Inko groaned as she pushed herself up from her bed. Blinking sleepily, the young woman wondered where she was. She looked around the room she was in, the bed she was sleeping in was rather comfortable compared to the beds she had at her old master's homes. It had soft blankets that would keep her warm, and she even had a small closet full of clothes for her.
Blinking her green eyes in confusion, Inko tilted her head as she pushed herself up from the bed and took another look around the room. Honestly, it made her think that this was a room for a princess… it was then she remembered where she was.
She was in the castle of King Toshinori, and was his personal maid.
Covering her face, the young woman wanted to groan. How did she get herself into this mess? Ah right, she didn't. It was just bad luck on her part.
While the other slaves were taken to the slave quarters, or taken to the king's army, she was to follow Shouta to the room that she would reside in. Mitsuki was concerned for her friend but couldn't do much of anything while Hizashi took her to the slave quarters.
Inko couldn't help but sigh softly as she pulled out a nice green dress. It reached her ankles, long sleeves that could be pulled back should the need arise. Frowning a little more, the young woman shook her head before changing into her new outfit, it was only her first day but as it was rather early in the morning, she suspected that she had to bring the king his breakfast.
Making her way over to her little table, Inko picked up her brush and started to brush through her long green locks, debating if she should pull her hair back or not. Hm… 'Well, I am bringing the king his breakfast so I should have my hair pulled back…' Inko thought to herself before setting the brush aside and grabbed a hair tie and pulled her hair back. Only leaving two locks framing the sides of her face before she started to make her way out of her room.
She'd have time to grab a little snack but otherwise, she would have to be quick to get the king his breakfast. What would he want to eat? Would he even be awake for that matter? She had no idea what the king was really like when it was just him alone.
Frowning, the young woman thought back to his eyes. So blue, looking as if their depths held a storm of their own. Maybe they did? But, the emotions there, he was so sad, and so lonely that it almost broke Inko's heart. How could he ever be like that in the first place? It just didn't make sense to her, what happened to him to make him hide away his emotions but, for his eyes to be the thing that showed what he felt.
Closing her eyes, Inko felt like everything was wrong here. It was as if everything that had happened shouldn't be the way it was right now. But why?
Shaking her head, the young woman opened her green eyes as she saw the others working around the castle. Some of them sweeping up the carpets, others cleaning the walls and the like. They were already working so hard and it made her smile. It seemed as if the king didn't tolerate abuse but still, the fear was there. Everyone was still afraid that they would be beaten by the king should they mess up even though he said he'd give them the benefit of the doubt.
Yet, she wondered what their lives would be like here. It had her curious. Would they be happier here than ever before or would there be a time, where the king and his men would abuse us again? It had her curious, and a little fearful for her life.
If only she could draw. That was one thing that she could enjoy about her slavery in the past. Sometimes her masters would leave her some paper, telling her to do whatever she wanted with it. Of course, they never expected that she would be any good. One master, even sold some of her drawings for some gold pieces until she would no longer draw for them and the villagers found out that he held no true talent for it.
Since then, she would never keep her drawings, only to rip them up and make sure that no one found the pieces. It broke her heart to do such a thing but at the same time it was the right thing to do. She would never allow anyone to abuse her for her art again even if she was a slave.
Looking up at the ceiling, the young woman couldn't help but wonder. How long did she have until she would have to leave this place? Until she would be forced to have a child of her own that would be able to handle the burden of being a slave? She didn't know, time was rather illusive to her.
Taking a deep breath, hoping to calm her nerves, the young woman started to walk once again. Maybe an apple would be good enough for her. Really, she wasn't all that hungry. Her nerves so raw and strained that it made her not want to eat right now.
"Inko!" shouted Mitsuki, causing the green haired woman to blink as she looked over at the doorway to the kitchen. Mitsuki rushed to her and hugged the woman with a relieved laugh. "Oh god I was so worried about you! I thought that the king would have taken advantage of you or something."
"No, he didn't do anything like that. The king left me alone all night really." She answered honestly.
"Good! Oh, are you here for breakfast?" asked Mitsuki.
"I'm not really hungry, so I'm just grabbing an apple for me and some food for the king." Inko gave a small smile to her friend. Mitsuki though just gave her a bland look. "I'm not really hungry Mitsuki, I'm nervous being his personal maid. What would that even require besides cleaning and getting meals for him? What if there is more for it than that?"
