As I made my way to the kitchen - which was located in the basement - I greeted every servant that I came across with. More and more servants greeted me as I got closer to the kitchen.
The kitchen has a direct - almost secret - passage to the stables. So, since I was on my way there, I thought it would be a good idea to pay someone a visit in the kitchen.
“Good morning, everybody,” I greeted as I entered the kitchen with a smile on my face.
“Good morning, Your Highness,” they all greeted with their usual cheerful tone.
As I continued to smile at everyone within the room, I headed straight for Nana Olsa. “Good morning, Nana,” I hugged her from behind without any sort of warning.
“Oh!” she exclaimed out of shock, her hand landed on her chest as she calmed herself. “Oh, my dear boy, it is good to see you,” she giggled as she turned around to return a hug. “You gave me such a fright,” she remarked.
Nana Olsa was my nanny when I was little. She, however, was removed by James when I reached the age of twelve thousand years. He said I was old enough to be transferred into the care of my tutors. Although she was removed as my official carer, Nana Olsa was welcomed to stay as a servant, and so she did. She continued to live with us and became the head cook. She said that she still wanted to keep an eye on me, even from afar, to ensure my safety.
“It’s good to see you, too, Nana,” I said as I slowly pulled away from her and gently kissed her cheek.
“Oh, my darling boy, you’re still sweet as if you were a child,” she giggled. “What brings you to my lair?” she then turned around and continued to stir the soup that she was cooking.
“I was on my way to the stables so I stopped by to get my water container, as well as a few apples for Lady,” I explained. I added, “Also, I thought it would be nice to pay you a visit as well.”
“The stables?” she stopped stirring as she asked. She turned her head in my direction. “Are you going out on your own? Isn’t today the day for your family visit to the town? Were you left behind?” she proceeded to ask more questions before she returned to her soup.
I stood quiet for a bit as I tried to find an excuse. “I wasn’t left behind. I simply didn’t want to go with them. I’m not…” I hesitated as I continued to think of a better way to say what was on my mind. After much consideration, I continued, “I wasn’t in the correct mindset and attitude to join them today. This was one of the days where I didn’t enjoy the visits.”
Once again, Nana Olsa turned her head towards me. “Is it because of your father?” she asked.
My eyes widened as she immediately knew the answer. But, I couldn’t help but to allow a smile to form on my face. “How did you know?” I asked.
“My dear one, we live in the same castle,” she said as she put her spatula down. She proceeded to walk over to the sink and washed her hands. “Everything that happens within the castle is being reported back to me,” she continued as she wiped her hands dry with her white apron. She then walked towards me. “And besides,” Nana Olsa gently cupped my face with her soft hands, “I know that you and your father don’t have the best relationship at the moment.”
“You know me all too well, Nana,” I held her hands tightly as I looked directly into her eyes. “And I’m truly grateful to have you as my guardian.”
She let out a brief giggle as she gave a light pat on my head. “Now, there are crates of freshly-delivered apples in the stables. And here,” she let go of my face and reached for something from the cupboard above her. “Here is your waterskin.”
In her hands, she revealed my leather water container that seemed to have been cleaned already.
“This is already clean,” I replied as I received my waterskin in my hands. My brows immediately knitted together in confusion. The last time I used this, I didn’t have the time to wash it. “Did you clean this, Nana?” I asked as I looked up at her.
“For some reason, I found that thing in the garden yesterday. It was buried into the ground, I almost missed it when I passed through. I knew it was yours so I took the liberty of washing it for you,” she explained before she approached the pot of soup once more, quickly adding a few more ingredients onto the boiling soup. “I know you never liked to clean your containers unless you find it absolutely necessary.”
After I checked the totality of my waterskin, I gently kissed Nana on her cheek. “Thank you very much, Nana. I shall return once lunch is being served,” I said as I made my way to the passageway to the stables.
“Be safe, little one,” I heard her speak from behind me.
“I will,” I answered, not bothering to look back.
~*~*~*~
When I arrived at the stables, three servants were taking care of Lady as per my instruction. One was brushing her hair, one made sure her hooves were secured, and the last one took her saddle from the wall. And that confused me because I specifically told Gonzalo that I would put on the saddle myself.
“Good morning, gentlemen,” I entered the stables without any form of announcement.
As soon as they heard my voice, they dropped whatever it was that they were doing and rushed towards me. “Good morning, Your Highness,” they bowed as they ran up to me. As they did, they placed their right hands on their chests while their heads were down.
“Thank you for preparing Lady for me. I shall take it from here,” I smiled.
They took a second bow and left me alone to be with Lady.
