Princess of Dragons

Chapter 58

These last few days had been quite long for her. Every moment of daylight she spent with the bundle of energy that was Basuril, and when he finally went to sleep, she spent those hours of peace and quiet with Sunrose and Kaisog. Usually because the hatchling liked to fall asleep with his head on her lap, curling up around her like a big snake. She absolutely adored those moments.

Still, it meant that she'd be going to bed quite late herself, and today was no different.

She went down the now familiar halls and easily found the chambers she shared with Lodin.

Coming from the other end was one of the younger maids, holding a tray of tea. A newly hired one, likely, given she wasn't using the short-cut route directly to the room the way others did. She seemed awfully nervous, the entire tray rattling in her hands.

Tea being brought at this hour could only mean one thing.

"Excuse me," Ciara spoke as the maid came to a shaky stop in front of the door. "Would that tea be for Lodin - the king?" Usually he wasn't in the chambers this early - it was certainly the first time she was experiencing it.

The maid looked up with a start, almost dropping the beverage in the process.

"Y-yes, my lady- princess," she stuttered. "He wished to work in the chambers rather than the office," she trailed off, maybe unsure of how much she should say.

The way her eyes flickered to the door as if expecting it to fly open any minute told Ciara all she needed to know - she'd probably heard all the rumors and feared them to be true.

Ciara smiled. It was almost as though looking at herself the day she'd arrived here.

"I see, thank you for telling me." She stepped closer to the maid and the door. "I am going in there anyway, so I would not mind bringing the tea in for you."

The maid's eyes widened almost comically. "I-I could not p-possibly!"

"It would honestly not be a problem," Ciara assured the other girl. "Besides, I am sure you have much more important things you need to take care of anyway." If nothing else, the girl might be going home - it was getting late.

Though still with wide, conflicted eyes, the maid hastily bowed deeply to the princess.

"Then, i-if you do not mind, princess." She shakily held the tray out to her. "Your help would be very much appreciated." She kept her head low and didn't dare to meet the blonde's eyes.

Ciara giggled lightly to herself, though she realized Elias, who stood right behind her, would hear it just fine.

"As you were," she calmly told the maid, internally celebrating the fact that she finally had the chance to say those words herself. Only when the younger maid finally met her eyes again did she take hold of the tray. "It would be my pleasure."

The maid smiled brightly and dipped her head low again before taking off.

"You do realize no ordinary princess would ever touch a tray herself, do you not?" Elias asked her gently - if not a little teasingly. "Not even for their king." It seemed Alex was really starting to rub off on him.

"Then I suppose that would mean I am no ordinary princess." She found that she didn't mind that as much as she'd expected.

A small smile wound up on his face. "You certainly are not."

"Good night, Elias. I will see you tomorrow."

"Indeed. Sleep well, abnormal princess." He held the door for her to step through and closed it as soon as he had.