Beth stretched her arms above her head. "Phew, finally done sweeping for that night."

"Yeah, but then we're up bright and early to start all over again," Courtney reminded.

Lindsay moaned. "My arms are so sore. Can't we just have a day off?"

Ella chuckled. "I wish, but Queen Heather would never allow it, especially now that her uncle's in town."

"Speaking of her uncle," Beth started, "did you guys notice anything off about him?"

Courtney shrugged. "I sort of did… I caught him carrying a Vile of Decease earlier."

"He kept staring at my boobs when I served him breakfast," Lindsay frowned.

Beth's eyes widened. "What? Really?"

She nodded.

"Jheez, what a creep," Beth crossed her arms.

Lindsay suddenly gasped. "Wait, I'm supposed to meet…" Her voice trailed off and her cheeks turned pink.

"Huh? Meet who?" Courtney raised her eyebrow.

"N-no one," the girl stammered. She quickly looked around and then started hurrying away from Beth, Ella, and Courtney. "I have to, uh… I'm really tired, so I'm gonna head to bed. See you guys tomorrow!" She turned around and ran out the throne room.

Beth squinted. "What was all that about?"

"Did she say she was going to meet with someone?" Ella asked.

Courtney nodded. "Yes, but who?"

The three girls started walking. "Heh, Lindsay's got a secret boyfriend," Beth joked.

"Speaking of boyfriends," Courtney turned to Ella, "how are things with you and Topher?"

She blushed. "He's not my boyfriend, Courtney."

Courtney grinned. "But he will be soon. We'll make it happen."

Ella hid her smile. "Topher, he's… He's really sweet."

"Awwww," Beth and Courtney cooed at the same time.

Beth nudged Courtney in the arm. "Well, speak of the devil."

Courtney looked and nearly burst out laughing from the irony. Topher was walking down the hall towards them.

"Hello ladies," Topher smiled when he reached them. His eyes locked on Ella.

"Hello," Ella blushed.

"You here to deliver another message to the queen?" Beth asked.

He ran his fingers through his hair. "Uh, no, actually I came to speak with Ella."

All the girls stopped breathing. Courtney snorted and shoved Ella forward. "Well, she's free to talk."

"Great," Topher smiled down at her.

Ella shot the two girls a slight glare but then smiled back up at Topher. "Are you even supposed to be here?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Well, not exactly. I kind of snuck in. I just really wanted to see you again."

Her face turned cherry red. She gestured him towards the palace doors. "Come, we can go outside so there's less of a chance you'll be caught."

The two headed down the hall. Courtney and Beth looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"Oh my god, that's so ironic!" Courtney wiped a tear from her eye.

The two walked into the maid's chamber and sat down on their beds. The maid's chamber was shaped like an octagon. They had their own bathroom, but it was tiny. There was a small balcony on the outside of their chamber, with two glass doors that lead to it. Each maid shared a bunk bed with another maid. Courtney shared one with Ella, who slept on the top bunk, while Beth shared one with Lindsay, who slept on the bottom bunk. Their beds were right next to each other along the wall.

Beth climbed the ladder onto her bed. "I'm still wondering who Lindsay was meeting with. The girl usually tells us everything."

Courtney sat down on her own bed. "I know, weird-" She was cut off when a small pebbly hit the glass door to the balcony.

The girls looked at each other and then back at the door. Another pebble hit it.

"What the hell?" Beth started.

Courtney stood up and walked over to the doors. She slowly opened them and peered down the balcony. Her jaw dropped. There, standing on the ground below her, was Duncan.

"Duncan, what-?" Courtney spoke loudly at first but then quieted herself down in case someone heard her, "What are you doing here?"

He smirked. "I came to see you."

"What… You did…?" She whispered.

"Who is it?" Beth appeared next to her and looked down at Duncan. Her eyes widened. She looked back and forth from Courtney and Duncan. "Wait, you- You have a man now, too?"

"Shhhhh!" Courtney hissed, "First of all, he's not my man, second of all-"

"Uh, Courtney, can you hurry it up a little?" Duncan called quietly, noticing a couple guards coming his way.

Courtney looked at the guards, then at Beth, then at Duncan. Was she really going to go with him? He was good company…

"What are you waiting for? Go!" Beth hurried her up.

Courtney huffed and pulled herself over the railing.

"You better tell me everything when you get back," Beth whispered into her ear and then went back into the room, closing the doors behind her.

Courtney rolled her eyes and turned back to Duncan. "And how do you expect me to get down, exactly?"

"Well you're already half way there," he teased. Duncan held his arms up, "Jump. I'll catch you."

She recoiled. "Are you kidding?"

"I promise I'll catch you."

"It's too high, there's no way."

"It's not that high. Just trust me," he told her.

"No!"

"Just jump!"

"Ugh," Courtney quickly looked around to make sure the cost was clear. She took a deep breath and then jumped. When the world stopped spinning, Courtney realized she was in Duncan's arms. And he was grinning down at her.

"Almost dropped you there," Duncan said.

