A Step Ahead: 21
Ava was mortified. The banging on the door increased while she was automatically covered in a thin layer of sweat. She didn't mean to threaten the King or intended to call him by his name. But what happened?
She didn't have an idea of how she dared to call someone powerful like him with his name without any honorifics. It felt real and oddly familiar that she didn't realise she was doing something wrong.
While Ava's face was constantly getting paler and paler, Lucas was, still, on the bed, drowsily, staring at his mate with nothing but adoration. He was, of course, in his right mind and pretty much loved how the mortal Queen simply threatened him by also calling his name.
Now, h could remember that his name was Lucas Aston. Yes, it's been more than two decades since someone called him by his name.
Trust the writer, it's been two decades since he had heard his name being called. Maybe, he had heard his name once when he was coronated as the King of the country, roughly, 18 years ago.
" Who's it? " Ava finally asked gulping all of the anxiety and dread inside as the banging on the door only increased time by time which also brought the King out of his trance.
" Your Majesty! Is His Majesty in here? "
Ava had to pinpoint the voice and paled even more when she realised that it was the King's Knight, Aslan. The banging only started when she threatened the King. If he had heard her threatening the King, what's going to happen to her?
" Majesty, Majesty! " Aslan continuously banged on the door. He knew he might be in trouble if he was found banging on the chamber in the mid of the hour, even though it has been made a rule that chambers should never be banged or even made noise if the Queen was inside.
He had been searching for the King for the past ten minutes and couldn't find the Royal heir anywhere. He just left him to park their vehicle in the Royal garage but guess what? The King suddenly decided to take a night stroll.
Ava clumsily tried to walk towards the door to just let the Knight in when all of a sudden, Lucas grabbed her hands and yelled at the top of his lungs.
" I'M NOT HERE. JUST GO AWAY. "
The bangings immediately came to a halt as Aslan, faintly, heard the King yelling inside the chamber with his ears firmly pressed onto the door.
He knew the King was drunk and also knew that he had great self-control. So with a sigh of relief, he left the chamber without making any noise further.
Ava, who almost had a panic attack by then hearing Lucas's scream suddenly gawked at the sight of Lucas asking the same question again but now, obediently, lying on the bed.
" Tell me, Ava, answer me. "
" Majes- "
" No, no, majesty. My name is Lucas Aston, call me by my name. My name is Lucas Aston and not Majesty! Call me Lucas if you want me to hear you- "
Ava blinked for a while before gathering the situation into her hand. She took a deep breath and walked towards him to push him onto the bed as she noticed the King's eyes often closing for a rest.
" Answer me... " he mumbled when she started combing his hair. Ava felt something different and could swear that she felt a slight of shivers run through her spine. The King's hair was so smooth and soft.
" Sleep, Lucas... " she mumbled softly, settling all of her anxiety and dread aside for a while, so, that the King would sleep and she could scream her frustration out.
It didn't even take a minute until Ava heard his breathing even as the King fell into a peaceful sleep.
She took a deep breath and buried her face into her hands for who knows how long. What could she do now? Turn back the time? Erase the King and his Knight's memory?
She could do nothing. She straightened up with a sigh and tried to stand up only to fall on the bed again. She was quick enough to not startle the King and found her shirt clutched between his fingers, tightly.
She gulped but retreated his hands and walked around the bed to take off his shoes. She settled the shoes down on the carpet and took off his socks and thought for a while before starting to massage his feet.
Lucas's feet were oddly red and looked puffy. So it didn't seem bad to give the King a foot massage. Within a few minutes, she looked at the King and hastily took off his overcoat and accessories.
Finally, after a long debate, she settled on the bed by his side and took a deep breath. The chamber was dark and the slow but loud breathing just beside her gave her a gentle reminder of his presence.
Thank God, she wasn't afraid nor uncomfortable around him or she might have had a panic attack by now.
Lucas groaned sleepily opening his eyes only to squint them once he saw something different before him in the very morning. The chamber was bathed by the morning's golden rays and the faint footsteps outside the chamber stirred him awake.
It was a beautiful sight that Lucas never imagined him to be able to witness ever in his life.
Ava was sleeping beside him, her lips slightly parted with her grey hair messily rolling up here and there. Her hands were free, softly snuggled into the comfy pillow.
He never knew, seeing a person sleeping could increase his lifetime. He couldn't help but smile when Ava sleep-talked about having a smoothie fight with Alaia last night.
He looked around and spotted his mobile with his accessories placed over the bedside table along with his overcoat and shoes neatly placed on the side. He stretched his legs a little and got up from the bed to do his morning routines, the warm smile never leaving his face.
It was nearly half-past 10 when the door of the King-Queen's chamber was knocked. Ava, half-heartedly, left the comfort of her bed to go open the door, still, rubbing her eyes.
" Good morning, Majesty, are you up? " It was Isaac, who smiled when Ava opened the door. She rubbed her eyes with her fists and nodded, yawning.
