Undorn: The Beginning

Part Seven

Maxin, The Fort

Maxin had already knocked, and Orgon hadn't answered. That was ten minutes ago.

Technically, Maxin wasn't allowed to leave until Orgon dismissed him. So Maxin knocked again. Maybe his master hadn't heard him.

This time, Orgon heard him.

Orgon ripped the door open so fast it blew wind in Maxin's face. He stepped backward, losing his footing a bit. He refrained from letting out a disgruntled murmur, then looked up.

For the second time in his whole life, he was looking an Aldrich in the eye.

Maxin would have diverted his attention away instantly if he weren't so completely perplexed.

Orgon was looking at him again. He was staring directly into Maxin's eyes! Like an equal!

Before recently, Orgon had never even bothered looking in his godforsaken direction. And now he was staring into Maxin's eyes.

"Maxin." Orgon sounded breathless. The sound of his master's voice stunned Maxin into a harsh reality: he could be severely punished for the way he was looking at his master. His eyes immediately found the floor. Comfort filled his chest. A small breath of relief flooded from his lips.

"Sir?"

Orgon stood up tall, removing his hand from the doorknob he had so viciously pulled upon seconds before. "I need to go for a walk."

"Of course, sir." Maxin took a step backward and pressed himself up against the wall, allowing his master to pass him.

"In the gardens, maybe." Orgon sounded distracted.

"That would be nice, sir."

The Aldrich son let out a particularly deep breath before taking a few steps forward, heading across the hallway towards the grand marble staircase that happened to be directly across from Orgon's quarters. He paused at the top of it. A few seconds later, he turned back. "Well?" He was addressing his servant who was still pressed uneasily against the wall. "Aren't you going to escort me?"

Maxin knew very well that Orgon knew his way around the Fort better than anyone. By no means did he need an escort.

But it wasn't Maxin's job to say that. "Yes, sir."

As soon as Maxin made a move to follow him, Orgon resumed his journey down to the gardens.

The two men cascaded down the stairs soundlessly, expertly following the twists and turns of the gray stone hallways until they reached the back exit.

Orgon knew these gardens better than he knew anything else. But then, so did Maxin.

The two followed the stone paved pathway, navigating through Azaleas imported from The Southern States of America, Roses from one of the thousand islands of Asia, all of them perfectly maintained and artificially colored.

Maxin allowed a generous amount of distance between himself and his master; it was customary--required, really-- to do so, and Orgon by no means needed Maxin to guide him through his own home. However, he followed his master like he was asked.

Abruptly, Orgon stopped in his tracks. The two had barely even made it past the castle. He turned his head towards his servant, and looking towards the ground he commented, "You don't have to walk so far behind me, you know."

Maxin almost laughed. Of course he did!

"Of course, sir."

Orgon resumed walking. Maxin resumed his safe distance behind his master.

Heaven forbid anyone saw Maxin walking alongside Orgon... He would be stripped of his duty immediately, maybe even sent to the kitchens or to the landscape. Maybe he would even be sold. Well, technically servants were "reassigned," but everyone knew better. Previous owners would almost always come into a "sudden fortune" after reassigning their servants to new families.

Orgon had been walking like a madman--like he was looking for something desperately. Never once stopping to admire the beautiful scenery, never taking a seat on one of the hundred benches that lined the vicinity. He was fidgety and jumpy and nervous, and Maxin had never seen Orgon that way. Ever. He was always composed, confident.

Orgon paused again, this time so suddenly that Maxin almost ran right into him. Maxin took a step back, allowing space between them.

Maxin's master didn't look over his shoulder at him like before. This time he turned around completely, once again staring Maxin right in the eyes. Almost as soon as it happened, Maxin turned his head, avoiding the inappropriate contact that Orgon seemed to keep trapping him in.

Orgon muttered a profound swear word, then took a deep breath. He'd been taking a lot of those.

"Maxin," he sounded calmer than he appeared, considering the arbitrary swearing. "You can look at me."

Maxin made no move to do so.

"I said, look at me."

Still, Maxin didn't.

But the demanding nature of his voice frightened Maxin. It ate at him, in a sense. Why was he so insistent? Why was he forcing Maxin to disobey him? It made no sense.

It was an interesting dichotomy, he thought. The man who is telling him to break the rules is the same man whose family made them.

He felt Orgon take a step closer to him. Then he felt Orgon's hand wrapping around his chin. The feeling of his master's skin on his own made Maxin's sting. And when Orgon jerked his chin upwards, forcing Maxin to look at him, Maxin's chest lit fire too.

"When I ask you to do something," Orgon began, his piercing blue eyes burning impossibly dark holes into Maxin's brown ones. "You do it." Maxin could barely hear him behind his clenched teeth. He could barely hear him behind how incredibly loudly his heart was pounding. Fear, anger, and embarrassment charred his insides. He had never felt such intense emotion--such intense anger-- in his whole life.

Without even thinking, he reached out and pulled Orgon's hand off his face. He was meager and weak compared to his master, but Orgon wasn't expecting a fight. Not at all.

"I know you're smart," Maxin spit back at him. "So why don't you think about what you're asking me to do. You're asking me to go against everything I have been taught, every law I am supposed to live by." He took a breath. For some reason, Orgon's silence gave Maxin confidence. It gave him the confidence to take a step towards him. "I am the servant, you are the master. I don't touch you. I don't look at you. I don't treat you as my equal because you are not. Do not ever ask me to treat you as such, especially here, in the public gardens. I would be disgraced and sold if anyone ever saw me acting in this manner. So forgive me, sir, for wanting to keep my job."

He knew it was wrong. He knew everything about this was wrong. Orgon asking him to act like a friend was wrong. Maxin yelling at his master—in public, no less—was completely wrong. And Maxin, unable to tear himself away from Orgon's beautiful, swirling, ice blue eyes as the two of them stood so close, breathing heavily, entranced by one another... that was the worst possible wrong.

Of course, Orgon stepped away first.

Before, when Orgon's eyes were so focused on Maxin's, there was no anger, no explosiveness. There was nothing like that. He was almost interested, curious, fascinated with Maxin. It made sense, Maxin thought, as that was the most he had ever spoken to Orgon in his whole life.

As he stepped away, Orgon seemed to have to force a hard stare at Maxin. After a few seconds, all he said was, "You're dismissed."

Maxin couldn't help himself. "Gladly."

And then he turned his back on Orgon and walked away.