Two Men in a Cottage

I once lived in a wonderful kingdom with so many people. I even lived in the castle of the king and queen. The queen had a beautiful spirit, while the king had a crooked soul. The king was hard on his people, especially the ones who worked in his castle. Unfortunately, that also means me. 
I was a maid and I usually worked in the kitchen or the great room, where the king hosted meetings with the more important workers like the nobles, merchants, and knights. In the kitchen, I helped clean up while the chefs cooked, but my favorite time was when I cleaned during the meetings with the knights in the great room. I loved hearing about the battles they talked about in their stories. 
I would move slowly from statue to statue, dusting ever so delicately just so I could hear more. They talked about defeating dragons, and running armies of goblins out of the kingdom. I always thought about how wonderful it would be to be a knight, protecting the people of the kingdom. 
As I started cleaning in the great room more often I began to pick up on some of the knights’ habits. One always added the word “the” before any noun. Another picked his nose, which he would wipe on the arm of his chair. I disliked this one. People like him always made the maids’ jobs harder. I also noticed that one showed a special interest in me. 
This knight seemed to follow me with his eyes as I moved around the room. Sometimes, this made me uncomfortable, as I did not particularly like the shape of my body. I did a great deal to cover up the more feminine attributes. Although we have never spoken, I know he has a kind heart. I saw him in other parts of the castle picking up trash that other workers have just left on the floor for the maids. I also noticed he seems to have a special bond with his stallion. I’m almost certain he does more good that even I don’t notice. 
Despite his potential interest in me, I thought nothing could ever occur between the two of us. Knights didn’t talk to maids or anyone below them on the food chain. It wasn’t a written rule, but if a knight was seen conversing with a lower worker, he would get ridiculed by other knights. They were held on a high pedestal that no one could reach. If a knight was seen stepping down, he lost some respect. 
When the day was over, I always went straight to my room, which was shared with 3 other maids. Usually we would gossip about the things we saw or heard, and I had fun hearing those stories too, but during a trip in town I bought a book. It was tattered and old, but I loved it still. So instead of listening in on gossip, I got in my bed and began reading.
This particular story was about a young man who became the hero of his town after countless battles against an opposing army. It was almost as if it was effortless for this character. Everything about him seemed to be perfect. He was so brave! This was always one of my favorite stories. I always wished I could be like him- a hero, a man of dignity- but I was just a maid, so I kept that dream hidden.
Despite having hid this dream very well, I dressed in more masculine clothing. Although it was in our dress code as servants to wear skirts or dresses, when I went to my room after work, I would slip some slacks on. Yes, I slept in slacks. They weren’t the most comfortable thing to wear, but I thought it would allow me to dream that I was a hero, and I got to be the hero of my own stories. I know this seems childish- like a kid playing dress up- but I just felt so free when I wore my slacks. Also, unlike most of the maids, I kept my makeup to a minimal- only mascara and blush. I was extremely pale and the blush made me look more alive and healthy. 

-

    I went to work everyday, went back to my room, and read. This was my same routine everyday. Honestly, I had grown accustomed to such a plain schedule, it didn’t bother me much that it was so confining to stay inside most of the time. This was just how things went, until Mr. Knight decided to surprise me. 
    I remember this moment so clearly. I was dusting the frames of some portraits hanging in one of the many halls, humming a cheerful tune, when I heard a man clear his throat behind me and startle me. 
    “Excuse me, miss, I couldn’t help but notice how carefully you clean the great room. Such attention to detail!” He said with excitement.
    I didn’t know what to say. I had never spoken to anyone in the castle except for the other maids. My heart started to beat faster in my chest, and my palms got sweaty. I didn’t know what to do or say- I was frozen. 
    “But I also know that you could get the job done much faster, with the same amount of work. You take so long walking from one thing to the next.” He traced his fingers around the painting and rubbed off the dust he collected.
    I thought he was insulting me. He must have saw the hurt on my face because he added:
    “I don’t mean to be rude, but I have a theory you take your time in there for another reason. And I have a guess!”
I finally found some words and said worriedly, “Oh, you do?”
“Yeah! You think you can seduce the king!”
“What?” I was so shocked. I could have never predicted this response. The king is a horrible man, who cares for no one, not even his queen! The king pays very little, and yells and ridicules any small mistake. Oh, and if you made a big mistake, he would send you to the dungeon with all of the towns thieves, murderers, and adulterers. He was just plain evil! For anyone to think I was flirting with him was the most offensive thing I had ever heard.
“Yeah, you want the attention of the king. I don’t know what for, but man you must be desperate.” He chuckled.
“Excuse me?”
 “Don’t act coy. Everyone knows the king is cruel. To want his attention would mean you really need something. Maybe a raise.”
The next thing I said might have been a bit harsh, but I was offended and angry. It just came out. “I will have you know that’s not why I take my time in the great room. Maybe you wouldn’t understand that some people take their jobs seriously. You clearly don’t. You are talking to me. Are you not worried tha-” He cut me off.
