"Seriously Anora, do you have a heart at all? Are you even human?" The King's voice echoed down the hallway as the Queen came sweeping down it, out of the guest suite. Her face was beat red, and she looked like she was going to slay something. Pressing myself against the wall, I barely breathed, hoping she didn't notice me and do just that. Just in case she was paying attention, I managed a small curtsy to her as she burned past.
I contemplated not going in at all, but I really needed to get those linens before Sal noticed they were missing. Finally, I decided I would rush in silently, grab the linens, and rush out before the King even noticed I was there. One foot in front of the other…
I rushed in, as planned. Saw the King glowering in a corner. He noticed me, attention swinging with force. I froze- definitely not according to plan. When he saw who I was, his face softened a little. You could tell he was incredibly angry at Anora, but I was not she. So, he calmed.
"Erm, linens…" I was mumbling again. Pointing sideways towards the bed, I continued according to plan, rushing towards the bed. Andraste's ass they were really far under there. How did he get them that far? Rushing turned into me having to flop on my stomach and wiggle my way in to the sheets. It didn't help that this bed was incredibly large. I finally managed to grab onto the corner of a sheet, but I was already under the bed to my waist. It was an incredibly painful struggle, but I wiggled my way back out backwards. Maybe I would have bruises tonight…
Pulling myself to my knees, I yanked harder than I probably needed to on the sheets, and wound up falling backwards on my ass. All of this in front of the King of Ferelden. Boy, I was so incredibly graceful.
When I opened my eyes, the King was standing over me, offering me his hand. And of course, laughing hysterically. I could feel the blood pumping in my face. I suppose it did have to be comical from his point of view.
After helping me up, he wiped the tears that were forming from his laughter. I'm glad he was enjoying himself so much…
"I'm sorry to laugh, really. But that was incredibly funny." I gathered the sheets in my arms, embarrassed as his laugher settled down. As I turned to leave, he placed his hand on my shoulder, stopping me. "Thank you. You have no idea how much I needed that." Once again, without thinking, my eyes met his. Maker, he certainly did have pretty eyes…
My eyes snapped back down to my linens, and I nodded my head in response, starting to turn from him.
"What did you say your name was again? Scarlett?" He had remembered my name? Of course, he was the King. He probably remembered everyone's names. Plus, it had been a whole fifteen minutes or so since I'd told him what it was.
"Yes, you're Highness."
"I'm afraid I'm never going to get used to people calling me that. Not used to having people wait on me all the time either." His fingers ran through his hair. He looked stressed. "Aedan only does it cause he knows it bothers me." I didn't say anything in response, and he chuckled a little, breaking the nervous silence. "Well, Scarlett, it was certainly nice running into you again." He placed both of his hands on my shoulders, one on either side. My eyes met his again, and for a moment I couldn't tear them away. He smiled at me after what seemed like an eternity, and I nodded in response, forcing my eyes from his.
I had to get out of there. Without worrying about etiquette, I broke away, curtsying slightly before I turned and almost sprinted out the door. I walked away as fast as I could. I thought I heard him say my name from behind me, but I didn't pay any attention. Blood was pounding fast in my ears, my face was hot, and I almost felt faint. What the hell was going on with me?
Tripping into the laundry room, I was glad to see no one was there. I dropped the sheets into the now lukewarm water and flung myself back against the wall. For some strange reason, I was dizzy, out of breath, and incredibly warm. Probably due to the fact I had sprinted through the castle at top speed, but I had felt like that before I started sprinting, I think. I barely even remembered running through the castle. All I could remember was his eyes, and the way he had smiled at me…
I don't like men. That is… I don't mean I like women, I just hadn't found any men I had been interested in yet. I wasn't pretty and thin like Trinna. I wasn't big, but still. It was made very clear to me at an early age that I would never be able to marry above or even at my status, I would have to either die single or marry below me. This meant I would have to marry an elf, or a dwarf, because my family was pretty much at the very bottom of the human food chain. I never had any dreams of grandeur or hope of 'magically becoming a noble' like the other girls did. I was a servant. When I was 20 and had enough money saved, I would leave Denerim and become a soldier, or maybe even a pirate. I wanted to see the world, and I couldn't get that in some stuffy castle or estate.
So when I found myself getting dizzy when the King touched me, I was incredibly irritated with myself. He was the bloody KING. Never in a million years would he think to look at a lowly servant. I needed to make myself realize this now, and then I could move on and get back to real life.
