The Queen Remains

Sophia's POV

Aldous was the one who finally said it.

He came to me quietly, in the hour after everything at the gate had been attended to — the men, the horses, the guard rotations, the efficient, necessary machinery of aftermath. He came to the door of the King's chambers where I was sitting beside the bed, and he said it in the plain, honest way of a good physician who understands that the kindest thing he can offer is clarity.

I already knew. I had known since the ...