Fate | Baldwin IV

i walked with you once upon a dream

The morning sun marked the beginning of a new day, its rays filtering through the windows of my new room that the king had assigned for me. I awoke with a sense of disbelief and anticipation, the events of the previous day still fresh in my mind. The air was cool, carrying the faint scent of jasmine from the palace gardens. I sunk deeper into my giant bed, pillows as light and as soft as clouds. The gentle breeze on top filled me with a giddy feeling inside. I wanted to stay in bed forever.

A soft knock at the door interrupted my thoughts. I propped myself up immediately. "Come in," I called, preparing myself for whatever came next.

A young servant girl stepped in, her eyes wide with curiosity and deference. "My lady, the king requests your presence in the Great Hall," she said, her voice trembling slightly.

I nodded, trying to hide my own nervousness. "Thank you. I will be there shortly." I got up from the bed and smoothed my nightgown.

"I could help you get ready, my lady." The girl spoke in a small voice, avoiding direct eye contact. "If you prefer." she added as she looked up at me with big eyes.

I was surprised to hear it. I hadn't expected to have servants. "Oh, but there's no need-" I started, but then I realized I might have needed her help. "Actually, I would love that." I smiled at her, which seemed to have cheered her up as it changed her demeanor suddenly.

She nodded her head and came up to me excitedly. "Come, my lady. Sit down." she said as she grabbed my arm and guided me to the vanity. I did as I was told.

She picked up the hairbrush from the vanity and started brushing my hair gently with a smile on her face. "I've heard you saved the king from assassination, my lady."

I smiled back at her. "It wasn't anything remarkable. I just happened to stop the man by chance, that's all."

"Oh but it is remarkable my lady! There's no such thing as chance! God wanted you to stop him." she said as she continued brushing my hair. "You are a brave woman Mashallah."

I let out a small chuckle. "You are right. Maybe I was meant to be there."

"Of course, my lady. God knows what would happen if you didn't stop that man."

I nodded my head thoughtfully. I hadn't thought of it as God intended for me to save the king, I hadn't even thought of it as something I should be proud of. It was just pure luck. Any man would do what I had done.

"What's your name?" I asked the girl.

"Aisha, my lady."

"You have a beautiful name, Aisha. You can call me Y/n."

The girl stopped brushing my hair for a moment and looked at me with widened eyes. "Thank you, madam. You are very kind." I caught a glimpse of her lightly blushing cheeks. "You also have a very beautiful name."

"Thank you." I said. "Tell me Aisha, what do you know about the king?"

"He's a respectable man." she replied without hesitation. "He has always been kind to us servants, God bless him." she started sectioning my hair to style it. "You don't have to be afraid of him at all, my lady. He's a good man."

"I'm only curious. I wonder who that man I stopped was...Why would anyone try to harm him?"

"They are afraid, my lady. They think he's cursed because of his illness. I've even seen some that treat him as a monster. Poor man is already suffering a lot."

My face went sour with a pained expression to the thought of his condition, his skin. "How bad is it?"

"It's terrible, my lady. A man like him doesn't deserve such pain."