Ahana~ Me
A girl dressed in old dirty clothes was dragged to the court of the mad king. She was dressed in dirty brown pants and a old shirt. Her brown hair was a huge mess and was tied in a messy bun. Even though her face was dirty and was covered with ash and dust, her green eyes gleamed with pride, anger and fright at the same time. She struggled hard and screamed. The guards held her tight knowing that the king would be pleased to find that they had been able to catch Princess Layla after she had tried to escape. Layla hissed at the few guards as they increased the pressure over her arms. She had been so close and had almost crossed the border when they had been ambushed. Her companions, two maids and a general were killed and she was taken as a prisoner to be presented to the king.
"Very well, and I would like to know, why is this beggar in my throne room?" The king, King Aldaran II, spoke with fury. His eyebrows furrowed as he grinded his yellowing teeth together. "I SAID TELL ME WHY, THERE IS A BEGGAR IN MY THRONE ROOM!" This time the king yelled, and his cheeks lifted as he saw his guards flinch from fear. He took in the look of the beggar; brown hair that was incredibly dirty, a nice face also covered in dirt, bright green eyes showing pride, fright, and anger. "Why is this beggar such a mess?"
The head of the guards stepped forward. "Sire...she is no beggar. She is the daughter of King Stephan whom you killed in the war. She was trying to escape but we caught her."he said and looked at the girl. Layla struggled and screamed. "Leave me! Leave me right now!"she shouted at the guards and tried to pull her arms back. She wanted to run away. How she wished she had not been caught by this cruel guy's men! The head of guards rolled his eyes. "Kneel down, girl and offer respect to the King."he told her which made Layla scoff. "Never!"she hissed at both the guards and the King.
King Aldaran smiled at the weak princess's even weaker attempts to escape, showing his yellowing teeth once more. He laughed at she hissed at both him and his men. "Stupid girl, you are. For a princess of such a," Aldaran pauses trying to find the word, " 'noble' kingdom, I would expect you had something up there." The king stood from his throne, and his extremely lanky figure was shown. He may be 43, have an extremely evil mind, and want to rule the world, but he only weighed 104 pounds. "Send her to the dungeons. Leave her alone, unchained. But wait outside of the dungeon door. I will be down to investigate and bathe her."
Layla frowned and struggled. "You are a bastard! I am never going to listen to you!"she screamed and found her stomach punched by a guard. At Adarlan's order, she struggled again to be free but the guards dragged her to the dungeons. They threw her into a cell and she fell down on her knees. Quickly, she stood up and was about to rush towards the door when the door was slammed shut. She felt angry and at the same time the darkness of the cell scared her.
King Aldaran smiled as the guards followed his orders. His lanky legs stood him up and carried him down the stairs to the dungeons. The smile didn't leave his face as he watched the guards threw the princess into the cell and shut the door. "Thank you, go stand by the door at the top of the stairway. I'll call when she needs to be chained." The guards followed his command, leaving the king and princess alone. "So, what's your name princess?" The door of the cell opened as Aldaran slid in, "You know you're going to have to talk, correct?"
Layla looked around the dark room with a frown. She stood up and looked at the walls, her hand brushing the cold stones, hoping to find some hole or something but to no avail. She turned when suddenly the door opened and saw that it was the kind. Her frown deepened and she crossed her arms defensively. "Leave me alone, bastard!"she said in a very bitter manner. She was not going to answer any of his stupid questions.
"No, you will answer. What is your name, slave? Or should I just call you a beggar and leave you here to die?" His fingers went under the girl chin and lifted her face up, so that she has to make eye contact with him, "Well, clean ya up and you might be a pretty little thing"
Layla hissed. "I am no slave! Maybe your prisoner for now, but I am no slave of yours."she said. She tried to move her face away when he lifted it but his grip was too tight. "Just leave me!"she said and tried to push him away. She just hoped that she would be able to escape from here.
