"Welcome Home Your Highness" the maids bowed and greeted their Prince
The Prince wordlessly moved past the maids through the entrance, and up the stairs towards his room. Following closely behind was a small figure with pointy ears and a simple white dress.
Once the Prince reached his room he began loosening his robes, freeing himself of his garment and flopped onto his bed proceeding to pass out; immediately falling asleep.
When the girl following behind him saw him stripping his clothes, she blushed. Her cheeks rosy with panic and dread.
'aahhhh! what should I do?!?' she screamed internally, she didn't expect things to develop so quickly. She was not mentally prepared for this!
But then a moment later he fell over onto his large bed, immediately falling asleep. '~phheeww~ thank goodness' she thought to herself as a sense of relief washed over her, calming her nerves.
When the prince threw off his robe she couldn't help but notice his extremely toned body. Every fiber of his muscles well defined. He had faint white scars riddled all over his body, some darker than others. His skin was a mix between the white scar tissue and a light bronze. His face was the only part of him that was not covered in scars, however when she looked closer she noticed slight discoloration of his bronze skin making him appear lighter than what his original bronze face would have looked like.
'....what did he have to go through to cause so much damage...' she wondered. Healers must have treated his face to prevent scarring but they weren't fully able to restore his skin.
'well....what now? he is asleep and I don't know what to do...' feeling dejected and lost the girl looked around the room while she contemplated.
The Prince's room was not as lavish as the Inner Palace, it felt more charming and homely. The floor was marble and mostly covered in a soft white rug that warmed her feet. At the center of the room was the large bed that the sleeping prince was currently on. There was a fireplace a few feet away from the bed, and in front of the fireplace was a small couch and table. The wall to the right of the bed was made of glass and leads out to a patio with a small garden. The wall to the left of the bed had a door to the bathroom, and a short hall leading to the entrance. The room had magic crystals embedded in the walls that illuminated the space when activated.
After a moment of looking around, the girl heard footsteps approaching the Prince's room. Her heart beating faster in anxiety as she remained rooted in place, unsure of what to do.
A moment later a maid entered, she briefly glances at the young girl, then focused her attention on the Prince. She climbed onto the bed and pulled the Prince to the center, moving his unconscious body to a more comfortable sleeping position. She then covered him with a blanket before climbing out of the bed.
"...Um..." The girl nervously approaches the maid.
"..." the maid ignores her as she picks up the prince's robe.
"..ex...u-um..." She tried to say, struggling to get the maids attention.
"..." the maid brushed past the young girl without a word, and leaves the room after picking up the robe. Closing the door behind her.
The girl is alone again her heart now racing with fear and anxiety, the Prince was sound asleep and she was still feeling lost in the unfamiliar environment.
A couple of hours pass by like this as she remains standing at the foot of the bed. Her heart no longer racing with anxiety or fear, and her nerves have calmed down enough for her to start feeling tired from todays ordeal.
She slowly gave into her tiredness and slumped onto the soft rug, thoughts of the last few months flowing into her mind.
Since her capture she has been transported from one location to another, each time questioned and inspected by Healers. In the last few months Healers and Alchemist visited her daily to check her health and to administer potions meant to cleanse her body of impurities. Some potions simply warmed her body, while others felt like fire coursing through her veins. When she consumed the potions that made her feel like she was burning alive it would leave her drenched in sweat and in a puddle of black tar that smelled rancid. This process consumed most of her thoughts and energy leaving her very little time to think about the past she was taken away from.
For the first time in months she finally has a moment to breathe, but rather than relief she is struck by the nightmare she has been forced to endure. All for the sake of the prince sleeping comfortably in his bed.
Tears started streaming down her face, while thoughts of her past haunted her mind. She wept softly on the ground for another hour before she succumbed to exhaustion and falling asleep.
--[Noon]--
A maid walks into the Prince's room and sees Prince Reign sound asleep on his bed, and the little girl sleeping on the rug by the foot of his bed. She came to ask if the Prince wanted lunch today but since he was still sleeping she did not disturb him. She walked to the wall behind the head of the bed touching it, sending a bit of her magic energy into the wall. A room opened up revealing Reigns walk-in closet. She grabbed a warm blanket from a shelf before sealing the closet, then walked over to the young girl sleeping on the rug and placed the blanket over her. Afterwards she went to the glass wall leading to the patio and touched it, sending a bit of magic through, adjusting the tint of the glass to lower the natural sunlight streaming into the room.
After making sure both the Prince and girl were sleeping comfortably she left.