“Woah, woah. No need to get defensive. That’s my job.” He joked, “So if you’re not looking for the attention of the king, why do you spend so much time there?”
“Well, since you asked, I like to hear the stories.”
And that was the end of our talk because, from around the corner, we heard the laughter of approaching knights. He gave me a wink and a wave before turning another corner and disappearing. 
-
Back in my room, I again told the other maids that I would not be sharing my stories- although I know they would have loved to hear from me today- and that instead I would be reading. They sighed, but carried on with their conversation. I picked up my book and started from where I left off last.
I was reading about how the hero was preparing his troops for the next attack. He gave an incredible motivational speech. All his men were then inspired and ready for battle. They raised their weapons in the air and let out a war cry before taking their positions. Again, I wished I could be like that hero, to be brave like him would make me the happiest. 
    I wasn’t reading long before there was a knock on our bedroom door. Silence fell over the room as one of the other girls got up to answer.
We didn’t get late night visitors unless there was a mess that urgently needed tending to. Usually it was some irritated page who worked directly with the king. They couldn’t be bothered to remember our names, so they usually referred to us as “servant” or “girl”. It was quite humiliating and offensive, if you asked me, but my fellow maids didn’t seem to mind it. 
When she opened the door, we all saw a tall man standing there. It appeared to be a regular man. There was no indication he worked or lived in the castle. He wore normal clothes and shoes, and smiled a normal smile. His hair was sort of unkempt and messy. I thought there was no way the king would allow someone looking like that to enter the castle, let alone let someone like that roam freely around the halls. 
    He didn’t say a word, but instead looked around the room until his gaze fell upon me. It wasn’t a threatening gaze, but more curious and somewhat kind. At first, I didn’t recognize the man or know why he stared at me, but I got up and walked toward the door. 
    “Hello.” The man spoke.
    It then hit me: this was the knight. I didn’t recognize him without his uniform. He looked like a common person, not someone who works closely to the king.
    “What are you doing here,” I asked in a low voice.
    “I wanted to talk to you more about what was left unsaid earlier. I thought we could take a walk in the garden.” He whispered back. 
    I looked around nervously. My roommates knew for certain, at that moment, that there was a lot I was not sharing with them. I had a lot of dirty looks from around the room. But I turned back to the man standing before me.
    I agreed to go and I followed him. At first, neither one of us spoke. It stayed like this until Mr. Knight reached for my hand. I panicked and pulled my hand quickly towards my body. I didn’t really enjoy being touched, especially by people I barely know. It made me feel uncomfortable.
    “Relax. Everyone is asleep. The only ones awake around out front with the hounds.”
    He reached for my hand again, but this time I let him hold onto it. It had been a while since I held someone’s hand, but it felt so natural to hold his. Weirdly enough, it actually felt comforting.
    Once we reached the garden, he let go of my hand and opened the gates. We walked around a bit before he spoke again.
    “So, you like to hear stories, do you?”
    “I do enjoy them, yes.” I said. He asked why and I answered easily, “It’s because I wish I could be someplace else.”
    “What’s so wrong living in a castle?”
    “You wouldn’t get it. I work for the majority of the day for just enough pay to buy patches to mend my clothes and at the end of the day I go to my small room that is shared with 3 other people and read my book that I saved up for for months.” I had never admitted that this life had bothered me. There was something about this knight that made me speak so openly.
    “I didn’t know it was that bad.” He paused.
    We stared at each other for a second before I looked away. I focused on a rose on the bush next to us. I traced along its petals and leaves. The silence began to feel awkward, but the knight spoke up.
“I could take you away from here.”
    I almost didn’t comprehend what had just been said. The idea was crazy. What did he mean?
    “It would be easy. How often does the king or queen check up on his servants? It could be months before anyone noticed you were gone and by then we would be far from here.” He spoke fast.
    “What are you talking about? You don’t even know my name and you want to run away with me?” I was in complete disbelief.
    “Yes. Whether you believe it or not, I don’t like it in this castle much either. The only time I’m happy is when I’m out on quests and the knights treat me like a sissy for being a decent human being. Run away with me!”
    “Wait, you’re serious? I mean wouldn’t the other maids and knights question where we are?”
    “No. You will tell the maids that you’re visiting some family, and I will tell the knights I’m on a personal mission. It’s so easy!”
    It was silent for a while. I thought about it hard. It would be amazing to live free, but if the king found out, the consequences would be tremendous. I mean, one of my friends spent three nights in the dungeon for taking a sick day, but I couldn’t stop thinking of the never ending possibilities of freedom.
    “I’m in,” I said. 
    We went over all of the specifics of the plan. We were going to leave that same night. I had to write a letter to my mates saying that I was going a few towns over to check on my family. My knight would make an announcement that he needed some time to be himself and venture without a plan. We were to meet up at the fountain in the center of town. 
    So I did as I promised. Once I got back to my room, my mates were sound asleep. I grabbed out some parchment and a pen and started writing. I kept it short and sweet: 
“My dear friends,
I have received urgent news that my mother has fallen very ill. I will have to leave and care for her for a short while.”
