[center][h1] Goodbye [/h1][/center]


Alexandra got her morning bath and then she was dressed for an early walk with her future husband. She learned that he was a bit of a pompous ass on their walk around the gardens. He tried to kiss her and she dodged his advances and reached for a flower and stuck it in front of her face and asked him if he liked daisies. She could see Conrad just a little ways off scanning the area and watching them. 

The morning after, after returning to his and dressing himself, Conrad had moments of doubt. He had  not expected his day to go the way it did, and for such pleasures to be found at night. He wrestled withhimself mentally, for he knew what he did was wrong. She may be his best friend but this is exactly what Sir James had warned him about. Conrad quickly started his morning routine. When Her Majesty had made it known that she wished to walk the gardens alone this morning, it was expected that he would accompany her. Nothing seemed different,

He had not expected her fiance to join them. Because of this he stayed back slightly, keeping more of a watchful eye on them than anything else. He walked along the pond in the garden.

Alexandra was not impressed with this man. He was obscenely greedy and he kept trying to touch her. At one point he tried to maul her behind a tree. She sidestepped him at every chance. He became angry at one point  "You will not run from me! If I want to have you here and now I will!" Alexandra yelled in fear as he went to strike her. He got one hit in across the face and he raised his hand again.

Conrad appeared behind Her Majesties fiance, grabbed his wrist from behind him, and yanked it back. His arm was now broken, being that it had spun completley around in a circle. Conrad swept his legs, and the fiance fell to the ground. Conrad then walked over to her majesty and checked her over. 

[color=004b80]"The slap he gave you will make a slight bruise, but doesnt look serious. We can cover it. Are you ok?"[/color]

Alexandra got up and nodded, her face felt hot from the force of the slap. She was embarrassed that he had seen it. All she wanted to do was have him hold her and yet servants had ventured into the garden amid the screams of her fiance. She let him help her inside while the servants managed to get guards to help the broken lord. 

Alexandra demanded her mother's presence in her room. Once her mother saw her face she  was taken aback and looked at Alexandra. "What happened and what did Conrad do to him for that slap?"

"I believe there was at least one broken arm and possibly a broken leg." Her mother's expression was one of exhaustion. If Alexandra's face were not in pain she would have laughed at her.

"As I have looked in the books and there is no law that states that I must marry. I have chosen that I will either choose my own husband or I will not have one."

Her mother looked at her horrified. "You have to have an heir!" Alexandra shrugged. "If you give me no choice in the matter I'll fight you and I'll win."

Her mother stared at her for a moment and she seemed to figure out something very important. "I am going to send Conrad to be a guard at the prisons. I'll find you a new bodyguard. He is too extreme lately I think."

Alexandra could have answered differently had her emotions not been on the surface but she said. "If you do that I'll give up the crown entirely."

Her mother's eyes closed. "I suspected as much. Have you lain with him?" Alexandra glared at her mother. "I'll not answer such a horrible accusation such as that.... Of course I haven't! He is my best friend and I'll not let you send him away. I AM the queen and YOU can NOT override me in this."

"Alexandra, there will be another match made and this one had better stick or you will lose Conrad for good." Her mother walked out and slammed the door shut. Alexandra locked it and lay on her bed in tears.

Sir James had immediatley pull Conrad aside once the Lord had been taken away.

"What in the seven hells were you thinking you stupid-," Sir James said as he hit Conrad on the head everytime he said stupid, "Stupid, Stupid boy!"

Conrad recovered from Sir James whippins and stood up straight.

[color=004b80]"I was thinking how some stupid Lord was hurting the Queen of our land, and that as her bodygaurd i needed to defend her."[/color]

Sir James whacked Conrad on the head again.

"You moron! That was a very wealthy Lord, and he could have helped us greatly! He will now break off any arrangement we had, and more than likely call for your execution! I mean did you have to basically rip off his arm!"

Conrad shrugged. [color=004b80]"Not my fault he is a stupid Noble twat that cant be measured even by shit."[/color]

Sir James gave Conrad a look, and sighed. 

"Conrad........"

Conrad scoffed and walked past Sir James. He is an adult he did not need this. He did his job and duty. Conrad walked through the castle, and asked for the location of the  Queen. He was told by a servant. When he tried to go to her room, he was stopped by guards. It was explained to him that his services were no longer needed for the rest of the day, and that was to go to his room. Conrad slightly huffed, then thought of a plan. He walked away, towards the entrance to one of the passage ways hidden to most people. He entered it and used it to gain access to Alexandras room.

When the passageway opened and he entered her room Alexandra ran to him and wrapped her arms around him as if her life depended on it. She wiped her eyes and told him what happened.

"My mother threatened to take you away permanently from me. She mentioned prison guards and I'd never see you again. She figured out that we love each other but I denied a physical relationship. She said the next match must stick or I'll never see you again. What do we do?"

Alexandra had to pull it together. She was the one who had changed their relationship not him. She had to take that responsibility.

"I threatened to give up my crown."

Conrad sighed and cupped her cheek with his hand. She was so beautiful......and he was no one.

[color=004b80]"I plan on leaving tonight."[/color]

"NO! You can't leave me you promised we'd be together forever."

Conrad closed his eyes, leaned in, and kissed her on the lips. After a few seconds he broke it off.

[color=004b80]"And we will be......but right now you need a man who is proper and of the right status. I am still nothing but an orphan.For us to be together.....it is impossible right now."[/color]

Alexandra looked at him through tears. "And when can we be together and how will I find you? What happens if you find someone else? I've not been without you since I was 5. How am I supposed to do this without you?"

[color=004b80]"How do you think I will live without you? You have been my whole world since I was seven! I have thought of nothing else but you, worked for nothing else besides you, you have been my everything. We were paired as children and we have been together in heart mind and soul."[/color]

Conrad blinked back a tear.

"You don't have nothing, You have been paid in an account since day one. I had it put back for you." She went to her desk and wrote something down for him and pulled something out of a drawer. She brought him a gold chain to wear. She tucked it underneath his shirt. And she put a paper with his account information and his balance as of last week. It was quite a large sum of money. And she handed him an envelope with the deed to some land.

Conrad shook his head.

[color=004b80]"There is no way any lord would accept that I, a well known orphan, came across a deed to land and a vast sum of wealth honestly. I would be sacked and killed. Your mother would most certainly send Sir James to hunt me down. I promise you, more than likeley she is making plans for something of a similar nature now. Your mother.....will stop at nothing to create the perfect kingdom. Even if she isnt the queen."[/color]

"Who do you think gve me the deed to give to you? She tried to get me to let you go last year. Please take it. It's part of your payment for service to the kingdom."

"Please write me and let me know how you are doing? I couldn't bare it if something happened to you. I'll let you know when we can be together....if you still want me by then."

Conrad kissed Alexandra again, and pocketed the items she held for him. 

[color=004b80]"I swear I will want only you, and will have only you. I will do what I can to raise my status, and I hope you can do what you can to change things in the kingdom for the better. I want nothing else than for us to be together."[/color]

Conrad gave Alexandria a meaningful look, and rushed out of the room into the secret passage ways, just as a guard was about to enter.

The guard entered the room and Alexandra threw a golden statue at him hitting him and making him duck out and run. Her mother entered just a few moments later and ducked as she heard her daughter screaming and she called a doctor in to give her something to help her sleep. Her mother was torn over her daughter's heartbreak. Such was the duty of a queen.