Connected to the King

Panic gripped me, making it hard to breathe as I ran. My legs burned with the effort, but I pushed on. The barks of wolf dogs and the click-clack of horse’s hooves made me look back in fear. They were gaining on me. My eyes burned from the constant flow of tears that streamed down my face as fear flowed through my veins. Holding my head in my hands, images of a grey skinned green-eyed man kept flashing in my mind, his evil smirk sent chills down my spine. A man I never wanted to see again. “I will find you girl. You can’t hide from me.” He snickered. My most trusted familiar, Tige let out a deafening screech from above the trees as he flew overhead. I glanced up, watching his wings disappear amongst the darkening sky as I ran further into the forest. Who the hell are those people! I screamed in my head. My panting quickened as I ran through the thick forest, branches snatching at my loose sleeves and pulling at my braid. Tige, where are y-you! I tried to communicate with my familiar and tripped over a large branch, crying out in shock as I took a rough tumble to the bottom of a deep trench. Leaves and forest foliage intertwined with my hair and robe, tearing the fabric in multiple places. Each time I rolled on the ground I felt a new scratch open on my exposed skin. Finally, I slammed into something hard and bounced to a stop. I moaned as I swayed in pain on the ground. Wincing, I checked my body over and looked to identify what I hit… a boulder, I realized, beside a stream. I reached up to my head as I felt something warm and wet run down. Blood, my fingers confirmed. I looked over my shoulder at the steep incline before turning back to the stream. I laid still for a moment to catch my breath and to listen for my pursuers. They must have heard me cry out and were coming for me. Instead, silence answered. Using the stone for support, I pulled myself up into a sitting position and looked around. Where did that trench come from? I thought as I tried to steady my breathing.  I felt a little dizzy, and I had to blink a few times to focus my eyes, but I managed to look around. I was terribly hidden behind the boulder and a bush, but I didn’t see any dogs or horses. I took the opportunity to conceal myself in the forest bed and twigs. Something told me that not hearing my pursuers anymore was a very bad sign. My breath hitched when the sounds of someone treading through the water caught my attention. Tears welled as I held my breath in anticipation. My heart sank to the bottom of my chest, and I could feel the blood drain from my face as I trembled with fear. The sloshing of water followed by the crunching of leaves and twigs stopped short of the boulder. Dare I look? I opened one eye and shifted my gaze up. A man stood staring down at me. A golden crown laid upon his head as his eyes scanned my body from head to toe. His strong jaw line and stoic stature made me lose my train of thought on my escape. His brown skin matched my own. He had raven black hair with fierce, honey-colored eyes. “Wh-who are you?” I stammered as I attempted to push myself from the forest floor. I cried out in pain as sparks of what felt like lightning shot down my back. The man’s eyes softened as I struggled to sit up. “You poor thing.” His voice was deep and sounded pleasant.   I didn’t like the pitiful look he was giving me, so I lowered my gaze. “Why?” I whispered. “What was that?” He questioned as he moved to the other side of the boulder towards my head.  I glanced at him, shaking my head in response, and our eyes locked. Then, I heard a gasp from behind and turned my head gingerly, so I didn’t cause myself more pain. “It’s her, My Lord. The girl with the colorful eyes.” a guard hollered from behind. Fear struck me again. I shifted my leg under my body as I pushed myself off the ground and leaned against the boulder holding my injured shoulder. The guard stumbled backward, colliding with the forest foliage as he tumbled. The sound of his armor clanging caused me to cover my ears as I dropped to my knees. “Please stop.” I whimpered. “Quiet down. You’re scaring the poor girl even more,” the man’s voice echoed through the forest. “You’re that witch’s daughter, aren’t you? She should have warned you not to leave your village. It’s dangerous out here for a little girl like you. What are you running away from?” his smile caused my heart to beat with anxiety. My eyes began to water as I stammered. “I—I didn’t know. I j-just needed to g-g-get away.” My hands shook as I brought them up to the wound on my head. I winced as I touched the exposed bone. Sliding a finger over the wound, I willed myself to heal it.  “S-sh-she really is a witch!” The guard yelled as he took off running through the forest. The man extended his hand to me shaking his head. “He’s never met a witch before.” I hesitated for a moment before placing my small hand into his giant one, and he gently pulled me to my feet. A tingling numbness in my cheeks gave me the impression that I was blushing from the simple touch. “Thank you...my lord.” I whispered, quickly pulling my hand from his as I steadied myself on the boulder. “It’s King Kincaid to you, witch!” Another guard sneered from behind.  The guards voice caused my muscles to tense. I stumbled backward in fear, using the cover of the boulder to conceal myself from him. His name sounded familiar. Marcus, Marcus, Marcus, Kin-caid…oh no. It can’t be him. The man who murdered countless people. He had taken over territories for the fun of it watching as the fire consumed whole villages. The king extended his arm to the guard, causing him to grow silent. That and the king’s scowl. “You can call me Marcus.” He said, his voice turning soft again as he spoke to me. “You will accompany me to the castle. It’s too cold for you to be out in the wilderness by yourself. I have transport so you can rest your feet.” Marcus raised his brow awaiting my answer, one hand outstretched toward me to grasp. I fiddled with the hem of my sleeve. My nerves refused to muster up the courage to speak. Instead, I nodded in response.   “You.” Marcus pointed at another guard who wallowed hard, “Go retrieve the carriage and my horse, and be quick about it. We didn’t leave it too far behind. It’s getting cold, and we mustn’t keep the lady waiting.” Marcus growled.  The heavy thud and rustling of the leaves on the forest floor caused me to look up at Marcus. The guard hurried off down the pathway I had come through during my escape to do as he was bade. “So, may I ask your name?” Marcus crouched beside me. “I’m A—Aurora…” My eyes never left his as I felt his hand graze my injured shoulder. I winced, pulling away from him and shifted my gaze to his hand, blinking in confusion. “My king, why are you treating her as such? She’s Minerva’s daughter, you know she will kill us all.” a guard asked. Marcus looked over his shoulder at the man. “I would hold your beating heart in my hand before she would be able to kill you.” “We’ve rid the area of witches before. What makes you think she won’t turn on you to avenge the others?” Marcus ignored the guard, he brought his hand up and pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling a harsh breath before turning his attention back to me and motioned for me to remove my robe. I shook my head, shutting my eyes and pushed myself from the boulder, taking a wobbly step back as the dizziness invited itself back into my head. The thought of his conversation with the guard pushed my curiosity as to why he was out here. “Aurora, let me take a look.” Marcus stated sternly. I settled my screaming nerves and pulled my robe down to inspect the black and blue bruising that began to form. Marcus clicked his tongue and pulled my robe off altogether, revealing the barrage of bruises caused by my fall. I could not hold my tears back any longer as they pooled in my eyes. I wrapped my arms around myself to cover my exposed skin and witchy markings from Marcus. My gown was in no shape to cover parts of my legs or torso as it was riddled in tears. The clicking of a latch caught my attention. I tilted my head in the direction of the sound as Marcus removed his fur cloak and wrapped it around my small frame, clasping it in place. I couldn’t help but give him a nervous smile. “Thank you.” I said in a hoarse whisper. Marcus responded with a simple nod and turned his head back toward the trail as the crunching of twigs, creaking of wooden wheels and the huffing of an animal approached. I grinned at the sight of a marble-coated stallion. “He’s beautiful,” I whispered. I extend my hand to his snout. “What’s your name,” I asked, feeling my heart flutter and nerves settle as the tips of my fingers contacted his skin. Marcus stepped up to the stallion. I jerked my hands back as he ran his hand down its neck. It huffed on contact and bobbed its head. “This is Gaius, he will be pulling your carriage back to the castle.” He stated as he gently grabbed my hand, leading me to the side of the carriage. “Maxwell, you’re driving. I’ll be accompanying Aurora back here.” He shouted to a guard before returning his attention to me. After opening the door, Marcus lifted me into the carriage without hesitation. “You are a small thing, aren’t you? When was the last time you ate anything?” Marcus asked when he climbed in after me and occupied the adjacent seat.  