Enjoy~
Editing completed 6/7/2017
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The formal evening the Prince spoke of last night is to be held in the palace's square reception room. The last time I stepped foot into this elegant area, I'd been serving the kind and very carefree; Jean the nobleman.
My stitches had been healing well, according to a trusted medic who checked on my wellbeing daily - strict orders of the Prince, of course. We hadn't spoken of the so called: 'punishment' I received in the healing room and the incident seemed to be forgotten... or at least, appeared to be.
"Do you need more rest? I can send you away, damn foreigner."
I leant forward into a usual half bow, wincing ever so slightly from the pain of my wire stitches and shaking my head in response to his kind offer. Minus the insult.
"I would rather be out of that room, if that's okay..."
The Prince glared fiercely, his mind linking my salty words to our kiss inside one of the medical rooms.
"You best keep your damn mouth shut."
I deepened my bow, noticing three guests were very close to our glass table, which I assumed triggered his violent outburst.
The rich are not supposed to treat servants well, but the Prince however, had a reputation for doing quite the opposite - feeding his staff generously, providing them with clean clothes, the only thing he didn't show them was emotional compassion. Prince Levi displays generosity through actions, not words.
"Yes, your majesty."
A few hours past and the night continued to run smoothly, although, I found myself tiring quickly. I knew it wouldn't be long before the Prince took notice of my clearly weakening condition.
Several female guests approached the glass table, with Petra away - all ladies were desperate to get in his majesty's good books. I stood lamely on the sidelines, watching sophisticated ladies throw themselves at a ruthless, clearly uninterested Prince.
"Oh... who's this? A new servant of yours?"
A lady, beautifully dolled up, wearing a yellow dress to match her blond curls, quickly spotted my presence. Most servants are on shifts and leave after a few minutes, only to be replaced by another.
I, however, protect the Prince's side constantly. I didn't expect to be spoken to by such rich individuals, so I found myself bowing to avoid their painfully awkward stares. Thankfully, the Prince spoke up for me.
"She's my royal guard. A foreigner from Chi."
I smiled in attempts of being friendly, only the ladies seemed displeased, questioning my heritage further.
"Surely a foreigner is not welcome inside his majesty's palace?"
I tried my hardest not to glare, rising from my bow with forced politeness straining my very being.
"She is welcome, just as you are."
The Prince indirectly rose my status, placing me onto their level of wealth - clearly a wrong move as the ladies became more and more distressed by the minute.
I remained silent, being rude or careless with my words could result in punishment from the whole group of wealthy women.
"This girl is a trained assassin, protecting me from harm."
The women stiffened, performing a double take upon hearing the word 'assassin.' My presence quickly gained strength, with the Prince's words boosting my morale - I become feared by many guests in just under a minute.
"If that's all, I believe the night is coming to a close."
The Price dismissively sent the nosey females on the biggest hike of their luxury lives. I bowed to the Prince - who rolled his eyes after the air finally cleared from flowery perfumes and tapping of heels.
"Thank you..."
I quietly muttered, only the Prince stared in my general direction for a few seconds longer. He seemed stiff, but calmed once he sighed loudly.
"Forget it."
The Prince - now sitting alone - raised a glass of champagne to his lips and downed the strong scented alcohol with a relief filled sigh. Standing beside each other like this displayed our blatant strength and power to other guests who eyed our intimidating aura.
"As you can see, with you by my side, people are afraid of me. I need this fear so my judgements as Prince are more valued by other royals."
I nodded my head; His words make perfect sense, powerful individuals of royal blood need to know Prince Levi is a manipulative, fearful opponent, and strong, useful ally.
"I see..."
Why do you enjoy being so intimidating? Was the question on the very tip of my tongue, but I decided to keep my 'damn mouth' shut.
"I do believe this evening is over, foreigner."
I watched as the Prince stood from his chair, many guests of the evening wished him a restful sleep as we left the small reception party.
The evening hadn't been of particular importance, but gatherings like these are designed for the Prince's presence - to alert people of his powerful authority.
"Go and get some rest, you've been standing for too long."
I bowed; my stitches painfully moving alongside my warm flesh.
"I shall, goodnight your majesty."
The Prince merely hummed dismissively. I sensed his sudden wish to talk further - but abandoned him - sensing my legs might give out mid conversation.
"Wait."
I'd only taken a few steps down the golden hallways as his cold voice stopped me from progressing any further. I slowly turned to face him, his eyes glowing a bright silver, his glare deep and fearful.
"Come here."
I cautiously took a step back at the hostility of his voice, our standoff was eerily silent as I bowed to ease the sudden discomfort.
"Yes, your majesty?"
I was quickly ordered again.
"I said: come here."
I felt a sudden tightness tug at my heart - the Prince's uncontrollable mood swings are dangerous to mess with. Slowly, I returned to his intimating presence and lowered my head.
