Redemption

Anabella hurried quickly over to the King, smiling at his compliment. “It seems to be the colour that Faye likes to put on me best. So I am happy that you think that it really does suit me.” She blushed lightly before blinking and looking towards where Oberon’s hand was gesturing. As soon as she noticed all of the carriages and let his words sink in to her mind, she gasped, her hands going over her mouth in shock. “These… This is amazing, your highness.” She said to him softly, giving him a genuine smile. “They will love this.” She knew that they would be truly grateful for these gifts and put them to good use. She was now no longer helping her own life, but through this change, she is also bringing happiness and gifts to the ones who took care of her all those years ago.

Her hand reached out towards Oberon as he opened the door to the carriage and helped her inside. She ducked through the opening and sat down, waving at Faye before the door was closed as well. Once the door was closed, Ana turned towards the King and noticed that he had turned towards her as well, a certain excitement in his eyes. He asked her if she would show him where she grew up, the places that she liked to go, the people that she loved. She nodded quickly.

“Of course, your highness. Though they will not be as fantastic as your palace, I will surely show you everything. Where I lived before I came to work for you, the place where I grew up. The small fountain where I used to take the children to read them stories. I will show you everything that you would like to see.” She said happily. “You really do not have to give them all of these precious things. Though I know that they will truly be grateful. And I am grateful to you for the people of my village. It will mean a lot to them to see you, I know it will.” She smiled at him.

“Thank you, your highness. Truly.”

Oberon smiled widely when Ana exclaimed and ran to Faye. He knew if anyone could guide him better around the village it was Ana. He turned on his heels as Faye and Anabella ran excited down the hall and he went the opposite direction. While they dressed Ana, he had the chefs cook several hundred small meals to put into baskets; he called for his scholars to gather books; he told the servant girls to gather old clothes he did not need anymore. With Ana's help Oberon would do just what his parents did, be charitable.

Oberon informed a young servant boy to let Ana and Faye know that he'd be waiting by his carriage, and he was. When the two women arrived, Oberon was smoking a pipe though seized when Ana started down the steps towards the carriage. "You look marvelous!" the king exclaimed, taking both her hands to kiss at each one. "Yellow is really your best color," he complimented. "Look!" Oberon lifted a hand to show the line of carriages behind them. "I have brought goods and gifts for the villagers; I hope they will prove of some use."

Oberon helped Ana into the carriage and climbed in after her; he waved goodbye to Faye and allowed the driver to close his door. He turned his head to face Ana as the carriage started to roll forward. "You will show me where you grew up?" he asked, his hand reaching out to lay upon hers. "And take me places you enjoyed--the people you loved. I have gifts for them all," he laughed softly.

Anabella was surprised to see Oberon before she even managed to get to the door of his room. And before she knew it, he was by her side, almost beaming with happiness. Just as she was about to say good morning, her hand was in his and he was asking her what she was wearing. The poor girl didn’t know what to say or even what to think. She could only giggle softly as she was spun around, showing off her servant attire to the King who had exclaimed that she should be wearing that ball gown always. “I believe that would be a little impractical.” She laughed softly before Oberon called out to Faye who Ana knew would be in his room.

Her eyes moved towards Faye, seeing the look that came onto the woman’s face as she saw Ana’s and Oberon’s hands intertwined, and smiling a little towards the other woman. Though that look in Faye’s eyes sent the message straight to Ana and she nodded slightly, knowing that Faye would find a way to tell her that even without saying it in words. Though when she heard what Oberon said next, Anabella’s eyes shot straight to his face, wide, unbelieving. The village. They were visiting the village today! A wide smile appeared on her face, matching the look on Faye’s face as well. Ana’s eyes darted from Faye, to Oberon before laughing a little with joy.

“I will be quick!” She told the Queen before picking up the front of her dress to hurry off with Faye to get changed. The two women spoke quickly on their way about the type of dresses they had for her to wear and which Faye thought would suit her the most. They settled on a darker shade of yellow for the colour, not a hideously bright shade of yellow but a more darked, muted shade, something that might have been described as a matte gold, nothing shiny. The sleeves fell to just below her elbows and wrist-high lace gloves covered her hands. By the King’s request, a small necklace of pearls adorned her neck. Something small, but elegant. And her hands clamped softly on a folded parasol, also by the King’s request.

After fretting about looking out of place and stupid just out of nerves, and Faye telling her how much of a silly girl she was being, the two of them hurried out of the room and towards where they were to meet up with the King. Anabella could barely contain her excitement. They were visiting her home today, which made her happy beyond belief.

Oberon was sent to bed earlier than usual by Baum as the butler believed he was intoxicated somehow. It amused the king though he didn't mind being left alone early after what had happened. His body was still flushed, though he hid it until he had dismissed Baum. The king hurried undressed himself, throwing the sword to the wall and removing the sash across his chest. He dropped an article after an article until he was almost nude.

The king's legs were strong as a horse's and his torso had valleys from the ab muscles; his chest was covered with a brown curly hair and under that was only strong muscles. His large hands smoothed over his own body, letting him feel this sensual sensation once more; it had been years since he felt this high. It may have been a few days ago where he made love, but it was purely for heirs and he forced himself to last at least ten minutes.

What he felt now was real and it was because of Anabella. He fell on to his bed and gave himself the pleasure he so craved for.

The next morning, he was woken by Faye and Baum as usual; they tugged open the curtains and ripped off the sheets from their king. However, they both gasped at the pale bum of their king and his hand snuck under his body.

"Oberon Heinrich Traugott!!!" Baum shouted before smacking at the king's bum. "What sin have you committed?!"

Oberon groaned, grabbing at the sheets to pull over his body. "No sin, Baum; freedom. Now let me sleep."

Baum frowned, leaning over Oberon. "No sir. I will not. You are supposed to reserve that for your queen so you may have hiers."

"I don't like my queen!" Oberon shouted before huffing. Silence took over the room. "Get my clothes. I want to get out of the house." Oberon waited though neither Baum nor Faye moved. "GO!" he shouted. The two servants sternly stared upon their king before they started their work.

Oberon was soon dressed in a casual outting suit; it was still laced with gold and a sash though it was dark green rather than black and brown boots accompanied the suit. He exited the room to see Anabella coming towards his room. A bright smile appeared upon his lips and he moved quickly to meet her. "What are you wearing?" he chuckled softly, taking Anabella's hand to twirl her around. "I believe you should always wear that ball gown." He looked over his shoulder, "Faye! Faye, come out here!"

Faye moved out of the room, smiling faintly though a soft frown appeared at her lips when she saw Oberon was holding Ana's hand. She silently told Ana with her eyes to behave herself and moved up to Oberon. "Yes, your majesty?"

"I want a beautiful dress for Anabella. I want to see the village! I want to meet my commoners!"

Faye stood in awe; never had she thought she would hear Oberon say that. Suddenly, a smile appeared upon her face and she nodded her head. "Of course, sir! Of course! Anabella, dear, come with me! We shall find you a beautiful lace dress and a gorgeous hat to wear out!"

Oberon smiled brightly, "Yes! And some jewelry--pearls, in fact! And an umbrella! Yes, yes, that sounds lovely!"

The small sound that Oberon made when she pulled him closer to her sent tiny shivers of delight up her spine, small goosebumps appearing on her arms as the shivers travelled along each one. Her fingers reached up slightly to the back of his head, intertwining hers fingers tips within the hair at the back of his head. Her heart started beating faster, if that was at all possible, as she felt his hand move from her cheek to join his other hand at her hips before circling around her to grab a hold of part of her dress, pulling on it hungrily. Her breathing shuddered slightly at the feeling.

It only felt like brief moments before the King pulled away from her, causing her eyes to open slightly as she saw him look towards the doors. Then a familiar voice travelled towards her ears and she knew it was Baum looking for Oberon. She silently curses Baum for interfering but also thanked him in a way in her mind. As much as her body seemed to want whatever was going to happen next, she wasn’t sure if her mind was ready for it. Not tonight at least. So much had already happened tonight that maybe that one more thing would have been too much. Her eyes returned to his as he released her and her dress and took a step away from her.

“I am not surprised.” She managed to tease as well before smiling at him when he kissed her hand. “Thank you, your highness. Please, have a good evening and I will be ready to attend to you in the morning.” She smiled as he pulled away from her before jogging up the stairs to greet Baum, leaving her alone in the garden. Her eyes looked around the place for the moment before she signed, running a finger along her lips slightly before smiling like a fool. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. After she got over her little giddy moment, Anabella lifted the front of her dress before heading towards the stairs herself, headed back into the castle.

Anabella wondered if she should really return to the ball. She felt that she would be out of place without the King there. Her feet wandered back towards where the ball was being held, listening to the music and the sounds of cheerful laughter and talking and dancing from outside in the hallway. She stayed there for a few moments, letting herself collect her thoughts before deciding to return to the servants quarters so she could get some sleep. She didn’t feel right about going in and dancing with so many nobles. It made her feel a little uncomfortable with Oberon not there with her. It was enough for her to just stand outside in the hall, listening to them from afar, like listening to stories of people that you so wished you were.

Once she was to her room, Anabella quickly changed and rolled onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Her heart was still pounding and her face still felt a little flushed. She was thinking about Oberon and what happened until she was finally able to get some sleep.

--

Ana wasn’t going to lie, she barely slept all night. She was so giddy and excited that her thoughts had woken her up several times during the night. Though the next day, she was still wide awake, and in one of the best moods that she had been in since she got here. The servant girl got changed quickly that morning, shoved some breakfast down quickly and bolted out of the servants chambers, fearing that she was going to be late for her first job of the day. She quickly made her way towards where Oberon would be, ready to do whatever he needed her to.

Anabella's lips parted gave Oberon the sign that it was all right to continue. He explored her mouth, feeling her delicate tongue against her own. She tasted delicious, like a sweet treat; he didn't want to pull away. From the bellows of his chest, Oberon groaned as Ana pulled him closer and molded her body against his. His hand moved down from her cheek to her back, then greedy hands started to pull up at her dress. He wanted to feel her completely. Take her all in and show her his love.

Oberon bent his knees to lower her when he heard Baum's voice in the distance. Oberon pulled back, his tongue licking over his lips. He looked over towards the doors to see Baum's silhouette. His faithful butler called into the night for the king. It disappointed him though he knew he was worried about the situation that had just happened. Oberon's hands released the back of the dress and he took a step back.

"I fear I am in trouble with a few people," he teased. He kissed Ana's hand. "Return to the ball, dance and have fun. I will see you tomorrow, Anabella." He kissed her hand once again; his eyes locked with hers for a moment longer until Baum called out again. "Goodnight and sleep well." Oberon pulled from Ana and he jogged towards the stairs. "GOOD EVENING BAUM!" Oberon shouted joyfully.

Unnoticed to the lovers, Danica stood at her window and watched the scene. She witnessed the kiss that the king took from Anabella; she saw the hungry hands that tugged at the peasant's dress. She was disgusted that a poor, ugly girl could get her husband wild but his own wife couldn't. She had ordered the maidens to leave her chamber but she remained by the window, wondering where the peasant girl would go... Danica hoped she'd return to her bedroom.

Ana’s heart fluttered and her cheeks burned red when she saw his smile fill with joy at her words. She was so happy that she had gotten through to him once again, but this time it was to ease his mind from the troubles of his life. At least, just for the moment. Her whole body filled with warmth as he squeezed at her lovingly, happiness was filling her heart so fast that she feared that it might explode. Even seeing the light tint of pink upon his cheeks made her happy and she wondered if anyone had ever done that to him before. She guessed not, and somehow that made her feel special.

She blinked a couple of times when the King suddenly exclaimed that she was right before placing a gentle kiss upon her hand. “I’m glad that you agree.” She managed to say before following along behind Oberon, her hand in his still, headed towards the center of the garden. Anabella couldn’t help but laugh slightly when he said that she would remember this night until the day that she died. Somehow, the thought worried her slightly and made her very curious. “I am curious as to how you are planning on making this night so spectacular for me.” She teased jokingly, making sure that the tone of her voice indicated that she was only joking with him.

Curious eyes watched Oberon’s every move as he moved from lantern to lantern, lighting each one to illuminate their surroundings. Her eyes sparkled in the light of the lanterns, just the sight of the garden in the warm glow was almost the most beautiful sight she had ever seen and it took her breath away. It all seemed so magical.

Anabella’s eyes returned to the King as he extended his hand towards her and she took it instantly, placing her hand on his shoulder as he pulled her in and started to dance. She looked at him curiously as he started speaking to her softly, thanking her for what she did. She parted her lips to start saying how he didn’t need to thank her, but the kiss upon her cheek silenced her and she blushed, smiling uncontrollably. Though when Oberon said that he cared for her also, her heart skipped a beat and she lost her footing slightly before regaining her composure. She could have never imagined that in a thousand years someone like Oberon would say those words to her. He was a King and she was a girl with nothing. Except for right now, she reminded herself. Right now, they were just a man and a woman. A man and a woman that loved each other.

Before Oberon could even finish what he was saying, he could no longer fight the urge to lean down and capture her lips in a kiss. Her eyes fluttered shut, returning his kiss, her heart pounding in her chest as their tongues met for the first time. She didn’t pull away, but gasped slightly as she was pulled against him, feeling his body against hers. He could probably feel her heart pounding in her chest as she slowly moved her arms tighter around his neck and shoulders, pressing herself against him. She couldn’t even remember where they were at the moment or what they were doing. Her thoughts only revolved around him.

The pain that ached in his heart slowly lifted. His features turned soft and his eyes had a gleam of hope. He never heard such sweet, true words from any person before; it filled his heart with joy. A smile slowly replaced the frown that haunted his face. Then, suddenly, something that never before happened... happened! A blush touched Oberon's cheeks.

