The sun rose behind the thick clouds of Hademort and in the depths of the large palace, Flora slowly opened her eyes. She looked around the small room and breathed in. Another day in Hademort, another day of serving her princess, and another day of cleaning up the mess that Helia would create with Krystal. Every morning she wished that she had opened her eyes to the sight of her room back at the Linphea palace, warm and filled with plants. But it had been the cold stone of Hademort that greeted her each morning for the past month.
Flora sat up in the small bed and stretched her arms, her joints cracking as she did her best to shake off what had happened the night before. She tried to shake off the prince's anger and his disrespect for her princess. She tried to shake off Duncan's touch and the feel of his arm around her. Today was a new day, she told herself, and she would continue to tell herself that for the rest of her life if she needed to.
Swinging her feet over the bed, she stepped into warm slippers and grabbed the cloth robe on the post of her bed. She wrapped it close to her body, trying to fight off the chill of the cold Hademort morning. Maybe she should wear some form of clothing to bed but she never did in the temperate evenings of Linphea and old habits die hard.
She walked over to the corner of the small room where a short, wooden table held a bowl of water and a cloth. She picked up the cloth and dipped it into the water to wash her face, washing away the sleep from her face. Flora looked into the small mirror and sighed, her eyes not completely awake, and her hair piled on top of her head in a wild mess of brown curls. Flora always envied the way that Krystal just seemed to wake up the picture of beauty, her hair free of tangles and her skin fresh even right after waking up. Figured that it just came with the territory of being a princess and the fact that Flora always made sure that Krystal's hair was brushed and braided before bed and that Krystal had completed her nightly skin regimen. Flora was lucky that she managed to get a few hours of sleep before she would awake early in the morning to do it all over again.
After washing her face, Flora grabbed a brush that hung from a hook on the wall near her small wardrobe. She stood in front of the mirror and took the large brass pin out of her hair, letting the mix of waves and curls plop down onto her shoulders and behind her back. She let out a soft humph as she looked at herself in the mirror and assessing the mess on top of her head. She better get to work...
Flora hummed to herself as she began to run the brush through each section of hair. Her mind thinking about what she needed to do for the day and always hoping that with each day it would be better than the last. She would not let the prince or the king or the captain get to her. The prince was marrying Krystal, the king barely paid attention to her other than when she was with Krystal, and Duncan would grow tired of her. She understood her novelty as a new woman in the palace with Krystal, the rest of the Linphean guard returning home with the exception of a few men who stayed behind to integrate themselves into the Hademort guard.
She would be okay. Everything would be okay.
Most of the knots were out of her hair and her brown waves were now tamed and gathered in front of her shoulder as she continued to brush. She thought about how she would wear her hair, that and deciding what she would wear being the only bits of choice and freedom that she had. A draft swirled through the room and Flora shivered, reminding her that she really needed to ask the seamstress for some scrap fabric to make warmer gowns for herself with the fall and winter quickly approaching. It might have been the middle of the summer, but she was already cold and did not want to think about how frigid it would become in the dead of winter. How could it get any colder than it already was?
A knock on the door brought Flora back to the presence and distracted her from the cold. Without thinking, Flora placed the brush back onto the hook and quickly left her spot in front of the small mirror and went to the door. She placed her hand on the cold, brass handle and turned it, swinging the door open to reveal the person she least suspected.
Standing there in his usual black pants and boots with a beige shirt was Prince Helia. His hair was in a low ponytail and his expression was soft but serious.
"Your Highness," Flora's mouth gaped wide in shock as she looked at the prince, "I...I...I wasn't..."
Helia's blue eyes focused on the woman in front of him and immediately noticed how beautiful she had looked so early in the morning. Her hair having been neatly brushed, her face glowing, and even with tired eyes, she had been a picture of perfection. It wasn't long until his eyes trailed down to her exposed shoulders and chest underneath the pale green robe that was tied loosely around her body. He could even make out the top of her breasts as one side of the robe hung lower than the other. His eyes traveled further to take in her long, tan legs that had not been covered by the short robe.
"May I help you, Your Highness?" Flora asked, her voice filled with sweetness and curiosity for why he was there at her door. She had never seen the prince down where the servants were except for her first night in the palace. Did he usually come down here and she just missed it?
