CHAPTER 2
A/N
Hello, i didn't get a chance to introduce myself on the first chapter. I'm sorry i didn't update earlier but My AP classes have been brutal. Anyways, I'm new in publishing and i don't have a beta, so please excuse my mistakes and plz review. it'll boost my self-esteem a ton. other than that, enjoy.
Consort Quinn had him caned thirty times in place of his mistress that afternoon. She was very thorough and had her servants hold him perpendicular to a bench and she personally whipped him till his teeth pierced the bottom half of his lips.
He didn't cry.
Although he was sore and bleeding, Uriel got up from the bench pensively and curtsied low to the consort and apologized for his lady's transgressions. After a small smirk that could almost pass for a smile graced the consort's lips, she left with her entourage with small flawless steps. When not even a hair of the consort could be seen, Hadrian immediately went to his lady's side. She was sweating and
had a fever, but she was relatively okay. He sent a junior servant to look for one of the royal physicians and proceeded to help his lady up. Together, they limped all the way to lady Jasmine's palace. On the way, the servants and fellow consorts and concubines jeered and snickered in their handkerchiefs openly and discreetly. Uriel didn't pay them any mind. His face was set in a polite, passive smile while his mistress was openly sniffling. When they reached the palace, the physician was there. He was a tall man with short black hair and a scar around his eye. He was dark skinned and had a thin face. He took Lady jasmine and laid her on the bed while he went through his bag to find the necessary ingredients. Despite his injuries, Uriel pitched in and helped the healer heal his mistress' wounds. After the healer dressed her wounds, he gave her a sleeping potion and she fell asleep instantly.
"Mason," he said,"My name is healer Micheal Mason."
Uriel looked at the healer and curtsied. "This servant's name is Uriel, sir."
The healer nodded and gave Uriel four bottles of ointment and told him to use the red and yellow one when he is redressing his mistress' wounds, the green one when she's in pain, and the blue is for Uriel's own wounds. Uriel didn't ask him how he knew he was injured. He just nodded, curtsied one last time and and escorted the healer out of the palace.
The next couple of days were hectic. Hadrian woke up even earlier than he was used to. Since that beating his mistress and himself received, he had become quite the protector, albeit, a subtle one. He closed the palace gates himself, guarded lady Jasmine's door personally and he made sure that the food was prepared by him and the water was not poisoned. Lady Jasmine has been delirious for a whole month and Hadrian has been at her side, sponging her, feeding her, and dressing her wounds. They didn't go out and nobody came to their palace, not even the lady Jasmine's parents who were permitted to visit her every two months. Uriel was tired, yet he kept going because he had a goal.
Whether or not his mistress was the Emperors' favorite or not, he would serve her because not only because she was the reason his mother's bills were being payed, but she gave him something to do. When lady Jasmine came to, her servant was pouring hot tea from the teapot into an intricate tea cup. As if sensing her, he gracefully turned towards her and blessed her with one of his rare soft smiles.
For the next five years, the two people in the palace of dwelling were busy with becoming inseparable. Lady jasmine learned the ways of a true lady and her servant learned to be even more calmer than he already was, if that was even possible. They didn't frequent the ceremonies and courtyards of the forbidden city often, if ever. Almost nobody even knew of the palace of dwelling because if was so isolated from the rest of the palaces, and it was the closest to the cold palace.
Uriel in this time frame has become a maiden and looked enchanting. His long,ebony hair is now to his knees and he wore it in two braids with small,green jades as it's only accessory. His pale skin contrasts his glowing emerald eyes and his long eyelashes frames them beautifully. He likes to wear the flowing lilac sarees that few servants wore and wears long silky sleeves that are attached to both of his middle fingers.
His lady has grown beautiful too. Her brown hair has grown to her waist and her caramel skin is flawless. She is a true beauty. Though she's a more headstrong than before, she's very determined never to repeat her mistake of speaking foolishly again. During the course of their self imposed isolation, they have grown very close and now they don't think of themselves as only a ticket to success. Uriel's mother has been getting better slowly, but surely, and this has taken one more worry from the child's shoulders. Lady Jasmine sometimes get visits from her mother and sister, however they don't stay for long. Two hours maximum.
Right this very moment, both mistress and servant are both embroidering in a room perfumed with lavender. They work swiftly with each individual stitch purposeful and meaningful. When their hands get tired, Uriel get them tea and they sip till their parched throats are cool and they're ready to work again. Sometimes, the lady would get frostbites from being so close to the cold palace, then Uriel would have to massage them with oil and sweet smelling lotions.
Because he was born and raised in the coldest place in the world, the cold didn't bother him much, and sometimes, his mistress teased him that he was half ice. Every time she said this, he would smile mysteriously because to some degree, he was. He was born in the year of flake. Though they were very fond of their solitary existence, the three emperors were throwing a celebratory party for consort Quinn because she was pregnant, with the third emperor's child. Even if they didn't want to, they had to go.
For the first time in half a decade, Uriel had to worry about what to wear and what to prepare for his lady. In the end, he decided to give his lady a midnight blue robe with jasmine flowers at the hem and miniature daisies embroidered all over it, she wore a white pair of heels and he put her hair up into a formal do that accented her beauty but didn't make her seem like she was trying too much.
