The King with Six Friends

Kiera

Unbeknownst to the group of friends, the barmaid had been listening to Zar's story from behind the thin doors of the pub kitchen. She told the cook what she'd heard, who passed it on to his wife- with a few tweaks to it. The cook's wife passed it onto a cheese maker, retelling the story, but not exactly right. It was then heard by a chambermaid of the royal palace, who spread the rumor to the other servants. The royal advisor of the palace heard it from chatter between the guards on his way to supper with the King.

When the tale reached the ear of Invictus, the King of the South Kingdom, he found it very humorous. He asked to meet this so-called king of the East Kingdom. The word traveled back down the line- more like a messy web -asking where this "King Zar'' was now.

A squad of royal guards apprehended Zar in town and marched him to the palace. After being ordered to wait here, he was left alone in a massive ballroom.

Zar gazed up in awe into the tall ceiling of the grand ballroom of the palace. It was almost dizzying how spacious the room was. He could hear his breath echoing around the rotunda. The castle he grew up in was much, much smaller than this behemoth of a palace.

Zar sat down cross-legged in the center of the tile spiral. He felt desperately under dressed, wearing the same set of clothes for weeks since he'd set off on his own. Self conscious, he sniffed the inside of his shirt. He gagged at his own odor.

At that moment, a small, hidden door in the wall cracked open. The woman on the other side pulled up short when she found that the room was not empty.

In her arms, she was holding a heavy stack of books, all yellowed and their bindings coming loose. She glanced around the ballroom, in case there were other people.

"What are you doing?" she whispered when she'd confirmed they were alone.

Zar shrugged. "I'm waiting." His voice echoed, louder than he intended.

"Waiting for what?"

"I'm waiting for something to happen," he said as-a-matter-of-factly.

She puzzled for a moment, then placed the books on a small table. "Are you a criminal?"

"I hope not."

"Do you know who I am?" she asked, crossing her arms.

Zar studied her face for a moment.

She had ivory skin with dark, wavy hair running over her shoulders. She was young, likely not much older than he was. Her black dress swept the floor and complimented her hair. She had soft, brown eyes and her nose was slightly upturned. She had an elegance to her posture. She was certainly beautiful- but no, he'd never met her before. "Am I supposed to?"

"What is your name?"

"Am I being interrogated?" He itched the stubble on his face. "Maybe I am under arrest."

"Answer the question," she demanded, but then said gentler, "Please."

"My name is Zar, and I was told to wait here by one of the guards a while ago."

She raised an eyebrow at his name. "You can't be 'King Zar.' You're too. . . rough."

"Well, I'm terribly sorry to disappoint you with my appearance," he feigned an apology, "But I'm afraid I haven't been able to wash or change for some time."

"Right, because you were supposedly exiled from your own kingdom."

Zar did a double take. "How do you know that? Who told you?"

She scoffed. "If you did string together that story for attention, you've certainly earned it. Very dramatic."

No one else knew. No one else, but his friends. . . and everyone at the pub. This was exactly what he wanted to avoid. Someone at the pub must have decided to circulate the story.

That was why he was here, he realized.  Zar buried his face in his calloused hands. The king must have found out he was here.

The woman looked confused. Hesitantly, but sympathetically, she sat down on the floor across from him.

"I'm Kiera. I'm sorry if I was rude to you." Zar glanced up, realizing that she was closer. "It's not everyday you find a strange man sitting in your home."

"You live here?"

"I do, I've lived here most of my life. My father. . . has a high position with his Highness," she said, "He's very old fashioned, if you know what I mean."

Zar cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

Kiera sharply sighed. "He's military-oriented, believing that conflicts can only be settled with his ridiculous idea of 'masculine dominance'."

"I see. What were you doing in the walls?" Zar asked, gesturing to the 'almost' hidden passage.

Her self-assured expression dropped. "Um, I-" she stammered.

At that, they both heard loud, boisterous voices approaching the grand doors. Kiera bolted for the hidden door, forgetting her stack of books on the table.

"When can I see you again?" Zar whispered and stood up.

"Soon," Kiera said. She disappeared into the wall just as the grand doors burst open.