Checkmate

Chapter 12

     I was mopping up the guest room located beneath the stairs of the castle. It was a large room, golden coloured with marble furniture. I was all on my own for once because Marisa was attending to the princesses and bored, I hummed to myself, playing a smooth toon through my humming.

     "Um, hi."

     Surprised, I turned around to see Princess Amara walking towards me. She wore a small smile, her eye gentle on me and I thought about how stunning she was. With her warm, brown skin, dark eyes and straight black hair, she was gorgeous. A model and one of the most beautiful woman I'd ever laid my eyes on. But remembering how Natasha and Saoirse treated me at golf, I stood straight, prepared for the worst.

     "Yes, your highness," I said.

     Amara stoped a meter away. She hesitated. She was holding her hands together, her thumbs twiddling in the process. And growing annoyed, I was ready to snap.

     "Look," I said. "If you're here to sabotage me. To tell me that a servant shouldn't be dating Flynn, then please walk away now. I can't be bothered."

     Amara's eyes flew wide. She looked struck.

     "What?" Amara said. "No, no. I just came here to say hi. I'm Amara and I came here to apologize on the behalf of the princesses for their actions at golfing. It was wildly inappropriate and I'm disappointed in the way they represented us."

     My eyes glanced around Amara's face, checking for any lie. Amara looked pained, her eyes wide with panic. And sighing, I gave in.

     "You don't need to apologize on the behalf of Natasha and Saoirse," I said. "You did nothing wrong and you don't need to clean up their mess."

     Amara looked worried. Her eyes held a sadness in them that left me sighing once again.

     "I appreciate the apology. Thank you for going out of your way, even though you didn't need to."

     Amara broke out into a smile and I smiled back. Bowing a bit, I then went back to mopping.

     "I'm curious," Amara said. "How did you end up working here at the castle?"

     I stopped mopping to look at Amara. She looked genuinely curious, her eyes full of questions.

     "Um, well," I said. "My parents passed away and I was an orphan with no family left. I had nowhere to go, so Flynn's parents took me in to be Flynn's servant."

     "I'm so sorry," Amara said. "Are you grateful for Flynn's parents?"

     "I guess." I shrugged. "I had nothing. I lost everything and his parents took me in. I know I'm a servant, but it's a good job. I'm happy."

     Amara smiled sadly. She nodded, seeming to understand my pain.

     "If it makes you feel better, I'm an orphan, too," Amara said. "Well, I recently became an orphan and that's kind of why I'm here now. My uncle want me to become the Queen soon and I need a King. And with Flynn looking for a Queen, everyone's eager for me to end up with Flynn."

     My eyes widened. My heart went out for Amara.

     "I'm sorry," I said. "That sounds like a lot of pressure on top of everything you've been through."

     "It is," Amara said. "I can tell Flynn doesn't want to get married either, but his parents are also forcing him to find a Queen. I feel sorry for him, but I'm glad he met you. He seems happy with you."

     I bushed. Amara was smiling, her eyes shimmering. I so baldy wanted to tell her it was all fake, that Flynn didn't love me and I feared for what would happen when the truth came out. But knowing no one could know the truth, I gulped.