To Catch The Eye

"Sire?" Ella repeated, hesitation evident in her voice.

"Insolence." He gritted, swinging his legs off the bed and planting them on the ground. He started for Ella but Persephone got in his way.

However, Persephone was still too distracted by the man's scantily clad 'attire'. His blanket shabbily draped over his lower body but they could see more than they needed to. She swallowed back her flusteration and looked away to the ground "I was thinking about how the Lady made it back to her chambers without clothes. It was a silly thought, your Highness. I meant no harm." She lowered her head.

"Meant no harm you say." He took a threatening step closer to Persephone, expecting her to step back but she didn't, which intrigued him. Bastille scoffed and walked over to the table in the middle of the room, slumping down in his chair. "Serve my tea."

"Yes-" Ella was interrupted immediately by his hand.

"No, you." He shot her a glare before directing his attention to Persephone. "You." The women didn't debate, Persephone simply moved her feet quickly to serve him his tea but his eyes watched her every movement.

"Two sugar." He ordered, not taking his eyes off of her. The young maid made the King his tea and set it before him, waiting for him to see if it was to his liking.

He took a sip and set it back down rather loudly on the table. "Too sweet." He challenged her, giving her eyes as if he was peering into her soul. The woman quietly took the cup back and made him a new one, with less sugar than the last. Bastille took a sit and chuckled as he set it back down. "It seems as though your tea skills are lacking."

"Apologies, your Grace." She acutely bowed, scoffing silently to herself because she knew that he was just giving her a hard time.

"W-We've prepared your bath, sir." Ella spoke, trying to safe her friend from the man's wrath.

"Very well. I wasn't taking much pleasure in my tea anyway." He shot Persephone a glare before he got up from the chair, clutching the fabric around his waist. The more she was around him, the more Persephone realized that the man acting so much like a child throwing tantrums at times.

Ella led him to his bathing area while Persephone stayed back and cleaned the room. The irritated young woman let out a deep breath and sat in the chair with her head in her hands. "What a man." She scoffed to herself.

Persephone cleaned up the room and fetched the King's breakfast. By the time she had reached the room, Ella and the King were back, making her put her guard back up. "Your meal, sir." She set it on the table before the man.

Without protest he began eating and to her surprise, he didn't nitpick this time. "Send my regards to the chef." He said before dismissing himself from the table. 'He knows how to say nice things after all.' She thought to herself while she cleared his table.

Bastille soon headed to his office where he would be for half of the day and the two young maid found work around the castle since sitting idly around wasn't an option.

"Persi," Ella called out to her as she continued scrubbing the ground. Persephone turned her head to Ella while cleaning. "Why do you think he asked for you to be assigned to his chambers?"

The other woman paused her scrubbing as she sat back on her heels, taking the weight off her knees. "Perhaps he found an easier way of tormenting me since I made such a bad impression on him."

"It seems as though he dotes on you a lot." The younger woman replied, raising her eyebrows in an inquisitive manner.

"I think it's more about me getting in his way when I stand up for you." Persephone chuckled, as she continued to scrub the ground.

"I suppose." Ella turned away with a disappointing look on her face which suddenly lit up. "Hey, Persi." Once she had gotten her friends attention, she directed it outside to the backyard where the soldiers gathered to train. "Don't you think Tristan is very dashing?"

Persephone almost laughed out loud at the enthusiasm in Ella's voice as she glanced outside to see what the young woman was looking at in such awe. Tristan and a few of the other soldiers were sparing. Majority of them only had a thin shirt on despite the cold weather, they took much pleasure in the sun's rays. But seeing that their chiseled bodies we glistening with sweat led her to believe that they were running hot.

Bastille was seen on the training grounds as well, sharpening his sword on the side. Some the men began rough housing with each other, drawing a smile on his face which made Persephone's heart stop for a brief second. "He sure looks different with a smile on his face." She mumbled to herself with a sigh as she admired his face.

***

"You scoundrel!" Tristan roared with laughter as he tackled Edmund, the second in command after him. The other men cheered on as they formed a semi-circle.

"You ladies are so gentle." Bastille mocked the two, his smile ever so wide.

"What do ya say, Edmund ma boy." Tristan sneered as he narrowed his gaze at Edmund as if he was his prey.

"I don't intend to go easy on you, old man." Edmund smirked at his opponent as he flexed his shoulders and arms.

"Big talk for a wee little boy." Bastille burst into laughter as he tossed the rock, which he was using to sharpen his sword, to the ground.

