We woke up to the commander barging into our room.
"Who called for the king? Why is he giving you guys private lessons?" He asked
There were some guards behind him.
"We didn't call for him, sir," Karmon said
"Then why was he here without my knowledge? I just got word of this this morning." The commander asked
"Because I didn't want to take the responsibility for my soldiers failing just because their providers were less than average." A sharp voice said from behind him.
The king emerged from the shadow of the commander. He wore a flowing white shirt and dark pants. His hair was pinned half up, so the blue ends created dimension as they fell elegantly down his back. He looked good in casual clothing.
The commander turned and bowed. "Your majesty! I didn't know you would arrive this early."
"Hm." The king said, "Please allow a few of your supervisors to watch over the three others. I will take care of the one who loves his naps."
I tilted my head. *his?*
No one else noticed his choice of words. The commander was baffled by the fact that he had to actually train the newbies.
"Sire, they cannot-" the commander wanted to argue before he was shoved away from the doorway by the king.
He looked into the room before setting his gaze upon me. He smiled slightly and said, "Room's too small. Get them individual bigger rooms."
After everyone had left, we got ready for the day and headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
We all started cooking until a shadow loomed by the doorway, startling us into sending a couple of eggshells into the pancake batter. It totally wasn't me…
"It seems you need to be trained in preparing food as well as cleaning." The king said to me with a smirk.
He crooked a finger at me. I walked closer to him. He placed his finger under my chin and tilted it up so we were eye to eye.
"Forget them. Focus only on me." He said
My eyes widened, and I swear I felt my heart beating harder than ever before.
"Breakfast. Just for me," he said as a blush crept up his neck.
"Breakfast. Just for you." I repeated
He nodded and walked out the door.
I walked back into the kitchen to make the king his breakfast.
Everyone stared with wide eyes but said nothing and got back to work.
"Good luck," whispered Maven
I swallowed hard and got started.
After we finished, the others started handing out the soldier's food, and I headed towards the king to give him his own.
He sat at his own table, furthest from everyone. It didn't seem like anyone was prepared to have the king seated with them because a few soldiers stood by the wall, even though there was enough room for them next to the king.
I placed his breakfast in front of him with a general smile: pancakes, bacon, and yogurt with a bowl full of cut-up fruits. I set his orange juice drink next to his food.
"Looks delicious," he said, picking up his utensils.
I turned to leave until I felt him grab my hand back. When I looked back down, I saw him with a dark look in his eyes again.
"Yes?" I asked
"Where are you going?" He asked
I pointed at the others who were still handing out plates.
"Helping," I said
"Don't. You're mine." He said
*I guess this is part of my one-on-one training* I thought.
I nodded and stayed by his side until he finished.
When he offered his food to me, I politely declined.
"Aren't you going to eat?" He asked
"After," I answered
"Then…" he held a piece of fruit to me, "…eat this so you're not hungry for now."
"I…" My stomach growled at that moment. For the first time since I existed, I was hungry.
I shouldn't have, but I was just so nervous that my hunger won in the end, and I ate the fruit. I wrapped my lips around the fork and slid the fruit off.
When I bite into the sweet-smelling fruit, a burst of flavor explodes into my mouth. A sound of surprise escaped me, and I looked down to see the king watching my every move.
*This must be a test of some sort*
"Thank you. It was delicious," I said, remembering my manners.
He held a piece of bacon in his hand and held it to my lips. The bacon…
"Fruit?" I asked
He dropped the bacon on the plate, wiped his hands, and held another fruit.
This time, instead of eating like a wild animal, I gently moved my hair from my face and leaned down. I bit the fruit, careful not to touch his fingers, and ate it. I savored the flavor this time.
The room had gone quiet this whole time, and when I looked back up, I saw that everyone was watching us, their faces in shock and surprise.
He again held another fruit. When I refused, he had a sad look in his eyes which made me give in and eat the fruit once more.
We went like this for a while until we finished the fruit. By the time we finished, I was full of fruit, and the king ate the rest.
When we finished, the king sent everyone away. Leaving only him and I.
He had me bring out the cleaning sprays and some towels.
"We will start by wiping off the tables so that any food on the tables can fall to the floor. We can sweep after." He instructed, "Start by spraying down the table."
I sprayed a considerable amount of cleaner on the tables. He went after the towel just as I was so my hand landed on top of his. I was startled and looked up at him.
"Allow me to give you a demonstration." He stated.
I nodded and lifted my hand.
He started wiping the table and I watched him wiping circles around. He then handed the towel to me.
"Your turn." He said
I grabbed the towel and started mimicking his circular motions. I then felt the king lean over me for a second before grabbing my hand and holding the towel.
"You've got to put more force into it." He said, then wiped the table with my hand.
I started to worry. He was leaning so close that I was scared he would feel the recorder on my back. I tilted my head towards his. He stopped and stared at me—well, my lips, to be exact.
I looked back down. Embarrassed because there must have been food on my face he was staring at.
He leaned towards my ear and whispered, "Why don't we move on to brooming?"
I nodded and moved away from him.
I wiped my mouth clean as I fetched the broom. When I came back, he was holding his chest and taking deep breaths.
I worried that he was ill, so I lightly touched his hand. He jumped and looked down at me.
"I'm fine," he smiled. "Let's begin."
He showed me how to hold a broom correctly so I wouldn't hurt my back.
When I started brooming, he changed my posture several times. He came up behind me, wrapped his arms around me, and showed me the right way. When I finally got the handle on holding the broom he whispered in my ear, "You handle the broom very well, Wildfire."
I shivered as his breath tickled the edge of my ear.
"What if we train you in the art of the sword? Hm? Does that sound good?" He asked
"Um…yes?" I asked
He smiled, and I saw dimples on the side of his right cheek. "Perfect," he said
I nodded.
When I finished brooming my pile together, he kneeled down in front of me and held the dustpan. I broomed the trash, and he threw it away.
"As much as I want to teach you more, I really do have things that need my attention, but I will teach you how to use a sword tomorrow with no interruptions." He promised and left.
As I went to help the others, I thought about how odd the king was.