" Then I shall inform Princess Alaia's guard about our departure, Your Majesty. " he bowed before leaving the confused Ava to herself, wondering about what departure and with who.
She walked back into the chamber and found herself walking into the vast bathroom. She splashed her face with cool water and looked at herself in the mirror when all of a sudden, last night's memory crashed into her mind.
She nearly freaked out and ran out of the bathroom to make sure that the King had left the chamber. She searched for his things and found something unexpected on her bedside table.
She walked towards the table and shakily brought her hands to take the white plate off of the table only to see a light but presentable breakfast on the table with a small green coloured sticky note on the side that read:
' Thanks for taking care of me last night and sorry if I was a trouble! I hope you'll have a great day! See you,
- Lucas '
Ava blinked at the note and suddenly broke into a sheepish smile. Maybe, he forgot her calling him by his name.
" Thank the heavens, " Ava thought before settling on the bed to have a taste.
The food was, satisfyingly, so good and Ava hummed at the new taste. Lucas had treated her to a nice meal at the very beginning of Ava's day.
After hours of spending time in her study, reading some books and records, she, finally, came to the world when the door to her study was pushed open along with a head, slightly, peeking into have a look at the Queen.
" Majesty... " Ava called but suddenly felt a lump forming in the pit of her stomach when Lucas walked into the study followed by Aslan. Isaac gave a stiff bow to the King when he walked closer to the Queen and walked off to stand beside the King's Knight.
" Good evening to you too, Ava, how was lunch today? "
" V-very...good. Yeah, good! "
" So, I'm not going to beat around the bush. There's a party coming around and I'm searching for a partner to go with. " Lucas explained gently, staring at her frightened eyes looking everywhere but him and continued: " Aslan is always there to come with me as my partner, " Lucas of course, saw his Knight rolling his eyes at the back but continued as if he wasn't aware. " but this time, the party organisers had personally requested and welcomed the Queen. "
" So...? "
" Will you come with me to the party? "
Ava's breath hitched. Party? She? Is the King playing with her or what? Is he going to kill her by taking her to a social gathering for calling him his name and threatening him?
" Are you kidding me? " Ava's eyes shot open in alarm. " No. Never ever I'm going with you to a party with multiple other people! "
" But, hey, they're asking for you. " Lucas tried, tilting his head to the side. " The party is with one of the very significant internships in our country. It is to celebrate our partnership of ours with the new free public academic center in Briston. They are very curious to see you- "
Ava hardly batted her eyes at Lucas's talk.
" Let them be, I'm not the Queen. They're not asking to see...see me. Mr King, please, I'm not going with you. "
" Ava, listen, you are the Queen right now and I promise, no one would come and bug you with questions. " he grabbed her hands and squeezed them, gently. " Because you're not going to be attending the party as Queen Nythera Aston but as my plus one in the name of Ava Winslow. "
" What? " Now she was confused. What was he saying?
" Yes, the actual truth is, no one in the country has seen Nythera. The Queen will be revealed only after a year of the marriage. Though everyone is aware that I'm married or actually, engaged, my spouse is not allowed to be in public. "
Blinking at the new information, still, Ava was hesitant. On seeing her oddly frowning brows, Lucas breathed.
" I, sincerely, want a partner and the party organisers are waiting to meet you. So, I'm asking you again, will you come with me to the party? If not, I can understand... " he stopped for a second before smiling: " I can cancel the party. "
" You're going to cancel a party just because I said I'm not coming? " Ava'd eyes flew up to the King, smiling down at her, nodding. " Oh my Goodness- Please, I- I'll come. Don't cancel the party. "
" Are you sure...? " Lucas asked again.
He was right, he could cancel the party. The party, suddenly, didn't seem more significant than her panic attacks. He knew about her condition like no other person, but he was also aware that keeping everything low might only increase her anxiety which was why, Lucas accepted the invitation to the party.
" Yeah... " she breathed.
" Then that is excellent, Ava. I know you're brave. I'll go get ready- Hey, what do you think about twinning outfits? "
The Queen's heart rate seemed to increase when Lucas beamed, asking for a suggestion.
" Wa-wait! Why are you getting ready? When is the party? "
" Tonight. "
" Tonight? " Ava shrieked.
" Yes, it is around 6 PM and we should be departing around 5. " Lucas informed before leaving her behind to hawk at his absence.
Ava barely prompted herself to breathe, she thought she might have time to get ready but it was already 4 in the evening and how in the hell was she going to be getting ready for something she never thought she'd go?
Nevertheless, she had no choice. She couldn't let Lucas cancel the party. As he said, it was really one of the most important partners of Briston as Lucas had beforehand explained to her how he was expecting the said partner to accept the deal for the academic center in Briston. It would be beneficial for the entire country because of free education and all.