"I'm going to send you right to sleep." Tristan lunged at the other, which Edmund dodged and grabbed his legs, immediately bringing him down. Bastille began laughing at the entertainment but his eyes flickered up to the window above them that had two heads peering out at them.

It was Persephone and the other maid who's name Bastille couldn't remember, which was just Ella. He locked eyes with Persephone who didn't look away, but Bastille wasn't surprised because of her usual adamant behaviour which was slightly growing on him.

Something about her agitated him, and it was definitely the way she spoke to him and the way she looked at him. He hated it. "Alright boys, I'll be retiring to my office. Carry on with your duties." Bastille got up from the bench.

"Yes sir, I'm just going to put this boy to sleep." Tristan, who had Edmund in a headlock, tapped him on the head. The king chuckled and waved them off as he walked back to his chambers and took a secret door inside his room to his private library open, of course no one knew about his trips here because he liked his solitude when he was there, he doesn't even allow cleaners in.

Bastille allowed the smell of the books and ink fill his nose, drawing a smile on his face. He then dropped himself into the chair, letting out a deep breath as he felt himself relaxing. He opened up his journal that was on the table in front of him, ready to let his worries out on to the page when he came across his entry from the other day.

Bastille froze as he stared at the foreign hand writing on the paragraph below his. He felt himself getting angry as he immediately stood up. Who would dare to enter his library without his permission, the insolence was shocking to him. Everyone in the palace knew that his library was off-limits, not only did they enter his library but they wrote in his private journal.

Although a part of him was curious as to what they wrote all-knowing it was his personal journal. The tip of his nose tingled at the faint smell of Lillies, it was unfamiliar to him and certainly from a stranger in the room. His fingers grazed the foreign writing in his book, letting the emotion seep into his finger tips. His heart thumped against his chest from the feeling of sincere care in the person's words.

He gave in, sitting in his chair that felt of another. Biting back his discomfort of having his safe space trespassed he scooted in closer to the table and took the book into his hands. His eyes skimmed through the beautifuly handwritten words of kindness written for him.

Once he finished reading what was written, he caught himself finding comfort in what that person wrote. "Who are you to be writing such words to me." he scoffed to himself, setting the book back on the table.

'I thank you for your words of kindness, whoever you may be. However, something tells me that you do not know me or the kind of person I am to be making such statements. And quite frankly I feel as though its better this way. Those who personally know me, fail to understand me for the true person I am, partially because of the manner in which I need to portray myself to them.'

He set the pen down and allowed the ink to dry before closing the book. Curiosity filled his head, he wanted to see who the trespasser was. But he was fairly certain it was a woman, since the handwriting and lingering scent leads him to believe so.

***

"Where is His Highness?" Persephone asked, peaking over the window as they walked to the main hall. She could the men still gathered as they fought each other like horses in the mud, but the King was nowhere to be seen.

"Perhaps he's in his study." Ella cocked he head to the side as she watched Persephone search earnestly for the man. "I can't tell if you're in love with him or just afraid of running into him." Persephone immediately whipped her head around at Ella who jumped.

"Certainly not!! Never say such a preposterous thing!" She snapped, feeling her ears run hot. The man was beautiful and Persephone can barely take her eyes off of him, however, he is the worst person ever in terms of manners, morals and leadership. Her defensive behaviour drew a giggle from Ella's lips.

"My apologies, Persi." She patted the older woman on the back as she walked ahead with her bucket of water, leaving Persephone behind with a baffled look on her face.

However, Ella came to a sudden stop in front of the woman from the night before, Maeve. Similar attire to what she wore earlier but a little more coverage. "I'm terribly sorry, m'lady.." Ella took cautious steps back from the woman who has her chest flared and nose to the ceiling.

"Incompetence." She scoffed, side eyeing Persephone who felt herself getting angrier from the woman attitude. "You'll get yourself killed with that mouth of yours."

"Apologies, m'lady. I'm having trouble understanding what you mean." Persephone set the bucket down as if she was preparing herself for a brawl. With another scoff Maeve went closer to Persephone.

"If you think challenging the King is going to earn you a place beside him, I'm here to wake you up. You're only going to get yourself killed." She crossed her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes at the woman in front of her.

"I think you're mistaken Lady Maeve." Persephone paused before mimicking Maeve's stance and body language. "I'm not here to spread my legs for His Highness, rather I have some level of respect for myself."

Maeve's ears and face turned a bright red colour as her breath quickened and grew into huffs. "How dare a lowly maid like you insult a lady of the palace!" She dropped her arms to her side like a toddler throwing a tantrum. Immediately she struck Persephone, who accepted it, unfazed. Seeing this, her hand went up again.

"Maeve."