BLOOD AND Lightening

Chapter 8

"I have rummaged Arvernien and I haven't seen a sign of this maiden" Thanatos reports with defeat

"Could it be she has been killed, we aren't the only ones who despise witches, humans are scary, they burn down witches" Eros added with a smile that gained a deep frown from Haldir

"She is alive," Haldir said with a crooked brow

"Why are you so sure? How can you still believe the word of a witch, master, this is unlike you" Thanatos said with a worried expression.

Haldir stood at the highest ground of the mountain looking down at Arvernien, the very land he was cursed in, a century ago. it would have been called bluffing if he didn't encounter this maiden himself, her eyes glowed nothing but white almost like lightning, and her voice sent chills all over his body, she spread her hands and lightning like the witch prophesied threw him over the huge tree outside the cabin before he knew what was happening he was already vomiting blood and couldn't lift his body.

It took him a couple of nights to recover from the pain she caused him.

"If truly she is the one then not even humans can kill her, one with power as strong as that wouldn't be defeated easily"...

" His Majesty has been nothing but good to me" Nimai defended with a frown while wondering why anyone could hate him

" his majesty is known as the mysterious royal, nobody actually knows of his personality, we only know of the famous story of how he is the least favorite child to his father, people tend to follow along, they just started hating him too because of that" Rebecca explains

“ Are you perhaps among those that went along with the hate?” Nimai inquired referring to her mates

“Have you seen his Majesty, his handsome face, face, and a body sculpted by the heavens, how would we hate such divine creation” Belle answered without batting an eyelid gaining laughter from the others except for Nimai

“His Majesty seems to be fond of you,” Amaya said for the first time, she wasn't just the oldest but also the quietest, she rarely engages herself but sits while observing everybody, she had her eyes trained on Nimai the whole time observing how annoyed she seemed

“ Why do you think so?” Nimai asked softly

“Ever since his Majesty became the Emperor he had never concerned himself in with servants promotion, rarely has history recorded of Emperors promoting maids and not one from the lowest status, and again ever since you begin serving we began to see his Majesty around repeatedly” Amaya elaborated

Nimai was taken aback, once again she can't tell if it was coming from a place of mockery or concern.

“ His Majesty's rein hasn't been up to two full moons yet so it would be quite too early to say he wasn't always concerned about the matters of his servants, isn't that?”

Nimai asked locking eyes with Amaya who only nodded quietly which again made her rethink her tone, was she picking a fight that didn't exist, it was becoming harder to be familiar with folks, it's hard to tell when they aren't mocking you. She sat quietly on her mattress while everybody was retiring to sleep, she slowly got up and began walking out of the room.

“Where are you going?” she heard the tiny voice of Asteria asking her

“Am just going for fresh air okay” she assured smiling at Asteria who nodded and lay down back.

Nimai stood under the wild tree, Odede didn't come out which wasn't a surprise, she rarely comes out ever since she came to the East palace, it made her realize that Odede was a wonderful human, Odede knew of her condition in the west and knew she had no one to talk to and made it a point of duty to come out for her every day even when she wasn't strong enough but now she has friends, she rested the days she couldn't make it outside.

“Are you up there mother, did you really become a star like in the tales, are you seeing me now?” Nimai said looking up into the sky, the tears which she thought she has grown incapable of streaming down her eyes

“Mother, you suffered a lot, I hope you are now free up there, hope you are not suffering and very far away from father, is father up there too? I hope he is in hell”

“We both hate our Fathers Don't we?” a voice said,

Nimai turned around to see the Emperor standing beside her looking up in the sky too.

“Greetings your Majesty,” she said lowering her back to greet him and wondering how come she didn't notice his presence and for how long he has been listening to her, the king slowly closed the gap between them and slowly wiped the tears in her face, the tears she had forgotten were in her face, his touch jolted her body, she was taken aback by the Emperor's kindness and slowly moved her face from his touch.