She took deep breaths and talked to herself, walking back to their shared chamber, closely, followed by her Knight, who only sighed staring at the Queen, worried.
" Fine, Ava, you can do it, yes, you can do it. "
" No. I can't do this! " It wasn't even past ten minutes that all three of her companions came into help her get ready for the party.
She was seated on the bed wrapped in her bathrobe, her face buried into one of the dresses.
Standing before her were Autumn and Layla with a couple of party dresses for the Queen to see. Ava was constantly whining about each of the dresses telling some of them were too revealing, some were too suffocating, some were so sexy, some looked too formal and some looked just like pyjamas.
None of the dresses matched her interest or to be specific, her current situation.
" Layla, no, the drapes are so long, I'll stumble even before taking a step. "
" No, no, Autumn, I can't focus on these hats or bags. I'll lose them once I had a hand on them- "
" Of course not! I'm not wearing that party gown. That's insane! What if suddenly I stumble and embarrass myself before everyone?! I don't even know how many of them are going to attend that thing. "
" You're behaving like a child, Your Majesty, you have to wear any one of these. " Emma shot up but Ava was too lost to notice her. She grabbed her hands and started rambling out of fear.
" No, Emma, listen, what if they ask me for the King's personal number? What if they asked me my name? What if they asked me for my Id? Emma, I don't want to go! "
" Why should they even ask you for your Id? " Emma's remark was left unanswered as the Queen only focused on her racing questions, pushing her behind.
" Oh my God, what will I do if anyone talks to me? What if I stutter like a broken radio? " gulping hard, her eyes were slowly bulging out of her sockets which made her Lady Companions, slightly, concerned. " What if they think I'm so pathetic? What will happen if I cry? Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! God bro, please, I don't want to go! "
Finally, after a lot of contemplation and silly tantrums, Ava descended the stairs in a lavender-coloured sleeveless dress, her legs often stumbling because of the heels she tried along with a small purse dangling from her arms. She was beautiful and wondered how Nythera was so beautiful.
Smiling, Lucas stared at her climbing down the stairs, still, pouting at no one. Though everyone around them was concerned seeing Ava's not so brightened face, Lucas had other thoughts running around his mind.
Ava was beautiful. The small shiny purse didn't match with her grey hair and the lavender dress dumped the shine of her foamy blue eyes. She seemed like she just got something that she first had her hands on as if she had no time. Yet, she looked gorgeous to him. She looked too tiny as the dress perfectly wrapped around her petite body.
" You don't have to wear those if you're not comfortable, " he pointed at those shoes before smiling: " and you look beautiful. "
Ava's mind only focused on the part where she was allowed to take off those paining heels and quickly flashed an awkward smile to the King, on relief that she didn't look terrible.
They set off for the party with their Knights. Lucas handed her a squeezy ball to keep herself occupied when they settled inside the huge car.
Ava was nervous. She suddenly had a thought of running back to the castle but Lucas was smiling, chatting with the Knights seated on the passenger and driver seats.
She had no courage to tell him she wanted to back off. Strangely enough, nothing helped her to take off the proud smile that adorned his face after he saw her climbing down the stairs.
The ride was smooth at the beginning but by the time they were in the middle, Ava felt herself shaking a little.
Lucas noticed her fidgeting hands and didn't think before grabbing one. Ava, badly, flinched and stared at the King with a loud gasp that alerted both the Knights, surprising all three of them. Isaac might've jolted the car stop with a halt if it wasn't for Aslan's reassuring hand on his shoulder.
" I'm sorry, " Lucas whispered seeing her taking deep breaths and hesitantly, yet, reassuringly, stroked her hand.
Aslan gulped glancing at them once and turned toward Isaac to assure him but stopped noticing his hands on Issac's. He took his hand away and just nodded for Isaac to know that they were fine.
" Hey, are you sure you want to attend the party? We can go back if you want... " Lucas suggested but Ava huffed a weak sigh and scowled at the King.
" If it wasn't for the academy, I wouldn't be coming. " she gritted down while Lucas chuckled.
He, practically, cornered her to attend the party and now, asking her if she wanted to go home surely did take a turn.
Lucas loved the fact that whenever she's worked up, she tends to forget all her anxiety and the honorifics between them. Lucas brightened finding the right thing to keep her distracted for the next 30 minutes.
" Mr King? Really? "
Ava's eyebrows knitted to one on not understanding what he meant but when he leaned close to the Queen's ear, his lips couldn't help but tug up when he noticed her stiffening at the proximity.
" I remember you calling me Lucas Aston last night, you did, didn't you? "
Ava's breath hitched and for the next 30 minutes, she didn't even turn her head to take a glance at her surrounding.
Lucas bit his lips preventing himself from laughing after seeing her squeeze the life out of the squeeze ball for the rest of the ride.
After a long and dreadful one hour of Ava's life, the car finally stopped before a huge venue.
To be continued
DhiraDhi_Writes