. He took his leave and left for his kingdom.

After Shaun had left, King George hurried to his Queen's chambers. He got upset with his Queen and threw the letter at her in anger and demanded to know the meaning of all this drama. Marie picked up the blank letter and said that she wanted to seek his attention. She said that the King had become so busy with his Kingdom's affairs that he was no longer paying any attention to her. So, she had handed over a blank letter to Shaun and had asked him to hand it over to her father. Next, she tricked her husband by saying that Shaun had betrayed him and was fleeing with an important secret. She knew that if her father had come to know that George had killed his men then he would not support him in his battle. She also told him that if ever she was harmed in any way her father would never forgive George. So, she asked George to mend his ways and give her more attention. George was left flabbergasted with his wife's trickery. He also realized that he had no other option. So, he sought forgiveness from his wife and promised to love her once again. As for Marie, she knew that her husband would have to keep his promise at the peril of his own kingdom. She smiled once again and hugged her husband.

The End 

The Woman on the Train

Every day, I would take a train from St. Frank Anthony station to Terry Cross station to reach my office. I boarded the train at 7.45 A.M. every morning. The train journey was one hour long. At 8 AM the train would arrive at the Serra Veronica station.

Every day, I looked forward to this moment. A woman boarded the train from this station. She preferred to travel in the first coach everyday like me. She had beautiful round eyes and tied her hair in a long ponytail. She was fair and had a slender figure. She was of medium height and walked elegantly. She carried herself with grace and looked charming in her office outfits. She looked around thirty years in age. She always sat down near one of the seats near the coach entrance. I made sure to sit on the other side of the coach where I could see her.

I had been observing this woman for the last one year. I did not know who she was. We would both get down at the last station. I would walk to the platform where I saw her climbing the stairs. I would follow her to the exit. I would walk fast to catch up with her and as we exited the station, for a few moments, we would walk together.

It seemed as though time stopped in its tracks during those few moments. Everything would appear to move very slowly around me. I could smell her perfume. It had a sweet fragrance like a rose. As she exited the station she would walk towards the bus stop. I would rent a bicycle and ride it to my office.

As I pedaled past her, I felt a strange feeling. This feeling represented hope. The hope of seeing this lovely woman every morning. I often wondered if she ever noticed me.

I wasn't the sort of guy who could just walk to a stranger and start a conversation. I lacked the courage. So, I just observed her every day. Seeing her would make my day. If she did not come on any day, I would feel restless. I felt scared thinking what would happen if she stopped coming one fine day.

I wondered if I was in love with this woman. But, I questioned my intellect wondering that how could I just fall in love with a stranger whom I knew nothing about. But, the feeling I experienced when she was around me was something unique. Seeing her would bring joy to me. She was like a rose in the garden. Seeing her every day would add joy to my otherwise dull life. So, I continued my life in this manner for almost a year.

About a month back, my fears were realized when the woman stopped coming on the train. I thought the first couple of days that she might have been sick. When she did not come for an entire week, I thought she must have gone off on a vacation. I thought that she might be returning the next week.

But, when she did not come for two more days, I became anxious. I wondered what had happened to her. Now, I cursed myself for not introducing myself to her. Only if I had her phone number, I would just call and check if she was alright.

I was stupid enough to not even know her name. How was I going to find her? I just wanted to make sure she was alright. I thought that there were other possibilities as well. Maybe, she had quit her job. Maybe she had got married and moved to another city. Or maybe her office timings had changed and she had decided to take another train.

The third possibility struck me as more likely to me. I decided to check this theory the following day. I took the train at 6.45 A.M., a good one hour before my regular train time and got down at the Serra Veronica station from which the girl boarded her train every morning. I stood at the side of the platform checking every new passenger.

There was a train every ten minutes. So, there could be five other trains between 6.45 A.M. and 7.45 A.M which she could have boarded. I stood patiently scanning every passenger's face. Already three trains had departed but there was no sign of the woman. I had begun to think that maybe I was wrong. That maybe she had quit her job or moved somewhere else, otherwise, she might have turned up by now.

As I was just thinking about this new possibility, I saw a familiar face in the crowd. It was the girl. My heart skipped a beat. My face became red and a smile of content spread on my lips. I moved across the wave of passengers. As I walked towards the girl, the train came and there was a rush of people to board the train. I lost her in the melee. But, I saw that she had boarded the train. I was glad that I had found her again.

I thought that when I got down at the last stop, I would walk up to her and introduce myself. I did not want to lose her again. I began to rehearse in mind what I would be saying to her. Should I introduce myself casually or seem more professional? Should I tell her that I have been observing her since the last one year? What if she thought that I was stalking her? What if she thought that I was a weirdo?

As the train arrived at the last station, I was a little nervous. But, I was determined at the same time to meet her. I had made up my mind to talk to her. So, as soon as the train stopped and the passengers got out, I walked briskly towards the girl. As we neared to the platform steps, I approached the girl and said, "Excuse me, Miss, can I talk to you for a couple of minutes?".

The girl turned around stunned. I guess she recognized me. But, she obliged me by saying "Yes, sure". Now, as I looked into her eyes, I panicked. I did not know what to say to her. So, I decided to tell her the truth. "You used to take the 8 A.M. train every day. I hope you recognize me. I used to travel in the same coach with you every day. I was a little worried when I saw that you stopped coming. I hope everything is fine."

I hoped that she would not regard me as an idiot. She looked astonished for a moment. But, she replied softly,"I am touched by your concern. I remember seeing you on the train as well. I used to take the train to my office every day after dropping my son at his school. My son's school timings have changed and it opens half an hour earlier now, so I started taking the train a bit early since the last week."

As she mentioned the word "Son" I felt that I should not have been following her like this. I felt embarrassed thinking that she might have sensed that I had been observing her so much all this time. "I am very sorry to bother you like this. I am glad you are alright." I excused myself and started walking towards the platform stairs. I was happy that the woman was safe. As I was climbing the stairs, I heard her call out to me,"Hi Mister, please stop."

I turned back to see her climbing the stairs in a hurry. Catching her breath, she asked,"What's your name?". I told her my name was Sam Orwell. I once again felt like a stupid person to not have introduced myself. I apologized to her for not having introduced myself earlier. I asked her,"What is your name?". She answered that her name was Sandra Rocks. She then asked me if I had some time to have breakfast together. I felt obliged and agreed immediately. We went to a cafe just outside the station.

Once in the cafe, we ordered our breakfast and sat down at a side table. When I was sitting with her, there was an odd sense of familiarity between us. I did not once feel that I was sitting with a stranger. We started a casual conversation. She asked me about my job and work. I told her that I was an Accountant and that I worked for a private firm. She said that she was an English teacher and she taught English for the college undergraduates.

She asked me if I was married. I answered that I was not. She said that she was a single mother. Her husband had left her some years back for some other woman. I felt sorry for her. We exchanged our phone numbers and she said that she would be coming catching the 8 A.M. train again from tomorrow. After breakfast, we took the same train to reach our offices.

At the exit, we exchanged goodbyes. As I pedaled past her that day, I felt a sense of happiness which I had never experienced before. This time I was sure of the feeling. It was indeed loved.

The End