The Jem

~40~

"Ember take the food out!" The head chef ordered from the back of the colossal steam-filled kitchen. Ember sighed and began wheeling the big cart of food. He could smell the beautifully seasoned lamb, the fresh vegetables, the humongous pig that was roasted till golden brown on the spit and worst of all he could smell the divine desserts that had strong but indulging wafts of zest and chocolate running up his nose.

Ember hated that he couldn't even eat a crumb off any of it. He was always served some type of soup or stew and a bit of cheese and bread with a healthy serving of old fruits. Sometimes if the king was feeling generous he would let the chefs and cooks and rarely the kitchen boys, eat his leftovers. But Ember's friend and fellow kitchen boy, Caten, warned him consistently, that King of Tontayga spat in the food after he was finished with it.
Ember still ate it because food was scarce and he was beginning to look incredibly skinny.

The wheels squeaked unstoppably as he made his way to the dinning room that consisted of 20 grand chairs but the only people who sat at the long cherry wood table were King Spratan and his captain of the guard, Jone.

The servants walked in after Ember had arrived and began placing the trays and dishes of food very, very carefully. A servant had once, accidentally dropped a single small grape from a heavy platter of various fruits and got whipped for it, to send a message.

After walking out of the room very subtly he remembered one thing, if the king wasn't on his throne that meant Autumn was alone in there. He began sprinting so fast his legs threatened to buckle but he had to see her, had to give her the piece of fruit she desired the most. Ember gripped the apple as if it were a precious heirloom of some sort.
Finally he reached the room and the guards didn't so much as glance in his direction as he said, "I've been ordered to give Miss Autumn her daily serving of food." Lie- the king didn't really care if she ate or not as long as she was alive and ready for his bed, he didn't care.

So Ember bowed his head in gratitude then swung the double doors open and stepped in. No guards were in the room because King Spratan knew the iron chains would hold very well on their own. Ember closed the doors. "Autumn." He spoke her name like a blessing on his tongue.

"Hello Ember, I would say it is great to see you, but I can't really see you-or anything for that matter." She smiled welcomingly. He walked closer then sat before her, "I can smell you perfectly though. I do very much enjoy our encounters." Her face lit up like the morning sun as she beamed at his arrival, his heart melted right there and then.

"I've brought you some food." Ember grabbed her arm very gently but she didn't pull back anyway, then he placed the apple in her hand. Autumn smiled but it was shortly followed by a frown.

"At what danger did you go through to steal this for me?" She asked as she now held his arm-hard.

"It was no trouble, I promise." Her soft hands loosened at the reassurance.

"Alright." They both sat down in front of each other as she gnawed at the fruit. He had stolen the biggest, ripest apple-only for her would he steal.

Autumn paused, "I've always wondered-
She swallowed, "How you look like. Tell me. I don't care if your missing a leg, or an arm, or even a nose. Your personality is wonderful enough. But tell me what shade of color your eyes are, the color of your hair, how beautiful your smile is."

His heart melted even more as he urged to tell her,
"But why would you want to know what I look like?" Was all he could bare to say.

"Because I want to see you in my dreams, I only hear your calming voice which soothes me in the darkest of nights but I would love to see you in my dreams or at least imagine you in my head." Autumn began eating again, so finely and did not let a single drop fall.

He shut his eyes almost as if he was trying to imagine himself too, "My hair is hazel brown, my eyes like mist and ashes. My smile, only broad when I'm near you. I only wish- I only wish you could see me too."

Autumn set aside her apple then reached out to touch his face, she smiled and her pointed ears twitched, her eyes like depthless oceans of darkness and her clear, pale face looked like it hadn't seen the sun in so long , "I will see you in my dreams. I swear it." Autumn traced her thumb along his cheekbone then kissed his cheek. "I swear it." She whispered in his ear again. Suddenly, the doors burst open, "What is this?" The captain of the guard's voice was sharper than thorns, Ember shot to his feet. "I was giving her her food."

"Fine, now get out." He scrambled through the room and only when he reached the doors did he look back. She was eating her apple again, her face filled with fear.
When Ember got the chance, he was going to rip out the king's throat for what he'd done to her and then he'll make everyone in this kingdom regret it too.

That was a promise.