Courtney rolled her eyes playfully and hoped out of his arms. "Well then, why did you come to see me?"

They started walking. "Thought you could use my company. You seemed to really enjoy it yesterday," he stretched his arms behind his head.

She scoffed. "Are you always this cocky?"

"Maybe."

Courtney hid her grin. "Alright, Duncan."

They bickered back and forth while walking along the sides of the palace, making sure not to be caught. The moon was high in the sky, nearly a full one. Courtney was still confused as to why Duncan came to see her. Was it just to talk? But why would he risk getting caught just to come see her? They only talked once. But, they had talked for a long while. Courtney had learned a lot about him, and he had learned a lot about her. She didn't mind being in his presence. Even though he had odd hair, Duncan was fairly handsome. He wore a dark cloak with a hood over top of a ripped black muscle tee, and then navy pants.

"So, I heard the queen's uncle is here," Duncan said.

Courtney nodded. "Yeah. He seems nice. But the girls and I have caught him doing strange things."

"Such as?"

She rubbed her hands up her goosebump-covered arms. The night was chilly. "Lindsay said he was staring at her chest when she was serving him breakfast, and I saw him carrying a Vile of Decease…"

"Isn't that only used to kill someone?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah! That's what I thought, but then again, he might be using it for another spell or something," she said and shivered slightly when a breeze came.

Duncan looked at her and unclipped his cloak. He set it on her shoulders.

"Oh, you don't have to," she smiled sheepishly.

He waved her off. "Don't worry about it."

The moonlight caught Duncan's very defined biceps, and Courtney couldn't help but blush. She clipped the cloak around her neck and cleared her throat. "So, have you lived in Omaria your whole like?"

"Pretty much," he shrugged, "How 'bout you?"

Courtney nodded. "My mother would always take me into the market when I was younger to buy loafs of bread," her mind wondered back to her childhood. A frown crept across her face. "I became a maid for the queen when I was thirteen."

Duncan looked down at her. "Why so young?"

She stared at the ground as a lump formed in her throat. "My mother passed away. I had nowhere else to go. No one to live with. So, the queen took me in as a maid. It isn't the greatest home, but at least I've got food and a roof over my head-" she realized what had just come out of her mouth and looked up at Duncan. "I am so sorry, I didn't mean-"

"No, no. It's fine," he assured. He remained silent for a moment and then spoke. "My parents went on a voyage when I was nine, but they got lost at sea." His gaze hardened. "I didn't wanna be stuck living in some orphanage with some caretakers that hardly cared for me, so I lived out in the woods."

Courtney's heart felt for Duncan. He didn't have a home. He didn't have a family. Without thinking, she took his hand and held it. After a second, Duncan squeezed her hand back. He grinned at her.

"Warming up, are you?"

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Don't ruin the moment."

They stayed together for a couple more minutes, but then headed back to the balcony. They were almost there, but then they ran into two people making out.

"Oops, sorry…" Courtney's voice trailed off when she saw who the girl was. "Oh my god, Lindsay!?"

"Shhh!" Lindsay hissed and gestured to the guards close by.

Courtney looked at the man holding Lindsay. It was one of Queen Heather's guards, Tyler. "Holy shit, so this is who you snuck out with?"

The blond turned pink. "Um…"

"I knew it! I knew you had a secret boy-"

"Well who exactly is this you're with?" Lindsay looked at Duncan.

Now Courtney turned pink. "Um…"

Lindsay smirked. "Are you supposed to be one the palace grounds?" She asked Duncan.

Duncan shoved his hands down his pockets. "Took a wrong turn in the village. Don't know how I got here."

Lindsay giggled. "I promise I won't tell."

Duncan grinned and held out his hand. "I'm Duncan."

"Hello Duncan, I'm Lindsay," she shook his hand, "this is Tyler," she gestured up to the man holding her.

"Hey," Tyler smiled and shook both Duncan and Courtney's hands.

"You're a knight here?" Duncan asked him.

Tyler nodded.

"Well, I can see you're doing a very good job at keeping guard," he joked.

Tyler rolled his eyes playfully. "Just don't snake on me, ok?"

"I won't, dude."

Courtney cleared her throat. "Well then, we should be getting back so the punk here doesn't get caught."

"Ok, Princess," Duncan rolled his eyes.

They waved goodbye to Tyler and Lindsay and left.

Courtney squealed when they were out of sight of them. "Holy crap, I can't believe Lindsay is hooking up with Tyler!" She turned slightly embarrassed when she realized she was still with Duncan, "Oops, sorry. That's more of a girl conversation."

He shrugged. "Nah, it's ok. Is Lindsay another maid here?"

She nodded. "Me, her, and a few others are. There are two others named Beth and Ella that we're close friends with." Her voice trailed off when she spotted Ella sitting with Topher in the garden. "Speaking of Ella, that's her right there."

Duncan squinted. "Hey, I know that guy. Topher, right?"

"Yeah. How do you know him?"

He grinned. "Tried to steal a letter opener off of him."

Courtney's eyes widened.

