A Maid's bravery

His sharp alluring eyes bore into hers, to which she finally bowed along with everyone else. A dark heavy aura filled the air around Persephone, making her heart race. "My King, these are the new maids," Anna curtseyed, presenting the group of girls to the silent man.

"Disappointing," He scoffed, his deep voice making her ears tingle.

"Apologies, My Liege. We tried our hardest to bring as many women as possible."

"They'll simply work twice as hard," Bastille spoke with a bitter tone as he glared straight at Persephone's face. His eyes seemed to be fixed on her, making her feel rather uncomfortable. Her eyebrows briefly twitched into a frown, which he caught.

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lip, confusing the young woman. He seemed to be laughing at her, amused by her expressions. He gave her a once-over before brushing past the new recruits, back to his private chambers.

Before she could process everything that had just happened, she was face to face with Anna. "Do you not value your life?" she hissed furiously.

"I apologize, I didn't mean to..." Persephone lowered her head, clasping her hands in front of her.

"May the Heavens guide you," Anna sighed before leading the group through the halls once more.

Persephone's heart was still beating fast, as she did her best to recall the fine details of the ethereal man who had just stood before her. When her wandering mind rested on the memory of his steely gaze, she felt chills run down her spine.

Anna guided the novices to their rooms so they could settle in and they were provided uniforms to change into when they started their duty later that night. Persephone arranged her things before lying down to quell the headache that had formed since she'd been left alone in her room. When she awoke, nightfall had just arrived, so she quickly slipped on her uniform and joined the rest of the maids. Anna paired the girls off into twos, assigning them to where they were to serve.

"Persephone and Ella, you will tend to his majesty in his sleeping quarters. Early in the morning and late at night," Persephone was struck speechless as her mind raced, thinking about all the things that could go wrong. Judging from what occurred earlier, it was as if her life was being written off.

"Madam-" Persephone stammered, trying to get words out despite the lump in her throat.

"-Alright girls, you may tend to your duties now," Anna clapped her hands, indicating for the girls to disperse in different directions.

"Madam," Persephone quickly approached Anna before she left.

"Yes, Dear?"

"Are you certain that's such a good idea? The way His majesty looked at me leads me to believe that I won't last a day serving him," She expressed, drawing a chuckle from Anna.

"Dear, The King personally wanted you assigned there," She replied, tilting her head down in a reassuring manner.

"That doesn't make me feel better," The young woman anxiously smiled.

"If you follow orders and stay quiet, I'm sure you'll live," The older woman smiled back, gently patting Persephone's shoulder before leaving her in the hall. Despite Anna's attempt at reassuring her, Persephone found no comfort in her words. She turned around, letting out a deep sigh but was surprised to see Ella standing still, a look of terror on her face.

"Ella, are you alright?" She tended to the young girl, placing a hand on her back.

"W-What if I make a mistake! What if I make him mad?? Will he kill me?!" She exclaimed, eyes filling up with tears.

"Sweetie, don't worry," Persephone comforted her. "You'll have me."

"But what if he kills you??" Ella asked, tears falling from her eyes.

"I've heard he has a soft spot for women. I'm sure he wouldn't. He only looks terrifying, darling." Persephone really didn't know but she would find out for herself.

"C'mon now, we should make our way to The King's chambers," Taking the timid young girl by hand, Persephone led her down the hall.

As they made their way around the Palace, a large group of armored men were seen at the end of the hall, making Ella tighten her grip on Persephone's arm. Their loud chatter and careless roughhousing came to a gradual stop as they spotted the two young women making their way towards them.

"Ladies, are you lost?" One guard with a crude scar on his face, stepped towards them, making them stop at a safe distance. The smell of metal and sweat surrounded them, making Persephone's nose sting.

"We're looking for the King's quarters," Persephone stepped forward as Ella hid behind her.

"Forget the King's quarters, you should come to mine," A second guard sneered as he eyed the girls. "We'd like some action ourselves."

"If I wanted to tend to a pig, wouldn't I go to the pigsty?" Persephone stepped forward again, standing tall and crossing her arms over her chest. The second guard didn't seem to like. He took a step towards Persephone before the scar-faced man stepped in between them.

"To your right, down the hall," He indicated with his chin, with a coy smile on his face. Persephone simply nodded in acknowledgement at the scar-faced guard before walking away, with Ella in tow.

"That woman called me a pig!" She could hear the argument that had begun behind her.

"You've bedded many women, you might as well be turning into one," the other man replied, raising laughter from the other men, and a giggle from the girls.

They reached the end of the hall and opened the door, revealing a large room that had many massive windows that brought an abundance of light into the room. The sheets were hanging off the bed and things were out of place in the form of clothes sprawled on the floor. "Heavens," she muttered under her breath as she sighed.

The two girls spoke candidly with each other as they busied around the room, tidying up. Persephone learned that Ella lived in the next town over with her widowed mother and 4 year-old sister.