I grabbed the saddle that was put on the table and approached Lady. “Hello there, my Lady,” I said as I gave her a hug, which was answered but a light whinny. Right away, I checked the manner of brushing given to my champion. I had to make sure that everything was done right. “I think you need a few more strokes, Lady,” I remarked. I then settled the saddle on the ground, grabbed the brush that was left on the floor, and began to brush Lady’s mane.
Lady has been a loyal companion of mine ever since I was a little boy. When I reached the age of seven thousand years, I became fascinated by how majestic horses were. When James took notice of this, he presented Lady to me on my birthday. From that moment on, Lady and I shared multiple rides, most probably when my family held summer progresses across the kingdom.
In the midst of silence, faint footsteps approached the open entrance of the stables. I turned my head to look and saw that Mallory had arrived.
“Hello, Robert,” she smiled as she walked towards me, with her hands in front of her skirt.
“Good morning, Mallory,” I greeted back as I returned my focus to Lady.
Mallory was Nana Olsa’s granddaughter and I considered her as my childhood friend. We were extremely close as children. However, as time went on, we became distant because of how James was raising me as the heir to the throne. We still managed to speak to one another every now and then. But, for most of the time, I didn’t get to see her. With my royal duties, and mountains of reports, I was always either in my study or in my chambers.
“What are you doing?” she asked as she stood beside me.
“I’m currently giving Lady a few more brush strokes before I put the saddle on her,” I replied, with my eyes not leaving Lady.
“Are you going somewhere?” she asked.
“Yes,” I then put the brush down in a wooden bucket by the pole beside Lady. I continued, “It’s still early so I have decided to visit the Mortal Realm to clear my mind.”
“Well, I can say that it is a good place for a change of scenery. The Mortal Realm has the best operas I have seen anywhere,” she said before she gave a nervous chuckle.
Throughout that short exchange, Mallory’s voice has been… shaking, to say the least. I sensed that she was tense, trembling. She never acted this way when she would speak to me, which I found extremely odd.
I turned to her and the sides of her arms. “Mallory, is there something wrong? You seem to be shaking. Are you ill?” I asked.
“Oh no, I am well,” she smiled but I knew she was lying. Mallory was never a good liar. I didn’t think she would have the heart to lie about anything.
“Mallory, we are practically siblings, which means that you shouldn’t hide anything from me,” I replied as I moved closer to her. I gently caressed her arms in an attempt to calm her down. I added, “You know that I will never judge you, no matter what you tell me.”
She then let out a sigh as I let go of her arms. “Robert, for the longest time, you have been the only person that I called as a true friend. But, there is something that I’ve been wanting to tell you,” she said as she kept her head low whilst she played with her hands.
“Well, then, go ahead,” I answered as I tidied up everything that was used for Lady’s preparations.
She took a deep breath before she continued, “There’s no other way of saying this. But, you see,” she stopped briefly in an effort to control her stutter. “I like you, Robert.”
Her actions caught me by surprise, rendering me frozen. Questions began to race within my mind. She liked me? In what manner? If she liked me more than a friend, what should I say? Should I pretend that I feel the same, just so I wouldn’t break her heart? Or should I simply acknowledge it, but at the same time, tell her to stop? Mallory was like a sister to me. Breaking her heart would be unthinkable. “Well, I would say that I liked you as well, Mallory,” I said as I hoped that it wouldn’t sound like it had a different meaning to it. “You do?” she asked, her tone showed a hint of hope. I took a deep breath and turned to her. With a smile, I explained, “Of course. We have been friends since we were little. I know who you truly are and you’re a good person.” I continued, “Everyone and anyone would love to have you as their friend.” Her brows furrowed as she heard my answer. “Robert, that is not what I meant,” she said as she walked closer to me. Slowly, her frustration has star
Her green eyes were absolutely mesmerising, you would want to simply drown in them. Her rosy cheeks complimented by a captivating smile. And for a moment - in that specific moment - we got lost in each other’s gaze. But she was the first one to return to reality. Immediately, she pulled her hand back and hid her face further into the hood of her cape. “Forgive me for staring, good sir.” “There is no need to apologise. As a matter of fact, I should be the one who needs to apologise for all the mess I made,” I replied. I continued, “As a man who upholds the belief of being well-mannered, every action that I did has been wrong decision-making on my end.” Once every single fruit was returned to her basket, I stood back up alongside her. She then scanned my entire being. Her eyes travelled from my head, down to my toes and back to my face. “Why are you even in this alley, good sir? By your manner of dressing, you don’t seem to be from around this area.” “I am but a humble traveller. How
