Posted:
Hi again lovelies! I'm so grateful for all the comments/likes on previous chapters, you guys are awesome. Chapter Three is below, thanks in advance for checking it out if you do. :)
Chapter Three
"Your Majesty?"
Maan looked up from his wide desk the next morning, where he was signing documents, to see Adi standing at the doorway. Maan had slept in -- since that brat of a young woman Geet had disturbed his sleep -- and had enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. Now he was seated in the library, which was the size of a relatively large house, attending to palace matters.
"Yes?" Maan leaned back against the soft velvet of his seat.
"Your Majesty, I had hoped that you would have a word with Geet this afternoon."
Maan removed his reading glasses. "Ah, yes. I suppose I should deal with that situation sooner rather than later. Bring her in." Just thinking about Geet's blatant disrespect the night before was causing his blood to simmer.
"Well, Sire . . ." Adi began to fidget.
"Yes?"
"She, ah, she refuses to leave her bedchamber."
Maan threw his hands up in exasperation. "What?"
Adi shrugged helplessly. "Pinky and I have tried to coax her out, but she will not leave the room."
Maan stood up abruptly. This kind of nonsense would absolutely not be tolerated, particularly in his own living space. "Take me to her, Adi," he ordered.
The two exited the library and made their way through the grand and brightly-lit halls of the palace, with its jeweled flooring and exquisite artwork, to the east wing.
"I must say, Adi," Maan began dryly, "you are treating this prisoner as if she were a guest." Indeed, Adi and his wife Pinky themselves stayed in this wing.
"She -- she does not seem like your typical prisoner, Sire," said Adi, stopping in front of Geet's room. "She is but a young woman."
Maan waved his hand with indifference and entered the bedchamber without knocking. He scanned the large room and spotted Geet standing near the fireplace and staring out of a large window. She was still wearing the same torn dress from earlier.
"Geet," Maan said sharply.
Perhaps unsurprisingly at this point, Geet refused to turn around and acknowledge him.
"You may go, Adi," said Maan, his eyes not leaving her back.
"Please, Your Majesty, I ask that you --"
"Go," Maan repeated. This girl was getting under his skin like nothing else.
Quickly, Adi left and closed the door behind him.
Wasting no time, Maan charged up to Geet and spun her around to face him. "How dare you ignore me," he hissed.
Geet wore a vacant expression, which irritated him even more. Gone were her tears from the night before; indeed, the girl looked quite numb.
"Do you even know who I am?" he demanded.
"Yes," she said simply.
"Who?"
"Why are you asking me?" Geet said, devoid of emotion. "You don't know who you are?"
Maan stood struck for a moment. No one, not one person that he could recall, had ever spoken to him like that before.
Grabbing her by the wrist, Maan tugged her close to him. "Yes, I do know who I am. And I also know that whether you live or die is in my hands."
Geet stared at him blankly.
"I was merciful enough to not only spare your life last night but allow you to stay in this lavish bedchamber," said Maan, tightening his grip. "You should be showing gratitude instead of this extreme insubordination."
"I'm sure you have plenty of women showing you gratitude, so to speak," said Geet, her voice monotone as ever.
"What I do in my bedchamber is my business," Maan snapped. He let go of her wrist and stepped back. Why was he bothering to justify himself to this girl, who was clearly beneath him?
"The fact of the matter is that you have trespassed into my palace," said Maan, clearly irate. "Explain yourself, immediately. Who are you and why have you done this?"
Not a word slipped from the girl's lips.
"I demand that you respond," Maan ordered. Was she really refusing to obey?
Geet gazed up at him and waited a few beats before speaking. "I have no answers for you," she said finally. As if Maan were not even in the room, Geet wandered back toward the window and stared out at one of the rose gardens.
Maan shook his head in disbelief. Geet's sheer apathy toward her own life was most unprecedented and, quite frankly, was making his head spin. He needed time to think about the appropriate next steps. Wordlessly, he let himself out.
---
"Tea, Your Majesty." A young maid set down a tray of three cups before Maan, Adi, and Pinky in the tea room adjacent to the library. It was late afternoon, and Maan had called an informal meeting with Adi to discuss Geet, clearly a thorn in the palace's side. Pinky, who was heavily pregnant, had stopped by as well. Adi liked to keep close to his wife as much as possible, especially in the month of her anticipated delivery.
Adi offered Pinky a cup before reaching for his own. "How was your, ah, meeting with Geet earlier today, Sire?" Adi inquired.
Maan took a sip of tea and thought carefully before responding. He had never before encountered someone like Geet, who appeared to disregard that he ruled one of the most powerful kingdoms in the world.
"It went . . . not as I expected," Maan admitted. He turned to Pinky. "Pinky, you must have spent some time last night with Geet while helping her get ready for bed. Did she tell you anything about herself? The girl refuses to divulge why she snuck in."
