King | j.b

XXI

The following days were long and boring not just for Ariana, but for everyone in the castle. Everyday was the same. Work, work, and more work.

She hadn't spoken much to Rachel. She knew well to keep a good distance. You couldn't trust anyone in that castle. Ariana learned that the hard way.

She tried to puzzle together whether Harry was starting to like Rachel or not. Harry had always liked Ariana, but she had hoped his obsession with her would end soon. But this was the least of her problems.

She walked along the halls of the castle, trudging from session to session. All that had been on her mind were the king's words. "Love is a strong word Ariana," he had said. Well sure it was. That's how Ariana was feeling towards him. A strong love. Or was it? She just seemed to be confused about everything. About love. After all, she had never been in love before.

How could he not feel the same? It broke her. An unpleasant feeling had formed in her stomach, and it had not gone since she met with the king. It was a feeling of fear, confusion. At least that's what she thought.

She hadn't seen the king much since but when she did, she tried to avoid him. It seemed as though he did the same. To Ariana, it felt different being near him. That warm feeling that filled her body whenever she saw him was now nonexistent. And she missed that feeling. No matter how hard she tried to let go of him, she just could not. Inside she felt like a fire in her heart had been distinguished.

And that's how the rest of the week went. Restless, boring, and uneventful.

That is until King Edward arrived.

* * *

It started with the pounding sound of horse hoofs pummeling outside the castle. Ariana and the other servants hadn't paid much attention to it for the king had visitors time after time.

Ariana was in the middle of wiping down a stone pillar in the grand hall when she saw the king appear on top of the main steps. She glanced at him only briefly and tried to act as if he was not there. But that wasn't easy for her. He. Looked. Stunning. His hair was slicked up and there was a shiny tone to it. His hazel eyes sparkled in the bright light and his lips, pink and soft. He wore a magnificent blue robe dragging behind him along with his sword which rattled against his leg. He looked serious as he walked down the carpeted stairs.

Although Ariana looked away, she could feel his eyes on her as she listened to the echoing sound of his shoes. Her fellow servants around her didn't seem to pay any attention to him and continued with their work normally. Ariana tried to do the same as best she could.

She ignored his presence until the echoing of his shoes came to a halt. At the corner of her eye, she saw he had stopped in front of the main doors to the castle. A few guards stood in front of them, precluding any danger from entering.

She tucked the strand of her hair behind her ear so she could easily hear the king's voice.

"Who is it?" the king asked a guard curiously. He spoke softly, aware that there were other people around who could hear. The guard cleared his throat before speaking.

"King Edward Gregory, your majesty," the guard informed. The king seemed perplexed. He scratched his chin in a careful manner and squinted his eyes.

"King Edward," he repeated under his breath. "I haven't seen him for a while now. What brings him here?"

The guard shook his head. "I don't know, your majesty."

Ariana moved to a pillar closer to the king and started to wipe that one down. She had heard of King Edward Gregory before but didn't know much of him. His last name (Gregory) meaning 'watchful', fit perfectly with his personality. He ruled another kingdom not too far from here. From what she's heard, he was a fool who barely knew how to rule a kingdom properly. He too used the Servants System in his kingdom. King Edward and Justin were acquaintances. They had known each other for a while now. But why has he come today?