A Royal Switch

Meeting Her

Melody swerved through the other servants passing through the palace, exiting through the backdoor. There, she saw her beloved Lars, waiting for her, his arm extended. She giggled softly, taking his hand.

"What are you ever so excited about?" He asked her. They were on their way back to Melody's house. She wanted to tell her of what happened today, before realizing that she snuck out of work. She immediately let go of his hand, and began to run back to the castle, when Lars quickly grabbed her hand back and pulled her towards him for a quick embrace. Melody blushed in his chest. "Now, I don't think the king or his spoiled son is going to notice you gone." He pulled away from the hug and looked at her face.

"Ah, yes, that certainly won't happen," she said, looking back at him. They stared for a couple of more seconds before smiling, on the verge of laughter. She kissed him on the cheek, and they quickly snuck their way home.

Melody lived in a very small hut. Unlike most of the servants who worked at the castle, her father didn't want to completely depend on the king when it came to shelter or food, so he moved his family to a small hut nearby. Her mother tended a small garden to harvest enough food for the family, but they kept it hidden from the royals because they didn't want to share any of the crops they harvested.

Melody's family actually lived nearby Lars' family. They helped work out a huge farm, in which in exchange for shelter, Lars' family would give the royals, and the owner of the farm part of their harvest. Lars didn't like that they had to share, but their family was poor, and they needed the house. So Lars also helped with marketing and merchandising. He lived a very busy life, and Melody respected that. It was one of the many things that she loved about him.

Her mother crouched out of the hut, her skin and clothing covered in dirt and dust. She looked older than her years. Her eyes were dark and dull. Her lips were a pale color, and looked slightly chapped. Her hair wildly flew behind her. Her shoulders were slumped, and her balance was staggering. She must have had a handful with the younger ones, keeping them in line while tending to the garden. They must be playing near the fields, out of sight, she guessed. Melody walked up to her and pulled her into a warm hug. Her mother's expression changed to one of surprise. She didn't know why Melody was home so early.

She quickly pulled away and looked up at Lars, then back at Melody. Melody simply smiled. "What are you doing here back?" she asked a little stern. Melody looked at her.

"I just, I just wanted to see you. How are the little ones?" Melody looked past her mother and tried to peek inside the hut.

"They are fine, love," her mother answered. "Actually, I forgot to get something my dear. Back at the market place, can you get me some uh, um, corn please?"
Melody looked at her mother in a confused way. "Don't we have corn?" she asked. Her mother looked at her with her tired eyes.

"We ran out of corn this morning, I'm afraid," she replied. "We used the last of it, my dear." She struggled to sit herself down, but she winced in pain as she did. Her legs must be sore. Melody worried about her mother, for she was becoming more fragile by the hour. "Please Melody." Her voice was hoarse and barely louder than a whisper. Melody nodded and looked to her love.

"Please take care of the children. It'll only be a moment," she said. Lars nodded and Melody began to walk away from her house and over to the marketplace. She hoped she wouldn't get into trouble.

-*-

Rias was lost in the crowd of rushing peasants and townspeople as they quickly made their way to wherever it is they were going. She felt dizzy from all the noise that was going around her, from the many shouts and yells across the street, to the chattering and crying of the kids as they passed by, tired to take another step. Oh why did she ever ask to wander about? Rias immediately regretted it.