"Fine, I will bathe and then leave you be, but know, the last escape artist that tried to leave, left the world with 13 arrows in his head. Didn't even get away from the castle." Aldaran released his grip on her face, but grabbed her wrist instead, leading her to the attached bathroom each cell had. It may be a dungeon, but he didn't want him or his guards to have to clean up human feces. "Strip, and get the water in the right temperature range, I will not look until you are settled in the water. I honestly do not wish you to get a feel of pedophilia from me."
Layla felt a prickle of goosebumps run down her spine when he told her what had happened to the last person who had tried to escape. She wondered if that would be her fate too. "So I have to stay here all my life? No! I am not going to!"she said, in a stubborn manner. She tried to pull her hand away as he dragged her to the bathroom. When he ordered her to strip, she leaned against the wall of the bathroom. "No."she replied, pouting her lips
"Do not refuse. Or I will do it myself, which I'm sure you do not want." Aldaran checked to make sure the guards could not hear before he lowered his voice and spoke, "My plan will not leave you in this dungeon longer than an hour each day, only when the guards come through." He noticed the pout on the princess's lips and smiled, feeling a little buzz in his chest. "Please, I do not want to do anything forcefully."
Layla frowned and looked away but she knew he wouldn't stop himself from stripping the clothes off her body. She gulped and wondered what to do. "And then what am I supposed to do here? Wait on you?"she asked, sarcastically. Seeing the smile on the King's face made her wonder why he was smiling. "What is there to smile at, huh?"she asked, a bit rudely. Sighing, she ran a hand through her gritty hair. She really needed a bath. "Turn around then."she told him.
"No, you will not wait on me like the maids do, I have something special brewing up here," he points at his head, "for you. And I may smile whenever I wish to smile, little missy." once he heard the girl tell him to turn around, he obeyed, only because he said he would so she could get in the bath without feeling like a rapist was in the room with her.
Layla scowled at him. What did he have in mind for her? "Special? You mean some special kind of torture?"she asked. She rolled her eyes at what he said next before she started to strip off her clothes. She removed her top first and then her pants. For sometime, she hesitated to remove her undergarments but she did it at last. Slowly, she stepped into the tub and let the water cover her body as much as possible.
"No, you know I do not wish to hurt you," Aldaran turned back towards the girl after he heard her slide into the water. His hands reached and grabbed the Honey + Milk shampoo before stating to the girl,"Please wet your hair so that I can wash it, I sincerely want to see what this hair looks like clean and dry."
Layla was confused when he said that he didn't wish to hurt her. Did he really mean it or was he tricking her? "Then what?"she asked. She nodded and bit her lips at what he said next. Taking a mug, she filled it with water and let it fall over her so her hair would get damp. "Why are you so eager to make me look pretty?"she asked. She really had a lot of questions in mind at that moment.
"I-I do not know, princess. You intrigue me, more than anyone ever has before." A blush spread across the cheeks of the king as he spoke the next sentence. "There is a ball tomorrow, at King Charles III would like to see me there with a female at my side. Would you like to be the female?"
Layla actually chuckled a bit coldly after what he said. When she turned to face him, she saw the blush on his face and she had no idea why but found it cute. "Am I so intriguing that a King like you came down to bathe me?"she asked. She was very surprised after what he said next and her eyes widened in shock. "You....you killed my father in war. Do you really think I would like to be your partner?"she said and frowned.
"I-I did not wish to kill your father," a sigh leaves Aldaran's lips. He had been hoping to avoid this conversation until later. "He had threatened my son, after your father had tried to set him up with you. He is gay, and I accepted him, your father did not. He threatened to kill my boy, I-I didn't see another choice...I'm sorry, princess." A tear slipped down the king's cheek as he remembered pushing his son away from the battle with his boyfriend. Pushing him away from the only family he had left. He missed him dearly.
Now Layla had no idea about this and her eyes widened at the revealtion. Sure, she had known that he wanted her to marry some Prince but she had not known this. "B-but...is it really the truth?! Why should I believe you?"she asked. She saw a tear slip from his eyes which made her wonder if he was really telling the truth. "H-hey...d-don't cry."she murmured, having never liked when people cried
"You seem to not care, and then you care. Bipolar, but seemingly beautiful." Aldaran sighs as he fills the mug with water, pouring it over the princesses hair. "Would you like to wash your own body?" He knew the answer was yes, but he had still wanted to ask, there might be that very slim chance she wanted him to bathe her. The memories of bathing his son when he was young brought another smile to his face.