She was terrified of men because she was mistreated by her father often before he passed away. Persephone sympathized with the young girl, comforting her and vowing in her heart to tend to Ella as if she was her own little sister.

"I will go fetch some more wine!" Ella chirped as she walked out of the room with the empty wine pitcher on the serving tray.

Persephone smiled to herself at Ella's lovable demeanor, she found comfort in it against being so far from home. She ran her hands on top of the bed to smooth out the ruffles and adjusted the pillows.

Her hands then came to a stop when a rush of cold ran up her spine, sending goosebumps all over her body. The sudden scent of a winter flower infused with honey and vanilla surrounded the air around her. Persephone lifted her head and scanned the room for where the smell came from. She then turned her head and nearly screamed at the sight of Bastille.

"Y-Your Highness!" She spun around, stepping as far back as she could till the back of her legs hit the bed. She was staring again and she thought she would drown in his eyes. The light from the floor to ceiling windows turned The King's eyes into an ashy gray, making his gaze seem more perilous.

His face was tilted up as he stared down at her, practically undressing her with his gaze.

"You stare at me with that infuriating look on your face," he boomed, and once again Persephone's heart raced faster than she could understand or she had ever experienced before. The young woman shivered under the heavy, cold gaze, and she worried that she had offended the man. "I despise it," he growled, furrowing his eyebrows.

"I apologize, Your Highness. It was never my intention to offend you." She immediately bowed her head, nervously biting her bottom lip.

"Anger me again and you'll really be sorry," he warned in a low tone, stepping away from her and moving towards the chair beside his table. "Have Tristan bring me Maeve, and bring me wine at once." Persephone nodded and left the room to find the man named Tristan.

She returned to the spot where she had seen the guards earlier and approached the scar faced guard from earlier. "You!" she called out as she gestured to him. He seemed rather amused with the way she was calling for him. "Where can I find Tristan?"

"What a shame, you know my name but I have yet to learn yours," he chuckled, a hand wrapped around the grip of his sword.

"Persephone," she replied, curtsying in a sarcastic manner. "The King is asking for a woman named-"

"-Maeve. I'll bring her immediately, m'lady," he nodded before walking away. Persephone then spotted Ella carefully walking towards her with a full pitcher of wine.

"Let me," Persephone carefully grabbed the tray from the frail girl's hands.

"Phew! That was heavy!" Ella groaned, rubbing her upper arms. She let out a strained sigh as she stretched her arms. "Who ever thought that the King's chambers would be quite the mess," Ella giggled.

"I couldn't agree more," Persephone scoffed, feeling bitter about his attitude towards her earlier. If she wasn't so terrified of his infamous bloodlust and the terrible reputation he carried, she would've said something back to him. She wouldn't dare to utter a single word of retort for fear of endangering her sweet father. "He's in his room so just stay calm, alright?" Persephone warned Ella.

As they approached the room, Ella hid behind Persephone's back. When they entered, there were clothes discarded on the ground, rendering the room a mess again. Bastille sat on the window sill in nothing but his trousers. The moonlight illuminated his snowy hair, which fell slightly below the nape of his neck. His body was painted with the colors of the candles that surrounded the room.

Persephone stopped herself from gawking and set the pitcher down on the table. "Would you like me to pour you a glass, your Highness?" she inquired, interrupting the deep thoughts that clouded his steely, sharp eyes.

"Must I do it myself then?" He snapped, giving her a blank stare.

Persephone relaxed her jaw and lightly scoffed to herself. Without responding she just poured him a glass and brought it to him. Keeping her eyes on her hands, she retreated once he had taken it from her grasp.

"You," he bellowed, drawing a gasp from Ella's lips. "The inane pounding of your heart is deafening. Silence it."

"I-I-I'm sorry, your H-Highness," Ella began whimpering as the man got to his feet.

"Maybe you just need some help," he began walking towards her and the frail girl started sobbing.

Crash!

Bastille's anger was interrupted by the sudden sound, which drew his attention to Persephone standing in a mess of wine and the shattered pitcher. She looked at the man with a blank stare as he approached her. "I apologize," she bowed before wiping up the spilt wine. "Ella, why don't you go fetch another pitcher?" Persephone smiled at Ella who quickly wiped her tears and ran out of the room.

"Stand up," Bastille boomed. The young woman simply obeyed him. "You dare to get in my way?"

"It was a mistake, your majesty. I humbly apologize," she kept her eyes on her hands as she bowed again.

"You think I'm a fool?" he scoffed bitterly.

"Of course not, your Highness," she murmured, wishing she could reveal her honest thoughts.

"Perhaps I will give Maeve a rest day." This drew Persephone's eyes from her hands to his face. Seeing the sinister look on his face made her stomach turn and she was scared of all the possible meanings behind those words.

"You will serve me in her stead."