"Just my day!" she thought to herself frantically when she waited a few moments, they walked out and closed the door behind them.
"This may be just my chance!" she thought and said under her lips, as she walked in from the window seal and jumped in quietly. "I am the most feared night warrior in Acalarah, yet I'm sneaking around the palace…" she chuckled to herself.
When she opened the door quietly, she walked out calmly as if nothing had happened and not watching where she was going, saw Kusava talking with the other servants down the hall, as it was his turn to serve in the palace that day.
Maia grasped in relief, "Kusava!" she said cheerfully waiving her hands to him, as she was running to meet him, she bumped into the King coming out of the bathroom direction.
"Offpph!" She grunted as she wasn't watching where she was going as she was about to walk out the bedroom door, and to her horror, it was the King himself, wearing only a towel around his waist exposing his torso, his long jet black hair and fringe covering his eyes slightly.
"Oh…. Your Majesty…." Maia bowed, keeping a poker face expression… Leon's expression had a poker face as he never looked at her, "…. I told you not to come to my bed chambers tonight…." The King told her sternly as he glanced at her. "I… just arrived, your Majesty, I forgot something important to me and I wanted to make sure I hadn't lost it…I saw that no one was in the bedroom just now and just wanted to look for it, I thought I may have left it there last night but the bedroom door was locked" Maia blushed and bowed.
Leon ran his hand through his hair as he took a deep breath and Leon pulled out something from his pocket, "It wouldn't be this, would it?" Leon asked her when he pulled out a pendant and showed it to her, dangling from his hand.
Maia grasped in happiness, "Oh yesss!! That is, it, thank you, your Majesty… where did you find it?" Maia asked, as the King gave it to her tenderly. "I found it last night near my bed side…on the floor." Leon smiled softly as he handed it to her. "Oh…. I see…. I must have dropped it when I put the book away last night… well, if you will excuse me, your Majesty, I will be on my way….goodnight my lord…" Maia bowed and left the King's presence. When she left, Leon glanced at her and heard her heartbeat, and noticed her servant dress was cut at the bottom of her dress, this intrigued the King.
"Maia!" Leon called out to her sternly before she met with Kusava and her servant friends, she turned around for a moment, "My lord?" Maia questioned him, as at this stage, she didn't want to be near him, as if she had something to hide.
"Come here…" he called out to her. She swallowed a breath for a moment, "What happened…. To your servant dress?" he asked her curiously.
"Oh… I uhh…" she said as the sweats began to set in and her heart rate increased, "I… was running just now, I must have cut it on something as I was running…. I will have it fixed immediately, my lord…" Maia bowed to him. Leon noticed she was trembling as he reached out his hand and touched her shoulder softly, "please be careful when you work around the palace…." He said softly and tenderly to her.
Maia grasped for a moment when he said this, as she looked up at him with a shocked yet confused look on her face, "Because, you are closest to the King now…. Please look after yourself…" he said and dismissed her.
"Thank you my lord…." She said tenderly and took her leave.
"What… was that just now… just his voice was enough to calm me right down…" Maia thought to herself.
The next day, Maia served the King in the throne room with her friends.
Maia's POV:
His Majesty's eyes are so beautiful - his eyes are the most beautiful blue mixed with a little grey and green, but purely blue with long black hair to the shoulder length. His glance is enough to make the whole room stand still, any woman would fall at their feet before him that is how beautiful he is. I love watching him as he sits on the throne and judges the nation, his judgements are fair, and he shows justice where justice needs to be served. I can't believe that I get to serve him like this. He…. Personally, asked for me but why? I am but a servant, surely there are others he could have picked, but he chose me? Why? I pondered and thought to myself thinking deep in thought.
The King glanced at me, "Maia…" he called to me. "Yes, sire?" I responded walking closer to him, with every step my heart rate increasing with every step I took towards him, his head leaning on his fingers as his eyes scanning me from top to bottom as I walked closer. "My lord" I said as I bowed softly to him.
"please pour me some grape wine" he asked me kindly.
"Of course my lord, right away" I responded formally as I quickly turned around and got the jar of grape wine and poured it into the King's cup in his hand. After pouring the wine into his hand, he kept his gaze upon me, it made me feel a little uneasy the way he was looking at me, not with cruel intent, but his soft gaze, I felt like he could see right through me.
"If my lord the King has anything to say to his servant, please tell me…" I wanted to say to him, but I did not have the courage to say that to him, he just stared at me as I finished pouring his wine. I glanced at him and smiled softly. While thinking deep in thought, I heard the rumors of the King, he is ruthless in battle without mercy, I am afraid that if I make a wrong move, it may end in my life… I…. could not stop overthinking things when the King stares at me like this, as I withdrew the wine jar and as I was just about to turn around, the King spoke to me:
"You look so serious when deep in thought, is something troubling you?" he asked me. I glanced at him, "N..no my lord… of course not…." I responded almost trembling as I walked away a little distance to stand by for whatever command he commanded me to do. Just thinking the night before I witnessed his passionate evening with his lover to top it off….
"Hm… I see….You have beautiful eyes, miss Maia" he smiled at me. I gently laughed and blushed at such a compliment from my King.
"Oh… thank you, my lord…" I blushed and smiled as I put my hair behind my ear blushingly as I gently walked away from the throne to stand by beside the throne and wait for whatever command the King requested from me.
"That got your attention" he smirked at me. "sire?" I asked him. "You've been quiet all day…. If you want to ask me anything, please speak" he said to me. I swallowed a breath for a moment, "Why did my lord choose me, to be his personal servant?" I asked him.
He looked at me and grinned, "because I need a servant like you, who will stand by my side and serve me faithfully, no one has stood up to the King like you and lived to tell the tale… truth be told, there are too many who will not tell me the truth, and the King needs loyal and honest subjects to serve him… I see honesty in you, miss Maia… that is why I asked for you to be my personal Servant directly…." he grinned putting his hands together. I went quiet for a moment speechless at what he just told me.
"Is my servant, satisfied with my response?" he smirked at me. I smiled softly as I looked up at him and nodded kindly, "Yes, my lord… it is my honor to serve my King faithfully…" I said kindly as I bowed before him.
He reached out his hand and lifted my chin softly, "I look forward to working with you, for the remainder of your days…." He smirked with a soft look in his eyes.
I blushed as he looked into my eyes intently, "Yes, my lord…" I responded softly. That was the moment, where my life was turned upside down, by King Leon of Acalarah…..
"Honour… would be mine… Maia…." He said tenderly in a soft tone of voice to me. I smiled at him when he said this to me, in this one moment in time.
"My lord…" I smiled, as I was just about to touch his hand on my face when he withdrew his hand away from me suddenly as he looked to the side. He looked like he was troubled but went silent after that.
"That will do for today, my servant…" he said as he motioned with his hand for me to leave.
As I left his presence, I felt that he continued watching me as I left the throne room as I turned around and glanced at him, as he stared at me with a poker face, which made me feel uncomfortable as I left the throne room.
I looked at him as I swallowed a breath, "Oh, that's why… I… was overthinking things, but I had a secret that I couldn't tell him…. What would he think of me?" I thought to myself, and so my life as his servant began that moment he acknowledged me as his own servant…. Or so I thought….
My name is Maia, I am a servant to King Leon of Acalarah. My parents died in war protecting the previous King who took me in as his own personal servant to the royal family as a child. I grew up under the watchful eye of the headmaster servant who looked after me like his own daughter. I also trained with the King's guard and learnt self-defence, but much more than that. Recently, King Leon ordered me his personal servant to him as his own.