"I live with my regrets everyday.
I live with the fact that I didn't cherish you, didn't believe you.
I live with the consequences of my stupid actions.
But you know what the worst thing is?
I ruined you. I ruined you beyond repair."
-Vulcrian Quivarus
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Several days had passed ever since I started working as Prince Vulcrian's maid. Being his personal maid certainly had its advantages. I could have extra food simply by showing the cooks the white bell on my head or telling them that the Prince was hungry. Like the fools they are, they believed me. I could also sneak out and explore the palace grounds. If the guards question my actions, I would simply tell them that Prince Vulcrain had sent me on an errand.
"Amara." I turned around and curtsied out of habit. A heavy sigh and rough, calloused hands forced me upright. I gave him a grin and a quirk of his lips could be seen.
"What do you need, your highness?" I asked as I looked up to meet his eyes. He quickly looked away and busied himself with the papers on his desk. Weirdly enough, he doesn't seem to like eye contact. I pursed my lips, but he was looking straight at the King's eyes today when we bumped into him.
"I'm going to visit a village for the rest of the day. It's not too far from here, just a few minutes flight." He turned back towards me, still avoiding eye contact.
Brushing the rudeness off, I dropped the broom, making a loud clatter as it hit the floorboards. "You mean, we're leaving the palace?!" I couldn't help but jump up in excitement. Finally, after endless views of drab walls and stone archways, I can finally get out of this damn place.
Vulcrian nodded, a soft smile gracing his lips. Truth be told, this was the first time I had seen him smile and the inner teenage girl in me gushed. I bit my lip to hold back a smile and followed him to his balcony.
Pushing open the lavish glass doors, the warm afternoon air kissed our faces in greeting. Several pots of plants were placed off to the side, a red velvet chair sat on the right. Stone railings carved in intricate designs separated the area from the landing platform ahead.
Nervousness overtook my limbs and I took an unconscious step back. It has been so long since I flew. What if I fall and go splat on the grass below? It would certainly be mortifying especially when there were several guards standing a few yards away. They would definitely enjoy a good laugh.
"I'll catch you if you fall." Vulcrian leapt into the air with a powerful flap of his snow white wings. I stared in awe as the sun illuminated his broad shoulders and made his black hair gleam. He looked back at me and held out a hand.
Dear lord, Amara. Don't embarress yourself. I closed my eyes and took a huge breath, and jumped off. Immediately my wings beat against the wind, trying to keep my body upright. I teetered and fell a few inches, making my heart drop.
"Here, I got you." Strong hands would themselves around my waist. My breath hitched at the surprise action and almost plummeted. His help was not helpful at all.
Amber eyes clashed with mine and I stared. Up close, his eyes were stunning. Flecks of yellow dotted around his irises, contrasting against the darker orange yellow of the rest of his eyes. His breath fanned against my cheeks, lips parted slightly. He turned away, pain flashing across his face before turning back to its indifferent mask.
"You got it?" His voice jolted me out of my thoughts and I cleared my throat and nodded my head. Slowly, he unwound his arms from around my waist and I moved away, finding balance in the air.
Without another word, we flew north towards the village. It was silent during our flight but it was fine with me. I could silently revel in the feeling of the wind whipping past my feathers and the listen to the beat of my own wings. Doing a spiral in the air, I laughed and sped past Vulcrian who let out a small chuckle.
Trees lessened as small houses appeared further ahead. Vulcrian slowly tucked in his wings, landing gracefully on the soft grass. Nerves spiked again and I bit my lip. I certainly had not thought about landing.
I ended up tripping and rolling down the hill. The rich sound of his laughter rang through the air and I grumbled, stretching my wings in front to pick out the dirt and debris out of the brown speckled feathers. "Laugh all you want, your highness! We'll see who's laughing when we race back to the castle!" I huffed and stomped ahead, held hand high despite the chuckles that sounded behind me.
"Alright alright, I'm sorry but did you should've seen how you fell the last few feet..." He trailed off and willed his lips neutral but anyone could still see them twitching. I glared at him, flushing in embarrassment.
We walked down the village street, other winged people stopping to greet Vulcrian along the way. Playing the role of a maid since we're in public, I stayed a few steps behind him, hands folded in front of me. I was surprised when they greeted me with warm smiles and bowed with fingertips brushing their left brow. Unsure on how to react, I smiled and curtsied.
Vulcrian shook his head at me, black hair brushed against his forehead. "You don't have to curtsey. You are my personal maid so your status is higher than other palace maids." My mouth formed an o in response.
