The maid charged at the little boy with black hair--- AKA me. This will just be a random description because I was: BARE BODY! STANDING IN THE PRESENCE OF A WOMAN! WILLING TO GIVE ME A BATH! Who does that!? And again, my unflinching hatred for water just made it even worse. If I caught sight of water, I might just pass out. Ahem, as I was saying. She charged at me aggressively, but my instincts made me jump from the bed to the floor away from me.
" Be gone, young lady! I already told you. No bathing. " . All while following me, she replies, "What do you expect me to explain to the duke when he notices you smell like a chamber pot!?" . "Ah! How dare you...!" . Well, as my clumsiness would have it, I tripped and fell when I was about to give off a perfect roast. Thereof leading to the end of the squabble. I notice someone peaking at the door. His eyes were notably almost at my level. It couldn't have been anyone else. "Lincoln?" But he let out a gasp, loud enough for even Eden to notice. "Huh? Where?". She tries to look around, but he'd already left, it seems. Huh. It's quite strange as to how he's become a sneaky snitch in his own palace. Or maybe he came to check up on me? Well, if that's the case, "Hey! Linchy! Don't worry, I'll get ready soon! "
"Oh, really? I don't picture where you're leaving this palace without your bath." Eden said, looking down at me with a menacing gaze. Now I'm kinda concerned as to how my father will hire a serial killer as my personal maid. Well, why do I bother. Though she looks menacing on the outside, she has a pretty much soft spot for....everyone? This is Eden. My personal maid, and somehow, my bodyguard all at once. It might surprise you, yes, but that is the truth. "Time for your bath!" She loudly announced with a lot of enthusiasm in her voice, staring down at me with her piercing emerald green eyes. I'd kill any man who fell for those. Ay, wait, did she say bath? "HELL NO!"
********
The mixed sounds of an active environment filled the air. Women and children walked the tree lined roads with either products or some came back from streams to fetch water. Men on the other hand, owned shops where they sold their goods. All of that to summarise in one word, active. Every morning felt so energise and vibrant, that just gives a smile on my face. Sounds of birds, heavy trucks being pushed by, heavy bells clanging, indistinctive chatting, the smell of sweet fruits getting whipped by from the farm to the market. What could be better than this? The peace of this sound noise is so breathtaking. The palace itself was just not as noisy as the outside. Just maids traversing the red carpets, offering services to his majesty, preparing him for his day. He was a man of solitude and hated slow service. So can I say most of the maids were running? It was only 6 am in the morning, but the palace was already clean and sparkling. This isn't new, though it started since August, where the emperor started having a series of meetings in the palace. His mood was always stern and serious. I would normally say that's how a normal emperor should be, but the solid demeanour lately is rather disturbing. It wouldn't be bad to ask....But it would rather be called 'interfering with royal matters. '
What could be more annoying than an old man telling you you're not good at your game? But, either ways, if they say I shouldn't interfere, then I shouldn't. I don't want to make things more complicated. As I walked the corridors, lined with artefacts and pictures, I slowly felt heat hit my skin, and then slowly increased to a soothing warmth. I turn to the large window that stood right to me, and I was met with an awesome view, that made my heart skip a beat. My golden eyes glowed in the light of the sun, every ray driving in warm welcomes into another day. In the midst of my amazement, it was questionably replaced with a sting of pain on my body. What? What was going on? Suddenly, I felt a burning sensation in my eyes, inside me, and on me. I squirmed in pain, but the pain was consistent and held firmly, and against my wish, increasing its intensity, like they'd increased the flames in a flame chamber. My head was reeling, and my view slowly became as poor as that of an aged man. What was happening with me? Unlucky for me, I couldn't sustain another minute of this pain, so slowly, I fell into the darkness letting my body fall to the ground.
********
"How is he? Did he take his bath?"
"Yes, your majesty. He's prepared for the day. Now he and Prince Lincoln await the arrival of Duke Milton. "
" I see."
