บท 35: Chapter 34
Kingdom of Alba…
Ethera's pov :
After our horse ride , the King brought me to his gardens , where he said it was his sanctuary , the place he feels the most at ease. Avery has been there but I haven't so I am thrilled to see it.
"Leave us" he says to the servants and guards following us.
In the middle of the garden is a swing , very beautifully incorporated into the big cherry blossom tree that stands out from the rest , I excitedly ran up to it and sit on the wooden material and softly swing giggling to myself.
"I take it you really like this swing Ethera. Last time you came in here you again ran up to the swing and immediately entered you own little world on there" the king says and I shyly nod.
"I just really missed being on a swing" I say
"Why is that ?" he asks as he starts pushing me from behind rocking me back and forth. So romantic , like in the fairytales.
"Well I used to go to the park in the village often to use it but then I came here and suddenly I don't have such opportunities anymore" I get kind of sad because of this because ever since becoming the king's consort , I am expected to have a tough character and not do childish things like playing on the swing. *sigh.
"That is unfortunate indeed and it shouldn't even be a problem in the first place , you are my wife , everything you need you should get as long as it makes you happy. Being on the swing definitely makes you smile so I will send someone tomorrow to build a swing in your backyard" he promises and I smile widely at him,
"Thank you your majesty ! That would be great" He walks around me to stand in front of me and holds my hands,
"You are very welcome , sunshine" he says and I blush at the nickname.
"I have a quick question Ethera" I look at him and wait for the question.
He leans forward and whispers in my ear "Are you always this adorable?" I blush even more ,
I don't answer because I don't know what to tell him , he took me by surprise and this is new for me , I mean normally I don't get the male gaze but to have the one of his majesty is surreal.
"Okay let's go somewhere else now , before you actually explode those cheeks because of blushing too much" he says with a gentle smile on his face , he holds my hands and I get off the swing.
The king decided to give me a tour of the palace , I didn't get that when I first arrived .
That day I was immediately escorted to my separate quarters/ house and only got to see the surroundings of my house and briefly the Queen's quarters. I have never ventured in the more official chambers and hallways of the palace , this is all new but non the less useful since I will be living in the palace for the rest of my life.
"Here is the place where I hold my meetings and political debates" The king explains as we enter a big room , very spacious with a table that stretches from one corner of the room to the other , with chairs on each side forming a line up to the more sophisticated chair at the top of the table where his majesty is expected to sit.
"It definitely seems very suited for those occasions" I comment and he continues to explain the use of the room.
Then we move to a bigger chamber which is pretty much empty but also very massive.
"Why is this room empty?" I ask ,
"That is because it is the ball room, there is need for space when I organize such festivities so this room is mainly kept empty" he explains as I move around a bit , the ceiling is very high up , the floors are made of marble. There is a big chandelier at the center of the ceiling which makes the room feel fancy . This place is really lovely.
"You seem to be in awe , have you never been to a ball?" He asks
"Of course not , your majesty. I was never invited to one and plus I was viewed too young for it" I explain sadly .
"I always wanted to attend a ball and dance with an incredible partner who at the time I dreamed would be a Prince" I chuckled to myself and the king looked at me softly once more , it was a warm gaze he gave me a lot .
"Well now your partner is a king, isn't it great how dreams come true?" He smiles as he goes across the room and plays vinyl in the phonograph.
It is a slow and melancholic song.
He advances towards me and puts one of his hand forward for me to grab.
"Would you grant me this dance Ethera?" He asks and of course I accept , this has been a dream of mine . I can't believe I'm dancing with the king.
"You are an excellent dancer miss Ethera , care to give me some lessons one day?" He says jokingly,
I chuckle "You flatter me too much your majesty, I am a debutante compared to you" and we both look into each other's eyes . His eyes are so full and just strikingly appealing.
This moment feels like time froze just for the two of us to dance. My timid self suddenly vanished as I just enjoyed dancing in the king's arms.
They say time flies when you are having fun and indeed it is true , it is already dark outside and as much as I enjoyed my date with the king , it was time to part ways, he has obligations to attend to.
"I hope you enjoyed your afternoon Ethera" The king inquiries,
"Yes of course I did , thank you for taking me around and sharing parts of you with me, I feel honored and hopeful for the future " I reply.
"Indeed the future seems bright from here on" he says while looking intensely at me and then at the scenery above us . Uh okay? What is he thinking about?
"I guess , goodnight then your majesty" I say and bow at him.
"Goodnight Ethera , take care" he says as he puts a misplaced hair behind my ear . I blush again of course . If I got money from the amount of times I blushed today , I would be in the higher social class.
As we separate, I am escorted by the King's eunuch back to my house with a big smile gracing my face.
Helga's pov;
It is already dark outside. I have been exploring the whole day , asking around to know as much about Alba as possible.
This is what I have gathered so far ; we are in the era 900s , possibly before Christ.
The current political system is monarchism and the king right now is Tobias Vos , who I happen to know about through my history lectures.
That is basically it.
I can't continue wondering the streets though , for now I need to find some sort of shelter for the night because for now I don't know how to go back to New York and I don't want to go back empty handed, I will make the most out of this.
As I walk from street to street I stumble upon an auberge and I enter .
There is an old woman sitting at the counter , she doesn't look a day older than 50 , just like my mom.
"Um excuse mam , I am new here and I don't have anywhere to sleep for the night. The day has been hectic and so I don't have a place to go to right now , could you please help me" I beg literally because I don't know where I can go . I don't have the currency these people use here so I can't pay the lady either . This is a sticky situation.
The lady looks at me and says "You look very honest young lady , I am going to help you . You can sleep at my house , I have a room available, my son went to the army so he doesn't use it . Would that be okay?" I nod at her , that's so nice of her but also naive , what if I was a killer?
"Thank you mam, I promise it is just temporary. I will not overstay" I assure her and she smiles nodding.
The lady hands over her shift to someone else and we head towards her house which I found out to be a small cottage a little far from town, we went with a local chariot I normally see in movies.
When we reached the cottage , the woman shows me to the room she talked about and honestly it is not bad , it is small but okay for one person. I'll manage.
"Thank you again , mam" I say
"Don't mention it, if you need anything call me okay? Good night, rest well" she says and closes the door behind her.
I don't know how much time I will stay here but I better get used to this room for now.
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