Oberon leaned forward when Ana nearly spoke her true feelings for. They weren't the three words that he had hoped to hear, but in her own way, Ana said 'I love you'. Oberon's smile grew bright with joy! She did not see him as a monster! She loves him!

Oberon chuckled faintly and he squeezed at her lovingly. His body and mind were contridicting each other at the moment! He wanted to remove her from her dress and express his love to her right upon this railing! The thought made him flushed, of course he hid any signs of him being bothered. And his mind wanted to express his love in another way. He wanted to make this night magical for what it was, not what he wanted it to be.

"You're absolutely right!" he chirped, lifting her hand to kiss her knuckles. "You are absolutly right, Anabella!" He held her hand as he led her down the stairs towards the center of the garden. "You will remember this night until the day you die, Ana!" He led her to the center, moving a stone bench out of the way for more room.

Oberon removed his cigar lighter and went to the oil lanterns and lit them up one by one until the area was visible. He pocketed his lighter and he turned to Ana. He extended his hand for her to take. "Anabella," he said as he pulled her closer for another dance. "I want to thank you." He moved carefully in a waltz, keeping her balanced with a hand to her hip rather than her back; the gravel underneath their feet shifted with every step.

"You saved me from tainting my name and my family's. You also soothed my fears and worries." Oberon leaned down to kiss her rosy cheek softly. "I care very deeply for you too, Anabella. So much that... that it makes me crazy," he teased.

"I think about you night and day and when we are apart, I pray we meet sooner. Anabella, you make me happy. I..." he leaned down to kiss her lips. Oberon's hand snaked up from her hip to cup her cheek and his tongue slipped from his lips to grace her's. He did not want to scare her off but he needed to taste her. For nights he dreamed about how she would taste; how she would feel against his body. Now, he couldn't hide how flustered her was; he pulled her body closer so she could feel as well. He wanted her to feel how much he ached for her mind and body.

The King’s response startled the girl slightly, not expecting his voice to be so loud. She blinked at him a couple of times, her hand lingering on his arm until his hands reached up from the railing and onto her shoulders. If he had done this to her before, she would certainly of been trembling and fighting back tears, wondering what he was going to do. But now, her ice blue eyes just looked up at his face with sadness. His situation truly was troubling and he was right. Nothing is all right at the moment. He is married to a woman that he does not love and who is vile and wretched. He is suffering and she can see this now.

He asked for forgiveness yet again when he released her shoulders. “You do not need to be forgiven, your highness. You have done nothing wrong.” She said to him softly before feeling the warmth of his hand on her cheek. Anabella couldn’t help but smile a little at the King, her delicate hand reaching up to rest on top of his upon her face. She shook her head slightly at his questions.

“I do not think that being poor makes a person kind, nor do I believe I am anything close to an angel from the heavens. I have been through hardships, yes. But I believe that it is better to use those hardships to make you stronger and not pull you down. I choose to be happy and I choose to show kindness to others because so many people have shown me kindness throughout the years. I am so grateful to everyone that I have met in my lifetime that I feel that I need to repay them by showing kindness to others that need it.”

Anabella slowly slipped her hand from Oberon’s and reached up to brush her fingers through a few strands of his hair before running her fingers down his cheek. Her hand then dropped to her side.

“But you are right. It pains me to see you in such anguish, your highness. I truly do not know what advice a peasant girl like me can give to you, a King. But at the end of the day, we are both humans. No status or title behind that. We both are equal in that sense. So perhaps it is not the fact that you are a King that I am at a loss on the advice I can give you. I am just a girl who wants so dearly to help someone that I… Truly, deeply care about and am not sure what to do to help that person. I want to help relieve your pain, your highness. But I do not know what to do. But maybe, just for one night, we should try and forget about titles and troubles.”

Reaching up, Anabella took Oberon’s hand from her face and smiled lightly, holding his hand in between both of hers. “You said so yourself, right? Tonight is a night of celebration. It is hard to forget troubles, I know, but maybe we can push those troubles aside for just a couple hours and try and have some fun.” Her smile grew slightly. “It is my first ball, afterall.” She added, trying to cheer him up. It broke her heart to see him so sad.

Oberon heard someone approaching and he had hoped it was Ana. He didn't wish for his loyal servant Baum to comfort him, he wanted Anabella too. Then he heard her voice and he was relieved to have his prayers answered. However, the question was a one that he did not want to answer.

Everything was troubling him. He didn't want this life anymore; at least, he didn't want to spend it with a wretched queen. He felt so blind to have never seen how two-faced Danica could be. Oberon wished he could go back when he was a young man and call off the wedding. However, he knew the tie between Danica and he was not for love but for the people. Did he have to suffer for them? Did they want him to be suffering?

He felt Ana's small hand touch his arm and his head finally tilted so he could see her. She was so beautiful, so kind, and gentle. She had saved a man from death and she was not afraid to stand up against the king to save a man she didn't know. Oberon's heart fluttered and his eyes softened with admiration. Oberon wanted Ana to be his queen; he wanted her to rule these people.

Oberon lowered his head. He knew it could never be. He would have to divorce Danica and even if he did marry Anabella, she would be a princess not a queen. Oberon sighed heavily, rubbing his face. "No!" Oberon suddenly spoke up.

The king stood, keeping his grip on the railing. "No, nothing is all right, Anabella. Nothing is all right." He turned to face her; his grip moved from the railing to her shoulders. "I am hurt and I am sick and I am tired! My heart longs for true love but I cannot take it. ME! A KING!" He released her shoulders and he lowered his head. "Forgive me," he whispered in a broken tone. "I am in distress and I shouldn't push my anguish on you." Oberon lifted his head to look over Ana's face. A bold hand moved up to stroke the young woman's cheek. "How did you get to be so kind?" he asked. "Does poor make you kind? Or are you just an angel from heavens?"

The breath that had been caught in Anabella’s throat finally released when she saw Oberon lower his sword from the noble’s neck. The look of rage that he hit her with at first had almost broken her heart in half, until she saw that she had gotten through to him. Something that even she didn’t think was possible. She had stopped his blind rage, and even asked for forgiveness. The colour slowly returned to her cheeks when she had her him say that the charges against this man were dropped. Her eyes darted down quickly to the noble, smiling slightly at him when he bowed to her with gratitude. It felt odd to have someone bow to her, she even bowed her head to him slightly as if to say ‘you are welcome’ and it was also a habit of hers to bow to a noble.

Her smile turned towards Oberon now when he told everyone to continue their celebrations and she was overjoyed that everyone seemed to approve of these actions rather than the ones that would have happened if she had not stepped in. Though her smile didn’t last for long. The venomous eyes of the Queen bore right through her, angered by her interruption. She snapped something at the King, he snapped back at her. Anabella couldn’t help but feel a little joy over the fact that she was now banished to her bed chambers for the rest of the night. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to deal with that vile woman for a few hours.

Though her joy stopped when she looked back over at Oberon when he turned to face her. The expression on his face made Ana’s lips part slightly and it hurt her heart to see it. He was hurt, she could see guilt in his face. It was hard to make out because after a short moment, he was gone. She turned to face the doors where he marched out of, almost too fast for her to watch. As soon as he left the ballroom, she wanted to go after him. Before she could however, the Queen’s voice rang in her ears.

Anabella turned to face the Queen, her lips pursed almost in anger. The Queen was threatening her with something even worse than cutting her hair. The servant girl stayed silent, chin raised slightly as her air of confidence stayed intact. Though she couldn’t help but flinch slightly as Danica came at her, almost as if she had a knife. Anabella flushed slightly in embarrassment as she realised that she had fallen for the Queen’s nasty little trick. She stood frozen until Danica had left and then her hand shot up to her heart, holding her chest as if to keep her heart from bursting through the skin. “I’m not afraid of her.” She whispered to herself before picking up her dress and hurrying out of the ballroom, on her search for the King.

It didn’t take Anabella very long to find him, outside near the garden’s, alone. She sighed to herself gently, let her dress down, and walked towards Oberon slowly. Her heels tapped lightly on the ground as she approached his side, leaning on the railing beside him, facing him. “My King… What is troubling you, if I may ask?” She spoke lightly, as if not to frighten him. Anabella truly didn’t think any less of the King for this. Though she could see in that brief moment that he was… Perhaps scared? Scared of what she might have thought about what happened? All she wanted to do right now was to reach out to him, wrap her arms around him and comfort him. Her hand slowly reached out and touched his arm lightly, hesitant at first but she found that she was gaining more courage around him. She was becoming more comfortable in his presence.

“Everything is fine now, your highness. Really, it is.”

A deathly silence remained in the dance hall; tension built up until it reached the 30 foot high ceiling. No one dared to move, no one dared to speak. Not a single guest wanted to breathe in fear they would miss the affair that was happening.

Suddenly, heels clacked upon the marble floor; heads turned to see Ana moving towards the king and queen. Their majesties attentions were pulled far into the execution of the innocent to notice. Then Danica heard the servant girl's voice cut the silence. Her head jerked to face to look at Ana; the queen's visage twisted and turned in disgust. Her plans to make the king look vile and bloodthirsty failed. And Danica knew that Ana would not humiliate Oberon by speaking up. She could see how much Oberon cared for the servant girl. It made the queen sick.

The sword touched the noble's jugular, ready to slice when Ana spoke up. Oberon turned to face Ana completely to listen to what she had to say. His face scrunched in rage when she interrupted him; yet, his features softened as the servant spoke. Oberon's eyes became full of guilt and he sheathed his weapon. His eyes turned to the noble and he reached forward to rest his hands upon the man's shoulders. "Forgive me," he spoke up.

Inward gasps filled the ballroom and wide eyes appeared on every guest's face, including the noble's.

"I was blinded with anger. You are free, all charges are dropped," Oberon said, nodding his head. The noble bowed, whispering his thank you's; he even glanced to Ana and bowed deeper in his gratitude. Oberon turned away from the noble. "It IS a time for celebration. A night that should be remembered come morning! Let the music play, let the joyous dance continue!"

The guests clapped in approval and music took over the ballroom once more. Danica's face was red in embarrassment and anger. She glared at Ana then to the king. "Since when do you listen to a servant?" Danica barked. "Since when does a king follow orders from a peasant?"

"Since when does a queen betray her king?" Oberon barked back. "You are confined to your quarters for the rest of the night. I do not want to see your face!" He looked over to Ana; his guilty, hurt eyes locked with hers for only a moment before he moved past Danica. He marched towards the royal entry way to escape. He felt terrible for being a monster, especially in front of Ana. He feared she would not want to speak to him ever again. The king's march turned into a jog once he was out of the ballroom and he ran towards the gardens for fresh air.

Once he met with the night air, Oberon huffed; he covered his mouth as if to keep his emotions at bay. What did Ana think of him now? He knew what, a vile king. He wasn't... he didn't want to be vile. Oberon thanked Ana for taming him, but... but... Ana had reached him; no one has ever reached him. Oberon moved to the railing and he leaned over it; his eyes stared down at the flowers below.

Danica was right... since when did a king listen to a peasant? He knew his country would not want this... but he did. He wanted Ana to correct him. He wanted Ana in his life. He wanted Ana... to be his queen.

Danica looked to Ana when the king had fled; she imagined stabbing a sword through Ana's heart all over again. "You keep mingling with my king and an accident more painful than losing your hair will happen." Danica stepped towards Ana. "You're shaking," the queen whispered coldly. Suddenly, Danica stepped forward, moving her arm as if she wielded a knife to jab at Ana; however, Danica froze and smirked. She took a step back to reveal her hands were empty. "Leave my king alone and I will let you keep your life." Danica picked up her dress and moved towards her maidens to have them escort her back to her chambers.

It was almost as if the whole room had vanished when the King… No.. When Oberon glanced down at her, a softness lingering in his eyes that she had not seen from him until recently. So much had changed already since the first time they had met. She was terrified of him at the beginning, even contemplating running away from this place and going back to the village, even though she had no job there. No life, no family. There was nothing there for her. Perhaps that was the reason why she had stayed in the first place. She needed a change in her life, some sort of adventure, a challenge for herself. And if dealing with a ferocious King was her challenge then so be it. But now, looking up into his eyes, she knew that it had been worth it and he was now her reason for staying here.

Though, it wasn’t long before her gaze was broken from his. Her ears had picked up the sound of whispering, the soft tapping of shoes on the floor from the dancers, the sound of ball gowns swishing and twirling had all suddenly stopped. Something wasn’t right. Her eyes reluctantly pulled from Oberon’s, just as he pulled his eyes from hers. Ana looked around, a slightly confused look on her pale face as she glanced around the crowd. Were they whispering about her or something else? She could have sworn that they were whispering about her a minute ago but the atmosphere was different now. More than curiosity, there was almost a sense of fear in the room.

Anabella’s attention went back to the King when he spoke, excusing himself before kissing her hand. His movements were rough and she could tell that he was no longer in the good mood he was in just a few moments ago. Though she wasn’t expecting him to say that he had to go execute someone. As soon as she heard those words exit his lips, she froze, unable to even turn to look as he walked away from her for the moment and her breath caught in her throat. When she got a hold of herself, Ana’s ice blue eyes darted around the room until they settled on the Queen and a noble. That was why. She knew that Danica wouldn’t of stood for Oberon and Ana being so friendly with each other for long.

