Zora lifted her heavy legs as she continued walking to the maid's quarter which almost seemed like ages. The rain wet her more as she hugged herself from the wind that escorted the rain now and then. With chattering teeth, she hastened her steps with every strength in her. She kept carrying on even if her legs failed multiple times, sending her slamming back to the pooled floor.
With shaky hands, she opened the door and got in immediately. She walked still with her arms crossed over her chest. The maids on her way sent her mocky looks and grins but she cared less. Warming herself was her first priority. Getting to the kitchen, she met the head maid giving out orders but was annoyingly distracted by the chuckles that erupted the kitchen immediately Zora stepped in.
"What..." The head maid wanted to scream at them but her sudden shock expression masked it off. "Zora". She walked to her and grabbed her shoulders gently. "I can't believe he didn't do anything to you". She laughed as her eyes glittered with happiness.
if only you knew! She thought.
"The prince is always letting her off the hook". Zora heard one maid whispered. Turning her head to the direction, the maid sent her a glare knowing fully she heard her.
"Please...I'm ...real...ly cold". She said between chattering teeth.
"oh yes...come this way". She said and helped her walk. "Jasbane..bring me a warm tea right now". She ordered one of the maids.
"Yes ma'am". She bowed a bit as she replied with a hint of disgust in her voice.
Zora groaned and stirred tiredly on the mat. She turned and turned until she collapsed with another body. Jerking up immediately, the body next to her winced in pain before peeling her eyes open.
"Don't you know how to sleep silently?" Krysia murmured.
"Sorry, I was just shocked.....when did you get here?" She asked, laying back on the mat. Krysia turned so they were facing each other.
"Not long ago. How are you now?"
"I should be asking you that". She smiled. "How are you?".
"Thanks to you, I'm fine". She smiled back. "Thanks for earlier and...." She sat up. "You shouldn't have done that. You head could have been gone!". She suddenly snapped.
"But it still didn't". Zora sat up.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why does the prince always pardon you?"
Zora laughed and shrugged. "I guessed I'm just lucky".
"When it comes to the second prince, no one's lucky". She said, holding the serious face even through Zora's jokes. "Is there something I don't know?"
"There's lot you don't know". She replied almost immediately
"I know but I mean this palace...is there something I don't know here?"
"Maybe". She shrugged and changed the topic before krysia dig into her unverified thoughts. "Does your back hurts?"
"Sure it still hurts". She winced a little as she touched her back. "But the head maid treated it. She said it'll heal very soon."
Zora sighed. "Now you'll have horrible scars on your back which isn't supposed to be". She said sadly.
Krysia faked a laugh to cheer her up. "It's fine. My skin is different. it'll heal completely without a scar."
She smiled even if she knew she was lying. "But what did you do. Why were you punished?"
Krysia sighed and stared down at her fingers.
"You don't want to tell me?" Zora softly said.
"Not that...I.." She paused and looked up at Zora. "I tried to steal and the prince caught me in the act."
Zora covered her mouth, swallowing the gasp that built up in her throat immediately. Why would krysia steal? "What were you trying to steal?" She held her two hands and whispered. "Why would you try to steal?"
"You know what I tried to steal. What I came here for." She snapped.
"You know where it is?" Zora's eyes widened as she moved closer to krysia.
"Yes. I found out it was in the prince's room. The second prince. It is in the space in the corner of his room".
"A room that has a door right?"
Krysia nodded. "But there is no way I can take it. No one has ever entered that room so no one knows how it looks like. There is a little chance I can get into that room and if I do...I might get caught while trying to look for it."
Zora shifted uncomfortably. "No one has ever entered? Why?"
"I don't know. The prince is a very secretive person. The only person who can answer that question and try to help me is Ansel. Only Ansel". She darkened her eyes like she was trying to execute a plan. She wanted to tell krysia she'd been into the room but she knew she had to back it with some explanation and she couldn't tell her she was frozen. The second prince was scarier than she thought. She used to believe there was no such thing as magic but the prince seemed to prove her wrong. Then, the first prince also had magics?
"Who is Ansel. Is it that stone cold man who follows him around?" She asked, dismissing her thoughts.
"Yes. We used to be friends". She said as she started smiling. "We were still very young when he was taken and trained to be the king's personal guard."