--[Evening]--
"nnhhhmm" groaned the young girl, as she woke up feeling a bit sore from sleeping curled up in a ball.
'hmm, what's this?' she thought noticing the blanket that fell from her body as she sat up.
Feeling warmth on her back and the light of a fire flickering against the wall in front of her, she turns around to see a majestic fire burning in the fireplace. Grabbing the blanket, she stands up and moves to the couch to sits down, wrapping the blanket back around her. The blanket helps ease her mind, bringing some comfort in an otherwise emotionally taxing day.
As she sat staring at the fire, thoughts of her family and village started streaming through her mind.
She was born in a small village tucked away in the middle of Sipar forest, most villagers there lived a simple life harvesting what they needed from the forest that protected them.
She had two younger brothers, Six and Nine years old, her being the eldest at Sixteen. Everyday she would help her mother gather supplies in the forest, while their father would hunt. At night she and her ten year old brother would help their mother prepare the food before they cleaned and set the table for dinner. After dinner her father would tell them stories of his past adventures, spooky folklore, or interesting stories about their village.
Some days they didn't need to gather supplies which allowed her to go out and explore the forest like her father used to when he was younger. She loved discovering new critters, or stumbling across strange plants. Her life was simple but every day she woke up eager to experience what life had to offer!
On one such day that her family didn't need help gathering supplies, she left the house early in the morning eager to explore the forest. She made her way down to her favorite spot by the river close to the village and attempted to catch the fish swimming up stream. After a few hours of failing to catch any fish she gave up and made her way deeper into the forest.
Coming across an old abandoned cave she had found previously and built a makeshift shelter in, she enters and retrieves her handmade bow and arrows. Weapon in hand she heads back out into the forest in search of small critters to hunt.
After a few hours of shooting at small critters and missing, she finally shot and killed a small furry creature with a long bushy tail. Running over to pick up her first kill of the day feeling a sense of accomplishment. 'YES!! I did IT! I caught one!" she thought jumping up and down in a mini celebration.
She collected her prize and took a look up at the sky, trying to gauge how much daylight she had left. Noting that the sun was well past mid sky and was going to set in a couple of hours, she decides to call it a day and made her way back to the village. A little less than an hour later she has made it to the outskirts of her village. She stopped by the river to clean her catch before heading home. As she is knee deep in the river cleaning the critter, she notices that the forest seemed strangely quiet.
'huh...I can't hear any of the villagers, or any kids playing...or animals rustling..' silence, nothing but an eerie silence.
With an ominous feeling in her gut, she runs in the direction of her families house. Through bushes, past trees, over rocks, and just before she breaks through the dense foliage of the forest and into the clearing next to her home a hand reaches out in front of her face. Smothering her vision in blackness.
~gasp!~ She's jerked back to reality, her heart racing again. The crackling of the fireplace in front of her and the warmth of the room; the Prince's room. Her village is gone, and everyone in it. This is her new life now, a servant to the Prince, realizing this she begins to quietly sob again.
~soft sounds of sobbing~
'hmm what is that noise' Reign noted as he awoke from his slumber, slowly sitting up in his bed. The sun has set and he has spent his entire birthday sleeping.
'Truly an amazing day' he thought as he was fully waking with the refreshing feeling of rest.
~soft voice sobbing~
Hearing the voice of someone crying again, Reign is reminded of his little follower from earlier. 'that must be her,.. I nearly forgot about father's "gift" in my hurry' Reign slowly climbed out of his bed, and walked towards his closet.
Placing his hand against the wall and opening the space leading to his wardrobe, he grabs a simple comfortable robe from a shelf. He quickly throws the robe on and walks back out towards the couch where the sobbing voice could be heard.
Standing over the couch looking down at the figure curled up and wrapped in a blanket sobbing, Reign reaches down and gently pokes the small crying bundle.
"ahhh!" a soft feminine voice escapes from under the blanket. The girl now thoroughly startled by the sudden poke quickly sits up straight to collect herself. She looks around and then up only to be greeted by the imposing figure of the Prince looming over her, his dull red eyes illuminated by the firelight.
Fear ravages her heart, while anxiety grips her throat threatening to suffocate her. Yet she is unable to look away from his blood red eyes. Their eyes locked, peering into each others souls for what felt like an eternity.
~Boom~ another powerful beat from Reigns heart. Sending electrifying chills down his spine.
"What is your name." Reign says while looking down at her.
Feeling his imposing eyes, and the weight of his voice the anxiety gripping her throat slowly releases allowing her to speak, if only barely.
"Mi...Miko"