01| The First Chapter

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Cyrus

Water. A lot of it in my lungs, my head. Like I was being pulled underwater, drowning.

"Wake up"

I opened my eyes , and I could see but I was underwater... breathing.

I turned towards the voices and it was me, at least my reflection.

I reached out to touch it but my hand merely passed through the water, which acted as a mirror.

"Awake"

"I am awake." I turned around

Aren't I?

The feeling came back at full force, and I had to cough to get some of the water out of my lungs.

After a few minutes of coughing out water, I looked around. I was in a lake near what looked like a garden, there were trees, thousands of them and my study of botany allowed me to name them of hand.

I got up from the lake and, glanced down I was no longer dressed in my robes, but instead was wearing a plain white dress which stuck to me in uncomfortable places, and looked transparent giving any onlooker a clear look of my body.

Fortunately for me the floor of the garden was littered with stones and other sharp things which welcomed my bare feet.

"Hello" I called out to a women in uniform the pattern of tattos which littered her arms told me she was a healer.

"You're awake" I rolled me eyes at the statement. If this is how she genuinely was then our conversation was going to be short and curt.

"Please come with me, the King asked for you to be taken to him immediately after you awoke."

King? Where was I? Did I make it to D'Frollo? If so then how? I knew Aguna would never do something to hurt me as to drown me in my own power source, but why bring me here? When she asked me to specifically stay away from this island?

"How did I get her?" I asked following her out of the garden, I watched as she closed the door and turned to face me.

" The king found you on his way back from his voyage to the south. He send you were barely breathing and holding on to a thin piece of wood for support."

I nodded and signalled her to continue as we walked up a long staircase.

"He tried his best to keep you alive and brought you here to be taken care of, we removed the water in you, but you kept asking us to put you back in it, to allow you to heal."

I nodded, that was typical me behaviour, I needed Aguna's strength to become well again water does give life after all.

But if what she was saying is true (she had no reason to lie) then Pete died in the storm. I felt a pang of guilt, once again another person died as a punishment for my stubbornness and curiosity.

"This is the castle" I looked up to see that we had indeed arrived at a castle one which stood a hundred feet tall and had looked to have thousands of rooms.

We walked passed at least a dozen guards who littered around the castle.  A few who were at the door greeted the healer and gave me a look of suspicion, before opening the large doors after, Marliyn, the healer assured them that I was a guest if the king.

"Could I have a change of clothes before meeting the king?" The healer seized my outfit up. The transparent sheer dress which showed the flesh of my stomach and breast and dripped water on the tiled floor.

"That would be a good idea" Marilyn held my elbow and began to pull me down the hallway when the door in front of us opened. A tall man dressed in blue and gold robes stepped out and shut the door quietly behind him. He let out a string of curses in a language I was unfamiliar with and pulled at the roots of his dark hair.

"Your majesty" The healer called and he turned his gaze towards our direction. "How long have you been standing there?" The man cleared his throat. "Long enough, this is the woman you rescued last night" I bowed and brought out a hand to shake.

The king only stared at it in disapproval. "I'm grateful for your services healer. You're dismissed" Marilyn turned back in the direction we came and the king watched her leave before addressing me. "Follow me" I trailed him quietly down a dark path with many doors and paintings until he opened and stepped through one.

I entered behind him into what I assumed to be his bedroom. The floors were shiny and the furniture was neatly polished. I traced my finger along the surface of a dresser and was impressed to not find a speck of dust or dirt. "You brought me to your bedroom, your majesty?" I asked once I had made myself comfortable on top one of the desks in his room.

"Why?" I knew why. He wanted privacy, what for? "To discuss certain matters"

I arched an eyebrow in question. If anything I should be the one asking questions.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I brought you here" The king turned his back to me and began fumbling through a chest of clothes. He handed me a large burgundy coat, avoiding my eyes the entire time.

I gently lifted myself from the desk, the cold floor reminding me once again that I was barefooted. I wringed the ends of the dress free from water and peeled the uncomfortable material off my skin. I peered at the king's back to make sure his gaze was elsewhere, only to find he staring deeply into my eyes

I fought the urge to flush at his gaze. I quirked an eyebrow at him as swept my coiled hair backwards. The king's stare remained unfazed and slowly but surely his gaze lowered down he flesh of my collarbone and over the many marks and inklings of my arms.

He stared particularly at the spiral design that ran from the left side of my neck through my midriff and ended at the side of my right thigh, the tattoo was a sign of Aguna and was given to me by the goddess herself.

It was excruciating and the memory of it alone sent shivers dancing alone my spine. I quickly wrapped the coat around myself, stopping the king's excursion of my body halfway.

He cleared his throat and turned away as if snapping out of a trance. I smirked at his behaviour, how endearing.

"We could get more accommodated to each other's bodies at a latter time. But I believe you said you want us to speak about certain things?" I walked over to his large bed and made myself comfortable on the lush and expensive sheets.

"Yes, about that. Are you cold?" He asked a small turquoise kettle in his hands. I wasn't but I was curious to see whether the way he poured tea was as attractive as the rest of him.

"Please" The king placed my hands around a yunomi, the ceramic cup felt cold in my hands until the warm green liquid was poured into it. The king's hands stayed glued to mine, pressing the flesh of my palm into the glass.

The cup was warmed by the tea and its warmth burned my palm but I enjoyed the pain and enjoyed the feeling of his fingers over my knuckles even more.

The king cleared his throat and stood to his full height. He was inches taller than me and sort of looked like a Hyperion with his intimidating height.

I crossed a leg over the other and watched his face contort into different expressions. I didn't understand his hesitance to speak when he seemed so urgent in front of the maid earlier.

I opened my mouth to speak but silenced myself with a sip of tea instead. I'd wait for him to start, I had a feeling I wasn't going to like what was about to be said and I'm never in a rush to hear bad news.

"You're my beloved" The king mumbled after sometime

"Excuse me?" I heard him clearly the first time but the uncertainty in his voice made me question whether my ears were deceiving me.

"You're" His eyes met mine.

"My beloved" He said louder this time. The word echoed in my head until it started to hurt.

"I don't understand" I didn't have a beloved or whatever they were called these days. I wasn't granted one.... I didn't deserve one

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