the haunted kingdom - Charles E.J. Moulton (most read book in the world .txt) 📗

fits. He disappears and then Lucinda arrives. An epidemic appears and then he arrives with a cure.”
“Well,” Steven giggled, “so far he has not provided with a definite cure. No one knows if it works.” Steven sighed a long moan and looked at his spouse. “You spend so much time alone with Alfred and are missing the great stories Nomed has to enchant us with.”
Belinda closed her eyes and shook her head. “Look, if you want to spend your evenings getting intoxicated with him, do it, fine.” She stood up, walked to the basin and started washing off. “I know that this man is a little strange.”
Steven stood up, kissed her and walked to the door. “Don’t teach your son to fear the unknown. Teach him to face what he fears. Come to breakfast and listen to the songs. Nomed loves you. He talks about you as the finest woman in creation. Think about that before you criticize him.”
Steven closed the door and Belinda was left to think about her own decisions. No, she would have to face Nomed and it would have to be now. She put on her clothes in time to hear Alfred blabber a tender good morning. She went to his child chamber and leaned over the bed.
“Good morrow, young man!”
He smiled, displaying gorgeous tooth gaps.
“Morrow,” he giggled. “Love you!”
Belinda laughed. “Love you too. Slept well?”
“Uh-huh,” he nodded happily. “Heard you ‘n father blabber.”
“Yes, Alfred” his mother laughed. “That is all it was.” There was a pause. “Want some breakfast? Bread, apricot, juice, apples and chicken?”
He nodded and tottered out with his mother to the balcony. The two spent the next hour or so talking and eating the luscious food Marie-Louise prepared for them, and watching the rising sun.
Geena then came and spent some time with the youngster, reading him stories and singing him saltarellos in a broken voice. Belinda went to her study and signed official allowance parchments for Cretan. When that was done, she knew that it was time to face Nomed.
She took a deep breath and walked down the hall. At this time, he probably would be in the Alexander Room, entertaining the family. Very right about her fears, she wandered in and faced the unknown.
Nomed was there, lute in hand and mead already melted into his belly. He was recollecting a memory in loud fashion about the Ming Emperor. He turned around and looked at Belinda. The two noble people looked at each other firmly with great hatred and then Nomed started acting, pretending to love her. “Belinda, my eloquent, articulate lady sweet. How lovely it is to see you.”
He walked up to her, playing an Arabian tune on his lute and humming.
“I need to talk to you.” Belinda’s voice was cold and unfeeling, unimpressed by Nomed’s flirtatious nature and certainly not willing to negotiate.
“Come and sit down,” Nomed invited. “Join us.”
Belinda shook her head. “No,” she spat. “This is for you and you alone.”
Nomed looked at the others. The King was looking down, saying nothing. He was clearly embarrassed by his daughter’s anger. Nomed smiled. “Does it have to be now?” He grinned very friendly in a false way that only Belinda could see or comprehend. “I mean, I did just tell your family here,” he said indicating at the royal relatives, “about my encounters with the Emperor. I’m in the middle of my story.”
Belinda looked away. “It needs to be now in your private room, thank you.”
Nomed was quite surprised at this wrath. Polite as he was, he turned to his Majesty.
“Am I excused?”
The King waved his hand at the entertainer and Belinda and the man disappeared down the hall. They finally arrived at the end of the hallway and opened the door, walking in to his very large room half full of instruments, books and parchments with musical notation.
He sat down on a pear wood seat and crossed his arms.
“I am yours, my sweet,” he nodded.
Belinda sighed.
“I don’t know where to begin,” she sighed. “If you excuse me, I will be honest. I am suspicious of you. I am suspicious of your entire nature. I believe you’re playing a role and that you are not who you say you are, so I need some answers and some effort. Show me documents proving who you are. I am sure you have them with you. If not, you will have to leave.”
Nomed gave Belinda a very calm smile. “I know you dislike me, but I don’t know why. I like you. You are beautiful, eloquent, smart and very world wise. The best Queen a future could have in store for her people and the finest sister to wonderful people.”
Belinda shook her head. “Tell me, Nomed,” she said, “what about your name?”
“My name?” He raised his eyebrows. “What about my name?” He cackled. “Don’t like it?”
“Why does it spell ‘demon awakens’ backwards?”
Nomed sighed. “Oh, that old story.” He laughed, as if he had heard it before a hundred times.
“You’ve heard it before?” Belinda was somewhat bewildered. “I thought it was new.”
Nomed chuckled. “I was born with this story.”
Belinda crossed her arms and sat down on the sofa opposite him, provoking him with a stern gaze. “I am listening, Nomed.”
Nomed stood up and walked about his guest room. He seemed like someone who spoke to the Senate, defending his cause and speaking to critical parliamentarians. He circled the large mahogany table, running his fingers along the chairs. He spoke to the tapestries and bowed to the carpets. He let his voice echo under the grey sandstone arches and looked out the open window. Toward the end of the speech, he looked at Belinda. It was planned and yet so natural and logical. Everything he said made perfect sense.
