To Bewitch a Devil

She could move the way she wanted without feeling pain shoot anywhere in her body. She could eat any kind of food, and she slept like a baby on a mattress that felt like clouds. From all that she had been through, her current situation was heaven.

Except Zavian still would not let her out of his sight. Even if he was forced to leave his chambers because of his duties, it was not for long. It was endearing; his care and protection over her, but sometimes, it could be suffocating being cooped up in there for days.

The door to the room unlocked, and Zavian stepped in, his hair falling over his face like a waterfall made out of gold. He must have been busy, for he was long due for a haircut.

“Your Majesty”, Neera started with her request. “I promise I am completely capable of resuming work and going back to my room.”

Zavian looked over at her, and she didn’t understand the deep frown that emerged on his forehead.

“Did I complain about you being here?” He asked her.

“No, but...”

“Did I in any way signify that you should work?”

.....

Neera shook her head. “No, your Majesty.”

Zavian sighed. “And how many times have I asked you to stick to calling me Zavian when I am just the one around?”

Neera bowed her head down. “It doesn’t feel right, Zav...your Majesty.”

“Well, it is an order.” He stated.

Neera did not say anything after. She watched him move across the room, and he picked up the stack of papers by his side of the bed. He looked over to her again, and she saw he had a thoughtful face on.

“The contest for who would be Queen is about to come to an end.” He said, and the room became instantly quiet. Neera’s throat dried but she quickly formed a reply through her teeth;

“That’s great; you can finally have your Queen by your side,” she said.

Zavian’s frown deepened. She answered him in a heartbeat and seemed even enthusiastic about the affair. What was he expecting? For her to be sad about it?

“Yes, finally,” He grumbled.

Neera did not understand the glumness of his reply. She would miss him greatly, of course, but she always remembered the gap between their positions, no matter how sweet ‘heaven’ had been for her. He was still the King, and she was still a lowly maid, nothing could bridge that.

“May I go for a walk please, your Majesty?” Neera requested.

Zavian looked around the vast space of the room, and back at her.

“You can walk around here.” He said. “There is enough space.”

“It is not the same thing.” Her eyes bulged at his solution,

“It is safer.”

“I need sunlight, your Majesty. And I need a change of environment.”

He pointed at the sunlight pouring in through the window, and to the connecting door leading to his study as a change in space.

Neera’s shoulders slumped in defeat. There has always been an excuse or a reason to prevent her from leaving the room, but she had had enough.

“I feel like a prisoner in here, Your Majesty.” She told him.

That was what undid it for Zavian. For the first time, he allowed himself to be in her shoes. He had been so focused on ensuring she was protected and had forgotten it could all be overwhelming for her.

Lyra had been sent out of the castle, the prisoners had been executed. It was safe for her to move around.

“Only within the castle grounds,” Zavian finally agreed.

Neera’s face beamed brighter than the sunlight pouring in through the window.

“And with six guards,” He added.

The light on her face dimmed, but her smile still remained nonetheless. She would take it, as long as she could leave the room.

Zavian arranged for the guards to follow her. Neera was uncomfortable with the way they trailed behind her, and that was what she had to deal with for she had no option, so she kept moving.

The courtyard greeted her with fresh roses blooming along the trimmed hedges. Butterflies scattered around, and a few bees went about their business of pollinating the flowers. The trees had begun to shed more leaves that carpeted the floor, all of which will be cleaned up in the evening. The air smelt sweet and filled her lungs with what she imagined freedom smelt like.

She felt the stares and the whispers around her from the maids she passed, but she didn’t dwell on it. She had long accepted that for as long as she remained in the castle, it was bound to follow her wherever she went.

She knelt and put her nose to a rose. A laugh tinkled out of her. She bathed in the happiness of her existence at that moment in time.

If she could feel a stare burning a hole in her back, it would be that of Kitana from her window. Kitana wished she had the power to kill her without any hassle from where she stared. Why hadn’t she been blessed with that power?

She watched the guards surrounding her, their eyes tracking everyone’s movement around and being vigilant as if guarding the King himself. Kitana believed she had made the entire situation worse. She had a better chance of breaking into the castle’s treasury than she had getting to Neera, but that would not deter her from finding a way to wipe her miserable existence off the face of the world.

She knew she stayed in the King’s chambers. Walls had ears, and the whispers have diffused from walls to her ears. She, however, was going to take the advantage of this temporary window where Neera was not with Zavian to go see him, so she wasted no more time.

On her way, she almost bumped into Lyra’s brother, Axel, who was walking towards the king’s chambers.

A disgusted frown formed on her forehead as she tried to walk past him.