He burst out laughing. "I'm joking, relax. I know him because we ran into each other the other day and just sort of struck up conversation."

"I see," Courtney gave him a taunting look.

"Shhhh!" Duncan suddenly hissed and knelt down.

"What?"

"Guards!" He whispered and motioned her behind a bush. They were right by the palace doors, and two guards were standing on the stone pathway speaking to one another. "Shit, shit, shit, shit-" Duncan cursed as they moved closer to him and Courtney.

"Wait-!" Courtney held up her hand for him to stop talking. She moved her head to the side and tried to listen to their conversation.

"Do you really think this plan is going to work?" The male guard asked the other one.

The female guard scoffed. "I've seen him do terrifying spells and curses on people before, trust me, this plan is for sure going to work."

"But I mean… It's the queen. And she's a vampire. Vampires are pretty strong."

Courtney slowly peered over the bush to get a better look at the guards. The female was taller and had striking orange hair and a sharp jaw. The male had light purple hair and was stunt. She recognized them. They were Chris' bodyguards.

"Yeah, but he has a Vile of Decease. That kills someone in an instant," the woman responded.

Suddenly, the palace doors opened and two of Heather's guards walked out. Courtney recognized them as Jo and Brick, the pair that were constantly fighting with each other.

"Hey! What are you two doing out here?" Jo pressed.

The female rolled her eyes. "Relax, Jo-jo, we were just getting some air."

Jo practically growled. "Do not call me Jo-jo, Scarlet."

Brick stepped between the two. "Ok, let's calm down here. You and Max just go back inside, ok?"

Max stepped up to Brick. "How is it your place to tell us what to do?"

Brick's eyes sharpened. "This is not your kingdom. Cause any disruption and I'll have you hanged right away."

Courtney caught Scarlet's eyes shimmer for a slight second. Was Scarlet a witch?

"Come on, Max. Let's leave these two to have their private make out session," Scarlet smirked and pulled Max up the palace steps.

Jo growled and curled her hands into fists. "I hate those two. I can't wait until Chris leaves."

"I second that," Brick said as they began walking the opposite direction of Scarlet and Max.

Once all the guards were out of sight, Courtney burst up from the bush. "What in the freaking Omaria!?" She practically screamed.

"Shhhhh!" Duncan held up his hands to try and quiet her.

She slapped his hands away. "Did you hear what they were talking about? What did they mean by all of that?"

Duncan rubbed his eyes. "I don't know, Courtney, but let's not jump to any conclusions, here."

Courtney groaned and jumped over the bush they were hiding behind. "There, that was me jumping to a conclusion, and the conclusion is that Queen Heather may be in danger."

"So… What are we going to do?"

She shook her head. "I don't know," she thought for a moment, "Maybe I'm overthinking it. Maybe its not what I think. Besides, even if I told the Queen she wouldn't believe me."

Duncan cocked an eyebrow. "Why not?"

She pointed to herself. "Hello? I'm a maid. She'll probably think I'm jealous that she's queen or something."

They started walking. "Jeez, sounds fun to work for Queen Heather."

Courtney laughed sarcastically. "Yup." She swiftly glanced up at Duncan, only to find him staring right back at her. "What?" She giggled.

He grinned. "You know you turn red when you're mad?"

Her smile faded and she hid her face. "Shut up, I know it does." Her hands were slowly moved away from her face, and Courtney looked up into Duncan's eyes, and dammit if his eyes didn't just about take her breath away. "You gonna make fun of it some more?" She rose an eyebrow, trying to challenge him.

He grinned. "No. I'm gonna do something else to it." He slowly closed the space between them and planted his lips onto hers. Courtney closed her eyes and embraced his soft lips. She hadn't been expecting that, but boy, did it ever feel so magical.

Courtney suddenly pulled back. "What the hell? What do you think you're doing?"

Duncan smirked and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Don't even try to get angry with me. You liked it and we both know it," he took a step closer to her, "I'm a good kisser anyway, who wouldn't enjoy it?"

She scoffed. "You are too cocky"

"You like it."

A smile appeared on her lips and without thinking, Courtney pulled Duncan back and pressed her lips onto his. She ran her hands through his hair as he wrapped his arms around her waist. His tongue entered her mouth and sensation rang through the both of them. Courtney heard a slight hum from Duncan.

She pulled away for a brief second. "You're a werewolf?"

He smiled. "You caught me."

She giggled and they went back to kissing. Courtney wanted the moment to last forever, but a sudden murmur from a few guards nearby made them pull apart.

"Damn," Duncan mumbled and ran his hand through his hair. He looked at Courtney. "Well… Now I know you're a good kisser too. I shall return tomorrow." He winked and did a dramatic bow, then ran off.

"So you're cocky and extra!?" She called after him.

"You still like it!" He called back, his voice faint.

She grinned and watched him disappear into the night. The guards finally rounded the corner of the palace and saw her standing there, still smiling.

"Are you ok, ma'am?" One of them asked.

Courtney didn't even look at them. "Yes. I'm great," she turned away and walked back into the palace, forgetting all about the possible danger her Queen might be in.