AllFreeNovel
Share Us
AMIRA
Warm sunlight landed on my face, waking me up. The shadows of the night were gone, and with them, the sensation of Kyllen’s arms around me. Panic struck me. I didn’t want to open my eyes. Because I knew, I knew that I was alone in my nest.
The king’s snoring reverberated through the room. The whisper of the veil caressed my face again. This was the real world. And Kyllen was no longer in it. He stayed in the dream that had vanished.
Grief gripped my throat. Tears threatened to suffocate me again.
“You are a survivor…” Kyllen’s words from my dream echoed in my head.
The dream was gone, but his words stayed with me, as did the memory of comfort I felt through the night.
He was right, I survived. That was what I did. And I did so by taking it one day at a time. When even a day seemed like too much to tackle at once, I made it through hour by hour, minute by minute.
All I had to do now was make it through another minute, just a few breaths in and out. And the next minute…
The next minute, the doors to the room flew open, and a group of men marched in.
“Good morning, Your Majesty!” The one in the front announced brightly.
He carried a tray laden with food. The others started tidying the bedroom. There were quite a few of them, but it was hard to tell exactly how many. They moved so quickly, I kept losing count.
Someone picked up the king’s discarded pants. Another one rinsed his goblet and refilled it with water. They straightened the furniture, trimmed the vines around the windows and the plants around the waterfalls, wiped down the marble of the washbasins, and filled the room with a flurry of activity.
“Time to wake up, Your Majesty,” the man with the tray said in a sing-song voice. He placed the tray on the side table next to the king’s nest.
The king’s snoring stopped abruptly. He rolled onto his back with a loud groan. “Kiris, may the Great Serpent eat you.”
Kiris didn’t seem offended by the king’s rude greeting. On the contrary, he smiled.
“Maybe one day, Your Majesty,” he said. “But until then, you get your breakfast, a massage, and your herbal tea brewed by the healer.”
The king winced in the morning light, then rubbed his eyes. “On second thought, the Great Serpent would probably spit you out. You’re impossible to stomach.”
Kiris laughed. “I’m glad to see you in a good mood this morning, Your Majesty. You slept well?” He bent over the king, helping him to sit up in bed.
“Right up until you showed up,” the king grumped. His gaze crossed with mine as I sat up in the window seat, his orange-green blanket wrapped around me. A lopsided grin spread across his face. “I could’ve used some more sleep this morning. After getting busy with my new toy last night.”
Kiris shot me a slightly annoyed look from under his green-brown senties, as if I were a nuisance, like a cat that misbehaved.
“Keeping a daily routine is important to your health and balanced disposition,” he said to the king.
“Shoving you out of this window would do wonders to my disposition,” the king muttered under his breath as Kiris placed the tray in his lap.
“I doubt that’d be of any benefit to you,” Kiris retorted, not skipping a bit. “No one would take better care of you than me.” He lifted a wide, two-handled cup from the tray. “Tea, Your Majesty.”
“Only if you leave me alone once I drink it.” The king took the cup from Kiris and emptied it in a few big gulps. “Here.” He shoved the empty cup into the other man’s hands. “Now get lost.”
Kiris gave the cup to one of the men cleaning the room, then lifted the covers to expose the king’s legs. “I’ll massage your feet while you eat your breakfast.”
The king yanked the covers back over his legs.
“Leave,” he gritted through his teeth.
Kiris blanched. The king’s previous grumpiness hadn’t affected him. However, the last order was given with added power. The king’s tone of voice promised consequences if disobeyed.
“Get out of here.” The king waved his hand in a dismissive gesture.
Kiris bowed and called off his team. “We’ll leave you to enjoy your morning, Your Majesty.”
“Let me eat in peace,” the king added, in a little less lethal tone of voice. “And send a maid with some clothes for her.” He gestured in my direction. “After breakfast.”
With another deep bow, Kiris departed, taking his helpers with him.
The king leaned back against a pile of cushions and closed his eyes.
I wondered if he would fall asleep again, and if I should take the tray off his lap before he turned and knocked it over. I also wondered if he would rather I didn’t bother him. Maybe he wanted me gone, too, like Kiris? I would leave if I had a place to go.
“Come here.” The king patted the place next to him in his nest.
I did as he said, bringing my blanket along.
He opened his eyes, watching me climb into his nest and sit next to him.
“Hungry?” he asked.
I nodded. My stomach felt so empty, I could possibly fit the entire Great Serpent in there, no matter how big he might be.
The king shifted the tray from his lap into mine. “Eat.”
“Thank you.” I grabbed a boiled duck egg topped with black caviar and shoved it in my mouth.
The king gave me a wide mug next. “Drink?”