"Yes sir?"
The Prince slowly placed his hand onto my head, ruffling my slightly messy hair with a frustrated sigh.
"My judgment was incorrect. Injury to the mind is the worse punishment someone could receive... forgive my mistake."
My eyes widened as my head sharply rose to meet the conflicted gaze of the Prince, who crossed his arms upon hearing my silence.
"Oh... it's okay."
The Prince clicked his tongue, pushing me away with his black leather boot.
"Now leave my presence. I have shit to do."
Slightly stumbling, I bowed with gentle smile. I really can't guess what the Prince is thinking... his rule as King really shall be the fairest of them all.
Prince Levi began to walk away, using the back of his hand in a dismissive goodbye, he suddenly halted his walking, remaining still for a few seconds.
"You have to sign my contract tomorrow. The paper you'll sign symbolises our allegiance."
I stiffly bowed again, my stitches really starting to ache over the constant respect I continued to show. My heart felt uneasy about signing the contract; stealing Prince Levi's ruby ultimately results in my death.
The contract spares me of this... so I'm extremely grateful for his kindness, but once I sign... my village will be permanently out of my reach. I won't ever be able to return.
"Yes sir."
The Prince, who still had his back to me, quickly gathered the conversation was over and requested two guards - who were stationed outside a wooden door - to follow behind him.
Contract signing... giving myself to his majesty as a servant of protection and strength... how troubling.
Forgive me, Chi.
|~~~~|
Birds in this kingdom sing light, gentle and mesmerising songs. I awake to this sound almost everyday. I wonder what specimens of birds they are?
"Yo, (Y/N)."
My eyes shot open as I scrambled to reach for my sword resting just a few centimetres away from my bedside. I hastily drew my curved weapon, pointing the metal tip towards the wide eyes of the intruder - who I quickly realised was Reiner.
"Such a harsh way to greet your best friend~"
I gently lowered my sword, smiling weakly towards Reiner - who I'd been ecstatic to see yet extremely concerned how he even entered my room in the first place. Reiner quickly noticed my pale skin and overall sickly appearance.
"Woah. You look like shit. You alright?"
I sat down, attempting to calm my racing heart. Reiner caught a glimpse of my exposed back, eyeing the beginning of a red strike which he knew all too well.
"Is that a lash? Were you lashed, (Y/N)?"
I nodded my head, standing up and pulling Reiner into a gentle hug - he seemed surprised at first, but snorted into my shoulder, oddly satisfied with my action.
"Why are you here, Reiner? If anyone sees you, they'll attack you."
Reiner pulled away from our embrace, flexing his muscles with a cocky smile.
"Ha! Do you honestly think guards could stop me? I've almost mastered the curved sword, they don't stand a chance."
I rolled my eyes at Reiner's relentless bragging, offering him my small metal flask, filled with water - he'd been panting and sweating - so a drink may calm him down.
Did he scale the wall in order to get up here? Reiner swiped the flask from my hands and greedily swallowed, after a few seconds of silence, he wiped his lips with a satisfied sigh.
"Ah! Just like old times, huh?"
I sighed loudly, concealing my flask deep within my pockets. Reiner seemed perfectly content with being inside Prince Levi's palace without permission - even though he could be sentenced to the cells or beaten.
"I'm visiting the kingdom. General Pixis told me to assist you in serving Prince Levi. General said he has some 'business' he needs to attend to... anyways - now I've seen your lashes - I'm gunna challenge the Prince to a fight, and kick his ass."
I smiled gently; Reiner just might be able to beat the Prince. I've never seen the Prince spar with a worthy opponent - only guards.
"You can call the fight off because he didn't lash me - another Prince did."
I quickly corrected my story as Reiner furrowed his brows, running his fingertips across his scabbard with a confused sigh.
"Who?"
I shook my head, informing Reiner my wounds had finally healed and the culprit was no longer important. For some reason my mind never reflected upon the lashings... only the kiss.
"Hmpf. I'll find out. Say, it's pretty late... aren't you supposed to be guarding the Prince?"
I immediately froze with panic, my eyes widening in front of Reiner who seemed to find the whole situation incredibly funny. The contract signing is today! I'm nearly twenty minutes late! A loud curse escaped my lips as Reiner wiped a tear of amusement from his eye.
"It'll be alright. I'll go with you."
My deadpan stare hinted otherwise.
"Are you insane? The guards will seize you immediately."
Reiner winked softly, pulling me into a sudden, but very gentle headlock. I laughed warmly at his attempts of distracting my worry. When's the last time I smiled like this?
"They won't if I'm with you~ let's get a move on."
Reiner detangled his large arm from my head with a smirk, walking beside me as we left my bedroom behind. The two of us stepped out into the golden hallways only to find the guards made no attempts of an arrest.