"Why are we here?" I asked him curiously as I caught sight of a small house hidden between a small bakery and brown building. Mistaking my lingering gaze for the bakery, Vulcrian softly grabbed my arm and steered me forward. "Wait, I didn't say I wanted anything!" My protest fell on deaf ears.
He called over his shoulders, "Well we're already here, might as well enjoy ourselves."
I trailed after him as we got closer to the small house. There was a sense of familiarity there but it was gone before I could dwell on it further. Looking back towards him, he was already watching me. I raised an eyebrow at him.
He shook his head and gestured for me to enter the bakery. I stepped through to be greeted with the sweet smell of various cakes and freshly baked buns. The walls of the bakery were plain white; however, the number of paintings hung from them created a homely feel to it. White marble tables along with matching chairs were placed around the windows.
"Why isn't it Vulcrian, his Highness himself!" A boisterous voice boomed from behind the counter. I jumped in surprise and saw a smiling lady with graying hair and small spectacles perched on the bridge of her nose. I blinked in shock as he smiled warmly at the lady. Damn, that ice block should smile more often.
"Hey, Alise." They embraced each other and my mouth dropped open in shock. Who was this guy and what had he done to Vulcrian?
The woman patted him heartily on the back but the smile disappeared and replaced with disbelief when her eyes drifted towards me. I shuffled awkwardly. I'm pretty sure I didn't do anything wrong. She came out from behind the counter, tan wings ruffling. Not knowing what to do, I have her a slight wave.
She grasped my face in her trembling hands, tears pooled in her brown eyes. "Mira?" I raised my eyebrows. This has been the second time I've been called this name.
"Um, no mam. My name is Amara." I gently pried her wrinkled hands away from her face, getting uncomfortable with her touchy feeliness.
Alise took a step back, folding her wings neatly behind her back as she shook her head. She looked toward Vulcrian who was watching the interaction with a sad smile. He gave a slight shake of his head which left me more confused. Okay...
"Pardon my abruptness dear. You just remind me a lot like someone who always came over for for food." Her and Vulcrian exchanged small smiles. This is weirding me out. Alise shook her head and beamed a smile. "What would you like, dear?"
She led me over to the delicacies arranged in trays. They all looked delicious. I looked up and gave her a small grin. "It's so hard to choose. They all look really good." Her smile widened at the praise as her wings twitched.
I glanced towards Vulcrian who was watching our interaction with a pained look. Once he caught me looking he quickly glanced away. Well, who glued his feathers together?
Pointing at a brown cake with white icing and cherry on top I turned towards Alise. "Can I have that one?" A small intake of breath was heard and I glanced at Vulcrian with a weird expression. Seriously, he needs to get checked my the physician. First the pained expressions and not the shortness of breath.
"Are you okay?" I frowned at him as he gulped, brows furrowing. I looked toward Alise who avoided my eyes. Double weird.
Putting the cake in a box, Alise waved goodbye to us as we stepped out of her bakery. Not paying attention to my surroundings because I was too busy indulging myself in the chocolaty goodness in my hands, I bumped into his broad back. The box almost slid out of my hands. My heart stopped for a few seconds.
"Can you say something next time you decide to stop right in front of a person who's eating?" I asked, glaring at him. He didn't reply and I frowned, walking around him. "What's wrong?"
The pained expression was still on his face. Honestly, he looked like he was about to cry. A sense of guilt overcame me. Here he was suffering from whatever and I was snapping at him.
I stopped licking my spoon. "Woah. Okay. Umm. Seriously, do you need a physician? You look like you're in pain."
He looked away and let out a deep breath. "No." His voice came out surprisingly soft.
"Are you sure?" I pestered.
He gave me a small smile and I pursed my lips at his abrupt change in behavior. "Yes, it's not something a physician can heal." With that he brushed past me without another word.
The rest of the day, we spent at the village. Whatever happened earlier was long forgotten as Vulcrian came out of his brooding silence. However, I noticed a sadness lingered there but I decided not to push it. By the time the sun started disappearing from the hills, we decided to head back to the palace. I was reluctant to leave but Vulcrian had promised that we could always come back. Remembering our race, I grinned sneakily and took off without warning. Needless to say, I definitely won and even laughed in his face.
Sighing as I left Vulcrian in his room, I shook out my wings as I walked towards my room. The aching in the muscles of my wings protested against the strenuous exercise I had put on them today. Collapsing onto my bed, I stared out at the balcony, watching the stars as I recounted the strange events that had unfold between Vulcrian and Alise.
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