Even the sound of the Queen’s voice sent angry chills up Anabella’s spine. The smugness in her voice as she asked Oberon if she had made him jealous made the servant girl clench her fists. She took a couple deep breaths to calm herself down before slowly and silently walking a little closer to the crowd of onlookers that had formed. Danica knew that this noble could be killed for dancing with her without the King’s permission. She was ruthless and cunning and it disgusted Anabella. Though, the King seemed somewhat ruthless himself. He had to keep his honor as the King and he seemed to be the type that ruled with a little fear. This was to be expected with his reputation and his attitude.

Anabella was at war with herself. She could not just stand here and watch Oberon kill this man because of what the Queen did. This man was innocent. She could not see an innocent man be put to death. But if she stepped in, what then? What would the King have to do to her for speaking out of place in front of all these people? He didn’t seem to care about people seeing his attitude towards Anabella before but what about now? Would it change? The fight in her head made her stomach upset and she found that she was trembling slightly. The tips of her fingers were like ice. She grasped one hand into another, trying to calm herself. If she stepped in then this night, this one night that she was looking forward to so much, would surely be ruined. Was it worth it? Oberon already said that Danica will pay for mocking him but was it right to take the man’s life as well?

“My King!” She spoke up above the crowd, the surprised look on her face indicating that even she was in shock that she had even spoke. The crowd seemed surprised as well, most of them turning to face her and parted so that the King, the noble and the Queen could see who it was who spoke up. After taking a short breath, she lifted her chin slightly with fake confidence and took a couple steps forward.

“Is tonight not supposed to be a night of celebration? I am terribly sorry for the interruption but would it not be better to save the punishment for another time? At the very least, take this man away and deal with him later.” It took all of her effort to keep her voice was shaking. Though she could not contain her shoulders from showing signs that she was trembling. The colour from her already pale complexion had drained and she could no longer feel her hands. Anabella was absolutely terrified about what would happen to her, what would happen next, but she had to try something. She did not want to see an innocent man die. Not tonight. Not ever.

Danica's face, ears, and neck were red from anger; veins presented themselves on her temple, forehead, and down her neck. She was beyond furious, she was enraged. She sat like a doll at the Queen's chair in the midst of the ball, watching her HUSBAND, her KING, dance with that ugly, peasant girl. The other guests were intrigued on who the king was dancing with but furthermore, they looked to their queen and wondered why was she sitting? Shouldn't she be dancing with the king? Shouldn't she be smiling? Shouldn't she be hosting?

Danica settled down a tad, letting her flesh color return to her face. She had to remain calm, even if she wanted to take a knight's sword and stab it through Ana's heart. The image was a beautiful sight indeed; her blood, her screaming, her death. Danica released a breath and she stood. She wasn't going to sit idly and let the king humiliate her any longer. She offered her hand to a noble and smiled. "Take your Queen for a dance." The noble muttered in his words in surprise; his head turning to the king, then the knights around them--he could be beheaded for touching the queen. "Take your Queen for a dance," Danica repeated in a fierce tone. The noble kissed her hand and led her to the floor. The guests no longer paid attention to the music or their feet but the drama that was unfolding.

Oberon was unaware of the guests' reaction to him and his servant. Something in the back of his mind whispered to him, telling him to be careful and watch your actions; however, he ignored it. He couldn't possibly listen to whatever was trying to straighten him out when Ana was well before him. Her beautiful, bright eyes and her rose colored lips. He could take her lips within his own right now and not even care what would become of him. However, even if he was a man who bested in bed, he was still a gentleman.

Suddenly, Oberon heard whispers, a break in the music, and the dancing guests took a few steps back for space. He lifted his head to see his queen being led to the floor by a noble. Half of him was enraged that she had the audacity to do this; however, the other half could care less on what she was doing. As much as he wanted to leave this be, he could not.

"Excuse me," he said to Ana, lifting her hand rougher than usual and giving her knuckles a kiss. "I have to execute an anarchist." He was surprised he was so open with Ana, yet again he wasn't. He had open up to Ana more than anyone else aside from the servants that have tended to him for years. Oberon pulled away from Ana and he marched to Danica and the noble.

The music stopped, the dance had stopped and no one dared to speak a word. Oberon unsheathed his sword and pointed the tip towards the couple. Danica looked to Oberon and a sly smirk pulled at her lips. "What is it, my king? Have I made you jealous?"

"Silence!" Oberon shouted. "You!" he used the tip of the sword to lead the noble away from Danica. "You wish to take my place as king, sir?"

"N-no, y-your majesty! I--your Queen--she---"

"She is mocking me and she will pay for that." Oberon leered at Danica though the queen's sly smirk remained. "As for you, noble." Oberon turned back to the scared man. "You shall pay your crimes with your life!!"

"NO! Please, your maj--"

"You think my punishment is not fair?!"

"N-no! It is--please, sir, spare me!"

"Why should I spare you?! You mock me and you shall die!"

Anabella was slightly surprised that she had gotten nothing more than passing glances from the other attendees at the Ball. And even then, most of the looks had been because of her hair and not because it was obvious that she was a servant girl. In fact, she figured that it wouldn’t be obvious at all. The only people here who would have known that she was a servant would be the King, the Queen, and the people who were here that worked in the castle. The guests would have no idea. She could even have passed for one of them. It was an exciting but scary feeling at the same time. It almost seemed as if she was deceiving people by looking this way. They were so high above her, a poor orphaned girl who now worked in the castle. But for tonight, she was not looked down upon because of that. She felt somewhat equal to them. And that feeling was beyond anything she had ever felt before.

Her thoughts and her gaze were interrupted by the sounds of footsteps stopping by her side, a figure making its way into her peripheral vision. Her light blue eyes turned to face Oberon, looking up at him in surprise as he greeted her. She bowed respectfully back to the King, a deeper bow then his of course, before blinking in surprise when he took her hand to kiss it gently. A small blush crept onto her pale cheeks as he complimented her, a smile making its way onto her face as well. “Thank you, your highness.” She spoke to him quietly and politely. After all, she was still his servant and she intended on acting that way tonight, even if she was personally invited by the King.

Anabella couldn’t help but let out a small giggle when Oberon teased her and she shook her head. “Of course I would not deny you of that. I’d be honored.” She smiled to him, eyes looking warmly in his direction. Her hand laid gently in his as he led her to where people were dancing before turning to face him and beginning, following his lead. “Your highness, “She started quietly as they danced together, “I wish to thank you for allowing me to wear this dress for tonight. It is… Very lovely. I do not know how I can repay you for your kindness.” She truly was grateful. After all of the talk and her experience of the first day of working here, Anabella never would have expected the King to do something like this, for someone like her. But he was different then everyone thought he was. He was hiding, she figured. Hiding who he truly was to be able to seem like a strong and powerful King. This scared most people but she was beginning to see a different side of him. One that was warm, and kind. Not a cold hearted King. Most people would laugh if she tried to convince them of this fact.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ana spotted something foul. The Queen was staring right at them, she knew that Ana was here now. And she was not happy at all. Her face was completely red, making her look like she had just splashed her face in beet juice. Anabella’s eyes stayed focused toward the King however, unafraid to look up towards his face anymore. She vowed to always look the King in the eyes after the first day, even if she did get punished by the King or someone else. Though, she knew that the King wouldn’t punish her for that. He had not said a word about it since the first time she had accidentally done it out of curiosity.

Anabella tried to brush off the look of rage that she saw coming from the Queen. She didn't care about that tonight. No fear, she told herself. Tonight was about her and Oberon. No one else mattered to her right now besides him.

It had been longer than Oberon anticipated; his eyes never ending their search. Mintues had felt like hours to the impatient king and soon the royal ruler could not take it any longer. His gloved fist slammed down upon the gold armchair, catching the queen's attention once more.

"What is wrong?" she barked fiercely.

"Nothing of your concern!" he shouted in return, thankfully the music drowned out him out to the guests. His eyes had moved away from the dancers in dismay, only to land upon the most beautiful woman in the entire kingdom: Ana. She stood against the wall in her beautiful, silk yellow dress that sparkled like pure gold. Her cheeks warm and her eyes nervous but excited. Oberon's heart skipped a beat upon sight. Without warning, Oberon stood up and glided down the few steps to the dance floor.

"Your highness!" Danica cried out, standing up with the help of the hand maids at her side. "Where are you going?" she quickly asked as she followed in stride. "Will I dance tonight with you, my king?"

"Return to your seat," Oberon stated, waving his hand to his queen. "You will dance--later. I have other pressing matters to attend to." Oberon knew his order needed to be obeyed or punishment would soon find itself at Danica's doorstep.

The queen stopped in her tracks, her eyes going past her king to see his destination, and there she was. Anabella, the servant girl in a beautiful gown, standing...waiting...and her king gliding across the clouds to her. Danica's cheeks went beet red in fury as they puffed out. She kept her cool in front of her guests but she had desired nothing more than to choke the life out of Ana's body. "Take me back to my seat!" she hissed her words to the servants and they quickly complied to avoid tampering with her temper.

Oberon made his way to Ana, having ignoring the guests that wished to greet with the ruler. He bowed respectfully to Ana before slipping his hand into hers; he lifted her hand to kiss her knuckles kindly. "Ana, you do look absolutely beautiful this night. That gown mirrors your complexion and now you shine like the Sun." Oberon kept his hand within Ana's, gently squeezing it lovingly. "I wish to dance with you, Ana...you will not deny your king that right, will you?" he playfully teased her.

Thankfully, the gown had masked the servant girl from the other nobles of the kingdom--if only it could have masked it from Queen Danica.

A week had disappeared and before King Oberon knew it, the End of Summer ball was this evening. The morning had passed incredibly slow as he and his Queen wandered through the ball room to give orders where the furniture and the musicians would be placed. Danica had done most of the speaking, leaving Oberon to wander through his own mind. Sadly, Ana was not able to accompany the king and entertain him; the queen no longer wanted to be in the same room with his servant. While Oberon had absolute power over Danica, he knew Ana would be attending the ball this evening--upon his request--and that would enrage Danica. Oberon rather deal with Danica later in the eve when she is drunk and tired than take the heat of her fury throughout the day when she is sober.

Oberon wandered away from the group that organized the party and to a window to peer out to the gardens. His mind drifted away from present time and to the world of dreams. He imagined Ana in the dress he bought for her, dancing gracefully to the whismical music. He closed his eyes and rested his head upon the window, humming softly to the imaginary song that played through his head. Her beautiful smile, her delightful eyes. This forced Oberon to spread a smile across his lips as well.

His mind wandered to a later time in the night, where all is silent and the moon is passed midnight. The two were in the king's chambers; Ana seated upon his lap as the royal man untied the lace of the back of her dress. Her hands smoothing over his bare, strong chest as her lips danced along his face and neck. His own hands smoothed down the dress to expose her breasts.

Oberon bit his lower lip to avoid moaning in public. Dear god, did he want to make passionate love to that small, delicate body. To feel herself wrap around his body. Make both bodies into one soul in a heated room under the moonlight.

'It isn't fair,' Oberon thought silently to himself. He chanced a glance over to Danica with a deep frown. He had the wreched, ugly Queen and could not part from her, but...his heart and body and mind wanted his servant girl. He knew of sinister ploys among the nobles of men having sexual relationships with their servants, but the nobles had no complete fondness to the servants and left them to dead once their scheme was realized. Oberon loved Ana and he did not want her to suffer...he wanted Ana to take the place as Queen and the two rule the land in peace. 'Oh, it isn't fair.'

"Oberon," Baum made his way up from behind the king and nodded his head respectfully. "It is time to dress for the ball..." Baum leaned forward and continued only in whispers. "And I left the gown upon Ana's bed as you requested~"

Oberon turned quickly to his butler and 'shh'ed him. "Do not speak loudly, Baum. I do not want anyone to hear of her arrival. This is to remain a secret until she arrives at the ball. Do you understand me, Baum?"

"Crystal clear, Oberon. Now, will you move or will I have to carry you?~"

Oberon pouted and marched away from Baum with a silly blush draped across his cheeks. He bid good day to his Queen and the rest within the room; the occupants bowing upon his exit.

- - -

As the sun was setting, the guests for the ball were arriving. Oberon was standing in his dressing room, looking upon his formal attire for the ball. He continued to frown to avoid any of the servants seeing his true excitement for tonight. He was beyond excited and he wasn't certainly positive if he was more excited to dance with Ana or enrage Danica to the point of her dismissal of the castle or even the crown. Both were outlandish, but there was a slight possibility.

"Oberon, your apperance must be made now. Your Queen is awaiting for her escort," Baum said from the door.

Oberon nodded his head and the servants stepped back from the king. He stepped down from the stand in front of the three sided mirror and moved to the door. Baum opened the door and Danica was waiting for Oberon near the wall; she was donned in a beautiful ball gown though the beauty did not match her own. Oberon unwillingly moved to her to hold her arm.

"Your cheeks are red. Either your verily angry or joyful. I have not seen glee upon your face in years--what has angered you?" Danica asked.

Oberon ignored her, leaving his Queen to take an awkward silence, though this was not unusual for the two. The king and queen entered the large ballroom, the musical band accompanied by the royal trumpets alerted the guests of their arrival. The crowd bowed in honor of the rulers as the two moved to their plush chairs to watch the dances. They had seated and the dancing began with joyous music.

Oberon had kept his eyes out for Ana even though he told the young girl to arrive a bit later into the ball to avoid a scene. However, the king was too excited to see the girl within the gown he had bought for her. He wanted to dance with her, he wanted to sit under the moon and gaze into her eyes...he wanted to make love to her.

Oberon slouched in his plush chair with an impatient huff, catching Danica's attention.

"Will you not dance with me once, your highness?"

"No," Oberon blantly said. "I wish not to dance--not now." His searching eyes continued to bounce across faces, looking for Ana's.