I winced and sucked in a breath as I took a seat on the plush cushioned bench not realizing my backside was bruising too. Marcus’ eyes never shifted from mine. “I... uh, it’s been a couple of days at least.” I let out a nervous chuckle. His eyes widened. “What? Days?” he began searching the dark carriage for something he never seemed to find. “I’m okay.” I placed my hand on his to reassure him. At that moment, my tummy let out a growl. My cheeks filled with heat. “Oh, dear.” Marcus let out a hearty laugh, holding his stomach, “Oh really? Your body says otherwise, Miss Aurora.” The sudden pull from the carriage threw me from my seat and into Marcus’ lap. His arms wrapped around me as I shut my eyes tightly. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to…” I stammered. “Shh, you’re okay. It’s okay. Don’t worry about it, Aurora.” He cooed, his hand gripped me by the back of my head, yanking me backward, “Make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Nodding, I slowly pushed myself out of his arms and returned to my seat. Cautiously pulling my knees to my chest trying not to cause myself any more pain as I sat in the corner of the carriage.  He’s upset. I didn’t mean to touch him. I’m dead, this is it. This is how I die. My thoughts came flooding into my mind as I rested my head on my knees. “Aurora.” Marcus called out to me. I lifted my head; my eyelids were droopy due to the adrenaline wearing down. “Yes, My Lord?” “Why were you running?” He asked. I bit my bottom lip to keep it from trembling, as I turned my gaze down to his boots. “I-I needed to be far away from them.” My eyes watered as panic rose in my chest. “When I heard the dogs a-and your men I couldn’t stop running and take the chance that you were them.” My long breaths turned to short pants as if my lungs were refusing air. Marcus crossed the carriage and gently pulled me into his lap, pressing my head to his chest. I listened to his steady heartbeat. I was confused by this gesture, but the steady thump of his heart eased my hyperventilation, leveling my breathing and calmed my nerves down, I was slowly pulled into a deep sleep. The area around me was pitch black. The void in the back of everyone’s mind is always black. But something was off. It was as if someone was with me. Clinging to the cloak around my shoulders I slowly spun around to find the source of my uneasy feeling and landed on a pair of glowing green eyes once again. It was the man from before. When I was running through the forest. Why is he after me? “You can run but you can’t hide from me woman. You are mine!” A wrinkled hand outstretched toward my face. I stepped back and screamed, shutting my eyes tightly. I was gently shaken, jolting awake. The feeling of someone stroking my hair and the shouting of men pushed my consciousness to the surface. I let out a low cry, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. “Bad dream?” Marcus’ chest vibrated as he spoke causing me to yelp. I nodded before realizing I was still in his lap. “Oh! I didn’t realize I was still in your lap!” I cried as I scrambled off him, falling onto the floor of the carriage with a heavy thud. “Ouch!” Marcus chuckled as he watched me become flustered. He shook his head as he extended his hand to me. “Welcome to your new home.” I took his hand and instantly felt my cheeks heat up. All I could do was nod in response as I exited the carriage. The large stone structure made my jaw drop once my eyes adjusted to the dimly lit area of what I assumed to be the courtyard. “Wow.” I whispered to myself. The castle gates were taller than two stories high. The two watch towers held a half a dozen men each with torches and the castle flag. It was too dark to make out any other details but from the eerie shadow of the building I was able to tell that this place was massive.  