"I don't know what to do. I never knew so much happened. No one ever told me about this before."Layla said with a frown and sighed, feeling soothed and cool as he poured water over her hair which was soft and glossier now, just like it always had been before the war. When she asked if she would like to wash her body, she nodded, her cheeks a bit a red. "Ummm...yes. I can do that myself."she told him and reached for the mug in his hand.
"Alright. Do you wish for me to eave while you bathe? Or can I tell you a story I would tell my son while you bathe? I do miss him." Aldaran smiled at the girl that was sitting in the tub next to him, hoping that he wouldn't have to push away her like he had to push away his son. She was the first person that he had told about missing Gavin, and that meant he trust her, and didn't want to lose her.
Layla was not sure why he was so eager to tell him about his son and know her more. He must be a lonely man who needed company. "I...I guess sure."she replied. She poured some water over her body and sighed. Looking around, she wondered where the soap was. "Ummm...can I have some soap?"she asked, a bit nervously. It was her first time bathing in front of a man. She had never felt this vulnerable before.
Aldaran smiled and reached around the princess to grab the soap, handing it to her. He did try to avoid touching her, he obviously didn't want to upset her, but he thinks that he probably did. "Please, relax. If I were here to hurt you, don't you believe I would have done it already?" A chuckle leaves his lips. "my son, his name was Gavin, he was the cutest baby boy anyone could have hoped for."
Layla smiled a bit and nodded. "Y-yeah, true. It's just that I am a bit scared. This surrounding is new to me."she said. She soaked the soap in the water and started to rub it over her body. Soon the soap, lathered her body, wherever she had applied the soap. It was nice to take a bath after such a long time. She felt just so clean and well. "I have heard that Prince Gavin was very cute and kind."she told him.
"I am sorry that this is making you uncomfortable. Once we are finished, I will bring you up to my room," Aldaran smiled and then spoke once more. "Not to do anything to you, obviously. Even if that were the cause of you being here, I would still wait for a couple dates." A wink from Aldaran is sent to the girl bathing. He chuckles as he tries not to think about how absolutely stunning the woman was. "He was very kind. Very friendly as a child and teen. I wouldn't miss on a moment to see him again. I," a deep breathe in from Aldaran, "I am very sorry about the death of your father. I know how hard it is to lose a family member, by choice or force."
Layla's cheek got red and warm after what he said at first and the blush made her look cute. "And am I supposed to stay there from now on?"she asked and even smiled when he winked at her. He didn't look like a mad king that people claimed him to be. She poured water over her body to get rid of the lather and rubbed her skin which felt soft now. "It's sad that...that he is gone."she murmured, sadly. Her expression saddened more when he mentioned her late father. "I guess it was meant to happen after what he did to you."she told him.
"Please do not be upset, princess. You are too beautiful for that." Aldaran blushed at the words that he had spoken. "I...uh...sorry about that. I will be right back." The king left the bathroom, flew up the stairs, and went straight for his room to choose some clothes for her to wear. Aldaran settled on a gray hoodie, black tank top, and jean shorts left by his wife, who just so happened to look like they would fit the princess. He made his way back down the stairs with a muttered, "You may go," to the guards at the door. Once at the bathroom once again, he knocked and spoke, "Towels are under the sink for when you are complete. I have gathered some clothes for you to wear after you are dry, but I could not find any undergarments for you. May I hand them to you?"
Layla smiled, still blushing due to his comment. "I don't think I am that beautiful."she said and pressed her hands against her cheeks feeling how warm they were. She watched him quickly go away and wondered what had happened. A grin formed on her lips when he brought clothes for her. It was such a relief that she would be able to wear new and clean clothes again. "Thank you so much. It's enough."she told him, feeling grateful. He didn't seem like a monster at all. He actually seemed like a very nice person. "And yes, please."she replied.