He leans forward on his table, face raging with curiousity but masked behind a serious face. He interlocks his long fingers and places his elbow on his small table, the light morning breeze swaying his long white hair sideways, elegantly. His calm blue eyes rest on the maid that stood before him, head low, but slowly trembling at his gaze ,which he rather didn't care about. After a brief moment of silence, he then says, " Has he grown fat? " . She flinched. 'Fat? Really? Is that supposed to be a question you should ask?' . She clears her throat and responds sternly in kind, " I can't really suggest his appearance to be 'Fat' since the maids try to keep him fit and normal. But if you're worried about his eating habits, he is most certainly eating well." . ' Would've said he's actually looking thin and malnourished. But contrary to that, he eats more than anyone in the palace. Strange that I've never come across anyone in the Sultan family who eats as much as he does. ' . Her thoughts are interrupted by his gentle sigh, then the creaking of his chair as he laid back. Confused, she slightly raised her head to catch a glimpse of his reaction. It was a bit frightening if the emperor sighed at you response. He was either skeptical or wasn't satisfied with the feedback. For some reason, she felt a bit uneasy. Everyone in the palace was already worried about his wellbeing. Being the reason he'd be worried again would be everything but nice, y'know. Her stomach clenched as she yelped in pain, almost as though she was about to pour down tears. ' Come on, say something, Mr. Emperor! Your silence is making me dizzy. ' . 'He got along really well with the environment. I'm glad he sees this place...not as the house of his enemy, but his home.' . She manages to raise her head, and catches sight of his face, but the view was quite disappointing. It was a bit blurry, so she couldn't correctly make out his expression. She pouts. "Well, what do you think of my son?" She is startled by the question, that she fully lifts her head and stares at him with a rather confused and questionable look. " Sorry, which one?" ..
"My Lord! An emergency! Prince Yores has collapsed again!" A messenger ran over to them, breathlessly. Both Eden and the emperor look up abruptly. "What the...."
"My Lord, Prince Yores.....He collapsed again at the corridors, I'm sure on his way to the outside. " The messenger tries to explain while catching his breath. Bang! Was the next thing they heard after the messenger clearly stated the news to them. He'd risen from his chair and his eyes were filled with both worry and anger. "Collapsed?", he asked, repeating what the messenger said, but in a more sterner tone, making the him shiver. "How did it happen? Since when?!" Eden was rather unfazed by the situation, showing from her calm face since the message was passed on. She fully erects and stared at the messenger, nodding lightly which he took as a dismal signal, which he responded by running all while whispering,"Scary....Scary...Scary..." . How traumatizing can this man be? Eden turns back to the emperor who was completely unsettled. One could tell from his clenched fists and his heavy breathing. That was normal, if it were just worry. But it was something deeper than just worry. Eden wasn't sure of it, but she didn't intend to pry any further. She just had to clear his doubt for now. "It is something we've been noticing since he turned 5, which was recently. He'd often collapse when exposed to sunlight. It didn't seem suspicious at first, but the series of occurrence has rather increased in the past few days of your absence. " . She goes silent and the air suddenly felt cold and abnormally freezing. 'The air is oddly chilling. But it's already sunrise...." She gasped in realisation, but before she could do anything for defence, a mass of ice rapidly engulfed her, holding her in one place. The hold around her was growing tighter and tighter as the ice squeezed her small frame till she started coughing up blood. Her shaky view tries to look at the emperor. Though her view was blurry, she could still see the calm blue eyes turn blazing blue, and the whole yard was flooded with frost. His aura was even more worrisome than anything else. Purple....malevolence...What could possibly make him result to such a reaction? But all the thoughts in her head were knocked out by the piercing pain all over her body. She felt every bone in her body crunch, every muscle twist, every cell of her body scream in agony, and all the air knocked out of her lungs. This was painful than getting beheaded, in fact, the pain made her wish she was dead, but in the midst of that, she hears his icy yet menacing voice in her ears again. "You knew.....But you didn't tell me?" What responses could she conjure right now? How would she even say it? Without a doubt, whether she said a thing or didn't, she was going to die anyway. But suddenly, she felt the hold around her loosen. She fell to the ground like a lifeless body, almost looking crushed and deformed. "I wouldn't kill you because of his mistake. But don't get me at you again. I hate people who disobey my orders. ". He then walks out of the room, and the frost slowly melted away to nothingness. She tries as much as she could to push some air into her lungs but with every muscles contraction came a great bang of pain. What did she do to deserve this? Most of all, 'So...this is the taste of the emperor's power, huh?'