“Tears do not fit in at all in your beautiful face,” the Emperor said “Do not be broken by that which had happened to you rather use it as a tool”

The confusing words of his majesty comforted Nimai, and she hated herself for the new tears forming and threatening to escape her eyes.

“Do not cry anymore, crying won't bring back what you have lost, it would only make you look pitiful in the eyes of others” The Emperor continued in a calm voice

“I am sorry your majesty, you are very kind your majesty,” Nimai said forcing a bitter smile

“Don't apologize either, you've done nothing wrong to me, do not think you have nobody Nimai, you have me, I am the Emperor of this land so you are my people, my person, I am here to help you and guide you,” The Emperor said with a smile while Nimai nodded confusely

“Why do you hate your father?”

“I do not hate my father” Nimai lied shamelessly avoiding the gaze of the Emperor, her mannerism completely changed, and she confidently turned away from the Emperor facing the sky, he was a bit taken aback by her unexpected magnetism but still maintained his tone.

“You can tell me anything Nimai, I understand you the most and wouldn't judge you like every other person, I hate my father too” Gildor said with a mellow voice, Nimai’s heart softened remembering the story surrounding the Emperor, she turned looking at him, her eyes mellowed wondering how he survived all these years with the hate, she‘s only been going through it for a full moon but imagine how it was for somebody that has been going through it all his life, her body reacted before her, she slowly grabbed the hands of the Emperor and placed her palm on his.

“You must have been so lonely dear,” she said with a concerned voice locking eyes with the Emperor whose body reacted strangely to her touch, his tongue tied together and his eyes suddenly avoiding hers, he was unfamiliar with the tone being used by Nimai, a concerned tone, the last time a person looked at him like that was when his mother was alive which was decades ago, for a moment he nearly forgot that Nimai was a very important tool he needed to cage for his ambitions.

Nimai immediately removed her hand realizing she just crossed the line, she just grabbed the Emperor's hand like he is an ordinary person, she just committed a crime

“Am so sorry your Majesty, I must have lost my mind, I didn't know what took over me, I accept any punishment for my offense, I have overstepped my boundaries”

The Emperor smiled and slowly took Nimai’s palm and placed them in his

“You have done nothing wrong Nimai, I consider you a friend and trusted servant of mine, because I resonant so well with you, a friend of the Emperor can touch him without worrying”

Nimai stood with her mouth gapped from the new development, the Emperor considered her his friend. Was he that lonely to pick a low-born like her and make her his friend, was that why he saved her because he saw himself in her and pitied her? Nimai's mind goes forth and back

“Your majesty, I would be in great danger if I am seen like this with you” Nimai finally said realizing that the manner they are is like that of lovers,

“No one dares to touch my friend, I am the Emperor after all,” he said and slowly detached from her, he stood a few steps from her with his hands folded behind.

“Am still to hear why you hate your father?” he asked with a smile

“My Father was an abuser” she slowly answered “Every day was like hell with him, especially for my mother, he would beat her up unprovoked for no reason whatsoever and when I try to stop him, I get my fair share of the beating”

“I didn't know that men like that really excited, I only heard in stories but never believed a man could beat his own wife and,” The Emperor said

“It's not a rare occurrence your Majesty, I know so many families might be experiencing what I and my mother experienced but are afraid to talk about it,” Nimai said nonchalantly

“It's not surprising to me, my Father wasn't a wife beater but he did beat me up a lot of times that I lost count, a king isn't supposed to be flawed but I am a king with so many scars caused from the constant beating from my own Father and just like you, I wish he is in hell too,” Emperor Gildor said while looking at the sky, Nimai dared not to speak badly of a royal whether died or alive especially not in front of a royal, an Emperor at that.

She only looked at the Emperor fondly and felt sorry for him, she wasn't very good with words and doesn't know how to comfort people with words, she would always give hugs and back pats to her mother while comforting her, and she wouldn't dare touch the king again.

“What again did you say you saw on the night of your parents death?”

The Emperor asked from nowhere...