A low neigh and a huff sounded from the front of the carriage. I turned to Gaius and saw a slew of maids and other servants with their heads bowed. Gaius’ eyes were focused on me. My bare feet shuffled across the rocks as I made my way over to him and gave his neck a stroke. He neighed in response to the touch. “He seems to like you.” Marcus’ voice came from behind. “Animals do take a liking to me.” I replied, turning my gaze to him, a saddened smile upon my lips as my mind thought back to the earlier conversation. What was he doing out in the middle of the forest? He turned on his heel, heading towards the front gates. “It’s getting cold, Miss Aurora. Let’s get you inside.” He raised his hand and snapped. “You hear me? The dining chamber must be set, ladies, as well as her living quarters, ready it now!” He commanded to the maids. His voice pulled my heartstrings making me cringe. I lowered my head and shivered as I followed suit. I will never get used to his voice being so loud. Once inside, I raised my head, gawking as I took in my new surroundings.  The chandelier hanging from the foyer ceiling was laced in rusted gold, with old mounds of wax from previous candles. The cobblestone floors have seen better days, as were the walls. The walls were covered with portraits of previous Kings and Queens before Marcus. “This castle is amazing!” I squealed, causing everyone to turn their attention to me.  Collective gasps sounded as I peered around at each of them. Everyone around me began to whisper to one another. “Is she a witch?” One murmured. “Oh my god, look at her eyes!” another maid yelled. One maid stood out to me, an older, brown-skinned woman with a small smile across her lips. She bowed her head to me once her light brown eyes connected with mine. I instantly felt drawn to her like an invisible web pulling me in her direction. I took a step towards her, and a man shoved himself between her and me. His eyes narrowed. “What do you think you’re doing?” he was a tall light-skinned man draped in chainmail from head to toe, sneered. A scar across his left eye gave him a mean stature with messy dark curls that draped over his head and his hands were riddled with scars and bruised knuckles. Marcus stepped between the man and me. He towered over him as he moved me to the side. “You better watch your tongue, Dominic. The woman before you belongs to me.” His head swiveled through the chamber. “Everyone, this is Aurora.” His voice ricocheted off the walls as he gazed around the room. My jaw hit the floor in shock as my brain screamed. What? Am I a slave now? How? This day couldn’t possibly get worse. I loudly groaned, causing everyone to turn to me. s**t. What if that man tries to— oh no. I kept these thoughts to myself as I felt a hand slip around my waist, his fingers pressed against a bruise that caused me to let out a painful moan. Marcus quickly removed his hand from my waist and knelt in front of me. “Are you ok?” he grumbled, scanning me over. I nodded and rubbed my side. “I-I’ll be alright. There’s a bruise there.” I whispered to him. Whispers broke out amongst those in attendance when Marcus catered to me. With one swift motion Marcus had removed his sword and plunged it into one of the offending maidens’ chests without hesitation. Marcus turned toward the group; his eyes narrowed as he pulled the sword from her limp body. “Does anyone else have anything to say?” I slapped my hand over my mouth to muffle my cry. Marcus sighed heavily and pulled me into his arms, the warmth radiating from him calmed my nerves as I instinctively nuzzled my head into his chest, but I knew this feeling wouldn’t last forever. “She looks like a rodent.” Dominic burst into laughter, pointing to me as other guards joined in. The maids lowered their heads, as they kept to themselves. I felt Marcus’ chest vibrate before he placed me back on the floor. His charming smile slowed down my racing thoughts and rising panic as he knelt in front of me once more. Before he turned back around, Marcus raised his hand and snapped his finger, turning his attention to the maid. “Mariam, escort Aurora to the dining chamber for dinner. I have some business to attend to.” Marcus shifted his gaze back to me, “I’ll meet you there.” He gave me a stern look and rose, turning back to Dominic. The woman I had seen before appeared by my side; she was slightly taller than me with greying hair; her head lowered. “Milady Aurora. Will you please follow me? I’m