Dawn of Adventure {Book One of The Paths We've Traveled}

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Rumors and Lies

As much as Mak liked Lucy and her friends, he couldn't help but feel that his life had gotten too complicated since they had arrived at Grimstone Manor. A year ago, he never would have found himself in the kitchens, asking for fish or any food that wasn't perfect enough for the nobles' table. The leftover food wasn't an odd request; the cooks were always having guards or servants looking for better meals than what they were given. But for a country that was pretty much landlocked and who's rivers and lakes were not the cleanest... fish was a pretty weird thing to ask for. And yet that was the only thing the blue cat wanted.

Mak sighed, ready to give up and just go back to the barracks and sleep for the rest of the night. He brushed his hair out of his eyes, belatedly thinking that he probably should cut it soon. But then he shrugged, moving on. It's not like guards here were required to have short hair. Besides, he rather liked it longer.

He reached and grabbed a nearby roll, the ends too burnt to be served. It tasted just fine to him though. As he began to eat, he waved goodnight to some of his friends he saw throughout the kitchens. They nodded or waved back, and he was almost out the door when he heard someone call his name.

The purple haired guard turned, catching sight of Annea waving him down. She slipped between busy staff to come to his side, her dark brown hair swinging freely across her shoulders. "Hi Mak," she said breathlessly, smiling up at him. He nodded back, mouth too full of bread to do anything else. He made an exaggerated motion as he tried to chew faster, and she couldn't help but giggle.

Mak liked Annea. They'd met probably his first week at Grimstone, when he was a new recruit and she was a scullery maid under Mava's iron fist, both probably about eight years old. And while they rarely just sat around and talked, they had grown close simply by being around each other constantly for the last nine years. He could confidently say she was his closest friend, even if he hadn't been spending much time with her since Lucy and her friends brought him into their close circle. A sliver of guilt cut through his chest, but he swallowed it down with his bread.

"Hey Annea. Anything I can help you with?"

She smiled again, nodding toward the doorway. They started walking, leaving the kitchen together and slipping quietly through the servants' passageways. "Oh, it's just been a while since we've spent any time together. And, actually, well," she blushed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "I had a question for you."

He glanced over at her, raising an eyebrow and silently motioning for her to continue. Her cheeks were a dark pink, and for a moment he remembered just how pretty Annea was. Not that he ever forgot. But times like these just seemed to enhance that natural and simple beauty that made her skin glow and hair shine. The man who finally caught her eye would truly be a lucky one.

She bit her lip, fidgeting with her kitchen maid uniform as she obviously battled with her embarrassment. Although why she was embarrassed was beyond him. Hopefully he'd find out soon. "Well, er, you're close to Ashley, right? Ashley Alberona?"

Mak frowned, nodding. "Mhm. I am. She and, uh, the nobles she's with are all... well, they're interesting. And nice." Mak hated lying to Annea so he tried to be as vague as possible, but he knew she saw through him. He could only hope that she wouldn't push him about it. Already he saw the question in her brown eyes, dark green flecks even more evident in the dim candlelight of the passageway. Words poured out before he could stop them. "They're not like the rest of the nobles here. I mean, they're not self-absorbed or cruel like some of the people here."

Annea hid a smile as Mak continued to ramble on about how the Sayes and Surges were good people, and how Ashley was lucky to work for them, and how Mistress Shelia had only just recovered but she was such a sweet girl, and how he had no idea if they would leave soon but he hoped they would stay for a while since he really liked Ashley, and how she brought a breath of fresh air to Grimstone. She certainly caught the many slip-ups he made, but she gave him a pass for now. He would tell her when he was ready. Hopefully. But she wasn't going to let him stall forever. Speaking of, he'd been talking about how great Ashley was for long enough. Time to actually ask her question.