[OOC: Crappy but I hope this is okay~]

When Annabella left his side to retrieve the book, the minutes felt like hours upon her absence; he heard her heels clicking upon the wooden floor below him and a few other sounds. It was obvious she was taking her time, wandering the library rather than scurrying to find the pointed book. He frowned under his mustache, wanting to slam his foot upon the floor twice to have her hurry up; however, before he could even lift his leg, he heard Annabella climb back up the stairs. His stern eyes shifted to see her come up to the second floor with the novel in hand.

He shifted in the seat cushion, his hand extending outward for her to put in his hand; she he handed to him, he took it, though he paused as he pulled his arm back to look at her when she spoke to him. He looked at her with a slight surprise within his eyes as he frowned, but the expression was that of an outcast finally being spoken to for the first time over the course of several years. He frowned even more so, trying to find his place as a king...which shouldn't be forgotten none the less.

He pulled the book back, opening the cover and flipped to the first page; he glanced over the Spanish words, knowing the language by heart from his childhood tutor. Oberon glanced up towards Annabella before looking to the couch seat next to him, "Sit" he ordered before shifting to sit up correctly. He lifted up one foot to settle upon his knee, shifting his right arm to be propped up on the couch's arm.

"Who taught you to read and write?" he asked, his eyes glanced over the book, reading every so often just to get the jist of the beginning of the story. He had read this novel more than fifty times and new it by heart.

[OOC: No that's perfect I want her to be different from the other servants to catch Oberon's attention XD Already she is and he's softening up, lol XD Big Teddy Bear XD but he's definitely going to be the kind of guy that bounces back and forth from mean to nice XD Just like Beast XD]

It was almost sad to see Oberon look such a way. Not like a strong and mighty King, but like a simple man that was tired. Just, completely tired and worn out. Though, in an odd way, it was slightly comforting to see. He was just a person after all and seeing him like this kind of reminded the young maid of that fact. Before he seemed like such a different being then herself or anyone in the village but even King’s got tired. Because Kings like Oberon were still human. She breathed slowly and steadily, not saying a word, just thinking to herself as Oberon downed his alcohol.

When Oberon had finished his drink and waved his hand for her to take the glass away, Annabella nodded and walked over, picked up the glass and took it to the bar again. After cleaning up the area and the glass, Annabella made her way slowly back towards the couch that the King was laying on and kept her eyes towards the floor. The silence unnerved the girl; she hated not being able to talk in moments like this. Usually she would be chatting away in a friendly manner to break the silence. But now she wasn’t allowed to even say one word without the King speaking to her first. This thought made the silence even more awkward for Anna. Why was no one allowed to speak in the King’s presence without him addressing them first? Out of respect? She had so many questions. So many of these rules didn’t make sense to her.

Annabella tensed as her peripheral vision picked up that the King’s eyes were turned towards her and she could feel him looking at her. She wondered again if her appearance was unsatisfactory and was wondering what she was going to have to change about herself next. The tight bun at the back of her head was starting to give her a slight headache. Perhaps tomorrow she would braid her hair instead.

Her head tilted up somewhat when she heard the King speak once more, to indicate that she was listening to him. When he mentioned that he doubted that she was intelligent, it was hard for Annabella to not frown or say anything back. Sure, she didn’t think that she was that intelligent but she did pride herself on being smarter than the average girl. Her eyes followed his hand to the railing and listened to him instruct her about finding a book. A Spanish book, speaking to her almost like she was an idiot and didn’t know that a title like that isn’t German.

“Yes, your Majesty.” Annabella nodded her head to him and walked towards the staircase, descending it. Once she was down the stairs and out of the sight of the King, she closed her eyes lightly and took a light breath, knowing that he would be able to still hear her. The young woman made her way to the book shelf and started reading the titles of the books to herself in her head. All of these books… She really wanted to just pick a random one, curl up on the ground and start reading it. It was amazing. Her slender fingers ran along the bindings of the books as she went along, feeling rough and smooth textures of the bound pages.

Was the King trying to make her seem like a stupid, clueless little girl who didn’t know anything? She went around, searching through the books before she pulled one out, brushing her hand over the cover. Annabella opened the book to the title page, smiling a little to herself before closing the cover and turning to the staircase again. She ascended it before making her way to the King’s side, handing him the book. “Don Quixote de La Mancha. Just as you instructed, your Majesty.” She said to him, waiting for him to take it from her before moving a few steps back. “I do not know how to speak the language of Spanish, your Majesty, but I can recognize it when I see and hear it.” She said, a little quietly. It seemed to be more playful then it was mean but as soon as she said it , she regretted it, knowing that the King was probably not going to like that very much.

(( That’s perfectly alright with me Ha ha ha XD Darn you, Oberon! But about the last thing that Annabella said, if it’s too early or stand off-ish then you can just disregard it. But I don’t want her to be like the other mindless drones of maids or butlers that do everything the same. I want her to kind of stand out a little bit. I hope that’s alright and he won’t hate her too much for it ^^’ ))


Oberon glanced in a weary way towards Annabella as she placed down his drink upon the small side table next to the couch; he forced himself to sit up straighter before taking the drink in his hand. Suddenly, his posture was not that of a king anymore but a tired old man who wasted away on the streets. He bought the glass to his lips and sipped at it gingerly at first to become acquainted with the taste at such an early hour before he downed it immediately. The alcohol burned his throat, daring him to cough; he wasn't a drink besides that of wine, all these bottles were usually for show to whoever came in here. Most of them were his father's, ones his father took a fancy too, and Oberon would never dare to drink one of his bottles.

Oberon placed the empty glass back upon the table, waving his hand to dismiss the glass of alcohol, asking for no more. He cleared his throat, lifting a hand to scratch at his forehead; he rubbed his index finger in between his eyebrows, his eyes gazing over the railing. He took in a soft breath before releasing it. The silence within the study was eerie almost unnatural to Oberon and it was because the girl, Annabella was in this room.

He always was in this room alone, by himself, or with the company of men and women he's known for his whole life. He felt almost lost with Annabella; half of him wanted to talk to her, get to know her, thus the eerie silence would leave them. However, he didn't want to open himself up to her, not at this short while. He glanced up to Annabella once more, looking over her beautiful features. How something so gorgeous come from the village was beyond him. Were there more regal and beautiful women down there that he was unaware of?

Oberon hardly visited the village; he had when he was a child, when his parents paraded around or went to shop and visit. His parents took matters of the villages' problems into their hands, while Oberon only took the problems of the country, the ones that concerned him the most. Glancing over the girl, she didn't look as if she grew up homeless...and it made him wonder how she ever obtained the job of being a servant in the castle.

"You know your literature," he spoke up with a gruff voice from the recent alcohol. He sat up a bit straighter, "People in the village call you intelligent...that, I doubt." With his hand he motioned over the railing, "If you can read so well, I want you to find a book, Don Quixote de La Mancha." He paused, "It's Spanish" he muttered as if the girl didn't know any other language beyond their native German.

[OOC: Since all the of the names are of German descent or most of them are XD I made their native language German if that's all right with you~<3 I knoooow XD I want that room to myself XD Lucky Oberon D<]

Annabella couldn’t help but feel awkward listening to the two eat in silence. It wasn’t any better even when they did start talking. The Queen was only asking the King questions about things that seemed to only concern him, and he was getting rather annoyed with her seeming prying into his matter’s. This obviously didn’t bode well with the Queen. Even Anna could feel slight shivers on her arms from the tension in the air between the two. They were married, weren’t they? Did they not love each other? Perhaps it was an arranged marriage, which meant that there would be no love between them. But if they spent any time together, wouldn’t they have learned to love one another?

Her thoughts stopped just in time to hear Danica’s chair slide across the floor and she stood from her seat, heading to the exit of the room. The tension in the room was quickly increasing and Annabella’s eyes closed for a moment, jumping at the booming sound of the King’s voice echoing off of the walls of the dining room, demanding that the Queen look at him when she spoke. She wondered if this was a daily occurrence between the two of them. They didn’t seem to get along, but the Queen looked so territorial over the King just minutes ago in the hallway. All of this was so confusing.

Anna figured that one of the only people who wasn’t scared of intimidated by the King was the Queen herself. She was probably used to him, and therefore saw no reason to react much at all by his loud roars or threatening body language. It startled her again when Oberon suddenly stood up, smashing his hand against the porcelain of his breakfast plate, sending the food flying towards her feet. She backed up a half step quickly before the food could fall onto her and she saw the butlers come quickly to clean up the food before she could even bend down to start on it.

Before she knew it, the King was up out of his chair once again and heading out of the room before they could prepare him a new plate of food. Annabella picked up her skirt, apologizing softly to the butlers as she trotted around them and towards where the King was headed. She followed him down the halls and to what looks like a dead end. Though, her eyes widened slightly as a hidden passage sort of thing opened up after a series of movements by the King.

As she went to follow the King in after a moment of hesitation, her eyes widened as they met his face for the second time today, this time by accident. He seemed a little surprised, like he had forgotten that she would have been following him. Before a second could pass, she looked away from him. His words hit her ears like daggers as he told her not to just stand there and she nodded. Annabella quickly slipped through the passage way after the King, making it through just before the door automatically closed. She looked being her, amazed at the contraption before turning around and looking at the small study room. It was absolutely amazing. Art and books everywhere, the walls were a bright crimson with gold, a winding staircase on one end that led to another level.

Annabella’s eyes returned to the King as she noticed him ascending the staircase. She hurried over and hurried up the stairs after him, her heels clicking lightly on the hardwood. The young maid glanced over in the King direction when he ordered that he wanted a brandy, adding that he wanted it dry. “I’ll have it ready in a few moments, your majesty.” She answered, blinking a few times before looking around, spotting the bar, and quickly walked over to it and started finding an appropriate glass and the alcohol. She wasn’t a skilled barmaid, but she had made friends with one in the village who had shown her… Barely nothing but some things. Unfortunately, if the King had asked for anything by Brandy, Annabella would have been clueless as to what to do. Luckily, she wasn’t that clueless.

Bringing the drink over to the King, Annabella placed his drink on a small table near to him and then stepped off to the side. “Here is your drink, your Majesty.” She said softly, looking at the King before looking down at the floor before he could notice that she was looking at him. He seemed so worn out, and it wasn’t just because of the fast pace of walking over to this study. It was something else.

(( <3<3 Ha ha ha, awwww >w< ! I can picture it, LoL. I can’t wait >w< ! It is going to be awesome! And I love that room @.@ ))


The King and Queen sat in silence, aside from the clinking of silverware to glass and grinding of the knife into their plates and the sipping of liquids from their cups. The king's plate was full of whatever he wished, his wife's only had a dollop of eggs, half a sausage, pile of fruit and a three pills lined up on the plate. She had to take these pills, an improvement of her health and as well quicken the pace of their unborn child's conceiving. Danica ate only a few bites of her food with such grace upon taking the pills; during her whole process of eating, she glanced over to watch Oberon eat. Her king's eyes were upon the table just pass his plate as he chewed furiously at the eggs and sausage and whatever else was in his mouth at this time.

"Are the proceedings with Father Abt going well?"

Oberon glanced up to Danica before sighing through his nose; he placed down his silverware and picked up his cloth napkin to wipe at his face. "Yes," he spoke, putting the napkin down upon the table.

"And General Gottschalk is keeping our military in--"

"Yes, yes, yes." Oberon interrupted her. "You are the Queen, matters like these do not concern you. They *concern* me. Me only!"

Danica frowned, sitting up straighter to keep her lashing back, yet her eyes threw daggers at Oberon. She pushed from her chair, having a butler race from the wall to behind her and help out of her chair. Danica picked up her dress and turned on her heels, walking away from the table and to the exit of the grand dining room.

"Where are you going?" Oberon hissed his words.

"I'm going for that walk," Danica replied without even turning to look at her king. The butlers paled, glancing from the queen to the king, like young children caught in between their parents' fight.

Oberon scowled, slamming his fist upon the table. "Look at me when you speak!!!" he roared, his cross tone echoed through the hall, bouncing off the walls and continuing to sound.

Danica stopped in her tracks, though from her body language she was not terrified of the fuming king. She turned around, her eyes were cold as ice when she glared at him. "I am going for that walk," she spoke slowly as if the king was a dull minded child. Danica turned on her heels and stormed out of the dining room, the butlers hurrying to clean up her mess.

Oberon scowled to his Queen's defiance, his lips pursing and squiggling upon his features; he slowly started to begin to breathe heavily through his nose and suddenly he shot up, smacking his hand against his plate. The half-eaten breakfast flew from the table and smashed into the ground near Annabella's feet. Oberon plopped back into his chair; the butlers were quick to clean up his mess now and to retrieve him a new plate, yet Oberon stood up from his chair and pulled away from the table, signifying he was done with breakfast even if he was not completely fed.

Oberon fled the dining room, his mind cursing his queen and he marched across the royal wing for his study and private quarters. The entrance to his study was on the other side of the wing in what looked like a dead end; however, the far wall of the dead end was the door and only Oberon, Baum, and Faye knew of the entrance in. Oberon marched to the dead end and kicked the trimming of the door before pressing on the wall, which pushed in and he kicked the trimming again to have the fall out handle appear from the wall. He grabbed the handle and turned it, having the handle already click its way back in.

Oberon entered it, turning to close it to find Annabella behind him; he frowned, looking over her--he was too angry to remember his personal servant had followed him. "Don't just stand there," he hissed, turning away for the door. The door closed automatically and quickly, though it was enough time for a second person and a quick third to slide in.

The private study wasn't as large as it should be, though Oberon adored it all the same; it had enough space to house his private library collection, his favorite works of art, and room to work, including an upstairs that lead to a personal bar with drinks and a large, plush couch to relax upon, and the newest version of the phonograph.