Helia's eyes snapped back up to Flora's face. She either didn't notice him leering or she was just trying to make the situation less awkward than it already was. Helia blinked, bringing his mind back to the reason he was down there, and brought a pale hand up to his mouth to clear his throat.
"Yes," he replied, "I came here to apologize for my behavior last night."
Flora was in disbelief. Had her ears been playing tricks on her?
"What?" Flora's voice was softer than she had hoped and wanted it to be.
"What I said and did last night was...unbecoming. I should not have yelled at you the way that I did. I was upset and angry and...it wasn't right for me to take it out on you. You came to see if I was alright, and I returned your kindness with nastiness. I'm sorry."
Flora's eyes were wide as she took in what the prince said. Had someone come and taken over Helia's body? This was not the cold prince that she was used to seeing. He had taken time out of his morning to come and apologize to her. A servant.
"Did Saladin make you do this, Your Highness? I told him that I was quite alright. It wouldn't be the first time I had been yelled at and I am sure that it won't be the last." Flora smirked as she let out a small, nervous chuckle, thinking about all of the times that Griselda had scolded her for not completing her work in a "respectable" manner.
"He didn't tell me to apologize, but he did, as usual, knock some sense into me." Helia reached up and nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "You have done nothing wrong, and I have been acting like an ass to Princess Krystal and you. So, I'm sorry."
Flora smiled and unconsciously placed a comforting hand on Helia's arm.
"Thank you for apologizing, Your Highness. The fact that you would come down here and do so means a lot to me."
Helia looked down at the petite hand on his forearm, the warmth of her touch radiating through his body. He needed to back away, but he didn't want to. Ha, Saladin did tell him to find out what it was that he wanted. One thing that he now knew was that he never wanted to be without Flora's warm and comforting touch.
But she took her hand back and the coldness of the basement of the large castle came crashing back. Had it always been so cold down here?
"And are you okay, Your Highness?" Flora's voice was nothing more than a soft whisper. "You seemed to be very upset last night, and I just wanted to know if..."
Helia stared down at her as her voice trailed off into nothing, her tan cheeks turning bright pink. He should be the one asking if she was alright after last night, not her. He apologized to her for his behavior, and she still asked if he was okay.
"I'm fine," it wasn't not the truth. His troubled relationship with his father, his hatred for Duncan, and his frustrations with his attraction towards the woman in front of him left him feeling anything other than fine. But the pure rage from the day before had subsided and lingered beneath the surface. Flora didn't need to be troubled by his issues any more than she had already been. For her, he could be fine.
"I am glad to hear that, Your Highness." Flora gave Helia a timid smile. She knew that he was not fine. Flora could sense that deep down, the prince was hiding his true feelings from her. But it was not her business to meddle in the affairs that were not hers. She had learned that the hard way years ago and had paid the price. Maybe Helia had been right that time in the kitchen on their first night. Perhaps she should not stick her nose in business that does not concern her. But that wasn't who she was, whether she or anyone else liked it or not.
The prince and handmaiden shared a moment of silent eye contact. Flora's eyes conveying her unsaid offer of help for the prince and Helia's eyes did their best not to accept.
"Well," Helia cleared his throat again and looked off to the side, feeling awkward about the small trance that Flora's simple touch put him in, "I better let you finish preparing for your day. Please let Princess Krystal know that I look...forward...to seeing her in the study for tea this afternoon."
Flora's eyes brightened; whatever sleepiness left in her eyes disappeared with Helia's request. Her pink lips spread into a wide smile, the largest smile that she had since stepping foot onto Hademort soil. And to think, it had been caused by the person who had given her the most trouble since she and Krystal had been there.
"Really? You'll really meet her?" Flora asked, happiness emanating from her body.
It was like he could feel the happiness leave out of her body and soak into his. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly as he looked down at the woman in the doorway in front of him.
"Yes," Helia replied, "I will meet with her today."
Helia had never been to tea before as teas were for women and there were no women in the palace who would host such an event. Saladin would tell stories about his mother hosting other queens and princesses at the palace but after her passing, Hademort was not exactly the pinnacle of social meeting places. He did not know what to expect but he would give it a try. For Flora...
"Oh, she will be so happy!" Flora exclaimed, "I have to get ready and tell Princess Krystal that-" Flora blushed and looked up at the prince, "Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you!"
Helia's smile widened as he looked down at the woman in front of him filled with unadulterated glee. He had never seen anyone so happy, much less because of him. He was usually the source of torment for so many...like Perran...