Zora awed in surprised. "So he's been guarding the prince ever since he was young".
"Yes. Since he was fifteen years old. I was very sad he had to leave. Since then, any time we crossed paths when he guards the prince outside the palace, he'd always send me a secret cold greeting while riding on his horse."
"Wow...looks like someone is in love". Zora sang and laughed, teasing krysia who was trying hard not to make her cheeks turn red. "Tell me more. What about when you were getting whipped...did he say anything to you?"
"Yes. When the prince told him to take me away for my punishment, he asked me why I did that". Her face sank.
"Then what did you say?"
"Nothing...I told him I was trying to steal something that will make me live. He tried to ask more questions but I didn't answer him because I was thinking about how I'd get punished".
"Tell me more". She shifted nearer, getting interested in krysia's love life.
_______[Next day]
Zora sighed and glanced at the head maid beside her. She held the same expression as hers. Panick.
Suddenly, the first prince had called them early in the morning. He demanded to see Zora. They both knew what wanted to happen but none of them knew how to avoid it.
The guards opened the door and they walked in, nervously. They bowed lowly to the prince across the room before pulling up their upper bodies but still with their gazes on the floor.
"You sent for her your highness". Zarinna spoke up.
"Yes I did..." He replied huskily. "You may leave".He told zarinna.
Zarinna who was expecting him to send her away bowed immediately and glanced at Zora one last time before leaving.
"Look up".
"Your servant has no right to look up at you Your highness". She replied as soft as she could. Her body was screaming and hearing the first Prince's voice sent some kind of ugly shiver down her body. She wanted to rip his head off. She didn't even know who she hated most, the first or the second prince.
"It is a command".
She looked up at his direction but not into his eyes. They disgust her.
"Even when you are frowning, you still look beautiful. You just make me want you more and more. You drive me insane". He laughed and stood up. He grinned widely as he walked towards her. "why are you running away from me? I won't hurt you". He rubbed her face with his thumb as he said. Zora still maintained her stare. She didn't flinch under his touch simply because he had no effect on her. She continued staring at the direction she started off with without blinking.
"Why are you so tough?"The prince wondered out. He grabbed her jaw roughly and turned her head to face him. "You're so challenging".
Goodness! would you please just choke on you spit?
"And I love it". His arms went around her waist and pulled her roughly against his chest still holding her jaw. That was when Zora reacted.
"Let me go!" She said as she struggled to get out of his strong muscular arm.
"I knew you aren't as gentle as you look". With that, his other arms went under her knees and carried her up, making sure he put her on his bed even with her reluctant struggle.
Zora tried to stand up but was immediately pinned back by his strong hands. With one hand holding her in place, the other one went under her dress.
"No!" She screamed and the prince immediately shut her up with his lips to prevent her from alerting the whole palace.
"Get your filthy lips off me!" She pushed his face away from her lips and she was immediately shut up again but this time with a slap.
"Shut up!" The prince roared frustratedly.
Zora felt helpless for a while while trying to regain her senses after the slap. His palm was so hard and she felt like her senses were slapped out of her head.
"You animal!" She started again. Louder when his hands were about to reach up between her thighs. Tears pricked out of the corner of her eyes and before she knew it, she was crying. There was no way she was giving up. She would never allow the prince to sleep with her with ease. She was Zora Daustram, wasn't she?
Suddenly, the door jerked open and the first prince muttered a curse before looking up to see the intruder.
"I guess you mother didn't teach you how to knock before she died". The prince said angrily and bitterly while shooting the intruder death glares. His eyes were turning red with rage and his grip on her tightened.
"And I guess your mother didn't teach you never to rape a woman." He snorted. "Or maybe she didn't teach you because she was raped her whole life before she met the king". Corinne retorted. Zora didn't know whether to smile or not. The prince came to save her!
"How dare you talk about your Queen that way!" The first prince stood up from Zora before banging the royal stool next to the bed.
Zora stood up from his bed immediately and ran to Corinne, hiding behind him while trying to calm herself down. Goodness! She was almost raped. Again.
"I don't have a queen anymore. She died a long time ago". He answered the raging first prince quietly before grabbing Zora's hand and pulling her out of the first Prince's room with him.