"I did try to ask her about her background, Sire," Pinky explained, "but she did not wish to respond. She also refused to change her dress, even after I offered her new clothes. She is a quiet, peculiar girl to be sure."
"What exactly do you intend to do with her, Sire?" questioned Adi. "Send her back to her country?"
"She comes from the land we just defeated in war," said Maan, shaking his head. "Who knows how long she has been hiding in the palace and what strategies and intelligence she has overheard or otherwise picked up. We cannot allow Geet to go back and share that information with her country. They could easily attempt to battle us again, using our stratagems against us."
"If you do not return her, then what are you planning to do?" Adi asked, leaning forward to place his cup on the table. "Surely, you will spare her life . . . ?"
Maan took another sip and sighed. "That is a fair assumption," he said slowly. Although Maan hated to admit it, the girl in the torn dress intrigued him.
---
"You are divine, Your Majesty." A courtesan smiled drowsily up at Maan as they lay in bed that evening.
"Shh," he silenced her, trailing his fingers down her bare arms. He pulled the heavy comforter over them.
"But I was just saying that --"
Maan pulled her against his chest and placed a finger over her full lips. "Sleep." He had no use or patience for chatterbox women.
Although the courtesan drifted into sleep almost immediately, Maan remained awake. Images of Geet continuously stormed his mind, and thoughts of her were most unwelcome at this time of night.
Eventually, Maan could stand it no longer and swung his legs out of his mammoth bed, pulling on his robe. He would permit no one, especially not this slip of a girl, to disobey him.
The palace was dark and hushed as Maan made his way to Geet's borrowed bedchamber. Although it was all the way in the east wing, Maan felt his adrenaline grow with each step and reached her door in just minutes.
Maan grabbed the gold-plated door handle and swung it open silently. It was dark inside with only a lone candle flickering in the corner. To his surprise, Geet was not in her bed, but was instead standing by her nightstand and holding a bowl of what looked like some kind of medicinal cream. Although the light was very dim, he could see that she had unbuttoned her filthy, torn dress halfway so that her back was bare. From what he could tell, she was attempting to apply the cream to the top of her back and as far down as she could reach. What was she doing?
As if she could hear his thoughts, Geet then turned slightly so that the light from the candle finally illuminated her skin. Maan bit back a gasp at the sight; Geet's back was bruised and wounded, trails of dry blood staining her skin.
---
Thank you very much for reading! Comments are most appreciated!
Chapter Three
"Your Majesty?"
Maan looked up from his wide desk the next morning, where he was signing documents, to see Adi standing at the doorway. Maan had slept in -- since that brat of a young woman Geet had disturbed his sleep -- and had enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. Now he was seated in the library, which was the size of a relatively large house, attending to palace matters.
"Yes?" Maan leaned back against the soft velvet of his seat.
"Your Majesty, I had hoped that you would have a word with Geet this afternoon."
Maan removed his reading glasses. "Ah, yes. I suppose I should deal with that situation sooner rather than later. Bring her in." Just thinking about Geet's blatant disrespect the night before was causing his blood to simmer.
"Well, Sire . . ." Adi began to fidget.
"Yes?"
"She, ah, she refuses to leave her bedchamber."
Maan threw his hands up in exasperation. "What?"
Adi shrugged helplessly. "Pinky and I have tried to coax her out, but she will not leave the room."
Maan stood up abruptly. This kind of nonsense would absolutely not be tolerated, particularly in his own living space. "Take me to her, Adi," he ordered.
The two exited the library and made their way through the grand and brightly-lit halls of the palace, with its jeweled flooring and exquisite artwork, to the east wing.
"I must say, Adi," Maan began dryly, "you are treating this prisoner as if she were a guest." Indeed, Adi and his wife Pinky themselves stayed in this wing.
"She -- she does not seem like your typical prisoner, Sire," said Adi, stopping in front of Geet's room. "She is but a young woman."
Maan waved his hand with indifference and entered the bedchamber without knocking. He scanned the large room and spotted Geet standing near the fireplace and staring out of a large window. She was still wearing the same torn dress from earlier.
"Geet," Maan said sharply.
Perhaps unsurprisingly at this point, Geet refused to turn around and acknowledge him.
"You may go, Adi," said Maan, his eyes not leaving her back.
"Please, Your Majesty, I ask that you --"
"Go," Maan repeated. This girl was getting under his skin like nothing else.
Quickly, Adi left and closed the door behind him.
Wasting no time, Maan charged up to Geet and spun her around to face him. "How dare you ignore me," he hissed.
Geet wore a vacant expression, which irritated him even more. Gone were her tears from the night before; indeed, the girl looked quite numb.
"Do you even know who I am?" he demanded.
"Yes," she said simply.