But here Flora was, in front of him, and smiling because of him.
"I, uh, I'll let you prepare for the day." Helia rested his fist on the edge of the doorway and gave a light tap before bringing his hand to the back of his neck.
Flora calmed down but the smile never left her face. She took a deep breath and with kind, green eyes, she gave him a look that he had never seen before. A look of kindness and admiration.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Helia stepped back as Flora slowly closed the door. Once the door closed, Helia placed his back against the wooden door and leaned his head back until that too met hard wood. He sighed, the remains of his smile still on his face. Letting out a soft laugh, the repeated thank yous from Flora for something that he had done for the princess, not for her. Well, he only agreed to meet with the princess as a roundabout gesture of apology to Flora. Even after sitting with Saladin's words for the evening, Helia still did not care for the young princess. Krystal was beautiful, sweet, and demure; everything that a princess should be. But Helia did not care for her the same way that he cared for...
Standing up straight, Helia removed his body from the door and made his way out of the servant's quarters and up to the main floor of the palace to start his day.
"Really? He said that?" Krystal shot up from her bed, the two braids hitting his chest as she snapped up.
Flora stood off to the side, preparing Krystal's things for the day.
"No no," Krystal shook her head, "not the teal one, the pink one. You know, the one with the flowers on it."
Flora smiled as she placed the teal gown back into the large wardrobe and reached for the soft pink gown with flower accents.
"Are you sure, Your Highness? This is one of your finest gowns and you are only meeting the prince for tea this afternoon."
"Oh, but this is not just any tea, my dear Flora." Krystal hopped off of her bed and skipped over to Flora, grabbing the pink dress and holding it in front of her, "This is the first time that Prince Helia has said that he will come to me. A special occasion such as this calls for a special dress."
Flora inhaled through her nose and exhaled the same way, "Fine. But only because I am making you an even better dress for Helia's Birthday Ball."
"Birthday ball?!" Krystal asked, "It feels like forever since I have been to a ball! When will it be?!"
"Well, nothing has been set yet, Your Highness." Flora watched Krystal's smile falter just slightly. "But I think that you might be just the person to convince His Highness to host one. His birthday is the second of September, so I suggest that if you want a romantic night of dancing with Prince Helia that you start working your charms. And I see no better day to start than today."
Krystal's face lit up as she clutched her pink gown tighter to her, doing her best to contain her excitement.
"And you are going to make me a new gown?" Krystal asked. It was during moments like these that Flora couldn't help but admire Krystal's childlike excitement and glee. The princess reminded her so much of...
"I am, Your Highness."
"Why not ask the seamstress?" Krystal asked, "You have basically taken it upon yourself alone to care for me and you deserve at least some time for yourself."
"I am glad to serve you, Your Highness. I don't mind the extra work. Besides, who else can make a gown fit for the Princess of Linphea and future Queen of Hademort? A royal blue gown with blue flower accents and...I'm sorry, I am getting carried away with myself again."
"Oh no!" Krystal set the pink gown on her bed and began hopping up and down, "I want you to tell me all about my new dress. Wait," Krystal stopped bouncing, "no, I want to be surprised. Oh...you know that I can't wait for surprises."
Flora giggled at the young princess, "Do you want me to tell you or not, Your Highness?"
Krystal thought for a moment and then turned her attention back to Flora, "No, I trust you to make a stunning gown. But..."
"But what, Your Highness?" Flora tilted her head to the side.
"But what if I cannot convince Prince Helia to have the ball. Or worse, his father will not allow him to have one?"
Flora put her finger to her chin and tapped, "Then I suppose you will have a beautiful gown to wear whenever you feel like knocking the entire palace off of their feet."
"You really think the dress will be that good?"
"Your Highness," Flora smirked, "you seriously underestimate me."
Helia stood outside of the door to the study, having finished his meeting with a few of the provincial officials of Hademort, preparing to meet Princess Krystal. This would be the first real conversation that he had with the princess. Sure, they had talked briefly during the journey back to the palace and during one of the most uncomfortable dinners of his life, but they had never really talked.
Flora and his grandfather were right, Krystal was not here by her own choice, and he had done nothing to make her feel welcome. He had not felt the initial pull that he had felt when he first saw Flora, but the princess was beautiful and seemed to have a very sweet soul. The least he could do was get to know her so that their eventual marriage would be amicable if anything. However, Helia knew that he would never love the princess in the way that the princess would hope. Life was not a fairytale.
