3Chapter Two
"Fay!" Braxton's voice hissed from outside my chamber door. The urgency in his tone mixed with a few sharp raps on my chamber door. "Fay, open up!"
I rolled over on my grungy, but comfortable enough pallet, to face my room's only window. The darkness of night diluted only by the glow of the stars streamed in. It had to have been at least one in the morning. Vaguely I recalled Braxton hadn't returned for supper. I'd thought that was odd, but didn't dare question anybody about it; it wasn't my place to worry about it him. Well, I could worry about him, but I certainly couldn't vocalize my concern. Not unless I wanted suspicions to spread like wildfire throughout the gossip medium that was the chambermaids. They would twist a simple conversation between Braxton and I, or even me just mentioning him, into a romantic affair. If that exaggerated story spread to the king, he wouldn't think twice about removing me from the castle. He didn't want a chambermaid for a daughter in law.
"What is it?" I muttered, still not truly awake, only half realizing I was not asleep anymore. The cold stone floor of my damp room in the servants quarters sent a chill down my spine. A shiver ran through my body, harshly jerking me to alertness, and realization: Braxton needed me, he was on the other side of my door. I quickly ran my fingers through my hair, doing my best to smooth out any tangles. My eyes glanced quickly to my simple white nightgown. It looked decent - no matter, it would have to do.
"Fay!" he whispered as I fumbled with the latch and opened the heavy wooden door of my room.
"Do you know how worried I was about you? Do you know how late it is?" I mumbled softly, my words slurring together. I knew I probably looked ridiculous - bed head didn't flatter anybody. My hair must have been a frizzy, tangled mess, despite my rough attempts to tame it. Not to mention I had dark rings under my eyes from lack of adequate sleep - which wouldn't have been the case if Braxton hadn't woken me up. I couldn't complain too much though. If it hadn't been for the fatigue, I would have delighted in his nighttime visit. Except in the back of my mind, I knew if it was for a pleasant visit, it wouldn't occur so late in the night.
"You look terrible," Braxton chuckled softly, deciding not to answer my questions. He didn't like it when I acted motherly in any way. With him, someone had to.
I playfully punched him on the left shoulder. The smooth fabric of his shirt felt warm underneath my clenched fist, which slid lightly down his shoulder, brushing against it. I let my hand linger against the material, enjoying the feeling of it. A few seconds later, realizing what I was doing, I jerked my pathetically slender wrist away. My eyes widened; naturally I was embarrassed. If it hadn't been so late at night, and so very dark, he might have noticed my crimson colored face. Perhaps, then, the late hour was a blessing in disguise. He didn't notice. Instead, He feigned excruciating pain, clutching his shoulder and making a face of exaggerated agony.
It was all well and good, except I had still been awoken at hours of the night meant for nocturnal creatures, and he was goofing around. Not that I should have expected anything different from him; he always joked around no matter what time it happened to be.
"Is there a reason you weren't back for supper?" I questioned. My stomach grumbled slightly at the mention of food. Elloise had cut my portion of dinner in half, due to my tardiness.
"It seems you went without supper as well," he stated grimly, making the connections; he knew Elloise hated workers who showed up late. He probably felt responsible for my failure to be on time, even though I'd chosen to talk to him before he went horseback riding. More accurately, I had tried to talk him out of it.
His expression turned to one of pity, and I hated that. Over the years he'd offered to try and boost me up in rank, which would have made my life easier. I'd declined. It wasn't that I loved working in the kitchen, helping out with the laundry, or completing any other various task around the castle, but I knew there would be consequences for me if he displayed any favoritism. Inevitably, the other maids of the castle would throw a huge fit, and I'd be at the center of it. He knew that to - it was why we always met in secret, and acted formal in front of any witnesses. It kept things peaceful. Besides, at least I had a room to myself, so I didn't mind my situation. It wasn't unbearable, or torture of any sort, so I didn't like it when Braxton looked at me as though I was the most pitiful being ever.
"Well, I ate something at least. What about you?" I reminded him. It had the effect I wanted. The look of sympathy was replaced by one of mild shock - a raised eyebrow with a subtle smirk.
"I wasn't hungry -" His stomach growled in disagreement, a low rumble that echoed quite threateningly through the empty corridor.
