His King |BL|

5 - Rules for a Consort

The snowy view from Erick's room distracted him for a moment. It made him think about the last night he spent in his own room back home. For some reasons, he couldn't really bring himself to miss the life or the people he had left behind, with the exception of his sister. But then, she no longer lived there either. In the end, the life he had lived had meant nothing.

Looking out his window, he could only see trees for miles. They were covered in a thick layer of snow and he could see little specks of green peeking through the sheets of snow. It was a sight to behold –almost magical. It was serine to think that if he did die, he'd die in a magical place.

It had been only a few hours since they escorted him to his room –the place he would call his own till his fate was decided. But it wasn't the worst place in the world. It was a room that was fit for a king –or in this case, a king's consort. The longer he was there the more details he could see. The room was immaculately designed and decorated in golds, whites and browns. The bed was neatly done and the sheets felt soft like silk –they probably were silk. He could just lie there, at the centre of that bed for ever.

Erick stripped off the god-awful-dress and laid on the bed in only a robe to conceal his modesty. He flung an arm over his eyes in an attempt to block out the bright light and closed his eyes. He was yet to meet the King; and Erick was not looking forward to it. Or perhaps he was. He didn't really know what he wanted. Did he even care anymore, or had the harshness of his reality stripped away the need to care? It was all about survival. The survival of the fittest, that was what his father always used to say, and he would be damned if that saying wasn't true now than it has ever been. Just thinking about coming face to face with a man who had been described as a 'monster' made his heart palpitate. Perhaps, he was nervous and exited, all the same time.

There was a knock at his door and Erick jolted up from the bed and looked around, on high alert. Without realising it, he had fallen into a deep slumber, and from the look of the dark sky outside it was apparent that it was much later in the day. Erick's robe came undone when he sat up, and the sweat on his skin only made the silky fabric stick to him like a second skin. He must have had a nightmare. That was the only logical explanation he had. It wasn't normal for him to have sweat dreams in the middle of winter. There was another knock. This time, it was loud and intrusive. Then a soft voice spoke. It was muffled by the thick door, but it was probably something along the lines of 'can I come in'. Erick pulled his robe closed, pulled up some underwear, the only underwear he had brought with him, and scurried to the door. When he pulled it open Aynos stood at the threshold. The woman smiled. It was a sickly smile; like she knew all of his deep dark secrets. But that didn't seem to dull away the calmness her presence brought to him. Erick smiled at her while brushing his hair out of his face.

"Lady Clifton," She said, curtsying. Erick smiled back at her and nodded in acknowledgement. "The King is back from his travels. He requests your presences at dinner." She noted, calmly.

Erick's heart lurched and his entire body went numb. He nodded; his words seem to have dissolved on his tongue.

"You don't seem well, my lady." Aynos said, reaching out to Erick.

"I'm okay." He muttered, taking in step back, away from Aynos' reach.

"He is in his study at the moment, my lady. Dinner will be served momentary. In the meantime may I suggest putting on something a bit more appropriate for dinner?"

Erick's face heated with embarrassment. Of course, he was basically prancing around in his underwear. "Perhaps I can prepare a bath for you, my lady." Aynos said.

"No. That is alright. I should be fine. Thank you, Aynos." He responded quickly and closed the door without waiting for her to respond. The last time a handmaid tried to help him they discovered his secret. He may have been reckless then but not anymore.