Mitsuki sighed softly before walking with Inko into the kitchen to get a tray started for the king. Inko looked over at her friend for a moment as she asked "What do you think there is?"
"I don't know and I don't want to find out honestly." Inko said with a sigh.
Once she got the food set up on the tray, also munching quickly on an apple the green haired woman started to make the journey back to her room. Well, really the king's room as it was right next to hers. God, it was so weird to have his room right next to hers. What if he decided to just come into the room and try to abuse her in some way or was it something else?
Letting out a soft sigh, the young woman arrived at the king's room much sooner than she thought she would. Then again, she wanted to be quick so she wouldn't keep him waiting for his food.
Knocking on the door, Inko called out to the king, wondering if he was even in there. If he wasn't, where could he be? It wasn't like they told her that he would be in the dining hall or even in his study wherever that was.
Frowning a little, the young woman tilted her head a little as she carefully opened the door. "King Toshinori?" Inko whispered gently, not wanting to disturb him should he be distracted by… whatever it was that he was doing in his room.
Walking in his room, the young woman tilted her head a little as she looked around the king's room. It was much like her own but a mix of blues and yellows. Like his eyes and hair. Inko couldn't help but tilt her head a little. At the same time, the room itself lacked any kind of life in them. It was as if the king would shut himself out from the world, afraid to show the world who he really was.
Grumbling reached her ears causing her to turn as she looked over at the bed and frowned a little at the blankets. Most of them had been tossed aside during the king's rest and it made her wonder if that was normal for him or if he just naturally had a high body heat so he would toss the blankets aside because of it.
Slowly, she made her way over to the king's bed with the tray in hand as she looked down at the king. It seemed that he was still asleep. He looked so peaceful, hair askew from his restless sleep. His arms tossed over his head as he let out little snores here and there. Getting a better look at his face, she saw that instead of being emotionless even in his sleep, he looked rather peaceful.
"How can he look so peaceful in his sleep but awake he tries to hide what he feels?" Inko whispered softly.
The king mumbled in his sleep about some none sense but Inko just tilted her head a little in confusion. She wanted to reach out and touch him, to smooth out the creases in his forehead, it looked like he was having a nightmare. Frowning a little, the young woman set the tray of food on the table in his room before gently reaching out and brushing her fingers through his hair. Wondering if that would relax the king.
He mumbled a little more in his sleep before turning his head away from the touch. Inko frowned a little before reaching out and gently cupping her hand against the side of his face, hoping that would get him to relax a little. It was something that she used to do for the children that were also sold into slavery and that would always help them relax if they had nightmares brought on by pain and the like.
It seemed to work for the king as he let out a soft sigh. Almost seemed to nuzzle against her hand as he mumbled something under his breath. She wasn't sure what it was as he said it too low for her to hear properly. Pulling her hand back, only to gasp out in shock when she found his hand quickly reaching out and grabbing onto her wrist. Inko wanted to cry out in shock and fear, thinking that she had messed up, thinking that he was going to punish her for waking him.
Looking at his hand, she saw a lion on the back of his right hand, why would he have such a thing on his hand of all things? Then, she turned her gaze to his arm, seeing that he was rather muscular. How did he hide this under his cloak so easily? Blinking her green eyes in confusion, she followed his muscular arm down to him and saw the king staring at her with wide eyes for a brief moment before the emotion left his face. It seemed that he wasn't fully awake yet as he had to force himself to quickly hide his emotions. His blue eyes just stared at her for what felt like an eternity, why was he just staring at her? What was she to do?! What could she do!? Oh god, what was he going to do to her?!
Wait, why wasn't he even crushing her wrist? He was just… holding it in a gentle grip. Was he afraid of hurting her? Gulping a little, Inko tried to speak, yet every time she would move her lips no words would come out. It was as if the words had just died before moving past her lips. What was she going to say?!
"Why are you in here?" asked the king.
Inko gulped a little before she looked over at the tray of food. "I… I was bringing your food and… you were still asleep. I thought that I'd leave it but you looked rather troubled from whatever you were dreaming about."
"I see." The king said before releasing his hold over her wrist and pushed himself up with a grunt. Inko frowned a little at that, was he hurt? "Leave my room, and go clean my study. It's down the hall to the left, last door at the end of the hall." He said, once again no emotion in his voice.
Inko sighed softly as she started to make her way toward the door. Maybe he wasn't going to be like any other masters that she's had in the past. But, doesn't mean that he'd be any better it seems.