Oberon moved over to the desk and picked up a few documents, looking them over before tossing them on to the desk again; he moved to the stair case and climbed up it. "I want a brandy," he ordered to Annabella, "dry." Once upon the second floor he marched to the couch and plopped down, nearly exhausted as if he ran from one end of the country to the other; he relaxed, releasing a huff; his tired, nearly lifeless eyes stared ahead to the top floor railing.

[OOC: Awww, thanks <3 Yeah roleplaying with you is definitely fun, fun fun <3XD Yeeees~<333 I don't want to jump ahead XD But i can see Oberon and Annabella having their lovey dovey moments in this room and on that couch 8D lol. Fuuuuu, this is going to be so awesome, so much drama XD More than there is now 8D

Here's the study because I didn't want to describe it XD
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]



Annabella wasn’t entirely sure what to make of the atmosphere of the room. It seemed almost cold, even though the actual temperature of the room was quite warm. Her eyes were averted from the faces of the two royals in this room; however she could make out their expressions. She could feel the Queen’s eyes on her, which made the young woman feel even more nervous and self-conscious of her appearance here. She wondered if she still looked like a ratty village girl, unworthy of even stepping foot into a place as beautiful as this, even though she tried to make herself a little more presentable. Anna had to restrain herself from bringing her hand up and smoothing out her hair, which was a nervous habit that she usually would do in situations like this.

When the Queen called her a wretch, Annabella almost flinched. Her voice was nasty and harsh, not anything like she had pictured a Queen to be. Sure, she was definitely beautiful, but only on the outside. She watched inadvertently as the King helped his Queen up after she had motioned him to. Perhaps this is the reason why he seemed so cold hearted and stern, maybe it was because of his Queen. She seemed to be calling the shots already, and Annabella had only been in her presence for a few moments.

Annabella’s eyes widened slightly, uncontrollably and she could feel all of her limbs and joints lock up at the words of the Queen. Cut off her head. She definitely wasn’t expecting something like that, wasn’t prepared so her emotions got the best of her for a moment. Her breath caught in her throat and she had to swallow hard to keep herself from not gasping out in fear. She tried to compose herself again but it took her a few moments. Cut off her head? What good would that serve? Did she order anyone’s head that she didn’t like to be cut off?

By the time the King motioned her to follow him, Annabella had composed herself back into the emotionless gaze that she was starting to hate so much. Before she could even turn to follow the King though, she was abruptly shoved out of the way by the Queen, stumbling for a moment before quickly turning out of the room to follow, not wanting to fall behind. Her eyes glanced up slightly just as the Queen glared over the King’s shoulder at her. She almost looked like a jealous woman, hanging on for dear life to her King. It was… Strange in a way. It almost seemed childish to Anna.

As the King and Queen ate, Annabella stood at Oberon’s side as he instructed. Her eyes had quickly glanced over their food when they got there, and now they were planted at the floor. Could she really be able to do this every day until who knows when? Though, where else would she go? The kingdom gave her a job, food to eat and also a place to sleep. It was almost perfect. Annabella couldn’t help but wonder to herself whether or not she would get time to herself with being the King’s personal servant now. The young woman corrected herself in her head. She didn’t need time to herself here; she figured that she wanted to do something else. Since she was going to be spending a lot of time with Oberon, perhaps she could figure out exactly why he was so cold-hearted on the outside. Perhaps her being here was fate, and she could feel that her being here was going to spark some sort of change in her life. Change for the better she hoped, if she could stay clear of the Queen and her threats of cutting off her head that is.

((Awww >w< ! You’re much to kind Your writing is amazing <3 And I know! I’ve wanted to roleplay with you for such a long time but haven’t gotten the chance to until now. So I’m glad you’re already enjoying it XD Now, let the drama ensue 8D Oh, I’m also sorry that Anna’s not really doing anything much at the moment, so I hope there’s enough for you to go off of ^^’))


Oberon stalked down the halls, listening almost as intensely as Annabella was; he kept his eyes straight ahead, though most if not all of his attention was upon the young girl that trotted after him. His chest puffed out, his breathing slightly heavier, and he awaited to hear her innocent voice comply with his demands. The words fell from her tongue like dripping water...not what he wanted. The frown appeared upon his face as his brows lowered in a scowl. She was not to be surprised or even question the king, and even though she had not spoken of awe, he heard her tone and that was more than enough. He tilted his head slightly over his shoulder, glancing at her with the corner of his eye before sharply turning to his right to the Queen's Chambers. He turned the knobs to the double doors to have the servants from within open it; he stepped in, having all the servants, knights, and handmaidens bow to the King's presence.

Queen Danica sat at her vanity, watching herself though her blue eyes shifted to Oberon's form behind her. "Your Majesty," she spoke, though there was no tenderness, no love, no adoration within her tone. Her eyebrow raised, waiting for his word to allow her servants to continue to ready her.

"Proceed," Oberon plainly said, shifting to move towards the center of the room; the servants stepped out of his way as he made over to the window that over looked the castle gardens. He pulled the silk curtain back, his eyes shifting over the flowers, bushes, fountains, statues, and roses. He remembered running on the gravel and through the garden, weaving in the maze of bushes; he was laughing back then, dragging his hands over the brushes. The sun shined over his young form, the clouds absent from the sky. He always turned sharply to the left and ran into his mother's arms; she held him to her stomach, stroking his back...whispering words of love. His father stepped up to her side, his firm hand placing upon his crown and massaging his tips into his skull in a tender manner. Oberon hummed softly, enjoying the adoration.

"Your Majesty," Danica spoke up, breaking the king from his flash back; Oberon nearly had his nose pressed to the glass, his hot breath fogging up the window. He pulled back, nearly embarrassed, but as he glanced over the servants, handmaidens, and maids, they held no emotion in their eyes. His conflicted heart eased for a moment until he saw his wife's face; her cold, sharp eyes threw daggers at him from the reflection of the mirror. She turned on her plush stool to face him, "Will you crown me, my king?"

Oberon felt his heart beating in his ears; he remembered when he crowned her so many years ago when they were in their early teens. His fate was sealed at that moment. He looked over to the maiden who held the plush pillow up with the radiant crown, he stepped over to it and picked it up; he turned to Danica and settled it upon her head. He fixed it just right, though as he pulled his hands away, she lifted her own and fixed it to her own wish. Oberon breathed slowly through his nose, taking a step back; his eyes watched as Danica lifted her hand to be kissed.

Oberon lowered himself on to his knee and took her hand softly; his lips kissed her knuckles. No love. No warmth. No feeling. Nothing.

“Your Majesty, I have instructed the chef on your order for breakfast.”

Oberon closed his eyes, lifting his head up to look at Danica; his queen's eyes were staring at the beautiful servant that had appeared in her room. Oberon stood up, turning to face Danica; his hand was slipping out of his wife's, though she grabbed it like a snake wrapping around its prey. He dared to gasp, though bit his tongue; his face was emotionless as Annabella's.

"Who is this wretch?" Danica hissed her words as she made the motion to stand, having Oberon help her reluctantly.

"This my queen, is my new servant, Annabella."

Danica's eyes shifted to Oberon, awe filling them; she frowned deeper before glaring at Annabella. "I hate her. Cut off her head."

Oberon shook his head, his hand pulling out of Danica's. "I cannot...." there was a pause, "she gave us our breakfast," a muse. From the king? He dared to smirk at his own defiance. However, he held it back and stepped towards Annabella, motioning her to follow, "Come" he ordered. From behind them, Danica's quick footfalls followed and the queen pushed her way past Annabella to wrap her arm around Oberon's, she held on to his tightly, her cold eyes glaring over her shoulder at Annabella.

"Take me out for a walk," Danica ordered Oberon.

"I have duties I must attend to, my Queen. Another time will be best."

Oberon led the two women from the Royal corridor to the Royal dining room that was a long and narrow room with a long and narrow dining room; chairs lined up to match the stretch of the oak wood table. At the head of the dining table was a velvet plush chair only for the king and next to his was another plush chair, though smaller than the first. Oberon and Danica sat at their table, their butlers and chefs serving their meals before leaving them in peace. Only three butlers remained near the doors that led into the kitchen.

Oberon made sure Annabella remained at his side as he ate. He would never admit it out loud and was having difficulty admitting to himself...but her company soothed his heart.

[OOC: I am sooo excited for this one too >v< Such conflict~<33 XD I also am so amazed by your work >v< I can't believe I haven't roleplayed with your before D: You're soooo goood <33 I'm so glad I joined XD]

Annabella tried to keep her face as emotionless as possible but she couldn’t help but let a tickle of surprise run across her gaze when she had heard what the King had said. She was now to be his personal servant? Did that mean that Faye would no longer be accompanying her in the Kind’s presence? The young woman couldn’t help but swallow the gasp that was forming in her throat. Such responsibility even though she was a new maid, new to even this sort of work. Was this some sort of test he was putting her through? She started to wonder if he had done this with all of Faye’s new assistants. Though, the way that Faye responded to his Majesty told her otherwise.

“Yes, you Majesty.” She bowed lightly to him before straightening up, listening to him then address Faye. When he turned towards the dressing screen, Annabella immediately looked towards Faye, a look of mixed surprise and terror across her face. Her hand was then shook by Faye and she found herself being congratulated somewhat by the older woman. Something about these gesture’s that Faye was giving her let her calm herself a little, making her show a small smile as she nodded. “Alright, thank you Faye.” She told her softly before rushing over to the King’s bed to tidy up the bed sheets.

The whole room fell silent then as Annabella hurried to making the bed. She now thanked the priest silently in her head for making her do all of that laundry and bed making in the church. As her hands smoothed over the fabric, making the sheets look flawlessly smooth, she let her mind wander somewhat. She was supposed to do whatever it was that the King told her to do and she was also supposed to follow him around. It was hard not to giggle at the thought; it probably would seem at first like she was a lost puppy following its master. Though, her face turned emotionless again when she realised just how true that metaphor was going to be.

The young woman hurried over to the door, standing straight and waiting for King Oberon to finish changing. She could see him out of her peripheral vision as he emerged from the dressing screen. A loose shirt untucked adorned his upper body, but he still wore dress pants and dress shoes. It was almost a dressy casual attire. Surely the King had to have some days that he wasn’t in complete uniform, Annabella was realising this now as she thought about what she thought her image of him was going to be.

Into another room for a few minutes and then out again, Annabella’s eyes stayed towards the ground, watching and listening for the King’s footsteps. As he exited the room, so did she, right behind him. When he started listing off what he wanted for breakfast, her eyes widened slightly but she tried to quickly fix her face. Could a person really eat that much at one time? It seemed so different from the breakfasts that she and others had in the village.

“Of course, your majesty.” She replied in a rather monotone voice. Though, it was incredibly difficult to hide her surprise so a little had to of shone through. When Oberon had reached his destination, she quickly scurried off, when it was time, to go find the King’s chef. She sighed to herself as she almost jogged through the hallways. “If this is a test, I’ll pass it. I know I will.” She said to herself confidently as she found the kitchen, with the help of some of the other maids of course. This place was almost like a labyrinth, definitely something she’d have to get used to.

Hoping she didn’t forget anything, Annabella walked out of the kitchen after telling the head chef what the King had instructed her to tell him. “Four foods and three beverages.” She murmured to herself with a nod before heading back to the chamber in which she assumed the King was meeting with his Queen. A Queen… Annabella had always pictured a queen to be a powerful but beautiful woman. She wondered if she had a kind heart or seemed to be stone cold like the King was. Once she reached the chamber, Annabella knocked on the door and then excused herself after getting the go ahead from a few servants outside the door, stepping into the room once the door was opened.

“Your Majesty, I have instructed the chef on your order for breakfast.” She said before bowing to the King, and then to the Queen as she stood near to the door, not really sure of the measures she should be taking in this sort of situation. As she straightened up, the young woman kept her eyes down away from their faces, yet she could see the Queen out of the corner of her eye.

((Sounds good! I’m very excited for this roleplay. And I’m really happy that you’re feeling better! <3 I hope that my posts continue to satisfy you! ^^ ))


Oberon glanced over her face, his lips turned down in a frown; she did know her literature and mathematics...which was surprising considering she came from the village. He had half a mind to tell that she would no longer read while in the castle; however, when she mentioned the village people called her intelligent, another idea blossomed within his mind. His chin was tilted higher and a spark a dominance flickered within his eye. Oberon glanced up towards Faye, who straightened up the look; his eyes fell back down upon Annabella.

"Faye, you are dismissed as my personal servant," he spoke up, hearing Faye mummer a soft "yes your majesty" and from the corner of his eye saw her bow towards him. "You Annabella are signed to be my personal servant." Oberon turned around and stalked back towards the dressing screen, stepping behind it. "Faye, I do not wish to serve my country within my night gown."

The elder woman nodded her head and rushed towards Annabella; she took her hand gently, smiling sweetly at her. "You are the first that Oberon wish to be his personal servant besides myself; you should feel honored. Quickly child, make his bed, I will dress him; you shall follow his highness wherever you goes and obey every word of his." Faye lifted her hand and smoothed her hand over Annabella's back before hurrying over to the polished oak wardrobe and opened it, fishing out the proper attire for the day. She carried as much as she could while Baum accompanied her to carry the rest.

In silence Faye dressed the king and the entire process took as long as twenty minutes; Oberon stepped out in a loose military shirt untucked with his badges and pendants upon the left breast; he wore dress pants and dress shoes. This was the most comfortable attire he had one lazy days such as these. Oberon stalked past the bed towards the separate room which was the wash room and both Faye and Baum followed after to wash the king's hands and face. After wards, Oberon exited the wash room, moving towards the door to exit his chambers; he left without warning Annabella, only assuming she would follow in his lead for the new title she was now given.