Our conversation was interrupted when an old man came out from the bakery. He walked towards Laura’s direction, and he didn’t show any signs of anger. He was merely confused and perhaps curious. “Oh, Grandpa Ben!” Laura ran up to him and pecked his cheek. “I bought the ingredients you told me,” she said as she showed the basket that was filled with different fruits. “Also, I bumped into someone on my way home,” she added before she pointed in my direction. I took a good look at Grandpa Ben, and he didn’t look like a grandfather at all. True, his hair was grey, and it shone underneath the mild sunlight. His overall appearance, however, was too young to be a grandfather. He wore a humble attire: a white shirt with brown pants, brown suspenders, and finished off with a pair of black shoes. His greyish-white beard was beautifully placed on his chin, and on his chin alone. The rest of his face was clean. I could already tell that this man mattered to Laura by her demeanour. For her to
“I was referring to Laura. And please, there’s no need to call me ‘sir’. I don’t rule over this town,” he replied, shaking his head as he stifled down a chuckle. I returned a smile as his own was contagious. “Sir– I mean, Grandpa Ben, how come you said Laura’s your granddaughter? She said she was an orphan,” I continued, leaning closer as I kept my voice low. “Well, she didn’t lie about that. She was truly an orphan,” he replied, his voice changing to a much more serious tone. He continued, “I was the one who adopted her. At first, I wanted to be her grandfather only. But, since I adopted her, I have treated her as my own, which makes me a father to her as well.” Laura was absolutely fortunate to have both a father and a grandfather in one man. Perhaps, that was the reason she had such a gentle nature. It could be because of how Grandpa Ben treated her. “So, Robert, who are you parents? And where do you live?” he asked, crossing his arms and putting them on the counter. His quest
I turned my head and saw Laura, racing towards me with a basket in her arm. “Here you are,” she said as she handed it over, covered with a plaid basket. “What’s inside of it?” I asked as I received it. “You didn’t get the chance to finish the pie so Grandpa Ben told me to put it in a basket and give it to you,” she smiled. “It’s still fresh and as I can see, only a small bite was made. It will be a waste if we throw it in the trash,” she continued, putting her hands on her waist. “Oh, thank you, Laura, but there’s no need for this,” I replied as I tried to hand the basket back. “I told Grandpa Ben I will try it on my next visit.” “Don’t fight us back, son,” another voice came from the bakery. Grandpa Ben walked towards us and stood behind Laura. He continued, “Take the pie with you. Share it with your family. Who knows? They may like it, too.” “But, Grandpa Ben–” he then put his hand out, blocking my protest. “It’s all right, son. I don’t want to hear any excuses. You will bring
I could hear a calm conversation as I approached the dining hall. As I got closer, one of the guards quickly asked, “Shall we announce you, Your Highness?” “There’s no need for that,” I replied as I opened the door without warning. My family was quick to look in my direction. My sudden entrance immediately put them all to silence. Their eyes widened out of surprise, their movements paused. If this was the kind of response that I got every time I entered a room, bursting through doors would be a delight. Like any other feast, Mother was the first to approach me. “Hello, Mother,” I greeted as I gave her a kiss on the forehead. She giggled in response. “Hello, my heart,” she cupped my face with one hand, looking up to meet my gaze. “Dearest Elizabeth,” I smiled as I turned to my sister, laying a gentle peck on her cheek. “Hello, little brother,” she smiled. I wasn’t quick to notice it at first, but there were no spare chairs in between Mother and Elizabeth, which was the place whe
Princess Lorain was the princess of the Kingdom of Middle Earth. She was my fiancée. As we were not allowed to personally meet each other, we were permitted to send letters to one another to build some sort of connection. And in her letters, she seemed to be a gentle woman. And she would tell me all of her thoughts. She never held back anything from me. We had become each other’s support through the chaotic world of monarchy. Given that I had a difficult relationship with James, she had the same but with her mother. Princess Lorain and I became good friends over the past years that we communicated. She was always respectful of my space, as well with some matters that I decided to keep private. With care, I opened her letter and it read, “A good day to you, Your Highness! “I trust that you are having a better month than I am. There was no sign of anything good or new with my life, much less with my relationship with my mother. “She had put additional pressure on me to be the pe
I was occupied in preparing Lady for another stroll to the Mortal Realm. Suddenly, a hand attached itself onto my arm. I looked and saw Mallory. Her eyes were puffed and almost red. She could have cried for a long time. I sighed as I shook my head. “Mallory, I don’t have time to do this with you. I have to be somewhere else right now,” I complained. “I beg of you, Robert, give me a chance to be with you,” she pleaded. She continued, “Grant me a chance to prove to you that I can love you more than any woman can. Let me prove myself to you.” “You already have, Mallory. You have proven yourself to be a good friend and sister to me. Let that be the end of this matter,” I replied, slowly removing her hand from my arm. As soon as I got her hand off, she clung onto my arm with both hands. “Mallory, don’t you feel sorry for yourself?” I continued, completely irritated. “Do you want for me to paint a picture of how desperate you look right now?” “I don’t care what I look like, Robert,” she