Scenes cut from A Royal Sacrifice Ch. 09
Some of these scenes I liked, some I really liked, and some were just okay. Regardless of my feelings about these scenes, they all found themselves here for the same reason. The inclusion of these side scenes simply made the flow of the chapter choppy. I ended up going a different route.
I'm really fond of this scene. I absolutely hated to cut it. The scene immediately followed Guy hopping on Judas, preceding his arrival at the Lempe estate. The ride was expanded in the final draft, with the two scenes bookending this one combined.
John fought to remain still as the everlasting measurements continued. Having no knowledge of the craft, he’d greatly underestimated the amount of preparation involved in creating armor. He felt as though he’d stood for hours, and yet the smith continued to wrap the knotted cord around him time after time.
A crooked, mischievous grin crossed Eric’s lips, and John could have nearly mouthed the following quip with his friend. “With all this work, it will surely be a beautiful gown.”
John simply rolled his eyes, but the muscular smith paused in his measurements, affixing Eric with a stare that could have curdled milk.
Holding up his hands in a defensive gesture, Eric chuckled and said, “I meant no offense, Goodman smith. A simple jest.”
Shaking his head with an indignant snort, the smith returned to the task of torturing John with his cord.
“Who would have thought,” Eric mused and plucked at his new clothing. While far from the height of fashion, it surely must have cost as much as the entirety of his wardrobe since the womb previously. “Welcomed – in a way – amongst the high and mighty. And you – a knight. People would have thought us touched in the head to have spoken of such things not so long ago, as we mucked out stalls.”
“Some noble will have you run through if you don’t stop enticing their daughters and servants,” John warned. The smith wrapped the cord around John’s neck, and just for a second he flippantly wished the man would strangle him to end the torment.
“Harmless amusement – I haven’t touched a bit of soft skin. Besides, I am the squire to one of the new Knights of Vix.”
“Squire? When did this happen?” John asked, confusion plain in his voice.
Eric chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. “That is what people are saying.”
“Done,” the smith grunted, winding up his knotted cord.
“Thank God,” John sighed.
“Off to your next torture with you, then. Time to cross swords with the guard.”
John nodded, knowing that this day’s practice would not prove pleasant, as his arms already ached from holding them up in various positions at the smith’s instruction. Determined to prove worthy of the honor bestowed upon him, he steeled his will and ignored his aches and pains. Though the thought never actually crossed his mind, somewhere deep within his subconscious he felt as though he had far more to prove than any other man due to his parentage.
He had every intention of proving the wisdom of the Queen in knighting him.
I kind of liked this scene, but it got the axe anyhow. The scene fell between Guy's stops at the Lempe and Gifford estates.
Rebecca’s mind whirled as she performed her duties. So much of the last few days was a foggy muddle in her memory. She could still taste her Master’s seed and feel him pulsing against her tongue, but she could barely remember a word of their conversation.
He’d stolen her innocence – sundered her virginity – and yet she both loved him and desired him. She knew her feelings were unnatural, but she could not deny them.
Nor could she deny her feelings for Cedric. Seeing him leap to her defense fully validated his new station as a knight in her eyes. Even as she’d feared for her Master, she’d felt her heart warm to her protector.
The thoughts of her inquisition in the dungeons once more surged within her. She paused and trembled, unable to force the troubling memories back down. The loneliness and fear assaulted her again, bringing a tear to her eye. Did I lie? Did I tell the truth? The only real truth was that she didn’t know.
Only the ending of that terrible time allowed her to put the thoughts out of her mind. The Queen had rescued her from the dungeon, allowing none to question her authority. Once more, Rebecca could walk in the light and return to her life. She loved and respected her Queen, and that too troubled her. She felt dirty when she considered Evelyn’s fair and just treatment of her – and she didn’t know why.
Rebecca’s turmoil continued unabated as she performed her duties, her body moving as if a puppet performing without her conscious direction.
Although I was never completely happy with this scene, the idea of Evie unable to sleep in such comfort was one of the first thoughts that came into my head when considering writing for this chain. For that reason alone, it's a little sad to cut this scene. It would have fallen between Isabele and Rachel's nocturnal visits to Guy in the Gifford Estate.
Evelyn lay awake, still unused to the comfort of her bedchamber. Against all common sense, she longed for the stiff mattress and scratchy bedclothes of her youth. Rolling over onto her back provided no additional relief, and she opened her eyes with a quiet, exasperated sigh.
She half expected to see the shadowy form of the wizard standing over her bed, leering at her with frightening hunger in his eyes. She instinctively pulled the coverings up higher, hiding the tiny expanse of skin revealed by her nightclothes.
Though she found nothing – and no one – in the room, the Queen still felt as though eyes watched her. She wondered if the wizard could use his black arts to watch her from afar.
Hugging her arms around her, Evelyn took a deep breath and contained her feelings of vulnerability and fear. As Queen, she must master her emotions to rule with a strong, fair hand. Though unprepared for her duty, she accepted the seriousness of her charge without reservation. Dark times had covered this land for many years, and it seemed that even darker times lay before the Kingdom of Vix.
As always, the poverty of her subjects worried her. Coming from a humble life, she identified with their plight. The wizard sought her for unknown reasons – certainly nefarious – and others suffered in her stead. She wondered how anyone could possibly manage such circumstances.’
That thought reminded her of the Prince’s words. She understood the wisdom of giving others tasks to relieve her own burden, but she also knew that she must firmly establish her authority. As a woman, she already faced great obstacles in forcing her patriarchal court to acknowledge her station in more than empty words. For now, she must take a direct hand in nearly every affair.
The recollection of Drest’s words also brought with them other memories of her lesson in the use of a sword. Though he lacked tact, that was in its own way somewhat charming. He had, after all, offered the opportunity to truly learn, where others had offered only illusion. Though initially unwelcome in her ride to the village, his presence had proved a comfort there as well.
Evie turned her thoughts from that horrific moment, not willing to endure that sight in her mind’s eye again. Thoughts of Drest conjured up numerous emotions within her, many of them in conflict. She started and flushed crimson when she realized her body was responding to thoughts about his handsome face and muscular frame.
Though she tried to turn the thoughts aside, they lingered on – even into her dreams.
I wasn't happy with this scene in many ways. For one thing, it deviated from the vision of Viviane that her originator had in mind. Can't have that! This scene would have immediately followed the sex scene with Rachel.
Viviane lay next to the dozing man, her abdomen and breasts coated in slowly cooling tendrils of his semen. She’d hoped to take her mind away from thoughts of Eric and the wizard Bagdemagus, but the Earl – or Baron, she couldn’t remember which – had proven of little distraction.
Thus, she lay frustrated and unsatisfied in the bed, seriously considering seeking out another. While Eric’s ability to resist her intrigued her, despite the anger it caused when she saw him courting another woman’s attentions, the wizard’s ability to ignore her power was disquieting.
Before, whenever danger threatened her, she’d always been able to depend upon her power to see her through. Now she faced a danger to both her body and mind in the form of two men who could resist what should be irresistible. The wizard knew far too much, and obviously had his own plans for the young Queen. Unable to depend upon her charms to sway the wizard, she knew she must rely upon the guile and knowledge of her long years to succeed in her plan.
Though she tried to consider possible modifications to her plan, she found she could not concentrate through the fog of need assaulting her. The snoring man at her side had managed to heat her passions just enough that she could not ignore them.
Rising from the bed and wiping his seed from her body with the bedclothes, she located her clothing and left the room. Though she passed numerous men in her journey, she sought out Eric for some time before settling on another.
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