"Tell my chef I want blood sausages, eggs, biscuits, tarts, fresh milk, coffee, and grape juice for this morning's breakfast. I want it prepared after I visit with my Queen."

[OOC: I really want Annabella to meet the Queen immediately, so maybe she can return to see half of the visit with Oberon and the Queen XD And your post is fine~<3 I'm not a big fuss on how long it is if it's written well and yours is written very well XD <3]

Annabella bit the inside of her lip slightly, cursing at herself as she straightened up, feeling the King’s hand under her chin, jerking her head up to look at him directly. It was just a glance for a half of a second. Why was no one allowed to look at the King? She didn’t understand it. If he had ordered all the servant to not look directly at him then wouldn’t that be kind of… Lonely? Always having people avert their eyes. She thought that it would have caused quite a feeling of isolation. She took this chance to look long and deep at the face of the King and into his eyes. His fingers squeezed her chin roughly and she tried not to wince. Punishment, of course. At least he wasn’t taking her head off like Faye had warned her.

When the King released her, Anna let out the breath she had been holding softly and looked at the ground again, straightening her posture completely and bringing her hands back to fold in front of her. She tried wiping any and all emotion off of her face so she wouldn’t receive more punishment. It probably would have been troublesome for Faye as well if she was to mess up anymore. She heard the King’s questions and as he began to circle her, she spoke after he was finished speaking. It sounded like he thought she was an idiot, exactly what she didn’t want to happen. Anna suppressed a sigh.

“I do know how to read and write your Majesty. I used to help teach the children at the church I lived in. Mathematics was never my strong point but I do know the basics and some advance things. The people in my village would tell me that I was intelligent, more than most women should be. I am also adept at cleaning and I know some cooking skills.” She described. Anna was proud of herself, but she didn’t show it in her voice or her face. She kept a straight but calm face, her eyes staring at the floor but could see his feet circling her. He was trying to intimidate her, something that a few other men in her town had tried to do before. His attempts at intimidation didn’t faze her. She knew that she could do this, or she was going to very well try even if it killed her.

((Don’t feel bad at all =O! I know that it’ll come at a specific time so I’m not worried about it. I like his character so far XD He’s cute, LoL. I’m glad that you like my picture! Yeah, that;s what I was thinking. I’m like.. Hm, she’s supposed to be a beauty and this picture is really pretty, LoL. And awwwww >w< ! <3 <3<3 Thank you And also, sorry for the short post D: I promise that I usually do longer! ))



Oberon remained where he stood as the girl stepped forth, bowing once more; he appreciated her gesture, though he didn't make any motion of it. However, at the sight of seeing the servant's eyes glance up to look upon him, he frowned. Oberon glanced up to Faye over the bent over servant girl; he saw a pointed look, though it held slightly of a plea, wishing that her majesty wouldn't take the life of a young girl. Oberon's eyes shifted down to the back of the girl's head and his calloused, yet large hand slid underneath her chin. He forcefully tilted it up to make her look up at him.

"You do not look upon me unless I order you too," he hissed his words. His large fingers gripped at her chin, squeezing it rather roughly as his punishment to her. If his most loyal servants to himself and his father were in his presences, he would have released his true fury upon her. However, Faye and Baum's eyes were upon him, watching him like the angels watched the human sinners. His hand fell from her chin, smacking against his thigh. "What are your skills?" he asked with a distasteful tone as if she had no brains at all.

Oberon started to circle her slowly, having the intention to intimidate her. It was a usual routine for him with the new servants; however, he wanted to make sure this one could with stand him, she would be in his presences most if not all the time. "Are you smart? Do you know how to read or write? Do you know your mathematics?" he interrogated her with a stern tone. He hoped she didn't know a thing, not even her left from her right, that would make it so much more easier to put her down. However, he sort of hoped that she was smarter than the average female of this time, thus he could have a challenge.

[OOC: I feel bad because your post was filled with description of your character's history XD I usually do that but I was on low power last night DX And don't worry, I'll describe about him later. As you can already tell he's not completely bad and he still has innocence in him XD And your picture is perfect and she IS supposed to be the beauty after all~<3
P.S. Your post was beyond my expectations XD <333 It was perfect >/v/<]


“Miss Anna, it’s time to go.”

A soft voice rang out through the silence of the church where a young woman stood, the sound breaking her out of her deep thoughts. A small smile appeared on her face as she nodded, brushing back a piece of chocolate brown coloured hair over her shoulder and behind her ear. “It’s been three years, mother. Perhaps this new experience for me will bring something great. I promise that I won’t disappoint you.” She murmured to herself, her fingers feeling around a ring that laid on one of her delicate fingers. With a deep breath and a bright smile, Annabella Rose (nicknamed Anna by the townspeople) turned to her messenger and sprinted towards him, following him out of the church and on her way to the new path she was starting in life.

Annabella has been living in the local church in a town on the outskirts of the land governed by King Oberon and his Queen for three years now. She had been orphaned when a forest fire engulfed half of the town, bringing down part of the population with it as well. Her parents had been two of the people that didn’t make it out on time. Of course it saddened the young girl, who had been 16 at the time, but she was told that they had saved many lives before the fires took their own. At least they died trying to save the people they loved in this city, which made it a little easier for Annabella to keep living and pushing on. Never once did she tell herself that she should have died with her parents. She made it her goal to try and help people, at least one, before she died so she could die happily, making her parents in heaven proud to have a daughter like her.

Of course, Annabella wasn’t like most girls. After the church took her in, she insisted on working for her stay, even though they insisted that she didn’t have to. She worked for her stay, helping out in the services and also running errands and cleaning regularly, so she wouldn’t feel guilty and feel as if she was taking advantage of them. She did this for three years until one day, a day just recently, a new opportunity came before her.

Annabella was now on her way to the castle. One of the maid’s that assisted the King was apparently in need of a new assistant. As soon as word travelled down to the town, Annabella was informed of the position and she gladly took it. Of course, she was a little sad to be leaving her town since she would now be living in the servant’s quarters at the castle, but she needed to move on. The young woman figured that it was time to move on. Looking back at the town, she smiled a little sadly and continued on her way.

--

Annabella looked around at all of the bustling people in the servant’s quarters this morning. Everyone was getting ready for another long day of work. She had gotten here yesterday and had met everyone, though she wasn’t sure that she would remember their names yet. Today would be the first day of her job being the maid’s assistant. Though… Faye, her superior, seemed to be running a little late and Anna found herself getting anxious. She would be tending to the King with Faye and he probably wouldn’t of been very happy that the two of them would be late. Well, at least by the sounds of how people described the King, she figured he wouldn’t be too happy.

A lot of the maids last night had been gossiping about the King, and about Anna, almost betting on how many days she would last hear. She had heard that the last assistant to Faye had to leave because the pressure was just too much and the King scared the poor dear out of the castle. It made Annabella wonder how the King really was though. Was he as bad as the maids were talking about last night? Before she could ponder this thought anymore however, Faye appeared and motioned for her to follow and started running. As they ran, Faye started by apologizing and then continued to tell Anna all of the things that she could and couldn’t do in the presence of the King.

“That’s a lot. I hope I remember.” Annabella laughed nervously, following close behind the other maid. She was now wearing the typical maid’s attire, or uniform, for the castle. It was simple yet it fit her well. Her chocolate brown hair was tied up in a neat bun in the back of her head. “So, basically I cannot show any emotion, look the King in the eyes, and I have to do whatever he tells me to. Got it.” Annabella repeated with a nod. Her heart started racing as she and Faye stopped in front of two ornate looking doors.

Following Faye into the room, Annabella bowed immediately as well, keeping her head down for the time being as Faye spoke… And was interrupted loudly by the King. Looking up slightly from her bowing position, she watched as the King walked out from behind the screen. He looked very youthful, but powerful. He didn’t look as mean as everyone said that he was but then again, looks could be deceiving.

Standing straight when Faye did, Annabella kept her eyes on the floor, her hands folded neatly in front of her. She felt her heart jump a little in her chest as she tried to remember everything that Faye told her not to do, before hearing the King talk to her. Taking a slight breath and letting it out quickly, Annabella stepped forth and bowed to the King.

“My name is Annabella, your Majesty.” She said politely, her voice trembling ever so slightly but she tried to keep it as smooth and calm as she could so that it’d be barely noticeable. Her ice blue eyes looked up from the floor and to the King’s face before remembering what Faye had said and quickly averted her gaze down again. It was the first time she had ever seen the King, and now she was standing in his presence, a few feet away from him. It was slightly overwhelming and she hoped that the King would realise that so she didn’t seem like such an idiot.

((Your post was awesome! I love it I hope my picture is okay. I know she looks a little more fancy than a servant should but I love this picture ^^’ She looks a little young in the picture, but she's 19. I hope my post was okay too! Just let me know if you want me to add or change anything with my post ^^'
Photo credit to Lime-Street on deviantArt.))

"Now your highness, tilt your head a little to the left so we can get a profile--ah yes, there, that's a good side of you, your majesty. Oh ho ho, whom am I amusing? Every side is a good side of yo--"

Oberon Traugott furrowed his brows as his eyes narrowed; it was bad enough he had been sitting in this chair, at his desk, his left elbow propped on it with his chin resting upon his knuckles which was in a enclosed fist, his other hand was on his hip as his legs were separated in a sturdy stance, feet firmly planted upon the ground for the last three hours donned in his military uniform, the tight metal rim cap upon his head, pressing into his skull.

"Just paint your damned picture," he muttered darkly. His buttox area was nearly asleep.

"Oh right away majesty; I thank you for your patience and perseverance."

Oberon huffed a sigh through his nose; how much longer of this foolery did he have to suffer?

- - -

The next morning, Oberon was woken by his faithful hand servant: Baum; Baum leaned over to the king and laid his hand upon his forehead gently. Oberon hummed softly in his sleep, his head tilting to the chilled hand of his servant, though believed it to be someone else that was wakening him. "Papa," Oberon whispered in his sleep, his voice tender and soft like a child's. Baum couldn't help but smile to the innocence Oberon displayed; sadly, it would be left for only private circumstances.

"Your Majesty, it is morning and you have a full schedule ahead of you," Baum stated, removing his hand and turning to face the curtains; he moved towards them and opened half of it then the other half. He looked over the gloomy cloud cover with a frown, "A sad looking day, Your Majesty, you best wear your shower attire."

Oberon turned on his side in the bed, shifting the massive velvet covers up on one side of his face to block out the dim light descending from the window. "Baum, as your King, I demand to be left alone."

"Ah-ah-ah," Baum cheerfully said as he returned to his highness' bedside, "You must wake Your Majesty, or I shall drag you out of bed like I did when you were a child."

"You dare do that and I shall put you in the iron maiden," Oberon pouted, though it was hidden.

Baum laughed softly to himself, "I hope you leave tea in there for me and a good book to read. Now Your Majesty it's time for you to wake." He leaned over the bed and pulled off Oberon, looking over the less than wrinkled white night grown that went down to his shins; he helped his king out of bed and on to his feet, stepping backwards to give him his room.

Oberon moved to the dressing screen, waiting for his maids to dress him; however he stood there for a moment, glancing about behind the screen to see no laid out uniform, no hot towel and definitely no maids. "Baum," Oberon growled, stepping out from behind the screen, "Where are my servants??"

Baum was fixing the bed, though he looked over to his king with the sincerest of smiles. "Patience Oberon, you mustn't forget what your father has taught you."

Oberon frowned at his butler, leaning back behind the screen. "If they are not here within the amount of my patience, I will find them and I will personally be head them--in my night gown at that!"

"Of course Your Majesty," Baum replied with a stale tone.

- - -

Faye ran down the corridor, holding the front of her dress to keep it from sinking under her heels; she glanced over her shoulder, her round face red from exertion and caked in sweat. "My dear young lady, we're late; I apologize for the tardiness, I will take full responsibility for my actions. My little boy, oh that rascal, he kept me in my quarters." She looked ahead, moving down the gold themed hallway that was the majesty's wing; she skidded to a stop at the front of the large gold door, panting softy through her mouth and nose. "You will not look the king in his eyes, you will refer to him as Your Majesty or Your Highness; never call him by his first and last name. Do not stand taller than him, do not raise your chin, do not smile at him or frown. Do not laugh or giggle or chuckle in his presence. Do not speak to him unless you are spoken to. Always bow down before the king, no matter where he's at or where you are at. You will obey whatever the majesty orders you to--unless you don't like what you call your head~"

Faye opened the doors and bowed immediately, not even knowing where the king was. "Your majesty, I have arrived with my new assistant. Please forgive us your majesty, my son, he had made a mess in our quarters an--"

"Enough with these excuses!" Oberon boomed from behind the screen. He stepped out from behind the screen, his hands folded behind his back; he looked at his faithful maid, the very same one that served his father. His eyes went to the new assistant Faye had mentioned and looked her over. "Step forth servant and tell me your name."

[OOC: Hope this is okay v_v;; sorry if it's crappy DX Private :D]

Anabella sighed as she walked down the corridor towards the gardens. Faye had told her that was where the King was supposedly headed next. Though, with her slow pace, Ana wasn’t sure if she would beat the King there like she hoped or not. The girl had a slight limp to her step but tried to hurry along and forget about the pain. This wasn’t the first time that she had hurt her ankle from falling down some stairs and babying it was definitely out of the question. She kept repeating that she was strong, that she could do this in her head to keep her motivated. She tried not to think about the pain, it just made her dizzy when she did. The coolness of the cloth had brought down a little bit of the swelling, so she would have to remember to stop by the kitchen on the way back to bed later that night.

