The Kingdom Without Love

Chapter 2 - Love Has Limits

Lorina ♝

My life is far from being considered easy. A groan escaped from my lips as I wiped the sweat slowly dripping from my forehead. This summer heat is getting more and more intense by the day, I thought. I bent my legs so that my knees were lying on the ground. My hands were covered with filthy garments. I couldn't resist scrunching my nose at that awful scent. It was almost unbearable.

No wonder my mother would always urge me to do the laundry. She didn't want to do it herself. I had to do the dirty work. As always, I puffed out. I should be doing much better things than washing stupid clothes.

The luscious sounds of the river streams and water splashing together slowly brought me to ease. Just something about nature gave me happiness. How the trees dance in the winds, the white rabbits jumping together, the feathery summer green grass. Nature has always appealed to me, ever since I was young. Sometimes I would spend hours rolling through the grass. Just imagining I was a princess in a palace.

But now I can't even appreciate nature like I used to because I'm always so busy.

I refocused on my chores and used my hands to scrub the dirty laundry. Dumping the clothes in and out of the water from the river, I scrubbed them again. My arms ached with fatigue and they honestly felt like they were about to fall off.

Doing the laundry is one of the many chores I would have to complete by sunset. I felt myself unconsciously roll my eyes. Why do women have to do all the housework? Seems pretty unfair to me.

Sometimes I feel like I would be more free if I saw life as an adventure, rather than a chore to get done. I really need to escape from this hard life. But I can't, I'm just stuck here in a bird cage. If I could fetch a job, I wouldn't be stuck in the house all day. My situation is just so unbelievably frustrating.

After I was done, I quickly dusted the dirt off my knees and put the clean clothes in a bucket. I inhaled deeply as I used all my strength to carry that heavy bucket. Since the clothes were still wet, they probably weighed a good 20 pounds. Carrying heavy buckets all the way home is my least favorite thing to do.

I lived near a small village. The average peasant like myself shares the same lifestyle. It isn't much. But I'm very grateful to at least have a roof under my head and with food on the table. In my village, everybody knows everybody. If you stir up trouble, people are going to know everything about you within 24 hours. And it isn't pretty.

I headed through the crowded food markets full of people selling chopped meats and other goods. Food markets are the most chaotic and complicated. There were sellers frantically yelling, and buyers constantly bargaining down the prices to get a better deal. However, even in this chaotic mess, it reminds me of home.

The view of the food markets trailed down in the distance. As I headed further deep into the village, my house stood in the clearing. The familiar old and musty wood came into my view. Honestly, my house looked like it was about to crumble down any second now. Sadly, my family can't afford any changes right now. The windows were cracked, and the door creeked as it opened.

Home sweet home.

My hand touched the door nob and I pushed it open. Rays of sunlight came from the window. I dropped the bucket on the table and went over to the sink. The dishes also needed to be washed, yet again. Footsteps from upstairs slowly came down the steps. Instantly I knew what footsteps they belonged to. Just great.

"Lorina! You came early. Did you finish washing those garments?" She questioned, lifting up her eyebrows as she leaned into the bucket. Her hair was messy and she still had her nightclothes on.

"Yes Ma, but I need to wash those dishes." I answered, hoping she wouldn't find something to critique about. All my mom does is stay home all day, and expect me to do all the chores.

Her facial expression flipped in an instant, "These clothes haven't been drained out! You don't want them to spoil and smell bad if they've been soaked in water." She scolded coldly, pushing me out the way and grabbing the bucket in her hands.

"Well? Why are you just standing there? These chores aren't going to get done themselves!" She grumbled, making her way into the yard.

She muttered something under her breath but I wasn't interested in finding out. I sighed in response. It was just another tantrum. I found it was better off to say nothing, than let the argument escalate. I'm definitely not going to waste my time and breath on her.

My body turned to face the sink. I poured the water bucket into the sink and used a rag to wash the dishes. After I was done, I dried the clean dishes with a cloth. I went over to get the broom, and swiftly swept the creaky wooded floors. It was quite appealing to see the house nice and tidy, rather than a messy house.

Abruptly, the sound of a soft knock on the door diverted my attention. I dropped the broom, "Coming!" I yelled. The sound of my voice just couldn't hide the excitement. My hand touched the door nob as I opened the door. My best friend, Katherine stood. Her familiar brown hair and hazel eyes, which I absolutely adore. Katherine is like my forever soulmate, it was like we were meant to be.