“I am the son of a Gfuhre rider,” he began. “Yes, I know what you are thinking. Adnicul was, as well. The only thing I have in common with the Nocturanian King is that I have been in his castle as an entertainer. I don’t much like the man. You know the Gfuhre by history, I suppose. They’re pirate raider nomads, active only in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Their orthodox chastity is infamous. What they do to a man who has been unfaithful is legendary. Be that as it may. Belinda, the reason I mention Adnicul is that you are probably thinking about his lover Lucinda. Her name also spells Adnicul backwards. Now, darling, the truth is that giving a child a backward name is quite a common practice among Gfuhre riders. It is supposed to protect the child from bad spirits. The name Snekawa just by coincidence has the English word Awakens as its’ backward counterpart. In fact, Snekawa in Gfuhre means loved one. To tell you the truth, it was a taken name that my great-grandfather took. He had visited Dublin and found his royal Gaelic majesty appealing and wanted to have a name that always kept him on his toes, awake. Therefore, awakens. Now, Adnicul had a sister that also is named Lucinda and his Gfuhre father named them such to protect them and tie them together in a bond of adoration. My story is simple, giving me the name Nomed was a way for my father to protect me from evil spirits by reversing the sentence the Demons Awakens to ensure that the ghosts would always sleep and not disturb my peace.”
Belinda sat there like a black cloud. “You expect me to believe that?”
Nomed smiled and shrugged. “I don’t expect anything of you, your highness.”
She sighed. “I suppose it’s just the curse that’s grabbing a hold of my heart.”
He nodded. “Lucinda, yes. Well, mmh, it is understandable.” He came to sit down again. “Look, all I can say is that I’m sorry I left and I’m sorry that you hate me.”
Belinda shook her head. “I am suspicious of you. I don’t hate you.”
“Then tell me what bothers you,” Nomed asked.
“I think you are Lucinda in disguise.” Belinda stressed.
He stood up, laughing. “Me? Lucinda? Hah, I’m sorry if I am laughing.”
“What about the epidemic?” Belinda spat.
“What about it?”
Belinda stood up now and walked to the window. She needed some fresh air.
“Look, Nomed,” she finally said. “I think that after being nailed to a dungeon rack for half a year as an eleven year old and almost murdered at 21, I have a reason to have excess fear of ghosts. I just fear that this epidemic is a part of the curse.”
Nomed shook his head. “No way in hell or heaven. I received a very interesting recipe for herbal potions during my time with the Ming Emperor that help against all epidemics. If this epidemic gets worse I will suggest it to the King that we use one of the medicinal cures.”
“I want to know,” Belinda inquired, “why you left so suddenly after my wedding?”
Nomed sighed. “Embarrassing tale, that.”
“How so?”
“Well, I was called to the land by a trained dove that flew in with a message. The Ottoman King is known to have an interest in them. I know because I used to train them. They are special doves that are called Columba livia. Their call sounds like a faint cry.” Nomed waved away his comment with the palm of one hand. “Irrelevant. It said in a short note ‘Nomed, please come to the Capital as I desperately need your assistance in a political matter. Do not hesitate, do not delay. Sultan Murad II’ I have the note here, wait a minute.” Nomed rummaged in boxes and among shelves and found it.
Belinda looked at it and nodded.
“His father Mehmed I died on the 26th of May and he was quite new as a leader. He needed my assistance in handling an affair of linguistic difficulty.” Nomed said. “As I said, you had appointed me winner of the festival. It was painful to leave.”
Belinda nodded and smiled, giving him back the note.
“I’m sorry I suspected you, Nomed. I’m sure that everything is in order.”
“Anything else I can do for you?”
She shook her head. “No, I think I will take a ride and skinny dip in the pond.”
“See you later.” Nomed said, kissing her hand.
Belinda went out the door and Nomed was left alone.
Nomed walked up to the closet in the room and opened the doors. Inside hung a black dress with black diamonds, a dark version of Belinda’s wedding dress from 23rd September 1422.

Iuventus Sacrum, Thursday, August 16th, 1425 A.D.

Belinda felt as if she was closed inside a glass bubble, screaming and shouting at the top of her lungs and no one hearing her. She spent more time with Alfred now than anyone. She rode to the Senate and spoke to the old men there, she talked to the Margetanian royals and she even pleaded with Steven to come to his senses. They all just laughed in her face.
Belinda had not yet been affected with the sickness and therefore needed no cure. Nowhere in history had so much infidelity occurred in Clurafar as during the month of August. At Iuventus, Morgana was courting two men and Patricia was joining in.
Mormidar and Ulfaas were officially invited to the anniversary party of the wedding on 23rd September. Luigi and Regina as well. Martin Darbersham had said yes, as had most rulers of the continent. Mustafus had said he would never miss it, mostly to meet his friend Nomed again.
The preparations for Alfred’s second birthday were in progress. Ulfaas left his inspectors to do the work and came to stay in