The King's Servant

Chapter One

Emilia ran across the field away from the castle as fast as she could, her heart pounding in her chest. Her cheeks slightly stinging from the cold breeze that blowed against them. She paused for a moment looking around until she found what she was searching for. She could see a man standing at the end of the forest in the cover of the trees. She smiled to herself knowing it was Matthew waiting for her. She picked up her pace knowing their time was short but she wanted as much as she could get. Her legs were aching and she was out of breath by the time she reached the forest's edge. Matthew took her hand and smiled down at her for a moment, brushing a stray hair away from her face, before pulling her further into the woods where they wouldn't be seen. They sat down at the base an old oak tree and Emilia laughed as she caught her breath.
"I thought I'd never find you." She smiled up at him breathlessly as she leaned back against him. She could hear his heart beating steadily in his chest and she tried to match her breathing with his. He chuckled and wrapped an arm around her waist as she sat between his legs.
"You always find me." He held her for a few minutes in silence until she caught her breath. Then she sat up a little and sighed.
"How are you today?" She asked not turning to look at him but instead staring up at the towering trees above them, the sky barely showing through the leaves which were now turning all shades of yellow and orange.
"Um, well... not very good..." he replied hesitantly. Emilia, suddenly worried, sat up and turned to look at him.
"Why? What happened?" She asked quickly.
"Well..." he started and then looked at the ground for a moment.
"What is it?" She asked in almost a whisper, afraid of bad news. He looked at her seriously for a few moments before opening his mouth to answer but closed it again as he tried not to smile.
"I just missed you." He smiled gently. She sighed thankful it wasn't anything serious but then pushed his arm away from her laughing.
"You scared me!" She said as she leaned back into his arms again.
"I'm sorry. But really, I did miss you... a lot."
She looked up at him and smiled sadly.
"I missed you too." She studied his face for a few moments, wanting to memorize every little detail. His hazel eyes, his soft brown curly hair, his warm smile, and his bare faced chin. She loved the lines by eyes and the way he chuckled. She really had fallen in love with him she thought to herself. She wasn't going to tell him that though. They'd only been seeing each other for 2 weeks but it felt as if she's known him a lifetime. She must have been staring at him to long because all of a sudden he called her ought of her daze.
"Are you ok?"
"Yes. Sorry, I was just lost in thought I guess." She blushed and looked away.
"Emilia..." he spoke her name so dreamily it made her want to melt away. He touched her chin and turned her face to look at his. He looked into her light green eyes. Her long brown hair pooling around her waist. His eyes then trailed to her perfectly pink lips, and he let his fingers reach up to lightly trace them. She knew he wanted to kiss her and she wanted him to as well. But he didn't. He just looked at her lips until she gave in and reached her hand around the back of his neck and pulled face down to meet hers. Her heart began to speed up again as she realized what she was doing. He pulled away after a moment, shocked, but he saw a look in her eyes that told him she wanted him maybe as much as he wanted her. Neither of them spoke a word. They just looked at each other as they tried to catch their breath. She looked so beautiful he couldn't convince himself to look away and he couldn't wait any longer. This time it was he who leaned in and kissed her. A soft light gentle kiss that sent sparks through her being. Then he began to kiss her again and again each time a little more passionate than the last. His hands moved down to her waist as he pulled her closer. She weaved her fingers through his hair with one hand and let the other rest on his arm as she melted into each kiss. She felt his tongue glide across her bottom lip. Every touch, every kiss left an electric feeling on her skin that sent shivers through her whole body. She felt his hand slide down her leg to the bottom of her dress and start to, very slowly, run its way back up toward her thigh. Suddenly a loud bell rang shocking the young couple out of their heated moment. She pulled away quickly coming back to reality. She was late.
She jumped up wide eyed and panicked.
"Oh no! I'm so dead." She said as she began to run toward the castle.
"Wait!" She could her Matthew call to her as he began to stand up. But no matter how much she wanted to stop, turn around, and spend the rest of the day with him she knew she couldn't.
"I can't, I have to go!" She called behind her as she kept her pace, not stopping for even a second. He caught up with her and ran by her side as they made their way back to the castle. As they neared the castle he began to run toward the stables and she ran toward the kitchen. She felt terrible for leaving like this so she called out to him.
"Meet me tonight!" She could hear him chuckle as they ran further apart but she didn't hear him give a reply. She didn't have time to wait, so she continued to run as fast as she could until she reached the kitchen entrance. She then stopped and tried to calm her heart and her hair which was now tussled about by Matthew's hands and the wind. She did not know if she looked presentable or not but she didn't have any more time to worry. She walked calmly into the kitchen and snuck her way around the busy servants, some of them catching her eye and shaking their head in disapproval but said nothing. She walked over to the hooks on the wall and picked up an apron and tied it to her waist swiftly. Then she turned towards the chopping board only to run into Ms. Grendich. Busted. Ms. Grendich stood there with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot, and looking down at Emilia with a disgruntled face.
"And where have you been?" She asked lifting a brow.
"I was... umm..." Emilia paused for a second trying to come up with an excuse.
"Helping the homeless!" She blurted out.
"The homeless?" Ms. Grendich said quizzically. Emilia nodded quickly determined to stick to her story as Ms. Grendich just sighed.
"Whatever you were really doing..." She squinted at Emilia as if she could read her mind. "this is the third time this week. And I will not tolerate tardiness." She stated as she straightened her back even more. When Emilia didn't reply she huffed and turned on her heel toward the front of the kitchen.
"Everyone," she clapped her hands silencing the busy room. "It's time. Servers get ready, and line up. The rest of you to your normal stations. Except you, Emilia. You'll come with me." Everyone turned to stare at her. She looked around at all their questioning faces but even she didn't know the answer.