Aldaran opened the door and handed the clothes to the girl. "It really isn't much," a blush spreads on the king's cheeks as he sees the naked girl. "I will be outside, come out whenever you are ready." He opens the door, exits, closes the door back, and sits on the bed that she would have slept in had he not fallen for her. "I know it's wrong, she's my son's age! But these feelings..." Aldaran whispered to himself as he sat alone in the room.
Layla kept on smiling. "It still is fine."she said, blushing. When he had turned away, she changed into those clothes that he had offered. The shorts showed her toned legs while the top was a bit tight but it felt okay. Putting the hoodie on, she pulled the hood over her head and walked outside. "I think...I...I am ready."she told him and looked at him, who was sitting on the bed of the dungeon cell.
Aldaran looked up when he heard her speak, and immediately noticed what a mistake it had been to give her those clothes. 'She looks so good right now' Aldaran smiled as he lifted himself of the hard bed and towards her. "Even in those clothes you look absolutely stunning." A blush covered the king face and the moment was ruined by a guard knocking on the door and the speaking, "The tailor is here to give you the clothing for tomorrow's ball." A quick 'thank you' is sent back to him and Aldaran looks back at the princess. "If you don't mind, would you come upstairs with me?" And he held out his hand for the girl to take.
Layla blushed red when the King said that she looked stunning. She didn't think she looked stunning at all. The ugly scar on her thigh was totally visible, which made her feel very insecure. When the King asked if she wanted to go upstairs and gave her his hand, she felt nervous again. Though he had made it clear, he wouldn't do anything to her, the thought that he was an enemy echoed through her mind. "Are...are you sure?"she blurted out and looked up at him.
"Absolutely, my dear." Aldaran winked at the girl and chuckled, hoping that she would understand that his words were jokes. He shook his hand and waited for her rejection or her hand in his, it was all up to her now. Aldaran's heart beat fast, his face was starting to sweat, and he all around felt nervous. But he smiled genuinely at the girl in front of him.
Layla gulped and thought for sometime, her eyes on his hand. Would it be bad to go up with him? He seemed kind enough but what if this was a facade? She didn't wanted to fall into some trap. "You won't hurt or...or do anything to me, right?"she asked. Her hand was almost touching his. She felt so nervous to go with him. There was something about his smile though. It just seemed so genuine and she wanted to believe him badly at that moment.
"I promise, my lady, that I will never hurt you. At least not on purpose. I can be very clumsy at times, you will see." A chuckle left Aldaran's lips as he lifted his hand and took her hand in it. "Follow me!" More laughter slipped out of his mouth as the king dragged the princess behind him up to his room, and her new room for the time being.
Layla sighed and smiled a little. "Okay...if you say so."she said. She held his hand as he dragged her to his room. He seemed to be very excited. Maybe he didn't have that many friends. Smiling she followed him, curious about how his room looked.
The king smiled as he opened the door to his bedroom. As always if he opens the door, his eyes are bombarded with bright oranges and pinks. "Sorry it's such an odd color for a king, but I adore the color combination." A smile graces Aldaran's faces as he drinks in the reaction on the princess's face.
Layla entered his room and grinned widely. She looked around, taking in the grand pink and orange room. The walls were painted in beautiful shades of pink and orange and there was cheery and a happy vibe about the room. "It's amazing!"she exclaimed and smiled widely at him. "By the way, what is your name?"she asked as she realised that she only knew him as the Mad King, not by his name.
"My name, is Aldaran, King Aldaran Cavett the Second. I am glad to hear that you like your new room, but may I ask your name?" Aldaran looked at the beautiful girl in his arms and wondered what he could do to woo her. "I have to know the name of the beautiful lady I am taking to the ball with me, of course, only if you agree."
Layla smiled when he said his name. Aldaran. It was nice name. When she said it, she liked how it sounded. Aldaran....that's a nice name. Very much better than what you are known as."she said and winked.She tilted her head to the side and looked at him with eyes that had confusion and curiosity. "My name is Layla. Ummm...won't they think it as weird that you going to take your enemy to the ball?"she replied.
