The Gainans: Servant Princess

Chapter 1

BEFORE YOU BEGIN:
Welcome to Gaina! I hope you enjoy being here as much as I do. Please note that this is book 2 in the series. If you haven't read book 1 (The Gainans: Pariah Princess), please go ahead and read it. This story definitely builds up from that one. I'd love to hear your comments on the story and the characters. Looking forward to hearing from you. Until then...
Happy reading!

***

River Moda was always the place to find solace. Perhaps it was the soft bubbling sound it made, or maybe it was the clear water that revealed what lay under the surface. It shimmered in a starry dance that dazzled the eyes of all who looked upon it. This time, however, it failed to soothe the man that stood before it now, his mind churning with questions. In all his thirty years, Mada had never witnessed the impossible. He had never seen a person survive death against all odds...

Until the mystery woman.

Whether it was fate or mere coincidence that led him to the river that specific day months ago, he would never know. All he did know, was that his life was never the same since. She mystified him. How could someone so fragile-looking have endured so much harm and survived? Not even his doctor had an explanation for it. She had a fighting spirit; that much was clear from the start. The manner in which she came back fever after fever was proof of her willpower.

Then, of course, there was the other thing; the moment she woke up. It had only been for a few seconds, really, and she had been unconscious ever since, but it was enough to cloud her in even more mystery. The few words she managed to utter before she shut her eyes were world-shaking. Princess of Gaina?

He had immediately rushed to the library to look at their world history. He had heard the name, yes. Everybody in the kingdom had learned about it in their history lessons. But as far as they knew, Gaina had ceased to exist centuries ago. A great war had led to the annihilation of the Gainans, with the few remaining survivors scattering to other nations for safety. To discover that the kingdom may still have survived and even possibly thrived after that was mind-blowing. He had so many questions.

"Your Majesty!"

Mada turned to find his personal guard riding to him.

"What is it, Karr?"

The guard looked at him with eyes that twinkled in excitement and bewilderment.

"The woman; she's awake...and I don't think she'll go back under this time."

Mada's eyes widened before he rushed to his magnificent brown horse and flung himself onto its back. He immediately sped back to the palace, with Karr following closely behind. After all this time of waiting and wondering, he was not willing to miss a thing. The commotion doubled the moment he was within the palace walls. Pure chaos; that was the only way to describe it. It couldn't be called an argument. Yells, screams, and incoherent pleas were all he could make out. The king looked at Karr, his eyebrows raised. The guard shrugged, his middle aged face in a grimace.

"She's a spirited one."

Mada would have laughed but for the helpless look on the man's face. He followed the racket to the source, and found a small gathering of maids and guards peering into the room, with amused faces. They made way when the young king arrived, and bowed their heads, bashful that they had been caught. To their relief, the king hardly took notice of them. He stepped into the doorway, but quickly jumped back as a vase went flying past him, and crashed into the wall.

"Are you sure you want to go in there, Your Majesty?" Karr asked.

Mada nodded.

"Send everyone away. She's scared. Having a crowd of peering strangers won't help the situation."

Karr nodded and disbanded the group, earning a lot of disappointed looks from the curious people. Soon, only the king remained in the corridor, with Karr waiting a few feet from him.

The fracas was still going on inside the room with two maids and one guard trying to calm her down in vain. Slowly and cautiously, the king slipped into the room, his arms out in a sign of peace.

The mystery woman was easy to spot; huddled on the floor next to her bed, a wild look of terror in her eyes as she snarled warnings at the poor maids. Her legs lay limp and immobile, making her look like a frightened little girl who had no idea where she was.

"Please, we mean you no harm," one of the maids implored her. "Just let us help you."

She made the mistake of stepping forward. The response was a scream followed by more threats.

The frantic young woman tried to stand, but failed, earning a series of whimpers as she wondered what was wrong with her legs. Her head pounded as her ears rang with the sound of a jeering mob. It mocked her, insulted her, called her names, and demanded her death. Her eyes saw figures that moved tauntingly, with the aim of hurting her. They approached, their eyes filled with hatred, and fists raised ready to punch her.

Pariah, Pariah, the voices in her head chanted.

Death to the pariah! They sounded.

Death! Death! Death! The chants went on in increasing intensity.

The woman groaned in agony as she held her head and shut her eyes, hoping to cut off the images. But the images remained, glowing in the darkness, and filling her with a terror she was now familiar with.

"Nola."

The woman's heart skipped a beat. Through the darkness burst a ray of light. The raging crowd fought against it, fighting for control, and her head pounded even more.

"Nola, it's alright. You're safe."

The mob faded, taking with it the noise and images. The pounding in her head receded to a dull throb, and she exhaled. All fell still and silent. Her fingers relaxed and dropped from her head.

"That's it. Nobody is going to hurt you."

She opened her eyes and slowly raised her head. Her heart skipped a beat at what she saw. A man stood before her with his arms spread out to his sides. He was tall and lean, and wore a long silver coat that fell to his ankles. Underneath was a navy blue shirt and trousers, secured by a thick black belt. At his neck was a pendant with a foreign symbol on it – a shield, it seemed to be. He silently looked at her with a warm and gentle gaze; the most earnest gaze she had ever seen. She focused on his eyes and took in a sharp breath. Brown eyes. They were brown. And kind. Like the strange man who plagued her dreams. Jesus. King Jesus. She remembered now. Was she face to face with him at last? This had to be his kingdom, no doubt about it. She relaxed, her eyes trading in fear for calm.

Mada sighed inwardly and gave a little smile.

"That's it," he murmured.

He gestured for the maids and guard to leave the room, and they did so swiftly, more out of relief than anything else. Once alone, Mada took a step forward. The corner of the woman's mouth twitched, and he raised his hands a little higher.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he assured her.

The woman eyed him as he slowly drew near and crouched a few feet from her. He studied her for a moment before smiling.

"You are among friends, Nola. You have nothing to fear."

The kind voice and reassuring words were enough to break her down. Without warning, her eyes welled up in tears and she began to sob.

The young king settled onto the floor and crossed his legs. He wordlessly sat with her as she cried. And when she was done and fast asleep, he gently picked her up and laid her back on her bed.

After pulling the blanket over her, he sat with her, staring at her once more, unable to help himself. Her eyes; they were blue. He thought he had only imagined it the last time she briefly woke up, but this time confirmed what he had seen. Her eyes were blue like midnight. He had never seen or heard of such a thing. Was that normal in Gaina? What other strange characteristics did they have? Well, she had woken at last. Soon, he would get all the answers.

The woman mumbled inaudibly and shifted her head in her sleep before she fell still again. It was the picture of perfect peace. Mada smiled.