afraid it’s about to get quite messy.” The crow’s feet on either side of her eyes smiled as she did. Grabbing my hand, she pulled me out of the foyer. I glanced over my shoulder as Marcus grabbed Dominic by his hauberk. Dominic’s dark eyes concentrated on me. The smirk that formed across his face caused my heart to race but his demeanor towards me made me shudder as I moved around the corner. Why did he kill the maiden but not that man? I thought and shook the eerie feeling. The click of a tongue pulled me from my thoughts as I turned my attention back to Mariam. “Oh dear, this will not do. We need to get you properly dressed for dinner. Come, I’ll show you to your chamber and we can get you changed.” She guided me down a chilled candlelit corridor, releasing my hand as we approached a corner. “This will be your chamber,” Mariam’s calm voice sounded as we rounded a corner, with her arm extended she allowed me to walk through the door first.  I slightly bowed my head and stepped forward. Reaching for the cold brass handle, I pulled the dark wooden door open. It creaked as it swung on old, rusted hinges. My eyes widened as I gazed around the chamber in curiosity. In a corner against the wall was a lively fireplace, pre-lit to heat the chamber before my arrival. A silky red comforter and pillows were skillfully placed on the old wooden canopy bed with a sheer black curtain draping the sides. To the left was a black nightstand with brass handles. To the right side of the chamber stood a large metal wardrobe, tall enough to house an extensive collection of clothing, with one door ajar. I tiptoed over to the closet and gazed over the gowns, robes, dresses, and slippers. “These are mine?” I asked Mariam, turning my gaze to her. I could not hold back my excitement and bounce on my toes. She stood beside the door with her hands clasping one another in high hopes of my approval.  “Yes, my dear, I hand made some of your clothing prior to your arrival. It’s the least I could do. I had never seen your style of dress before.” Mariam smiled warmly.  “Oh, how did you know I was coming?” I mumbled as I moved away from her. A long breath escaped my lips. She refused to answer. “Could you at least tell me how Marcus found me then?” She shot me a toothy grin, “I just told him to be in that area during a specific time of day.” I gave her a tight-lipped smile and turned to the wardrobe, unsure of what to choose. I did not want to draw too much attention to myself as I already had. “Oh, there are so many to choose from, so many in the most beautiful of colors.” My eyes widened. I shifted my attention to my tresses. “My hair, it’s a mess.” I pulled my long braid to the front and began to unravel the rest of it, losing my focus on the wardrobe. Mariam’s hands appeared in my view. I stopped and turned my attention to her. My eyes watered, “I don’t know what to do… this is all too much for one day.” I looked at the hem of my torn and tattered gown. “Milady, it’s all right, don’t worry. I’m here to help you. Let me at least brush the twigs and dirt out of your hair while you choose a color. You can bathe after dinner.” Her voice made my heart melt as my nerves calmed. I took a deep breath and nodded. Stepping toward the wardrobe once more, I scanned for a color that wouldn’t cause too much commotion. Not revealing yet simple. Suddenly a plum-purple robe and gown caught my eye. I reached for the gown, pulled it from the hook, and turned to Mariam with a smile. “This one.” I laid it on the bed. “This will be the one for tonight.” Once she finished brushing through my hair, removing all its impurities, and wiping the blood, dirt, and grime from my hands and face, Mariam helped me out of the tattered and torn fabric. My gaze shifted to my body, revealing a series of tattoos and swirls that remained on my torso and back as I moved over to a full-length mirror. My smile faded into a frown as my opalescent eyes lay upon these symbols across my body. Quickly, I slipped into the plum-colored gown and robe.  “You said there were sandals? Are those in the wardrobe as well?” I asked. Mariam shuffled over to the wardrobe and turned to me, placing a matching pair of sandals in front of me. She knelt and wiped my dirty feet with a wet rag that I did not see her retrieve and slipped the sandals on before she rose. Mariam dusted her hands and smiled at me. “We are ready to join the king for dinner now.”