A Servant Lost (Alys Book #1)

Chapter 11

Alys understood. It was inconvenient for herself, but it made sense.

"Is there anyone that you would feel comfortable having as your main body guard?" Dastrehan asked her, looking up from her injured hand and into her face.

"Someone you knew before you came to the palace, or maybe someone you have met here?"

Alys shook her head, "I do not know many of the guards, your Highness," she said quietly. She had had no business knowing who the guards were when she had been working in the kitchens. She was meant to obey them. But now that she was living in one of the guest chambers, she had started to recognize a few of the men that were always around when the Prince was.

"I want you to feel safe," Dastrehan opened his fingers from around Alys's hand and she let it drop back down to rest against the skirt of her plain brown dress. She suddenly felt tired, and she mumbled something to him about sitting down. Dastrehan quickly moved to guide her to the sofa. Alys forced a smile to show her thanks.

"There was this man that I travelled with to Targus," Alys said, her eyebrows knit together in concentration, "I do not remember his name. But he was the head guard for a caravan transporting palace goods."

Dastrehan sat beside her on the sofa, nodding encouragement for her to continue.

"He was very kind to me. The caravan got caught in a storm, and outlaws raided the wagons. He followed them and saved me from a dreadful fait."

"What fait was that?" The prince asked.

Alys's face twisted with disgust, "A brothel."

Dastrehan's eyebrows rose in shock.

"You were going to join a-"

"I was going to be sold to a brothel, by the outlaws," Alys quickly interrupted. She had no intention of anyone, especially the prince of the kingdom, thinking that she would be such a person as to give her services to a brothel for money. She wished this had not come up. It was not something she liked to recall. It would have been so easy for something to have gone wrong with the wagon guards' rescue, and she would have been sold into a life of the worst slavery imaginable.

Dastrehan's mouth was tight, like he had been told someone important had taken ill, or some other grave news had been laid upon him.

Alys held his gaze, so he would know that she was serious about what she had said.

Dastrehan shook his head in disbelief, "You really have had the worst last few months, have you not?"

Alys lowered her gaze to the floor now.

"Others have gone through much worse than I have."

Dastrehan shook his head in disgust. Alys's good hand went unconsciously to her belly. Not everything about the last few months had been bad.

The room became quiet, and Alys kept her hand on her stomach as she watched Dastrehan stare at the carpeted floor. His brows were pressed together in concentration, and he rubbed the palms of his hands together.

The air was cool in the room, as evening was approaching. Quietly, a servant moved into the room and hurried over to the large fireplace to light a fire. After some clunking of logs and the clicking of flint stones being stuck against each other, the servant moved to the large windows and balcony to close shutters and curtains against the chilling, evening spring breezes. When she was finished, the servant left the room.

"I will instruct one of my men to find out who this head guard is you have mentioned," Dastrehan finally voiced, his brows becoming even tighter together, "If he is found, I will talk with him myself. Until then, your current escort will be assigned to you."