The young woman made her way down to the gardens and as soon as she stepped foot inside, her jaw almost dropped. This place was massive, but so beautiful. All of the flowers and bushes were perfectly trimmed and blossomed with beautiful colours. A small smile crept up onto her lips as she examined the place for a few moments. Maybe she would sneak down here one night to actually get a better look at everything in here. One glance for a few moments surely wouldn’t be enough to take in its true beauty. If she ever ran into the gardener, she had to remember to commend him for his fine work. Someone truly talented had to of be behind the design of this garden.

Though when Ana realised that she was almost gawking, she composed herself and stood near the entrance, waiting for the King. Her posture was slightly off at the moment, shifting her weight off of her sore ankle to give it a little rest. It seemed like she had made it here before him, which was a huge relief. It wouldn’t have looked very good if her comeback had been after he was here. She had a confident look in her eye, even though she tried to keep a straight face. She kept her eyes towards the ground as she waiting, just in case she looked a little too confident.

It wasn’t until she heard footsteps that she looked up from the green grass beneath her heels. Though as her eyes looked up some, it wasn’t the person that she was hoping it would be. The Queen had approached her and Ana slightly cursed to herself in her head, forgetting that the Queen had been taking that stroll out here since breakfast. When the almost mocking voice of the Queen reached her ears, it was hard not to say anything back to her. Her royal highness circled the servant girl, much like Oberon had when they first met this morning. Though this time the Queen had a posy with her which seemed to worry Ana a little bit. But she stayed silent, keeping her eyes away from Danica’s face. Not really for the reasons that she was told not to look at them but mostly because she didn’t want to see that look in her eye, like she was better than Ana.

At the mention of gardening sheer’s, Anabella tensed slightly, her head raising up a little to almost look at the Queen. The mention of her wanting her head off earlier was coming into the girl’s head once again. She felt slightly colder as Danica reached forward to run her hand along her long braid over her shoulder. After that, everything seemed to happen almost too fast for Anabella to keep up. Her eyes had widened and her head suddenly felt a lot lighter. Looking down towards the ground, Ana started to shake as she stared at the braid that was now sprawled out across her feet. When the servants were ordered to grab her, Ana shrieked slightly and looked up towards the Queen, tears forming in her eyes as she frowned deeply. “Stop it, please!” She begged as the royal woman in front of her started chopping off large chunks of her beautiful hair.

Anabella struggled against the servant’s, begging for them to let her go and for the Queen to stop. Though, it was all for not. Strands of hair kept falling to the ground; some sticking to her maid uniform on the way down, other’s lying limp on her shoulders. They laughed at her after the Queen had completed her task. She said that no man would ever touch her again, that she was ugly. The young woman yelped as she was shoved to the ground, her face hitting the ground hard as she watched the feet of the Queen and her servants head back into the castle.

Slowly, Anabella lifted herself up off of the ground and sat down onto her legs, brushing off the hair and dirt from her clothes. She stared down at all of the hair in front of her, her fingers brushing through the braid that had once hung over her shoulder. Uncontrollable tears fell from her eyes as her other hand went up to her head to feel just how short the Queen had cut it. Though once she felt her bare neck, Ana couldn’t bear to feel the rest. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed loudly, unable to stop herself.

(( The Queen is very mean =O I was not expecting that XD But awww <3 <3 That’ll be so cute! Can’t wait >w< ! ))


Oberon heard his conscious scolding him as he watched the frightened Anabella dart from the second floor to the first; he stood there, his face hot as fire and red as the walls around him, huffing and puffing like a dragon. He heard the shuffling of the girl's feet as she tumbled on the last steps, though the door had closed shortly after. For a moment, Oberon stood there, gaining his composure and allowing his anger to drop; he took a short step back, his body falling towards the couch. He had missed it completely, his backside only grazing the plush couch; he fell upon his backside with a frown, his knees propping up as he curled his legs to his chest. He didn't feel like a king anymore or even a gentleman. He felt like a speck of dirt on the side of the road that everyone stepped upon; he lowered his head slightly, trying to keep himself composed, though he was losing himself all over again from the vicious emotions of sorrow and anger.

However, Oberon managed to keep himself contained this time around and enjoyed the solitude. He glanced around, almost as if he was double checking there was not another soul within his private study before shifting to get back on the couch. He leaned into it, his eyes staring ahead to the parallel wall. All the king could think about was how his mother and father would react to his outburst and crude action of flinging the book at Anabella's visage.

Now, Oberon degraded from a speck on the road to nothing in this world. The king felt worthless and powerless.

* * *

Danica was taking the stroll she had wanted her husband to take her on; she walked through the castle gardens, her servants holding her dress as they held a light umbrella over her head to protect her skin from the sun to keep her pale complexion as well as block out the sun from her eyes. She walked slowly, her eyes focused on the flora surrounding her. She was losing herself in thought, thinking of mainly upon her king and his hand-servant; she hated already that he had defended her after ridiculing her in front of the servant. Danica frowned in her thought, furrowing her brows slightly in spite; she wished the king would focus on her for a change, allow her into his life, allow her to rule something aside from simple servants. She wanted the same power as Oberon did, even a bit more than he had; she knew that her husband wasn't the type to rule, he had a demanding force and an iron fist, but he didn't know what to do beyond that. Behind his crown and god-like features, he was no more than a foolish, stupid man.

"Your highness," one of her servants whispered to her to attract her attention. Danica merely had to lift her head to see what her servant was whispering about; she saw Anabella, the king's hand servant waiting alone with a slight lean off of one foot and a red mark upon her cheek.

Danica couldn't help but grin at the injured girl, feeling as if she got what she deserved; the queen lifted her dress as she hurried over to Anabella, her servants rushing to keep up with her to have the umbrella centered over her head. Danica slowed down once she was close enough and lifted her chin as well as rolled her shoulders back to give herself dignity and power over Anabella.

She looked over the servant; her eyes trailing from the tip of her head to the bottom of her foot to view there had been minor and major changes to her form and stature. Danica's grin only grew as she tilted her head, "I see the king has treated you fairly," she sarcastically spoke to Anabella, making her away around the servant in a circle to make the girl feel cornered. "Was it because you weren't adequate in your work...? Or you just weren't pretty enough?~"

Danica looked to her closest servant, "Get me the gardening sheers." The servant nodded her head before darting off to find the gardener; Danica's eyes returned to Anabella, reaching over to her braid over her shoulder with her hand. "Don't worry; I'll help you be beautiful." Her servant returned with the sheers in hand; Danica took the sheers from the servant, spreading the blades and moving them to Anabella's braid. She snipped off her beautiful long lock and tossed it away. "Grab her," she ordered the other servants. Without question, the servants surrounding the queen hurried to grab Anabella's arms with a firm grip and held her still; the queen reached with the sheers to the rest of her hair, snipping off large locks to cut is short and jagged to match that of a boy's.

Once she had completed the horrible task, Danica dropped the sheers and laughed at the servant and in suit the other servants laughed as well. "Look at you! You look horrible! Ugly! No man will ever touch you again!" Continuing to laugh at her accomplishment, Danica turned and walked away, the servants pushing Anabella to the ground as they released her before accompanying the queen towards the castle.

[OOC: I knooow , this roleplay is just made of awesomesauce XD. Poor Anabella XD the queen is so mean XD But the king will bump into her and comfort her <3]

Anna’s eyes stayed closed until a sudden chill travelled down her spine, the type of chill you got when you knew that someone was looking at you. Her eyes opened and she glanced to the side only for a moment and only until she could see the King’s expression. The anger in his eyes as he glared at her. When she heard him tell her to leave him, she looked a little confused, since he didn’t give her any other order other than to leave. “Excuse me?” She asked softly before jumping to her feet when he shouted at her. Annabella turned towards the King, just as the book came flying her way, hitting her square in the face and causing her to stumble backwards a little, her hand coming up quickly to hold onto her cheek. Her eyes looked towards the King once more in fear, frozen and unable to move since she couldn’t believe what had just happened.

Though when Oberon stepped towards her, Annabella quickly turned and ran as fast as she could down the stairs, tripping down the last few of them. She believed that had hurt her ankle but she didn’t pay enough attention to tell. Her focus was on getting to the door as fast as she could and not turning back. Her hands scrambled around the door to find the handle, hearing his voice booming and echoing throughout the medium sized room. Her hands quickly found the only thing blocking her from leaving and the door was opened hastily. Annabella then ran from the room, turning and running down the hall as fast as she could towards the servants’ quarters.

Soon enough the young woman found her way to the bed that she had been assigned and collapsed onto the floor beside it, panting and sobbing into the bed sheets. Her ankle had been twisted and had started to swell a little. Her hands quickly scrambled to undo the tight bun at the back of her head, throwing pins onto her pillow until her long, chocolate brown locks fell around her pale neck and shoulders. Her hands gripped onto the sheets as she tried to catch her breath and calm down, knowing that no good could come from just sobbing here. But it was hard to keep that thought in her head. Between just talking about her dead parents, the book to the face and the King’s shouting, she couldn’t help herself.

“I don’t know if I can do this.” She cried to herself, since most of the other servants would be out doing the daily chores by now. Annabella wiped the tears from her eyes and stared down to the sheets she was gripping on. “I was doing mostly everything that Faye told me to do. And I was just answering the King’s questions.” She murmured before frowning with a sigh, calming herself down and pulling her body up onto the bed to lie down. Her hand came up to touch her cheek, which was surely a bright red from the book. As she was laying there, one of the servants had come across her, saw who it was and her ankle, and heading off to the kitchen to get a cold cloth.

This was all that she had at the moment. Annabella had nowhere else to go back to. She wondered if that’s why the other assistant to Faye just up and quit. Maybe it was that or the verbal abuse and cruelty of the King. The King… Annabella quickly sat up as she thought about his anger. She had remembered something that she had heard after the day of the fire. Wasn’t that also the day that the previous King and Queen had died from illness? The girl dropped her hand onto her lap as she looked towards the door of the servant’s quarters. Perhaps that was why he had gotten so angry. The day of the fire would have been a painful memory for him as well. Perhaps he wasn’t sure of how to express those emotions other than anger?

The other servant came back quickly with a cold cloth and a bowl of cold water before having to leave once again quickly, leaving the cloth for Anna to use. She picked it up and rung it out gently before placing the cloth on her ankle first. Annabella sat there for a few moments, just thinking about the King and his actions. Was there no one in this kingdom that he could be himself around? What was the King’s true self like? Surely he wasn’t that cruel. Perhaps he was just lonely. The Queen obviously wasn’t the most pleasant company to have around and with all of the servants not even daring to look at you.

The cloth was dipped back into the water before being placed on her cheek, the frown still plastered on her face. Surely she should have been angry with the King for doing this to her but she felt herself feeling a little bad for him. If she was in his position, wouldn’t she act the same? Cruel, cold, trying hard to seem strong and the only way to do that was to make sure that you seemed above everyone else and emotionless, not letting anything get to you.

Annabella quickly placed the cloth back in the bowl, her fingers then twisted around her hair to tie it in a loose braid over her shoulder before she arose from the bed. She grabbed the bowl and quickly exited the quarters, heading towards the kitchen to return the bowl. She was then going to seek out Faye, tell her what happen and ask for where the King would be next. Annabella wasn’t giving up that easily. She was now more determined than ever. Let the King yell and throw things at her like a child having a tantrum. She felt like she had to make some changes around here, and she would start with showing the King that she wasn’t going anywhere, like most of the other maid’s that had probably quit after going through that sort of abuse.

Annabella would be waiting for the King at the next place that he was usually scheduled to be. Waiting.

(( <3! Me too, he’s so great >w< ! I love replying to this roleplay, I get such inspiration ))


As before Oberon's eyes were upon the book, skimming through the words and pages, making it seem as if he was reading though his attention was upon Anabella the entire time, listening to her movements, her breaths, and her words. His eyes glanced all about the page as an aimless action from listening to her and he would always have to find the place he left off or turn the page of the book to start again. However, the book had no use for him any longer; he used it as a decoy to prevent his servant from noticing he was paying attention, but he could care less of the bundled up pages with words printed on them and wanted to toss it to the side.

Oberon couldn't help but think that her parents and his shared the common decency to help the others around them; although, hidden to everyone else, Oberon was naive to understand the reason of them doing so. He assumed it was a way of publicity or so said his father's adviser, to show the villagers the king did care; however, there was always a light in his father's eyes when he helped another person, even if it was picking up a dropped item.

The thought of his father had halted when the air around them dampened; he glanced curiously over to Ana to see what had caused her to falter in her sentence, seeing her lip quivering, the sorrow in her eyes and the slightest notion of paling of her complexion. Oberon's heart sank for he knew what was to happen next; lowering his head back to the book, he nearly flinched to hear the story of the demise of her parents. Death was always haunting to Oberon; it wasn't just the death of people, but of stories, of legacies, anything that seized to exist frightened Oberon, and the king could only pray that he would never stop to exist.

As his fear of death heightened during the moment, he had lost all awareness of his surroundings, even himself; thus, when Ana mentioned the fire that had occurred in the village years back, he flinched, his eyebrows twitched as did his lips. He swallowed nervously, his face paling and it was more obviously due to the large, dark, groomed beard that covered half of his face. He remembered that fire...he remember for that's when his parents had died as well.

Ana's suffered a more devastating death, but the king and queen died slowly; they had been ill for months before the fire and they grew weaker with each passing day. No doctor, medicine man, or wise woman could give any information on the illness for no one knew what had happened; the castle believed a curse was put on them by a witch or a wizard...though it was all foolish nonsense.

