Gavin is happy to see the queen this morning. “Good morn my fair, beautiful lady,” he says with a smile on his face.
This makes Chalyela’s whole purpose for approaching him that much harder. “Gavin…I have something most serious that I must say to you.”
“Gavin…I…we can no longer be together,” she begins.
Gavin’s heart sinks, but he still has hope for their relationship, “ What? Do you want to keep it secret? We can make sure to meet only in the forest.”
“Gavin,” she begins, but he is not listening.
“Maybe we can plan a trip abroad together. Even a queen needs-”
“Maybe we can plan a trip abroad together. Even a queen needs-”
“Stop it Gavin!” Chalyela interrupts. She has to stop him from going on, because each word he speaks makes her feel that much worse. “This is hard enough Gavin. Please stop.”
“But what are you trying to say to me?” Gavin says, although he knows perfectly well what Chalyela is trying to tell him.
“Gavin, I want to end our courtship,” she says as gently as possible; her voice quivering with emotion.
“Gavin, I want to end our courtship,” she says as gently as possible; her voice quivering with emotion.
“It tis the knight…is it not?” Gavin asks in a voice that reveals that he saw this moment coming.
“Do not do that Gavin,” Chalyela says to him, not willing to admit to him that he is right.
“Do not do that Gavin,” Chalyela says to him, not willing to admit to him that he is right.
“I knew this would happen. As soon as I saw him, I knew I would lose you.”
“Please Gavin, please do not do this,” Chalyela repeats.
“Please Gavin, please do not do this,” Chalyela repeats.
“I did not mean for this to happen Gavin. I would give anything not to be saying this to you right now.” Gavin can hear the pain in her voice, proving that she is sincere.
Gavin ignores the sincerity. “You did not mean for what to happen exactly? You did not mean to be untrue?’ Gavin asks angrily.
“I have been nothing but loyal to you Gavin. I have done nothing wrong.”
“Yet you stand here telling me that you do not want to be with me. You want to leave me, though you promised that you would not.”
“Yet you stand here telling me that you do not want to be with me. You want to leave me, though you promised that you would not.”
“I did not say-” Chalyela begins, but Gavin interrupts.
“Aye your majesty! I said that you would leave me once someone younger came along and your words were ‘never’. Yet here we are.”
“Do not do this Gavin…please. I…I had no way to know … you are not being fair.” Now she is on the verge of tears.
“Fair?” Gavin says the word as it if has left a foul taste in his mouth.
“I have loved you all your life. Yet I have lost you to someone who you have not even known a year.”
“Please Gavin. I love you too. Please…” Chalyela begs.
“You know nothing of love and you definitely know nothing of lost love,” Gavin says.
“How can you say that?”
“How can you say that?”
“You never loved me M’Lady,” Gavin says in his most formal tone. “I was convenient to you.”
“Gavin…you are wrong. I still love you. That is why this is so hard.”
Gavin does not respond.
“Gavin?” Chalyela repeats.
“Gavin?” Chalyela repeats.
“Please let me be,” Gavin says finally.
He continues, “Just please leave an old man alone with his broken heart,” Gavin says in a pleading voice.
“Gavin…please. I do not want to lose a friend.”
“Gavin…please. I do not want to lose a friend.”
“You should have thought on that before you trampled upon my heart,” Gavin responds.
Chalyela has no response.
She turns and begins to walk away.
Gavin peers over his shoulder, secretly angry at himself for being so selfish; knowing that he was never right for the queen…that the knight is in fact perfect for her.
Chalyela does not head toward the castle. As queen, she cannot allow personal issues to block her from fulfilling her duties to her kingdom…
…but inside she is deeply hurting and would give anything to just return to her chambers and cry.