He could hear the sounds of faint giggling and the princess's voice in the room. Helia could not make out what the princess was saying or who she was speaking to. Perhaps one of the servants assigned to clean the study? The sound of a door shutting in the study could be heard, the servant had left through the servant's door. The room fell into silence again and Helia composed himself outside of the door.
Taking a deep breath, Helia placed his hand on the metal handle and pressed down, the clicking of the lock shocking him into the reality that he was about to enter the proverbial lion's den. But he quickly remembered that he was seeing Princess Krystal, not his father, not an advisor, and not a member of the guard. She was to be his wife and him, her husband. Nothing to worry about, nothing to be afraid of.
Opening the door to the study, Helia walked inside. The curtains were open, allowing the bleak sunlight of Hademort to stream through the windows. The scent of warm tea and freshly made treats filled the room. It smelled like nothing he had had before and was interested to try them. It would give him and the princess something to talk about at least.
Helia's eyes met pink and lavender, his gaze landing on the princess who was sitting at the modestly sized wooden table in the study, treats and tea set out with beautiful white and green china. He looked back to Krystal and the way that the sunlight lit the princess made her look like a work of art. She really was beautiful. Had he just been blind to it?
"Prince Helia," Krystal smiled up at him from her seat, "thank you for joining me. I have been looking forward to this day for quite some time."
Helia tried to search for words that would make him sound somewhat cordial, a difficult task since he never really had been the friendliest person. This was going to be a lot harder than he thought. He hated small talk.
"Likewise," Helia replied, his face in its usual serious expression. Sensing the slight waver in Krystal's smile, Helia cleared his throat and relaxed his face as much as he could, "I apologize for neglecting my duties as a host and..." Helia felt it hard to say the next words for some reason, "...husband-to-be."
Krystal smiled and lowered her head in a demure nod, "Apology accepted, and I hope that you will be able to join me for dinner sometime in the near future."
"Of course, Princess." Helia replied.
It was awkward. Neither Helia nor Krystal really knew what to say. Krystal always had something to say when she was with Flora but looking at the serious prince as he stood in front of her, all words were lost from her head. She glanced down at the tea and food in front of her before gesturing to the wooden chair at the end of the table.
"Please, Your Highness," Krystal smiled, "sit."
Helia nodded silently before taking a seat in the wooden chair. He pulled himself up to the table and looked at the small pile of sweets and sandwiches in front of him. This was surely not enough food to satiate him.
"Is this all?" Helia asked, his eyes still on the food.
"What do you mean?" Krystal asked nervously.
"Is this all there is to eat?"
"Um, yes, Your Highness."
"Really?" Helia's eyes grazed over the food, "You'll have to forgive me, I have never had tea before."
Krystal's mouth spread into a wide and toothy smile, Helia gave a small and nervous smile in response.
"I am glad that I will be your first hostess." Krystal reached forward towards a plate of sandwiches and held the white and green platter in front of Helia, "Sandwich, Your Highness? They are a traditional Linphean bell pepper and chickpea sandwich. Flora made them so they are bound to be delicious."
Helia reached up and grabbed one of the small sandwiches, taking account of how delicate the sandwiches looked. Almost as delicate as the woman who made them. Helia wanted to laugh. Flora was delicate but she was also strong and stubborn, the sentiment of her being a frustrating woman was still very much true.
He took a tentative bite, the sweet and earthy tastes entering his mouth. It was different from the sandwiches he was used to having in Hademort. Helia had to admit that this new taste was different, but he liked it, he would need to get used to it, but he liked it.
"So, what do you think?" Krystal asked, her green eyes trained on Helia.
Helia swallowed, "Very good."
Krystal smiled as she grabbed a sandwich of her own and placed it on the small plate in front of her, "I am glad. I was unsure if they would be good since the ingredients were imported but nevertheless, I am thankful that your first taste of Linphean cuisine has been pleasant."
"I can only assume that the rest of these are Linphean as well?" Helia asked as he looked at the small cakes and tarts.
"Not all of them." Krystal shrugged, "Like the cake over there is a Solarian Mango Cake. And that one is a Mint Tarte from Dyamond. And the little one over there is a savory Spinach and Cheese Puff from Ohm."