As for Uriel, he decided on a very light green saree that looked white from afar with small lilies on his stash and hem of his robes. He left his hair as it is and replaced his lilac sleeves with ones that matched his saree. He wore no makeup unlike his lady, and though he looked plain next to her, he didn't mind. He wasn't going there to impress anybody, he was only a servant. He took hold of his lady's arm and escorted her with her arm in his palm. They took a sedan to the main banquet hall and then he continued to lead his lady to inside the hall. As soon as his lady was seated, he moved back two feet. If she needed anything, she would signal him, but for now, he needed to show that she was superior. It was law.
Finally, after half an hour of waiting, the Grand emperor, second emperor, and third emperor arrived with a smiling consort Quinn in tow. Everybody bowed or curtsied to them. The emperors told them to be at ease and the party commenced from there. Lady quin was seated near the second emperor and she was glowing. Before he could observe further, Uriel was called by one of the higher palace ladies. He went near his mistress and informed her of the summons and she permitted him to go.
He curtsied and followed the palace lady to the preparation room. As it turns out, they were short of one dancer. The leading female dancer was sick and could not attend, it was a last minute thing.
He looked at them silently for a minute and spoke with his soft voice, "I've not danced in a while."
that was a lie, he practiced everyday for at least two hours.
"Please, if we don't have a lead, the dance will be a disaster and we will all get punished."
if there was one thing he didn't like and tried to avoid, it was people who pleaded. He felt very uncomfortable with them, heck he didn't even like it when he had to beg. He sighed and gave in.
they briefed him on the steps for a few moments before he figured out that the dance was one of his mother's favorites, "Birth of the moon." the dance itself was a very challenging dance that contained a series of spins and whirls that left the average person dizzy and sometimes even sick. He would know, he had never thrown up so much before in his life, until he decided to practice this dance once when he was between the ages of eight and nine.
He was shorter than all the dancers and slimmer than most, so he was much fitted to be the lead, however, he was not anticipating the thirty minutes workout filled with jumps, whirls, spins, and countless other dance steps. Seeing as they didn't really have that much time, he got into a white ghagra choli and put on all the accessories needed .He finally put on the little clinking bells attached to the anklets.
They undid his braids and quickly straightened his hair. They collected the strands of the inky waterfall and clamped it with a silver band. He covered his hair as always,with a white headdress embroidered with golden little details. He walked barefoot into the middle of the group and gave a signal that he was ready. The banquet hall was silent as a dozen of dancers bunched together made their way swiftly to the center of the hall.
The musicians began playing a soft melodic tune that went in time with the sway of the dancers' hips. They moved their bodies back and forth as the musicians got louder with each second. On the second repeat of the tune, the music stopped. The only thing heard in the whole room were sweet sounding bells. It was soft and faint, almost lazy, then it gradually became louder.
The audience looked around for the source of the sound all around the room. when they were preoccupied, the small cluster of dancers started parting from each other slowing and gracefully, only to reveal a slender fae like creature in the center. He moved slowly and gracefully, as if asleep.
He bend his knees and covered his face with his white saree. The long gold ring in his rose connecting to his ear made a sound when he whipped his hair back and began dancing as if in a trance. The music picked back up to a frantic pace, yet the slender dancer in white did not falter, not even once. He went with the smooth flow and transitioned right back to the upbeat tune.
The audience were entranced. His hips were rolling and writhing with the beat and his hands coiled and stretched as he skillfully manipulated the bells and bangles he wore. After the last note left the flute, the writhing figure in the center bended his body,whipped his hair free from the saree,and curtsied. He took a minute to catch his breath, and then the applause started softly like a sprinkling rain, then turned into a thunderous roar that nearly rendered him deaf.
He submissively lowered his eyes when he made eye contact with the physician who once looked after him and his mistress, curtsied once more, and left the banquet hall with small graceful steps.
After he left, the hall remained silent, still in awe of the show they just witnessed. The emperors were looking at each other with significant looks, the consorts were trying to look natural, though they were clearly jealous of the attention the dancer had received from the emperors.
Outside of the hall where the dancers were undressing, a group of excited dancers gathered around a petite, slender body that was putting on his saree. As the headdress fell slowly on his head and covered much of his luscious ebony hair, Hadrian sighed contently. Without the headdress on his head, he felt exposed, naked. He took another breath and composed himself to face the crowd that surrounded him.
"Yes, ladies, do you need something?" he asked. They giggled. "My goodness, you were fantastic tonight!" one of them proclaimed. The majority of them nodded their heads frantically while trying to keep the giddiness from their body; it wasn't working.
Though very uncomfortable in this situation, he smiled softly at them and thanked them. Then, with a blush that could put a rose to shame, he mumbled compliments to them and scurried on out of the room. He didn't get far. As soon as he reached the lotus pond, he got ambushed by healer Mason. He immediately curtsied and said the customary greetings.
"Good afternoon royal healer Mason, what can this servant do for you?"
"I didn't know you danced like that, fair maiden", he complimented Hadrian straightforwardly.
Hadrian blushed.
"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean my lord, I was not present at the banquet," he said softly while meekly averting his eyes.
The healer looked at him for a second before he chuckled deeply and brought Hadrian's face up using his thumb and forefinger.
"Don't be modest, I know someone when I see them, and I am positively sure that you were the dancer in the banquet earlier."
Hadrian opened his mouth to protest, but the healer silenced him,
" But I can keep it a secret if you'd like". Hadrian raised his head slowly and he nodded with a genuine smile on his lips.
" If I was the dancer, I'm sure I would had appreciated your secrecy, my lord." Hadrian answered, still not willing to admit defeat.
He left the pond before the healer could respond. As he gracefully glided down the road, he heard a roar of laughter behind him.
His lips twisted into an impish grin, before mellowing out to a bland smile.
