"The king sure is late."
"Did 90 minutes already pass?"
"It has been 2 hours since the king left."
"Now I am starting to worry."
"Who knows? Maybe they got lost in the sea."
"Hey Yara, don't say that!"
"I am just saying we should expect the worst, no?"
"You are a fool. We should only hope for the best; this is what God taught us."
"Yeah, yeah."
"Yeah, yeah. Ehhh, YARA, PLEASE CAN YOU GO AND FILL THIS VASE WITH WATER?"
"WITH PLEASURE."
Yara leaves the room."
"I JUST CAN'T STAND HER."
"SO HIGH IN HER ASS.
"SHE GOT SO LUCKY WITH THIS JOB THAT SHE DOESN'T EVEN DESERVE IT"
*****
On her way to fill the vase with water, she could hear "CICI CICI" (bird noises). She went to see what was making the noise.
There, standing outside in an open arena of the castle, was a man with a cage with a bird in it.
"What are you doing?"
"Me? Just standing here."
"I meant with the bird."
"Oh, this pretty fellow? I just caught it right now."
The red bird sat in the golden cage, its fiery feathers a stark contrast against the cold metal bars. Its eyes—bright and piercing—glimmered with a quiet defiance, as if it knew the sky beyond the bars was its true home. Despite its confinement, every flutter of its wings was a burst of brilliance, like a flame flickering in the dark. The soft, melancholic song it sang seemed to echo the longing for freedom, filling the air with a sadness that wrapped around the heart like a chain.
"Release it."
"What? No way! Do you know how long it took me to catch it?"
"I said release it if you don't want to be an enemy of the state, KY."
"What?! said the man, quite shocked."
Yara: "----"
Her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles had turned white, the veins in her arms pulsing with raw intensity. Her jaw was set in a firm line, lips pressed together as though any word might shatter the fragile control she had over herself. Her eyes burned with a fire that could scorch everything in its path—angry, yes, but beneath it all, there was something more: an unwavering resolve.
Each step she took was purposeful, her movements sharp and decisive, as though she had already made up her mind and nothing would stand in her way. The air around her seemed to grow heavy, thick with the weight of her determination. Every breath she drew was a promise, and in the tightness of her posture, there was a quiet strength—a woman on the verge of breaking but unwilling to bend.
"RELEASE IT."
"Okay, okay, you didn't have to make a scene."
The man, with his small key, opened the cage. The bird flew immediately out, flapping its wings with all its might.
Yara could breathe now. She felt peaceful.
A soldier came.
"General Dion, King CORA has returned."
"Oh well, it was nice to meet you, pretty KY lady. See you next time."
Yara: "----"
General Dion left.
Yara: 'I feel like I should follow them.'
*****
King Cora:
"Let him go, you fools, I am here."
She came out of the boat in all sweat. They had paddled the boat for all 30 minutes to reach land.
"Bring me to my room now."
"Yes, sir," said all the guards at once.
The king caught Yara, who had also come. Yara had this look of sadness in her eyes as they had lost all their spark.
"Yara, I am fine. You don't have to worry anymore. Can you go and tell the others?"
Yara: "---"
Her jaw was clenched so tightly that her lips barely moved, holding back a storm of anger too dangerous to release.
Kratosus got help from other RA soldiers to go to his room, but he felt not good. Yara's face wouldn't leave his mind, and she had hoped that Kratosus wouldn't come back, and he knew now.
*****
King Kratosus woke up in his old room and heard knocking on his door.
"Yara, please come in."
Inside, a being came. She stood frozen in the dim light, her body human, but her head—a twisted mockery of nature. Instead of a face, where blonde hair should cascade in soft waves, there was only a bird's head, grotesque and unnatural. Its beak, sharp and curved like a twisted dagger, gleamed a sickly yellow, jagged and cruel. Her eyes—too wide, too black—stared out from beneath the feathers, unblinking, soulless, as though they were hollow, empty pits.
Feathers, thin and brittle like dead leaves, clung to her neck and shoulders, as if they were remnants of a long-forgotten nightmare. The skin beneath them was pale and stretched tight, a sickly contrast to the dark, glossy plume. The faint, brittle rustle of her wings echoed softly, a sound that could send a shiver down your spine.
"What did you do to Yara?"
Her mouth could only spew some baby noise, that is all.
Kratosus made a run to escape. He pushed that creature to the side and left his room. Outside his room, a dark, endless corridor was in front of him, and from the darkness, a shadow figure came and said:
"You should love and care about Kratosus with all your might. These should be your only feelings."
It was the voice of his grandmother.
"Grandma, is that you? Where are you?"
Then the creature came again and started to pick the flesh off Kratosus.
Aghhhhhh! screamed Kratosus.
He now found himself in the gesture room of the RA castle. He had woken up with cold sweat.
Entering was Yustina.
"Sir Kratosus, you woke up. Did you have a good sleep?"
"Yustina, can you do me a favor and call every servant girl and bring them one after the other, but after I have worn my clothes?"
"Of course."
"Oh but first I want you to catch master of coin she should be at her room and bringer here."
*****
Entering the room first was Yara.
"You asked for me, my king?"
"Yara, I want to make a selfish request."
"But my king, you can never be selfish. You are the king. How …"
"You are my first ever love."
"What?"
"I love you with every bone in my body."
"What is this?"
"Do you love me back?"
"What?"
"Yes or no, answer the question."
"Her eyes were soft and distant, as if weighed down by a quiet sadness only she could understand."
"Yes."
"Bullshit. Maybe in a way a sister would love a brother, but not in the way I want."
"I am afraid it is a No, sir."
"Thank you."
Now Kratosus' eyes had lost the light in them.
"I was thinking to offer you something as a gift from Grandmother Yelena. I want you to join this institution they call school and for you to gain a trade there."
"Are you serious? You're going to give me this with nothing in return and with no tricks?"
"I am the king, goddammit. I should be known as a good king. And also, you won't be the only one to get this offer; every servant girl will get the same offer."
"Thank you."
Yara burst into tears of joy.
"I want you to cut every tie with me and to never come to KY."
Yara, shocked.
"Is this also with the offer?"
"No, I am asking as Kratosus now."
"Well, but I don't know about never returning back to KY."
"Okay, you can leave now. The master of coin will take care of your accommodations. And clean those tears off; we wouldn't want to make them think I make people cry."
"Yes, thank you, thank you."
Every time she says thank you, she cries even more.
After some moments, she stopped crying and was able to leave the room.
The moment she left, Kratosus started crying.
"I loved her, and I let her go."