"And… thank you for bringing me my meal." He said, causing Inko to turn back to the king as she blinked at the man. The king looked away from her, as if wanting to avoid any eye contact with the woman. Made her wonder if he knew that she could read him but then again, that couldn't be possible. Shaking her head, the young woman just gave him a small smile.
"You're welcome." Giving him one last wave, she left the king's room to let him eat his food.
Inko sighed softly as she worked up on the study. It wasn't really that messy, but it was rather disorganized. As the king just had scrolls and papers thrown everywhere. It made her frown a little as she wondered what it was that the king was doing in here. What would he be doing in here in the first place?
Shaking her head, the young woman let out a soft sigh as she tried to get herself to calm down. It was something that she had learned while as a child herself. To stop herself from panicking so much, though it only worked so far for her.
The young woman ran a hand through her loose green locks as she tried to keep herself calm and collected. Knowing that she had to keep herself calm down and collected. The king got his food, and she was doing as she was told. Cleaning up his study so that had to mean something.
The young woman finished putting all of the papers away and had a small smile on her face as she let out a sigh. Wiping her forehead, the young woman went to go and check on the king to make sure that he had eaten his breakfast. Though, she couldn't help but wonder if she would have to clean his room next. She couldn't help but shudder at the thought of it.
What if he made her clean his clothes? It was one thing to clean children's clothes but another to clean a fully grown man's. Yet, she knew that she would have to do such a thing no matter if she wanted to or not.
"Why does my life have to be so complicated?" Inko mumbled to herself.
"Do you always talk to yourself?"
Inko jumped as she turned around and saw Shouta standing behind her. His hands hidden under his cloak, his eyes though just stared at Inko with a bland expression. "Why are you here?" asked Shouta.
"The king asked me to clean up so… um…"
"Makes sense, he could never keep this place clean." Shouta grumbled before shaking his head a little. He picked up a piece of paper and looked it over before holding it out to Inko. The woman frowned as she accepted the paper and looked it over before looking back up at Shouta. "I was coming to see if the king was in here, but I guess he is out and about doing something stupid." Inko blinked as she wondered what it was that he was talking about. Not to mention, should he really be insulting his own king?
"Um… Shouta, may I ask you something?" asked Inko.
"You may, but I may not answer."
"What is that mark on the back of the king's hand? It looked like a lion." Inko said with a frown on her face.
"Ah, the king's birthmark." Shouta mumbled before scratching the back of his hand. "It's a sign that he is the next and true heir to the throne. Or at the very least, the first born male to take the throne." Shaking his head, the raven haired man, turned his tired gaze onto the green haired woman with a frown on his face. "So you did see it hm?"
"I uh… I was bringing him some food and he was asleep. When he woke up he grabbed me and I saw the birthmark." Inko said with a faint blush on her face.
"Figures." Shouta said with a sigh before shaking his head and looked around the study. "I won't lie, you did very well cleaning up the place. I think you may be his best personal maid yet."
"What happened to the last one?"
"She got a little awkward around the king."
"What do you mean?"
"I'd rather not talk about it." Shouta grumbled before shaking his head and sighed softly. "Anyway, I have to go. I have to help the captain with drills right now. I think the king already left his room so you can go in there and clean up after him." Shouta started to take his leave of the room. It made Inko wonder where the king would go. Shouldn't she be with him during such times or was he just out and about doing his own thing? She had no idea, but she hoped that she would learn something.
Inko dusted her hands on her dress before making her way out of the door. Only to frown a little as she looked over her shoulder and stared at the stack of pure white papers. There was even some paints in here and some ink and a pen. Looking around, she double checked to make sure that there was some extra ink around and pens. The king wouldn't notice one going missing along with some paper right?
Taking a deep breath, the young woman stashed the ink bottles and the pen away in her dress pocket, along with the paper before leaving the room. She knew that it was wrong to do such a thing, but she needed to do something should the need arise where she had nothing to do. Drawing was her one enjoyment in her life and this was something that she would never give up.
Taking a deep breath, the young woman closed up the study behind her before she started to make her way over to the bedroom. God that sounded rather odd when she was thinking that to herself. There was no way that she would do anything with the king that was wrong. A slave and a king? As if that would ever happen.
Even thinking about it made her laugh a little. There was no way that it would be possible for a slave and a king, would ever be together. That was a laugh.
