A little Past...
"What were you ordered to do?" Andrew asked with his arm on the throat of Samuel.
"Nothing My Prince, I swear!" Samuel swore.
"You know how I hate lies, Samuel...!" Andrew said sharply.
Samuel and Andrew have been friends for a really long time, since when they were little boys.
Samuel's parents were killed in a fire outbreak that occured fifteen years back, when they wr both five years of age.
The fire started in their house. Someone had accidentally lighted some barrels of oil that had spilled kerosene on it and this was connected to the kitchen where samuel's mother cooked, resulting in a massive explosion that killed his mother first, as she was in the kitchen preparing dinner.
Immediately the sound was heard, the whole village gather at the scene, so the little Samuel, who had been with his friends playing, but had to suspend that play when he realized what happened, it was already too late....
Samuel smiled and relaxed.
"My Prince, it seemed like for the past fifteen years, you still don't trust me...!" Samuel said.
"What do you mean...?" Andrew asked.
Samuel looked at the arm on his throat and then back to Andrew.
Andrew getting the message, lightened his arm's strength on Samuel's throat. But that didn't mean he would release him.
Feeling the tension on his throat reduce, Samuel was able to breathe a little and then said;
"Sire, your trust in me seems to be dimnishing..." Samuel said.
"What do you mean...?" Andrew asked.
Samuel stared intently at him before slowly saying;
"You don't trust me anymore!"
Andrew frowned deeper.
"Of course I do...!" Andrew quickly said.
"If I don't trust you, I wouldn't ask you what my father commanded you to do...!" Andrew said, quickly waving it off.
Turning away his face from Samuel, he headed towards the dinning table.
"So, what did, my Father ask you to do?" Andrew asked as he walked, Samuel following behind him.
"Oh, nothing much...!" Samuel responded.
Stopping dead in his tracks, Andrew turned around with look of anger on his face. His eyebrows frowned deeply.
"What do you mean, 'nothing much?!'" Andrew asked.
Samuel also.stopped when Andrew stopped.
Seeing the expression on his face, Samuel remained calm.
"What were your order from the King!" Andrew's voice turned higher.
Staring straight into the eyes of Andrew, Samuel hesitated for five (5) seconds.
"The King's orders to me were to feed you and have you satisfied in preparation for the journey...!" Samuel's voice also turned hi a bit, with a frown.
Once he said that, he walked past Andrew towards the dinning table.
"How long is the journey? How much time will it take?!" Andrew asked, still in his position.
Not stopping, nor pausing, Samuel answered while still moving;
"I do not know...ask the King!" Samuel's voice contained some spice of anger that could be felt for a moment.
"What do you mean, you don't know?!" Andrew's voice echoed throughout the room which had Samuel stop on his tracks.
Without turning, Samuel replied;
"I have no answer to the question you ask my Prince...!" Samuel answered honestly.
"If I did have the answer to the question you ask, I would have given the reply you seek, but, unfortunately, I have no answer!" Samuel added, honestly.
Taking five (5) steps towards Samuel, Andrew came to stand behind Samuel.
Sensing that the Prince was behind him, he took a deep breath with his eyes closed and then turned around to face Andrew.
Their faces were so close.
Andrew opened his mouth to say something.
"Even if you did know the answer to the question I ask, you wouldn't give it to me...!" Andrew whispered.
Samuel cut him short.
"How do you know that...?!" Samuel asked.
"Because I know you...!" Andrew cut him short.
"I know you, and I know what you're capable of doing!" Andrew added.
Andrew paused for a bit, allowing what he had said to sink in.
Samuel looked him in the eye.
"Even if you do have the information concerning the location of Atmaska, you would never say!" Andrew shouted.
Samuel blankly stared at him.
Staring back at Samuel, Andrew looked from one eye to another. Wanting to say something further but couldn't,Andrew couldn't hold Samuel's gaze anymore, and broke it by looking sideways.
Samuel just stared blankly at Andrew.
"J...just...where is my food that you were asked to prepare and serve me with...?!" Andrew asked.
"It's on the table..." Samuel answered silently.
Walking past him, Andrew headed straight for the long dinning table that could fit the whole people living in the Palace. Even the servants; both male and female, guards and chefs.
Even if the whole village were to be invited for a feast here at the castle, there would still be more hat enough space to accommodate the whole village.
But today, the Prince dinned alone, with no one else but the servants serving him his last dish, here at the castle before he embarks on his trip away from the castle. Where he might probably never see again. Or even live to see.
As soon as Andrew walked past him, Samuel didn't spare another second thinking before he walked towards the direction of the kitchen.
As he walked towards the kitchen, he rub ed his face with his hand to clears his eyes. It was difficult to stand in front of the Prince, look him in the eye and convey a lie.
But he did it, and that was pretty brave.
Though, he walked in the direction of the kitchen, he didn't enter but stopped mid-way and beckoned on a maid, who quickly obliged to his call.
When the maid had arrived, he whispered something into her ear to have her bow her head slightly and scurry off into he kitchen to fulfill what she was being sent to do.
Samuel turned his head slightly to the side to catch a glimpse of Andrew, to confirm whether he had heard what he had just ordered.
Seeing that Andrew might have it heard, Samuel sighed in deep relief, turned his head back, adjusted his suit, turned and walked towards the dinning table to join Andrew, who had began eating.
As he walked towards the dinning table where Andrew sat down, without raising his head to look up at Samuel, Andrew asked;
"What were your orders to the maid, Samuel?"