For What is Bought in Blood

Parasocial

After some lackluster dances with even more monotone men, I find myself in the arms of my favorite suitor so far.

"Why did I not meet you in my youth? We are of similar age, correct?" The second Lord Neisman envelopes me in his arms I am smiling, enjoying each second of conversation. Each rumbling word uttered is funny, charming, and soothing.

"I was born only a few summers before you," he responds, keeping a respectable distance between us as we prance around the floor. "Our people do not travel northward often. The sea provides all we require, Your Majesty."

"Please, call me Alula," I say tentatively, knowing I have not given other suitors the same option. It feels too customary for him to call me by a title with how exhilarated he makes me feel. "If I lived by the sea I would not wander far either."

He smiles so brightly down at me I feel like I could faint. "You remind me of the sea, Alula. You were not meant to be contained."

I almost jump out of my skin. How can he see so much of me while knowing so little? To be compared to the reckless abandon of the sea feels too closely to godliness. I am floating on air as he spins me slowly, finally hearing the music as it flutters around us, encouraging me to feel everything in full color. 

***

Terran

I knock as quietly as humanly possible on the door, hardly enough to rattle the old hinges. The plate of bread and cheeses I swiped from the kitchen rocks gently as I reestablish a two-handed balance of it. I may have had to rearrange some of it to make the plate appear full as I sampled some on my way back to this area of the castle.

The door creaks open, a pale face and bright blue eyes peering wearingly up at me. I smile as reassuringly as possible as I gauge the fear on her face.

"What are you doing here?" Hollie whispers up at me, scanning the cramped hallway I'm standing in. I don't feel too exposed out here knowing how infrequently other servants cross into Hollie's territory. With Alula's secrecy, she has taken full responsibility of caring for her wing of the castle.

I motion to my full hands by slightly tilting the plate, sending her attention towards it. "I know this morning was not easy for you. I wasn't sure if you'd fed yourself." I try to act as nonchalant as possible to break down her guard. Today I made leaps and bounds with Alula, so getting her favorite person on board feels right.

I am glaringly unsure of how to approach Morelin, so Hollie it is.

She invites me inside by opening the door wider, allowing me a full view of her tightly wrapped house robe. The gentle patterns of flowers and pastels makes me certain it was a gift from Alula and not something all servants are provided. Her chambers are also bigger and more decorated than other servant's quarters I've seen in passing. While being on the ground floor prevents her from having a fireplace, the entire floor has been covered with animal furs and rugs for containment of warmth. Wool blankets and cotton throws are folded neatly beside the dresser, with a few haphazardly placed on the bed. She seems to have been among these blankets when I interrupted, though it doesn't seem like I've woken her up.

I place the plate beside the bed and she quickly begins to eat, showing immense appreciation with her body language. Her body remains turned towards me, legs crossed in a way that shows me inner, not outer thigh. She is open to talking to me, or just my presence.

I allow her to eat undisturbed for a while. We do not speak, and she does not remove her gaze from the plate. She is settling into my presence more willingly that I had hoped, and I am about to speak when she begins before me.