From the dark hallway, a shadow of an unknown origin darted against the stone wall, catching my eye. My heart must have skipped a beat. My eyes widened in panic and my mouth opened to scream, but before It could escape Braxton covered my mouth with his warm hand. Little more than a muffled whimper was heard.
"You have to be quiet!" he whispered extra softly, as if emphasizing his point.
The shadow's owner stepped into my view, realizing the distress she'd caused. The girl looked as terrified to see me as I must have looked at her sudden appearance. At the sight of the stranger, I stepped back; Braxton's hand followed my movement, never once relinquishing its grip. The warmth of his hand felt suffocating. I studied his eyes. They pleaded with me to calm down. I allowed another look at the girl in hopes of coming to grips with the presence of an unfamiliar person. She was obviously familiar with Braxton in some way, on some level. I didn't like that.
The soft moonlight shining through the hallway's large window revealed very smooth, light skin, a sweet heart shaped face framed by short, black, and wavy hair. Altogether, the girl looked harmless. I still didn't like her association with Braxton. Braxton slowly removed his hand, making sure I wouldn't scream before completely pulling it away. The heat from his fingers lingered, as did the faint smell of the forest - a mixture of dirt and pine.
I stretched my neck out into the corridor, scanning it for any unwanted witnesses before motioning the two to come inside my room. They walked practically on tiptoe, the delicate motion of their feet brushing softly against the stone floor barely audible. The girl took extra care to keep her distance as she slipped past me. It made me feel a little sorry for her; she must have been as uncomfortable with this situation as I was. Once they were safely inside, I closed the door as quietly as possible. I took painstaking care to shut it ever so slowly to prevent it from creaking. Even so, my trembling fingers against the wood might have been heard. Safe from the sight and earshot of any person who might pass by at the ungodly hour, I pressed my back against the door and faced the duo. They both stood awkwardly, feeling out of place.
"I don't care which of you explains what is going on, as long as one of you does - now," I began. I had no intentions of wasting precious time I could be sound asleep. Even from its solitary position in the dark corner of my room, my warm blankets called to me.
"Remain calm as I explain, alright?" The uncertain tone in Braxton's voice pulled at my core; no, pulled is an understatement. It tore into my soul, and the hole filled with unwarranted feelings of sickening dread. I couldn't help but think back to my futile pleas with Braxton. I recalled all too clearly how desperately I'd tried to keep him from his daily routine of riding Star. Something inside, not acknowledged by my conscious thoughts, screamed of the horrible outcome this situation would inevitably have.
"Alright," I agreed a bit shakily.
He studied my face skeptically, checking to make sure I truly would remain calm. As if it were possible for him to accurately predict that. Then again, maybe to him it was; In truth, my face probably revealed things to him I remained unaware of. He knew me, understood me, better than anyone in this world ever could. Maybe this whole time he'd just been playing oblivious to my infatuation with him. As if that mattered now. My one sided feelings had nothing to do with the girl standing in my room, eyeing Braxton with uncertainty.
"As I was riding Star today, I ended up riding past my normal boundaries. I noticed a small trail, and I followed it. It led me to a small cottage, where I found seven little men crying, and -"
"Are you being serious right now?" I interrupted, not hiding my annoyance as well as I would have liked. Even if I wanted to appear pleasant at all times in front of Braxton, which, naturally, I did, I still possessed only so much tolerance for his jokes. Especially at this time of night. The whole thing sounded like one of the ridiculous tall tales the chambermaids so often spat around the kitchen table. "Are you aware how absurd that sounds?"
Braxton's hazel eyes, eyes almost a pale yellow, flickered with impatience.
"I wouldn't lie to you," he insisted in a controlled but miffed tone.
I bit my lower lip, wishing I hadn't interrupted. I knew him well enough to know he wouldn't lie, not to me at least. He wouldn't lie, but he had nothing against pulling a good humored prank every now and again. However, I could tell by his reaction that this wasn't the case. He'd been serious, as ridiculous as his story sounded.
"I apologize," I muttered.
The girl stepped forward, and her light blue silk dress rustled slightly. The noise was too soft to be given notice normally, but it engulfed the heavy silence that'd taken over small room. Her even, confident steps filled the room, until her hand rested softly on Braxton's shoulder. I swallowed the flame of jealousy and anger that engulfed me so abruptly it made my head dizzy.