"Who?"
"Why are you asking me?" Geet said, devoid of emotion. "You don't know who you are?"
Maan stood struck for a moment. No one, not one person that he could recall, had ever spoken to him like that before.
Grabbing her by the wrist, Maan tugged her close to him. "Yes, I do know who I am. And I also know that whether you live or die is in my hands."
Geet stared at him blankly.
"I was merciful enough to not only spare your life last night but allow you to stay in this lavish bedchamber," said Maan, tightening his grip. "You should be showing gratitude instead of this extreme insubordination."
"I'm sure you have plenty of women showing you gratitude, so to speak," said Geet, her voice monotone as ever.
"What I do in my bedchamber is my business," Maan snapped. He let go of her wrist and stepped back. Why was he bothering to justify himself to this girl, who was clearly beneath him?
"The fact of the matter is that you have trespassed into my palace," said Maan, clearly irate. "Explain yourself, immediately. Who are you and why have you done this?"
Not a word slipped from the girl's lips.
"I demand that you respond," Maan ordered. Was she really refusing to obey?
Geet gazed up at him and waited a few beats before speaking. "I have no answers for you," she said finally. As if Maan were not even in the room, Geet wandered back toward the window and stared out at one of the rose gardens.
Maan shook his head in disbelief. Geet's sheer apathy toward her own life was most unprecedented and, quite frankly, was making his head spin. He needed time to think about the appropriate next steps. Wordlessly, he let himself out.
---
"Tea, Your Majesty." A young maid set down a tray of three cups before Maan, Adi, and Pinky in the tea room adjacent to the library. It was late afternoon, and Maan had called an informal meeting with Adi to discuss Geet, clearly a thorn in the palace's side. Pinky, who was heavily pregnant, had stopped by as well. Adi liked to keep close to his wife as much as possible, especially in the month of her anticipated delivery.
Adi offered Pinky a cup before reaching for his own. "How was your, ah, meeting with Geet earlier today, Sire?" Adi inquired.
Maan took a sip of tea and thought carefully before responding. He had never before encountered someone like Geet, who appeared to disregard that he ruled one of the most powerful kingdoms in the world.
"It went . . . not as I expected," Maan admitted. He turned to Pinky. "Pinky, you must have spent some time last night with Geet while helping her get ready for bed. Did she tell you anything about herself? The girl refuses to divulge why she snuck in."
"I did try to ask her about her background, Sire," Pinky explained, "but she did not wish to respond. She also refused to change her dress, even after I offered her new clothes. She is a quiet, peculiar girl to be sure."
"What exactly do you intend to do with her, Sire?" questioned Adi. "Send her back to her country?"
"She comes from the land we just defeated in war," said Maan, shaking his head. "Who knows how long she has been hiding in the palace and what strategies and intelligence she has overheard or otherwise picked up. We cannot allow Geet to go back and share that information with her country. They could easily attempt to battle us again, using our stratagems against us."
"If you do not return her, then what are you planning to do?" Adi asked, leaning forward to place his cup on the table. "Surely, you will spare her life . . . ?"
Maan took another sip and sighed. "That is a fair assumption," he said slowly. Although Maan hated to admit it, the girl in the torn dress intrigued him.
---
"You are divine, Your Majesty." A courtesan smiled drowsily up at Maan as they lay in bed that evening.
"Shh," he silenced her, trailing his fingers down her bare arms. He pulled the heavy comforter over them.
"But I was just saying that --"
Maan pulled her against his chest and placed a finger over her full lips. "Sleep." He had no use or patience for chatterbox women.
Although the courtesan drifted into sleep almost immediately, Maan remained awake. Images of Geet continuously stormed his mind, and thoughts of her were most unwelcome at this time of night.
Eventually, Maan could stand it no longer and swung his legs out of his mammoth bed, pulling on his robe. He would permit no one, especially not this slip of a girl, to disobey him.
The palace was dark and hushed as Maan made his way to Geet's borrowed bedchamber. Although it was all the way in the east wing, Maan felt his adrenaline grow with each step and reached her door in just minutes.
Maan grabbed the gold-plated door handle and swung it open silently. It was dark inside with only a lone candle flickering in the corner. To his surprise, Geet was not in her bed, but was instead standing by her nightstand and holding a bowl of what looked like some kind of medicinal cream. Although the light was very dim, he could see that she had unbuttoned her filthy, torn dress halfway so that her back was bare. From what he could tell, she was attempting to apply the cream to the top of her back and as far down as she could reach. What was she doing?
As if she could hear his thoughts, Geet then turned slightly so that the light from the candle finally illuminated her skin. Maan bit back a gasp at the sight; Geet's back was bruised and wounded, trails of dry blood staining her skin.
---
Thank you very much for reading! Comments are most appreciated!
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