The Stablehand

Chapter 2

"Get your bucket and go Melena!" Alfio, who assigned everyone their duties, yelled into the doorway of Melena's small dormitory. 

"Yes, of course. I am at your beck and call Master Alfio." Melena mumbled sardonically as she laced up her boots. "Anything you want your highness." She grumpled sticking her tongue out at Alfio's back as she emerged from her dormitory. It was quiet in the servants' quarters since everyone was either asleep or already working.

There was a loud knock from the end of the hall, a door leading out of the palace so servants could come and go as they pleased. Melena paused and looked at the door. Someone knocked again. It wasn't a servant obviously; all servants knew the door was never to be locked, it was an unspoken rule. Then it wasn't knocking but pounding. Melena turned towards the door and opened it. 

"I am very drunk." Prince Nero said with an almost giddy smile. 

"Why are you here?" Melena asked completely shocked at his less than stellar appearance. Prince Nero barged past her into the servants' quarters. "Prince Nero-" She was cut off by his sudden vomiting. "Lovely." Melena mumbled to herself as she stepped over the mess and handed him a bucket. "Get in here before the whole world knows where you are." Melena said opening the door to her dormitory. Prince Nero seemed to be done vomiting for the moment and he sat down on the lumpy mattress on the floor. 

"Stay here. I'm going to clean up the mess outside. Do not move." Melena ordered as she closed the dormitory door behind her. She went outside and quickly cleaned up the mess.

"There Prince Nero." Melena mumbled as she wrapped a scratchy blanket around his wide shoulders.

"Don't call me prince. Just Nero." His hazel eyes held such intensity for such a simple statement. "Why do you talk funny?" Nero asked as he laid down on the mattress.

"I'm from a place very far away. I'm sure you've never heard of it." Melena answered with a slight chuckle. 

"Tell me about it." Nero was so drunk he wanted to hear about Melena's home. 

"There was a lot of snow, goats, and horses. Not much to it. I mainly worked with horses." Melena answered with a small shrug. "Pretty simple life."

"A simple life sounds the remedy for everything." Nero noted sounding very far away.

"I believe it is too." A comfortable silence settled between the two of them.

"I don't want this." Nero sounded like he was on the verge of tears. Nero was obviously a moody drunk. 

"What don't you want Nero?" Melena asked looking at him. He was on his back clutching the corners of the blanket. 

"I don't want to be a king. I don't want any of this grandeur. How can anyone live with it?" Nero's voice was shaky and although Melena had no patience, she knew she needed to help him. 

"It's okay." She said as she moved closer to him. She put her dainty hand on Nero's forearm. "Whatever it is I'm sure you can figure everything out." Melena tried to soothe his troubled mind but it was not working. 

"I want to runaway." Nero whispered almost to himself.

"To anywhere in particular?" 

"I'd like to see where your from. Snow, goats, and horses sound like an improvement to this gilded cage." He looked over and met her eyes. "Any place that could make anyone so beautiful is a place everyone should visit." Nero mumbled. Melena chuckled slightly.

"I fear your affliction might be more than drunkenness but also an eye sight deficiency." Melena smiled when she saw Nero had finally passed out. She took a sigh of relief and stood. 

The door cracked open. Alfio stepped in and froze. His eyes were wide and blood shot and he looked like he could murder the whole of Renno Kingdom. 

"Is that Prince Nero?" Alfio asked in a hushed whisper. It would've been bad enough if he had yelled but his whisper was horrifying.

"No, of course not. Why would a prince come down to servants' quarters?" Melena responded coolly.

"I need him out Melena."

"Look at him Alfio. He's passed out. Are you really-" His hand collided with her face.

"Do not question me!" Alfio bellowed and grabbed Melena by her long blonde hair. "I am sick of you and your inability to follow orders." He mumbled, dragging Melena out to a more open area.

Before Melena could get her bearings and fight, he slammed her against a wall. Melena was stunned as her ears rang. Alfio shoved her to the ground and began to kick her in a fit of rage. He was screaming something Melena couldn't make out. She was backed up into a corner and breathing was getting harder with every moment. All of a sudden he stopped. He looked down at the semi-conscious body of Melena, adjusted his now blood stained shirt, and left. Melena took a moment before even attempting to stand. 

She slowly made her way back to her dormitory where Nero was snoring loudly. Melena painfully laid down on the ground and slept, dreaming of riding horses in snow.