"You are not my enemy," He put emphasis on the word 'you', "You're father was, not you." He wished she would get that thought out of her pretty little head. A blush spread across his face as Layla winked at him. "M-May I ask you something?
"But I am your enemy's daughter and that makes me an enemy too. People won't like you if they see you dancing around with me."Layla said, as if what she was saying was the most obvious thing ever. She nodded after what he said next. "Y-yes, sure."she replied.
"I do not care what the other kings and queens think of me, as long as we are happy. May I kiss you?" The words slipped out of Aldaran's lips before he could stop himself. He felt the heat rising in his cheeks as he watched the girl's reaction.
"You should care. You have a realm to take care of. Everyone looks up to you."Layla said. Her eyes widened and her face turned to the colour of a deep shade of red as she looked at him. "K-kiss?"she asked, confused.
Aldaran's smile fell as Layla spoke. Rejection. that's all he felt as she spoke. "I do not care! I DON"T CARE ABOUT THEM!" He took a couple deep breaths to calm down, trying not to scare the girl away. "Okay, fine, you don't want to. I get it. Never mind, it was really fucking stupid to even ask." Aldaran rarely cussed, so when he did, he was either upset or mad at himself or extremely mad at someone else.
Layla backed away when he shouted. Aldaran seemed mad again. "Okay...okay...calm down. I am sorry but no need to shout."she said. She was a bit scared and hoped that he wouldn't turn violent now. She frowned after what he said next. "I don't even know you properly and I am not the type to go around kissing people."she told him, a bit sternly.
Aldaran, not even caring about Layla at the moment, stormed out of his bedroom and slammed the door shut. Leaving her to her own devices in the castle. Within minutes the king regretted leaving the girl in a mad rage, and he turned to go back to her.
Layla winced as he stormed out, slamming the door shut. Did he really wanted to kiss her so badly that he was reacting that way? She sighed, a frown on her face. Hesitantly, she sat on the bed and hugged a pillow. The bed was just so soft and the pillows seemed too fluffy. At that moment, she felt so tired that she wanted to lay down but she didn't wanted to offend Aldaran more.
Aldaran slowly and quietly opened the door that he had slammed shut. The sight before him was just too cute for him to ignore; Layla in jean shorts and a hoodie, cuddled with one of his pillows, fast asleep on his bed. Well, if she wasn't asleep yet she looked to be really close to it. "Layla? Are you awake doll?"
Layla had curled up on the bed,hugging the pillow. She had almost fallen asleep when she heard a voice that made her eyes shoot open. She quickly sat up and moved away from his bed. "I am so sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep!"she said, hoping she hadn't offended him.
'Is she really scared of me now?' Aldaran thought to himself as a frown found itself on his face. "You are fine Layla, you may go back to sleep, you should sleep for a little while after everything I have caused you. All the trouble..." Aldaran's voice faded away as he began to think of all the terrible things he had done to everyone in his life, including the people of his kingdom.
Layla moved closer to him now. Thankfully, he didn't seem annoyed. "Okay...but what about you? Won't you be sleeping?"she asked, curiously. She wondered if he was tired or not or if he had any work now. He seemed just so sad that it saddened her too. Slowly, she sat down on the bed.
Aldaran watched as a frown found itself on Layla's face, as if to match the one on his. "No, well, yes. I will have to sleep eventually. But I may wait until you awaken so you may have the bed to sleep." Aldaran smiled, hating the fact that the princess was so tight and on guard around him
Layla looked at him and then at the bed and then back at him with a confused expression. "The bed is big enough for both of us to sleep."she said. She scuttled a bit away and gestured to the space. "We can share, you know."she added and smiled at him.
Shock covered the king face as Layla suggested they sleep together, He had not been expecting her to say something like that. "O-Oh, I...uh...I guess we can," third times apparently a charm when talking to hot girls. Aldaran then noticed that his body had started going towards the bed that held the princess and sped himself up, suddenly impatient to get close to the girl.
Layla smiled and moved away to make space. She moved to the other end of the bed, the whole time hugging a pillow close to her for comfort. Yawning, she rubbed her eyes and then turned to look at him. "It's late. I think we should sleep now."she murmured. It was her first time sharing a bed with someone but she didn't minded as she had a feeling Aldaran wouldn't do something that she didn't wanted.