Next, I packed a small bag of personal items, and of course the bag held my torn up book. When I was done, I snuck out and headed for town. I couldn’t stop shaking as I was heading out of the castle.
-
It seemed like hours of waiting. I tried to keep myself busy. I read some, sang a song. I even counted all the coins I found in the fountain. The sun had almost risen before I saw my knight coming down the road. 
    He greeted me with a warm embrace and then kissed me. That took me by surprise, but when he pulled away I pulled his head back in and kissed him again. My heart felt warm. I just kept smiling. 
    We hurried along on our way to a far away forest. My knight said we would have to be out of town before the rest of the city woke up so we ran, hand in hand. 
    I can’t remember how long we ran, but I assume we ran for as long as our lungs would let us. When we stopped, we were in the middle of a dense forest. I didn’t remember entering the forest, to be exact, but we were now in one. The sun barely shone through, the leaves were so thickly piled above us. It made it hard to see. We rested for a minute before we turned to talk once again. 
    “How much further do we have to go?” I asked.
    “Well,” he answered, “I think we are almost there.” 
    “Where?” I asked.
    “There was a cottage I found on a quest around here. I guess we will stumble upon it soon.”
    So we looked, walked slowly through the trees.
    Despite having been rested for a while, my heart still raced. It was probably from the excitement of it all. I felt so free! I could do anything! I let out a holler of joy, and instead of giving me a weird look, the knight shouted as well. I guess that meant he knew we were far enough from town to be heard. My mind was racing. For the first time I felt like a brave man! I didn’t necessarily feel like a hero yet, but I knew it took courage to run from that castle. I felt so proud to be me. 
    “Over here!” he shouted, “ I found it!”
    I followed his voice, and when I found him he was standing in front of a beautiful cottage. It was a grand, two story house with tons of windows for sunlight to shine in through. There were shrubs and flowers growing all around, and some vines covered the walls. It would definitely need some landscaping, but it was glorious. This cottage meant freedom.
    He tried to open the door, but it seemed a little stuck, so he gave it a harder pull and it flung open, moths flying out. 
    “I’m glad to see no one has been here in a while.” He said.
    I wandered off from his side to look around. I went into the kitchen and saw a wood burning stove and pots and pans hanging from hooks. It was a bit small, but I didn’t care for cooking much, so I didn’t think I would need a lot of space to work. There was a fully furnished living room and a dining room. A glass chandelier hung above a table with four chairs. 
I decided to test my weight on the stairs- they seemed stable enough to walk up on. Upstairs, I saw two bedrooms, and a library! My excitement grew! I took my time scanning the shelves, reading all of the titles. There were more books in that library than I had ever seen at once. I picked up a book and turned around to see my knight standing there, smiling. 
    “I almost didn’t believe that you liked to read. What have you got there?” He gestured to the book. 
    “It’s a playwright. Shakespear.”
    We talked some more about the type of stories I like to hear- the stories that made me feel strong and powerful. He didn’t once look strangely at me for that.
    “I’ve always wanted to be a handsome knight.” I didn’t mean to say that, but it just slipped out. I felt embarrassed. I covered my red face with my hands and hung my head. 
    For a moment nothing was said. I was afraid that he was going to ridicule me, or tell me I was crazy- that I would always be a little maid. I was afraid he would slap me for being so insane. This was my first time saying my dream out loud.
    “You can be my knight. You know, only if you want to.” It didn’t sound like he took pity on me, but that he understood. This was a huge relief.
    So that was that. I was his knight, and he was mine. He took my hand in his.
    “So what do I call my knight?”
    I had to think for a second, for a strong, heroic name, but eventually, I said, “Kit!”
    “Well, Kit, nice to meet you. I’m Lance.”
-
That’s how our story began. That was almost 2 years ago. We still live, undiscovered, in this cottage. I’m still his knight, and he is still mine. 
There are no rules in our cottage. I am no longer a maid. I feel more confident now. I wear slacks, suits, and everything you would see a hero wearing. He doesn’t make me clean, although I do help him (because honestly he isn’t the best). Life with him feels perfect. 
We have cleaned up the yard and we have a garden of fruits and vegetables. We have a few cattle and sheep as well. We rarely go into town, but when we do, we try to stay disguised and hidden. 
We are truly in love. I never thought I’d be living this life- a life of being my own hero and being so happy for everything in my life. I truly thought I would be stuck in that castle until I died.
We don’t know for sure if the king found out because we heard he was slain. In town, we heard rumors of his assassination. People say the queen took over and now everyone is much more happy. The queen improved living conditions for everyone who lived in her castle, and really cared for her people.
Knowing the changes that occured doesn’t make me wish I had stayed, but I am happy for all who now work under the queen. I have no regrets about running away with Lance. Lance and I are happy, and now that the king has passed, no one will come looking for us because no one has a reason to anymore. 
I am finally who I am meant to be, living with who I’m meant to be with. I love my story.