Reiner's right... the guards aren't seizing him because he's with me. The guards who regularly stood outside my door, nodded in silent greeting as I smiled back. Still... I'm pretty late for the Prince.
"This place is expensive as hell. What's the punishment for stealing in this kingdom?"
I glared; crossing my arms with a uninterested sigh.
"Don't even think about stealing. It's six months in the cells for stealing food, the higher the price of a stolen item - the worse the punishment gets by the way."
Reiner stiffened, deciding against stealing for today. We walked in a friendly, calming silence - turning a sharp left, we travelled under the familiar marble archway, quickly spotting the Prince who looked beyond furious - sitting opposite a white piece of paper.
"Tch. Your lat-"
Upon seeing Reiner standing protectively beside me, the Prince's expression darkened to a look you'll only see once you reach hell. Reiner's blatant physical strength is intimidating - standing beside me - he looks like a wild bear.
"Seize him."
Reiner and I simultaneously drew our swords, standing opposite the Prince and his three guards, lowering our stances.
"Just what the fuck is going on?"
The Prince immediately concluded I'd been trying to betray him - or maybe he thought I'd attempted to flee to Chi. Reiner is a strong friend to have - please see this, your majesty!
"Seize them both. Treason of the king."
The guards, clearly shaken from Reiner's large and powerful body, dashed forward. Reiner moved so fast, even I had trouble seeing his attack.
The guards sword landed just beside the Prince's left arm, the metal wobbling from side to side - the tip of the blade sunk deep into the wood. A scary threat, but this tactic reveals an individuals superior swordsmanship skills. Suddenly, the Prince sighed loudly.
The situation had clicked into place.
"Welcome Reiner. Seems my guard favours you to the point of not even fucking bothering to notify me of your presence."
Reiner chuckled, pointing to the grey concrete wall surrounding the back of the palace.
"She wouldn't of had time. I climbed the wall."
The Prince glanced at the small arched window, which provided a beautiful view of the rocky mountains below and the large wall.
"Such shitty brats you foreigners are."
Reiner bowed to the Prince, a final sign of his peaceful intentions. Prince Levi's gaze then flickered to me, his eyes darkening into a look that screamed: 'I'll kill you.'
I deeply bowed alongside Reiner - hoping my apology looked clear and genuine. I sensed I'd be punished for my actions... dirty punishments like before.
"Watch your precious friend sign her petty life over to me."
The Prince seemed frustrated as I reluctantly approached the wire table, a deep red tablecloth covered the surface, making the contract look like a monstrous beast. I slowly lowered myself into a white wire chair, studying the paper in great detail.
-Contact of thieves, bound to the Prince-
Thief, (Y/N), who's last name is unspecified- was caught with Prince Levi Ackerman's treasured ruby in her possession.
The female thief admits to her crime, and is punishable by being tied to the neck with rope and hung until dead.
However, this contact assigns her meaningless life to Prince Levi Ackerman - the thief will protect Prince Levi from any threats, she will also use her body to fulfil his every need.
For example: protection from danger, arresting suspicious individuals- even provide emotional comfort as Prince Levi Ackerman's heart and body must be protected from physical harm.
If (Y/N) dies - the contract is over - her body is free to be collected by family and friends.
Signature and fingerprint of royal blood:
Signature and fingerprint of thief:
{Fingerprints are to be done in individuals own blood.}
I read the contract, my eyebrows furrowing at the word 'meaningless' - the lawyers who formed this contract are clearly very harsh.
Forgive me, Chi... I can't go back and visit where my apple tree once stood.
"Sign your name."
The Prince handed me a black quill; It looks rather similar to his paperwork quill. I slowly wrote my signature under the dotted line, a small sigh escaping my lips.
The contract still isn't complete.
I must press my finger down onto the paper while bleeding. I noticed two, small sterile knives beside the Prince's arm.
Forgive me, Chi... I won't be able to stand beside Reiner anymore...
"Cut your finger, then press down for five seconds."
The Prince sounds so serious... I gently reached for the knife, raising the sharp blade to the tip of my right finger. I winced and shut my eyes as I drew the blade downwards, cutting a small line across my skin.
I hastily pressed my finger down onto the paper, smudging my blood around for a full five seconds. I had to be quick in order to stop my wound from staining the table.
Forgive me, Chi... I won't be able to taste the delicious noodles from my village stand anymore...
The Prince neatly wrote his full name in thick black, curvy handwriting. The second knife, which was patiently waiting, rose into the air -the Prince swiftly cut his finger, showing zero sign of distress as he counted to five.
Forgive me, Chi... I won't gaze at your beautiful landscapes anymore...
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
"Your life now belongs to me."
Forgive me, Chi.
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