Her lips formed into a smile, "Lori! Oh, I missed you so much." She leaned in and gave me a light hug. It felt as if her hug held the most sincere feeling of absolute bliss.

I felt myself smile, her energy was so contagious! If she was happy, then I would be happy as well. "How do you miss me if we spoke yesterday?"

"That felt like a thousand years ago. I always miss you. And I need to have my daily conversation with the best person in the world." She chuckled as she tapped my forehead teasingly.

"Of course, and you shall get it, princess." I said jokingly while making a curtsy bow.

She grabbed my arms to lead me outside. But then I realized I wasn't done with my chores. "Wait! I didn't complete all my chores. Mother would get quite angry..." I said with a worried expression. I let go of her hand in my arms.

She shook her head, "Lorina, who cares about her? She needs to understand you can't do chores all day long. Just this once, let it slide." Her hands were back on my arm. "Now let's go, we can walk around the village."

She's right. My mom needs to understand, now that I'm getting older. I can't stay cooped up in house all day. I lifted my chin high in clear defiance and shut the door behind me.

Since it was late in the day, the sun wasn't so scorching. There was a wonderful breeze that anyone could relax in. Almost all the peasants were outside. Young children giggling and playing tag. Older peasants read books. Katerine led me to the center of the village where we sat on a bench.

"I have some news to share with you. A person that I met a few weeks ago." She confessed as her eyes gazed down at her hands. I was a little hurt she kept something a secret. Me and Katherine always tell each other everything, no matter what it is. So this must be important.

"Who is this person?" I questioned. I wondered if she had made a new friend.

"A boy. I think I fell in love with him. His smile is so charming and kind. He's a family of great farmers... he's so very smart-" She babbled, her lips moved so fast I didn't process a few of the words.

"You fell in love? As a friend thing?" I stared at her dumbfounded, tilting my head to the side. The things that she was saying made me wonder how it felt to be in love. What does it even mean to love?

She half smiled, "No silly, love means something more. Love is the strongest emotion you can feel." She said softly. I sat silently, which gave her the queue to continue, "Love is when you feel butterflies in your stomach, love is when you do anything for a person. No matter what."

"Well... I never felt like that before." I assume love must be as magical just as she described it. Though I have never experienced love, I felt excited even hearing about it. None of the boys in my village ever caught my attention. So I guess love must be a hard and long journey to find.

"Is this boy a peasant like us?" I asked.

"Of course. Peasants like us can't marry superiors, we need to stay within our class." She explained, looking into my eyes.

I straighten up. This was new information to me. "Do you know why that is?" If love is so magical, why does it have to matter to your social class? Does that mean love has limits and boundaries? This was honestly so confusing.

She sighed while slumping her shoulders, "That's just the way it is. We peasants don't have it good." Her face was just as unsure as mine. Maybe she knows that feels wrong as I do. Just because someone is born a peasant doesn't mean they're automatically inferior. We peasants are good people. We're just the same as someone who's rich like a Noble or a leader like a King.

"Anyways, let's walk around. I'm tired of sitting down all day."

We walked near the crowds. There was a bit of commotion and people in crowds whispering together. The noise of horses and a beautiful carriage caught my attention. The sharp-eyed horses dashed in the wind. They looked like they were well taken care of because of their muscular build and deep torso. These horses were very different from the horses that the peasants had.

I watched as I overhead some conversation in the crowd.

"Could they be from the palace?" Someone said.

"Has the King wanted to see us?" Another one said.

The horses came to a salt. I noticed they had a long cloth around their torso, with the letter 'K' that was written on it. I looked at Katherine with a confused look on my face. She shrugged her shoulders.

A man came out of the carriage. He had on an elegant suit with a red and gold-lined hat. He walked towards the center of the crowd with a paper in his hand. The whispers grew even louder as people wondered in curiosity.

"A message from the palace!" The man yelled, putting the paper high in the air. He must be a messanger. But what does the palace want from us?

The man took the paper in front of him and began to read out loud. "We are accepting 35 maids from this village to serve the King. It is a great honor that the King allows peasants to enter his palace. Those who are chosen will serve the King for a total of 365 days. You cannot leave under that amount. Each maid will be given a monthly pay check." He finished.

The King?!? My eyes glistened in excitement at this new opportunity. Though working for an entire year will be a challenge, I'm sure I could do it. This is the right moment to finally get out of this village and explore the world myself.