Shaking her head a little, the young woman made her way over to the bedroom and knocked on the door. No answer, so that had to mean something. Smiling to herself, the young woman walked into the room and frowned at how messy the room got since she left earlier. "How can a king be so messy?" Inko asked with a frown on her face.
Walking into the room, she saw that the tray was gone. Had he taken the tray back himself just to save some time for her? Tilting her head a little in confusion, the young woman shook her head before making her way over to the bed and started to fix up his bed. It was simple, the sheets being a bright blue while the blanket itself was red. It was rather interesting that he had such colours on his bed but smiled a little.
Once his bed was dealt with, the young woman looked over at the basket that held all of his clothes, a few of them still thrown across the room as if he was in a hurry to get dressed and leave as quickly as possible.
What does the king do around here in the first place? What could he be able to do around here in the first place? It just didn't make sense to her though she knew that she still had to be careful around here.
Sighing, the young woman lifted the basket of clothes before she started to make her way down the hall. Wanting to make sure that she made her way down to the laundry room and hummed softly wanting to think on what she could do after this. There were so many things that she wondered what would happen, what she should do while she was here. It just seemed that everything in her life would throw itself back at her in some way or another.
Frowning a little, the young woman grunted as she kept walking. Though had a little trouble carrying this basket around. Maybe she should have just grabbed a smaller amount of clothes and then made her way over to the laundry room. Groaning a little, Inko tried to make a turn around the corner until she yelped in shock as she bumped into someone.
"I'm so sorry!" shouted Inko as she went to pick up the clothes.
"Oh no, forgive me. I should have been watching where I was going." The man said, causing Inko to look up and almost gasped in shock. This man was huge not just in height but in pure muscle. He towered over anyone, maybe even the king himself. His hair, blonde and swept back with his bangs sticking upward to what would be a considered a V on his forehead. His smile was bright and could light up a room in the darkest of storms.
His eyes, blue and held their own spark to them yet, she saw something else in his eyes as well. Sadness like the kings but why? This man seemed so happy so why was he sad? What was with it with blonde's with blue eyes having sadness in their eyes? It just didn't seem to make sense.
"Are you alright miss? I didn't hurt you when I bumped into you did I?" Asked the man as he started to pick up the clothes and set them in the basket. Oh! Right!
"Oh I'm fine!" Inko said as she also started to quickly pick up clothes and placed them in the basket. When she grabbed onto one of the king's cloaks, the man grabbed onto her hand as well by accident. Causing both to pull their hands back and stare at the other in shock and confusion. "Sorry." She whispered softly.
"No, it's okay." The man said with a chuckle.
He wore a silver breast plate, a red top and dark blue pants with gold shin guards as well as arm guards that seem to extend to wrap around the back of his hands to his palms. His knuckles, a little scrapped from faint scars but otherwise didn't seem to bother him. He had on a golden cloak that almost seem to sparkle much like his smile.
"Thank you for helping me pick up the king's clothes." Inko said with a smile.
"No problem. I am to help in any way I can, I am happy to help a lovely maiden." The man said with a chuckle, causing Inko to blush a little at his words.
"Um… may I ask who you are? Are you a slave for the king or…?"
"Oh I'm so sorry! I am so rude, I am Captain All Might."
This was the captain!? There was no way that this man could be the captain of the guard, honestly she had thought that he would have been a cruel man. Not someone that would make anyone feel safe and comforted while in this castle? Tilting her head the young woman frowned a little as she stared at the man before her.
He chuckled and scratched the back of his head as he said "I'm guessing I didn't make a good first impression huh? You seemed rather shocked that I'm the captain?"
"Oh no I'm sorry. It's just that, from past masters, who had captains of their guard they were always cruel men and… um…"
"They tried to take advantage of you right?"
"Yes."
"I'm sorry miss… um…"
"Inko."
"Lovely name." All Might said with a chuckle before getting up as he said "I'd love to chat more but I have to go and start training. I hope to see you again Inko." All Might said with a big smile on his face before he ran down the hall. Inko just blinked as she stared at the man. If there was one thing that she hadn't expected about the man, it was strange to see a man like that but she knew at least it seemed as if she made one friend here.
Though, she wasn't sure if that was counted as 'friends' as this was the first time she's ever met the man himself but. Well, for now maybe it was good to say acquaintances? She wasn't sure, though she knew that there was one thing for certain. She had to hurry up and wash these clothes before the king went back to his room. There was no telling what he would do to her.
what would you like to see in future chapters?
