Valerie

Chapter Four

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"Did things start going down hill here or start the day the first Evans became king?"

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For the first time in a while, the King didn't come talk to me. I waited ten minutes, I waited twenty, not because I was waiting for him, but because I was waiting to breathe free again. Two hours and near the end of my daily tasks and he'd made no appearance. I could be myself once more. I slowed the pace of my work, because in my anxiousness I'd been moving fast. I started to hum. Humming turned into soft singing, just to make the work go easier and distract myself from the burning solution that had to be used to clean the rooms. I didn't wear gloves because I didn't have access to them. I could get them, if only I'd pinch into my paycheck because the Were Madame was a totally selfish woman.

"Sing me a song that makes me think you love me. Sing me a time, better than this one, better than darkened roads. Sing me, sing me, sing me a song, that tells me you'll come home."

I hummed in between the lyrics and when I forgot them too. "Sing me the river, sing me the sky, sing me the blue, blue of your eyes." I spun around, maybe getting ahead of myself, but just like reading, it made life a tad bit easier. I'd rather have been an alluring bar singer, crooning across a stage, than here, fighting the peeling of my calloused hands. I'd rather have been singing while sitting on this window seat, soaking in morning sunlight. I tucked back a falling piece of hair and went back to work. "Sing me a song that makes me remember, remember when you loved me. Sing me a song that makes me think you love me. Sing me a-"

The door creaked. I heard no noise and I turned over my shoulder. The door was closed, still. My heart beat sped up. Did someone walk by and hear me? What if they were on there was to report it right now. I hastily finished my cleaning and grabbed my bucket, almost tripping over my feet to get to the door. The faster I got out of this room, the better. The door swung open and I stopped, nearly dropping my bucket. The King stood across from me, eyes watching and face inexpressive. I fell to one knee. "Your Majesty, I-"

"No apologies without eye contact, Valerie."

"I...yes, Your Majesty." I looked up and a tingle shot down my spine as my gaze went up to his head. He wore the Royal Jewels. A black iron crown, made of pikes of the dark metal to represent claws and decorated with silver to forge a connection to the moon. Silver. Another thing humans were wrong about when the werewolves moved in all those generations ago. They're not allergic to it. Not even a little. Around his neck sat a silver moon pendant, fatter than the palm of my hand.

"Do you like them, Valerie?"

"They're very beautiful, your Majesty." That wasn't a lie. I couldn't take my eyes off them. "Very beautiful."

"Stand up." I did as commanded immediately. "Was that you singing?"

My chest burned with the speed of my heartbeat. I could feel it in my throat. "I...I'm sorry if it disturbed you."

He grinned and I swear my vision closed in. Any more stress and fear and my most important organs would fail. Or burst. Although with the latter must come the former. "Did we discuss answering questions as you are told?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. I was singing." I picked at my fingernails. I didn't have to look at him if I wasn't apologizing. "I was also doing my work."

"Are you still doing your work?"