Helia smiled at the small puff that Krystal had pointed to. He reached forward and grabbed it. He had never had anything from his mother's homeland before. He barely knew anything about it other than its reputation for its peaceful and luxurious scenery and people. He took a bite of the puff and warm cheese and spinach filled his mouth, and the warm filling coating his mouth.
"Do you like those, Prince Helia?" Krystal asked.
"Yes," Helia said as he raised a hand to cover his mouth, "my mother was from Ohm so it is nice to be able to taste something...connected to her."
"I shall have Flora make them again."
"Did Flora make all of these?" Helia asked.
"She loves to bake and cook." Krystal shrugged. "She has always made the birthday cakes and treats in the palace since she was old enough to operate the kitchen fires."
Helia looked down at the spinach puff in his hand, a bite was taken out from his small taste, and the warm filling caused steam to rise up and hit his nose. Had she really made all of these? On top of taking care of getting Krystal prepared for the day? Did she control time? Helia let out a soft laugh at the thought. Ridiculous, he told himself. Popping the rest of the spinach puff in his mouth, he looked back over to Krystal who held the white and green teapot in her hands.
"Tea, Your Highness?" Krystal asked.
"Please," Helia answered and watched as Krystal poured the hot, brown-tinted liquid into his cup.
"It's a special Linphean blend that we brought with us on our journey. Linphea is the Tea Capital of the World after all. This is a royal blend and I hope that you will enjoy it."
"I have enjoyed everything else so far." Helia reached forwards for the steaming cup of tea. It smelled sweet. He brought the cup to his lips and took a tentative sip. He didn't really like it...
"What do you think?" Krystal asked, hanging on with anticipation for his answer.
"It's um," Helia didn't want to completely offend the princess, "different."
"Different?"
"It's certainly not the worst tea that I have tasted."
"Oh." Krystal looked down at her own cup of tea and bringing it up to her lips. It had been her favorite tea, the kind that she grew up on.
"Too sweet, that is all. But I suppose a sweet princess would need a sweet tea."
Helia wanted to roll his eyes. That physically hurt coming out of his mouth. He was not used to speaking in this way or throwing around compliments like this. He wondered if it sounded as fake to Krystal as it did to him. But judging by the blush that exploded on Krystal's face, Helia figured that she had taken what he had said to heart. How naive...
He took another sip of the tea, swallowing down the sweet liquid. Again, it had not been the worst thing that he had in his mouth-food on a battlefield might take the top spot-but it had just not been, for lack of better words, his cup of tea. Placing the cup down, Helia opened his mouth to speak but was cut off when out of the corner of his eye, he saw the servant's door open and a flash of brown and soft yellow flood into the room.
"I have the honey, Your Highness."
Helia turned his attention directly to Flora. He felt his heart stop, she looked like the sun. The soft yellow gown floated down to her feet, the longer sleeves sitting beautifully on her arms, and her hair was down and fell in waves. Helia caught a glimpse of small, white flowers sprinkled throughout the brown locks. Where did she get those flowers from? Delicate flowers like those did not grow in the harsh Hademort cold, even in the summer.
"Oh, you're here, Your Highness." Flora looked at Helia and gave him a small smile. She held a jar of honey in her hands and made her way over to the table. Placing the jar on the table, she took a step back and gave a shallow bow. Flora retreated to a corner of the study and took a seat on a large, cushioned armchair. She bent down and gathered a small embroidery hoop with dark blue thread sewed in.
"Are you staying?" Helia directed his question towards Flora.
"She insists on it." Krystal rolled her eyes, "Says that it is not proper for you and me to be alone together if we are not yet married."
"We were, however, alone before you came back." Krystal turned her body to look back at Flora.
"Only for a few minutes, Your Highness," Flora smirked, "I would hope that nothing too untoward would have happened in the time that it took me to grab honey from the kitchen and come back."
"No." Helia chimed in, "Not at all."
"Good." Flora responded, "I will not have Princess Krystal and the Royal Family of Linphea be made a mockery of because you could not wait for your wedding night, Your Highness."
Helia almost choked on the sweet tea.
"That will not be happening," Helia said through clenched teeth. He set down his half-filled cup of tea.
"Very well," Flora conceded as she brought her eyes down to her embroidery, "but I have my eyes on you."