The Tempest and The Empress

We are to receive a special guest today. The Empress is fraught with nerves, which is deeply unlike her. Her usual grace holds us all together as a court as we are reminded by our shining example of how we are to conduct ourselves. This guest is referred to in whispers as The Tempest, and the other servants say she leaves scarlet death in her wake. If my mistress makes an accord with her, I fear the consequences may be more than we can bear. The very notion fills me with dread, as the many hardships that have befallen us since we came to these terrible shores weigh heavily on her, and are compounded by the awful fate of her poor son. I cannot say this, though. She has becoming increasingly unreachable, pulling away from even me as The Tempest draws closer. Each day brings new calamities, and all I can do is pray this Tempest does not unsettle my lady’s mind any further. ZL