Aldaran smiled as the girl yawned, which to him seem much like a kitten yawning. He found himself pulling a cover out from under and over them, hoping that Layla wouldn't get to hot under it. Before he closed his eyes, he decided to do something to the sleeping Layla, his kissed the top of her head. "Sleep tight beautiful," he whispered in her ear before laying back down and falling asleep himself.
Layla had fallen asleep soon and had no idea that Aldaran had kissed the top of her head. Her breaths were soft and she found herself too comfortable in the soft bed. It had been a long time since she had slept on a soft bed. As time passed and the night deepened, Layla had moved quite close to the man next to her even though there was a pillow that was between them.
Aldaran woke sometime in the middle of the night to wee when he felt Layla snuggled up to him, with only a pillow in between them. He got up and went to the bathroom, washed his hands, and checked the time. 2:28. Removing the pillow from the princess's arms, he wrapped her up in his and fell right back asleep.
Layla had been asleep the whole time. When Aldaran pulled her closer after moving the pillow, she had wrapped her arms around him and her face was buried against his side. She sighed and got herself more comfortable. He was warm and it felt nice to sleep in someone's arms.
As morning arrived, Aldaran noticed that one of his sides felt warmer than the other. Looking down in curiosity, he saw the small princess snuggling up to his side like her life depended on him, which at the moment it does. She looked super peaceful, but the king knew he had to wake her up, so he started to slightly shake her, hoping that would do the trick. When that didn't work, a smirk covered his face as he went lower and started to kiss her neck.
Layla was sleeping comfortably and too soundly. When he shook her, she didn't become too aware but was half awake. As he moved to kiss her neck, her eyes fluttered open. For a second she was confused but then she realised what was going on. Her cheeks turned red and she quickly sat up. "What are you doing?!"she asked, a frown on her face.
Aldaran immediately pulled away as he heard her voice yell at him. "I-I am sorry princess, "he looked down as he felt a tear slide down his cheek, "I will go, I did not mean to upset you, I am sorry Layla," and with that, he stood up and walked out of the room, tears falling freely.
Layla was totally taken aback when she saw a tear slide down his eyes. She had no idea what to say or do! Should she stay angry with him or go after him? What he did was something which was surprising and she was scared because a man whom she hardly knew had started to kiss her. She wondered why. "Aldaran, wait!"she called and walked outside towards the direction where he went.
Aldaran was at the end of the hallway when he heard Layla yell for him. He stopped abruptly and waited for the princess to catch up with him, and feverishly wiped his eyes in the meantime, not wanting her to think he was weak.
Layla ran towards him and grabbed his arm. Gently, she pulled him towards her so that he would face her. "Tell me...why are doing this. I mean why do you care for me so much...and those kisses...I am confused, Aldaran."she said and looked at him with a tilt of her head.
"You intrigue me, princess," he shuddered as she spoke his name, " You are filling me with feelings I haven't felt since my wife. Feelings of love, a-and of hope, and maybe, just maybe desperate to have you. I can not get you out of my head no matter how hard I try." Aldaran lowers his head towards the ground and pulls her hand off of arm. "I think I may be in love with you Layla, even after this short time..."
Layla's eyes widened when he admitted what was in his heart. For a second, she just stared at him, not sure if she should even believe that. The way he said felt just so genuine though. "You...you have feelings for me?"she asked, softly after he moved his hand off her arm.
"Y-Yes." The king slowly looked up into the girl's eyes, seeing some emotion he could not name. "I do not know why, but I can't get rid of them." Aldaran slowly takes Layla's hand is his, interlocking their fingers, hoping she could give him a chance.
Layla looked at their hands and then at him. "I...I don't know what to do....you know...I don't know if things would work out. Maybe we can give ourselves a chance and see."she said and smiled, hoping it would cheer him up.
"Y-You'd give me a chance?" Excitement filled the kings voice as he spoke. He thought about kissing her, on the lips this time, but decided against it and kissed her cheek.