"All you really must know is Braxton saved me. I owe him a lot."
Her voice was soft and sweet. A voice, I imagined, that contained the ability to subside even the most foul tempered person with its soothing tone. I, however, seemed immune to its natural charm.
"Well there is one other thing she should know," Braxton glanced at her with a look of concern. Understanding flashed through the girl's eyes. She turned to me, her eyebrows furrowed in an expression of hesitation and fear.
"It is alright, she needs to know," Braxton nudged the girl softly, in a familiar way that made it appear he'd known her his whole life. The girl's hand slid slowly off his shoulder. It clung gently to his arm until the very last moment when she had to pull her fingers from him. Even then her fingers lingered there, as if she hadn't quite made up her mind whether or not she truly wanted to let go of his shoulder. My anger rose exponentially, aided by my lack of sleep. I gritted my teeth so hard it ached.
The girl pulled a piece of lightly wrinkled cloth out of a satchel that hung loosely over her shoulder. Reluctantly, as if she were giving away a precious gem, she handed it to me. A rush of fear so strong I nearly lost my balance overwhelmed me; a sharp intake of breath steadied me, but barely. I balled the piece of cloth in my hand, out of my sight. The marking on it was unmistakable, and I didn't want to see it again. That wouldn't change the fact this cloth, this cloth that bore the royal crest of the kingdom of Gallia, belonged to this girl. Princess Amira as I now knew.
"Please," she whispered, her voice shaky, pleading with me - desperate. "I have no where to go."
"Why can't you go home?" I asked, barely managing to hide the raw terror quickly spreading through me. The way she reacted to my question, with such an expression of shock and hurt, you'd think I'd slapped her. Her light brown eyes brimmed slightly with tears. The tears sparkled in the moonlight; the Princess looked pretty even on the verge of tears. I had to admit, I was a bit jealous of that feat. Being jealous of a person's crying face - how ridiculous my thoughts were when I was sleep deprived.
"You don't understand," she choked, struggling to keep the tears from falling, "I can't go back there."
My eyes darted pleadingly to Braxton, hoping this was all a bad dream, or a bad joke, something that would disappear before the sun rose. I forcefully sucked in air through my pursed lips. It seemed I had forgotten to breathe after seeing the cloth with the stitched in crest.
"Here isn't a safe option for you either," I whispered, my voice weak, practically a whimper. "Your kingdom's guards are to search this castle in three days. If they find you here, it will start a war."
"Amira will stay here," Braxton stated. I knew from his tone there could be no persuading him otherwise.
I realized all at once why he'd told me, what my purpose in this was to be. Bowing my head slightly with a mixture of fury and hopelessness, I nodded and walked over to an old trunk. The trunk was by itself in the corner of my room opposite my bed. My fingers left smudge marks in the settled dust that lined the creases of it's wooden frame. It'd been a while since I'd looked inside. I opened the heavy lid of it slowly and the rusty hinges protested with a whiny creak. The noise made us all temporarily stop breathing. When no one barged in the room having heard the noise, a tangible air of relief filled the room. My heart beat returned to a normal rhythm.
A few distant but familiar items from my past greeted me; a worn doll missing an eye that Braxton gave me for my - was it my seventh birthday? I believe so, but the memory was cloudy. Despite the situation, my lips curved into a slight smile as my eyes fell upon a simple gold chain necklace - another gift from Braxton. I'd received it on my seventeenth birthday. Of course I remembered that - that was two years ago, and I'd already realized I viewed him as more than a friend. To think I've suffered from these unrequited feelings for so long now. Not that I'd looked in the chest for sentimental purposes. Besides these two objects, I kept extra blankets for the harsh winters inside. I didn't often need them, so they'd remained crisply folded and untouched for a while now.
I pulled one out, holding in a sneeze as the dust clouded the air.
"Amira can stay in here for the night. We'll discuss this later tomorrow," I declared.
"Well no, I was thinking she could stay in my chambers for the night," Braxton teased. Sometimes he had the worst taste in jokes.
This time Amira lightly punched him, her face blushing crimson, though a light smile played across her lips.