Seducing my King Master

TWO

The rising sun casted its warm glow across the lush forests and the majestic mountains of Aethia, the sparkling rivers mirrored not just its glow but also the flawless image of the skies, which seemed like a pallet of vast colors splattered but somehow made into a breathtaking art.

Birds chirped and sang softly as the morning began; Aethia was awake, and so was its heart, the palace; a grand and majestic structure which had stood for as long as Aethia itself.

The people of Aethia had always looked up to the regal building made of dark marble as a source of not just pride but hope, knowing those who dwelled in it were willing to sacrifice their very own lives to save them all.

And in the palace, Aria stood by the window watching the sun rise gracefully; she had been up all night; her mind had been unable to stop harboring thoughts of the happenings of the previous day. She had been unable to stop thinking of how stupid she had been, of how rashly she had risked her life. Her heart had mourned and her stomach had churned on thinking about what he must have thought of her, she had felt like burying her face in her pillows and screaming till her lungs gave out.

Yet, amidst all that, she somehow vividly remembered how his hand had encircled her waist, how he had held her against his chest as he saved her from the unforgiving water.

She blinked and cleared her throat quietly as she realized she had spaced out momentarily; lately she had been doing that a lot and it bothered her deeply, but she very well couldn’t help it, she couldn’t control her thoughts about him, she couldn’t control how her body responded when she did think about him.

‘He’s your master, your king’

She had said to herself countless times, but it had changed nothing. If anything, it had made her interest in him grow. From time to time she’d find herself visualizing his tall and imposing physique, his dark hair which fell to his shoulders ; how slick it had looked when wet, how sharply they had contrasted against his pale skin…..she swallowed a small lump that had suddenly formed in her throat.

She found herself recalling just how appealing he had looked when she gazed up at him as he took her in his arms, how full his brows and lashes had seemed when wet, how striking his grey eyes had been.

“My lady?”.

She blinked quickly and turned around on hearing her attendant’s voice approaching. She tried not to appear flustered as Nerissa walked up to her with her usual warm smile.

“Why are you up so early?”. She asked her, “Are you alright? You don’t have a cold, do you?”.

Nerissa had been around for as long as she could remember, she was like an elder sister to her; an elder sister who took care of all her needs.

She shook her head while trying to pull on a smile.

“No. I…I just woke up”. She lied.

Nerissa reached out and gently placed the back of her hand against her temple to ensure she wasn’t trying to hide a fever or something.

“You seem alright”. She said more to herself than to her.

Aria nodded.

“I told you”. She said quietly.

But was she truly alright? Lately she hadn’t been sure all was well with her.

“Yes yes, you’ll be having some mint tea nonetheless”. Nerissa said and all she could do was sigh.

“Oh and, you won’t be training today”. She said.

Her lips parted in protest but Nerissa spoke first.

“His Majesty’s orders”. She said.

Her eyes widened slightly and her heart fell to the pit of her stomach at the mention of him.

“Is….is he mad at me?”. She asked quietly.

She hadn’t thought about that till now, and the thought scared her.

Nerissa arched her brow slightly.

“Why would you think that?”. She asked her.

She averted her gaze from hers.

Perhaps he hadn’t told her that she had foolishly lost control and almost killed herself.

“I…I don’t know”. She replied quietly.

Nerissa smiled and shook her head.

“Come, it’s time to bath. You’ll be dining with his majesty at breakfast”. She told her.

Her heart fell to the pit of her stomach once more. Dinning with him was nothing new, yet she suddenly felt nervous now, it suddenly felt like she was being around him for the first time, suddenly felt like it wouldn’t be the same. Perhaps she was indeed coming down with a fever. Why else would she suddenly feel so hot from thinking about dining with him?

“Perhaps I….do feel faint”. She said quietly.

Nerissa’s eyes widened slightly.

“I suspected this would happen”. She said as she took her hand. “Come on, I’m sure a bath will help”.

“I think I just need a little more sleep”. She said quietly.

“My lady, you only just woke up”. Nerissa said to her.

Knowing she had nothing more to say, she let out a resigned breath and nodded.

“I'd like to wear my silver dress please”. She said quietly as she let her lead her away from the window.

She liked how she looked in the silver dress; she liked how it made her feel a little older than she truly was.

“As you wish”.

~~

It was only when Nerissa was done styling her hair that she began feeling rather exhausted; having stayed up all night was finally taking its toll, but she was determined to hold herself together till she was done with breakfast.

Somehow, she knew she would get scolded for what she had done yesterday, and though she wanted anything but that, she knew she had to face it eventually.

Her gaze lingered on the looking glass, lingered on her reflection; a petite young woman with soft and delicate features, her blue eyes being the only sharp and striking feature on her face. She was beautiful….and she was sure she didn’t look like a child anymore, but what she wasn’t sure of was why he continued to see her as one.

“You look lovely, My Lady, as always”. Nerissa said to her.

She pulled on a smile and nodded.

“Thank you”. She said quietly.

For how long would she keep living like this? For how long would she keep wishing he’d take a different interest in her? She wasn’t even sure she was making sense anymore. Glancing at her reflection once more, she turned around and headed out.

“Princess”. Her guards greeted her as they took their places behind her back.

She couldn’t understand why she had body guards till now. She was sure she could take care of herself; after all, she was The Wolf’s student. She took pride in that, she took pride in knowing the king, her master; Alder, son of Oak, was a descendant of great warriors and sorcerers, his father being the greatest sorcerer the land had seen before he passed away, and there was no doubt that he was even more powerful and skilled than his very own father.

He had trained her for eight years now and she was certain she could defend herself when she needed to, yet she had guards still, and it bothered her from time to time.

‘Will you teach me the ways of the sword, master?’. She had asked him once.

It was no secret that she had always looked up to him as an idol; he knew the ways of not just sorcery but the sword. He had always been a source of inspiration and awe for her.

‘I’m afraid I won’t, Aria’. Had been his response.

‘Why?’.

‘I cannot watch you wield such a weapon’. He had told her, ‘You’re too delicate for that”.

And that had been that, she had remained as delicate as he wanted her to be.