When the fire broke out, the prince was at his father's death bed, his mother had already passed a few hours before; the general of their army ran in to inform the king and the prince of the fire. The father raised his hand to allow the army to head in to save the villagers and stop the fire; however, the prince grabbed his hand and let it down to the bed, telling his father to rest. The general persisted that he'd have an answer and the prince turned his head to the general, angry tears in his eyes as he shuddered in pain.

"Leave now and do not bother us again."

Oberon's eyes shifted away from the book to the floor; he knew what he had done years ago, though he didn't care for the villagers since the pain of losing his parents were too great. Now, though, he felt guilt swelling up in his chest and he heard his own words repeat in hisses through his head and his father's hand lifting up to give the approval.

When the room had turned silence, an eerie sense in the air lingered around the two; Oberon looked to Anabella with a spiteful glare, punishing her for bringing up the bad memories without her knowledge of even doing so. "Leave me now," he hissed, the same anger he had for when his father was laid dying appeared in his eyes again. "Leave!!! NOW!!!" he shouted, standing up and throwing the book at her face.

"DO NOT BOTHER ME!!!" he shouted, stepping towards her and forcing her to flee with fear. "I WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD IF YOU DO NOT OBEY!!!!" His words boomed through the secret room, bouncing off the walls and returning back to the two forms in the room, yet they did not seep through the walls outside of this room.

[OOC: DUN DUN DUUUUNN XD <3 I love Oberon XD Such an emotional conflict >/v/< And you're welcome XD It's too good to give up~]



Annabella closed her eyes lightly and straightened her posture somewhat when she caught herself slouching. It was truly a bad habit that she had yet to train herself out of. She was grateful that the King either decided not to comment on it or let it pass this time. Her ice blue eyes opened as she looked ahead of her, over the railing and to the opposite wall where more books were stacked. Her mind wandered off to think about whether or not anyone else knew about this room, other than the King’s personal attendants… Did he bring his Queen here or was this his escape from her? By the looks of it, she figured it was the second one, since this did not seem like a room that the Queen would be fond of, or at least that’s the impression that Anna had gotten from her brief meeting of her. The girl almost shuddered at the thought of the Queen.

Her thoughts were soon cut short however by the King’s strong, but somewhat toned down voice. What he had said, the question that he had asked her caused her to freeze completely and she turned her head towards the King but stopped before she was fully looking at him. She let go of the breath that had been caught in her throat and her eyes quickly looking down at her hands that were now playing with the fabric of her skirt on her lap. A small frown appeared on the girl’s lips, she couldn’t help but show emotion, especially since it was about her parents. Most days she got through by just not thinking about them. Not thinking about what happened on that day, what happened to them. She tried to regain her composure before answering the King.

“Well… First it was because we had a lot to do. A lot of things to do around town, working on the farm. My parents always liked to help around the town as well so for most of the time we would go as a family and help people who needed it.” She started, trying to keep her voice from quivering. “And then-“She had to stop herself to take a small breath, letting it out slowly. Annabella turned her face away from the King, not wanting him to see her emotion since she was supposed to keep a straight face.

“And then they died. There was a forest fire a few years ago. Spread onto part of the town and my parents, being who they are, tried to help put out the fires. There was one house though, a family that was close to ours was trapped. My mother and my father went in to help them. My mother never came out and my father… He saved that family but he… He died the day after from his wounds.” She explained softly. “The church took me in after that. The priest picked up where my parents had left off.”

Annabella slowly turned her head back towards the King, trying very hard to keep her face emotionless but she couldn’t help the small quiver in her lip. Anyone in the town that knew Annabella would have said that she was a strong girl that had accepted what had happened to her. Accepted it and moved on to dedicate her life to helping other people, just like her parents. But no one saw her pain, the hole in her heart that still hadn’t been filled. Even though she interacted with people on a daily basis, Annabella didn’t really have any friends that she spent time with. She had nobody, she was alone in this world. Everyone believed the mask she wore to cover up her pain. It was hard for her to keep the mask up when talking about what happened to her parents, however. With the one person she should have had the mask on with, she couldn’t help but let that slip away a little. And she wasn’t even worried about what the King might say about it. Would he fire her right on the spot for showing sadness for her dead parents?

Surely he wasn’t that heartless.

Annabella’s eyes glanced towards Oberon’s direction, wanting him to say something, anything to break this silence. Perhaps send her off to do something for him, at least she was hoping for it, so she could give in to her emotions without him seeing.

((You weren’t, it was amazing, like always And you’re welcome <3<3 ily too! ^^ Thank you so much for still being interesting in this story ))


Oberon examined Anna's body language, finding the relaxed posture breaking through as she sat down upon his couch; he had frowned only slightly though his beard masked it--he didn't want Annabella to relax while on duty and definitely not in front of him. However, he didn't say a word of it, allowing her to relax as she pleased...she was only human. Oberon's eyes returned to the book, reading the words though not taking in any information due to the fact his attention was focused on Annabella's reply.

Hearing that her parents taught her surprised the king to some extent; he hadn't conceived that the villagers were in any bit intellectual. He didn't deny it, but it wasn't heard of, at least from where he obtained his information. The last time he had arrived into the village was when he was a child when his parents paraded through the streets to greet the local merchants and the people who needed aid.

Fondly, Oberon remembered an incident when they traveled to the village of where his father broke a fight up between two squabbling merchants over a chicken. Oberon couldn't point out all of the details, though he remembered his father laughing jovially to the argument before the men shook their hands. As a child, Oberon didn't understand what the circumstances of the argument were or had any idea of what happened to that mere chicken, but he remembered the heroism of his father, even if it was over a minor tussle.

Oberon glanced up when he heard Anna's continuation of the priest teaching her how to write; a visible frown made its appearance upon his sturdy face as his eyes flashed with curiosity. He pondered what had happened to her parents and why did they not teach her how to write as well. Oberon had lifted his head, giving his attention all to Annabella just to seek information.

His question was delayed as his eyes watched her hands tug at her hair; he remembered his mother used to do that when they were by the fountain into the gardens. The king, who was a prince at the time, recollected the words of her mother about the maids tightening her hair too tightly; of course, his mother meant no harm or complaints, just giggled it off while she allowed her hair to hang down. However, the king's adviser (who is Oberon's as well) did not approve of her hair hanging down; his father always retorted with the fact she was the queen and she looked beautiful and majestic with her hair up or down.

Oberon took in a soft breath through his nose as he sat up a little straighter. "What happened?" he asked, his eyes drifting down to the open book, randomly picking a place to start at. "To your parents--why did they not teach you how to write?" He dared to glance up, wanting to be part of the conversation, but he knew better than that; he had to make her look small, he was her king--a god in a human's body, she was a stature of an ant...but Oberon wanted the interaction.

[OOC: Sorry if I was going in circles with this post XD Been a long time since I was in the story so again I apologize. And thank you soooo much for being soo patient XD <3 ily <3]

Annabella froze, waiting to hear him start yelling at her or grabbing her like he did before when she had looked upon him without permission. Though, the yelling and the temper never came. Just a stern frown from what she was able to see. Perhaps he was merely just shocked that she had said anything like that to him at all. When he told her to sit, it was her turn to be surprised. She blinked a few times before nodding and smoothing out her skirt before sitting down on the plush cushion of the couch. At first she was amazed at how comfortable the couch was. Never once had she sat on something so bouncy and cushy and all together comfortable. It was… Very nice.

The maid looked over at Oberon slightly before looking down at her lap, her hands folded neatly on the fabric covering her legs. “My parents, for the most part.” She started with a small smile at the memories that filled her mind. “They taught me how to read. And then the priest at the church taught me how to write when he took me in.” Her soft, almost musical sounded voice filling the silence of the room. Annabella felt somewhat… Comfortable sitting here with the King. Not just because she was sitting on one of the most comfortable pieces of furniture she’s ever sat on, but just being with him was starting to feel not as awkward.

She figured that it was the room, and the way he was acting now. Oberon seemed to be more relaxed here, not as uptight. It was away from everyone else and Annabella figured that not a lot of people actually knew about this hidden room behind a secret door in the wall. Her crystal blue orbs dared to look up from her hands and over to the King for another moment before she looked away some. “You have many books here, your Majesty. Have you read them all?” She asked him. The young woman wasn’t really sure of the rules on asking the King questions but she figured since he asked her a question, she would ask him one back. Just a simple one that wouldn’t really be like prying into his personal life. Just a curiosity.

As she waited for his response to her question, Annabella reached up for a quick moment and pulled at the side of her hair lightly, trying to loosen the hair from the bun a little so it wasn’t as tight. It almost felt as if someone was pulling her hair out and she cursed at herself in her head for winding her hair so tightly. Her hand dropped back onto her lap quickly as she failed, figuring that she would just fix it when the King ordered her to go do something that wasn’t in his presence.

((Okay good And he’s so cute <3 Big teddy bear XD That’s adorable, LoL. And that’s so perfect >w< !))

Oberon had lifted his head when the door had opened; upon seeing Anabella come in with the tray completed with his meal, he sat up straighter, though for the fact that the servant had walked in and not of the meal. He smiled faintly, trying to tame himself in the presence of his adviser, though it was quite hard. Oberon's eyes followed Anabella next to his desk where she placed down the tray; he nodded his head in thanks, ready to speak the words of gratitude when his adviser had opened his mouth in the matters of business to pull Oberon's attention away from her Anabella.

Oberon, however, had the power in this matter and kept Anabella close as he waved her over to set his meal on his desk, wipe up the purposeful messes he made on the cherry wood desk to have Anabella remain next to him to most if not all of the time. He slowly ate, listening to his adviser ramble on the mindless works of taxes and finances, which the kingdom was well off in. Oberon didn't pay any attention unless it was focused on the matter of his country in a state or war or of his army. Sir Wilburn hardly consulted on the matters of war, but the money side of Oberon's job; every so often, he slipped into the financial aspect of his military, but eased out slowly and losing Oberon's interest.

After much discussion or lecturing from Sir Wilburn and Oberon's constant signing of papers and contracts to settle affairs or instate new laws and requests, Oberon was finally released to finish his day. However, just as always, Oberon had stayed within his work chambers till night time and past supper; he had eaten at his desk during lunch and supper, though despised being cooped up and having to work while eating the prepared meal.

Sir Wilburn yawned faintly as he gathered the large stack of paper work from the desk. "I bid you farewell and good night, Your Highness" he said as he stepped back, bowing halfway and as far as he could manage with the paper work within his arms. Oberon stood up, brushing the crumbs and remnants of his meal from his attire; he nodded his head to Sir Wilburn in his farewell and turned to look at Anabella.

He smiled very faintly, holding back the urge to linger with the smile or allow it to grow; he stepped out from in between his chair and desk, stalking towards the door. By now, Sir Wilburn was already far down the hall, going the opposite direction of the royal bed chambers. Oberon had stepped out, sighing softly through his nose from a hard day's work; his backside was aching and tingling from sitting upon it for such a long amount of time.

Oberon walked off the numbness from his body, allowing himself to take longer strides to waken his muscles. He was somewhat glad the walk towards his chambers was a bit lengthy, allowing his body to work out the kinks on its own before getting a well-deserved rest.

Oberon moved to his chambers' door, the knights at guard opened it for Oberon and his personal servant. Already within the room was his butler, Baum, waiting for his king to arrive.

"Good evening, Your Highness, I hope you had an adventurous day," Baum spoke cheerfully, picking up the folded and clean nightgown from the bed that he had laid out and followed behind Oberon to the changing screen. Oberon spoke of his day to Baum as a fellow letting off steam to his best companion; Baum hummed in his replies, listening and taking heed to every word. Baum helped Oberon change out of his day's wear into the night gown; the two stepped out and Oberon smoothed down his nightgown.

"I will see you in the morning, Your Highness; if you wish of anything, please, allow me to serve you." Baum bowed to the king as he stepped backwards towards the door; with his heel he tapped on the door, notifying the knights to open the double doors and Baum stepped out.

"Good night, Baum," Oberon had said as he fixed the sleeves of the nightgown. Before Anabella could make her lead in suit after Baum, Oberon lifted his head to look at her. "Anabella, stay," he ordered; the doors closed when the knights heard of his demand. Oberon motioned for the girl to come closer to him.

Oberon waited until Anabella was at his side before he dropped the attention of fixing his sleeves and lifted his chin to look down upon Anabella. "You had an eventful day," he said to her, his eyes glancing over her hair. He smiled faintly as a soft huff was exhaled through his nose. "It is a shame that you cut off your beautiful hair...but you will be beautiful nonetheless." His voice was soft, almost whispering; of course the king was afraid he would be caught whispering words of kindness to a servant, let alone a female servant.

However, Oberon felt relaxed with Anabella; even though he had harmed her--which he still felt guilty of--he remained himself in her presence. He lifted his hand to caress the cheek he had thrown the book at. Words of apology were racing through his head though his lips made no motion to speak. Oberon leaned forward though, his lips parting as his eyes lids closed. Soon, the king's lips pressed softly against the servant girl's; his breath shuddered from the soft, warm touch of her lips against his and he stepped closer. Oberon's head tilted to the side, deepening it to allow his lips lock with hers. His heart was racing and he never wanted to part from her silky lips.

[OOC: Just giving Anabella a time to react before he pulls away ;D]

Anabella sat there patiently as Hans worked on her hair. It was an odd feeling to be tended on like this. Before, it had been her mother that had always just trimmed the ends of her hair with a small pair of sewing shears that they had in the house. But it had never even come close to this sort of experience. It was rather nice actually, to just sit back as someone else tended to what she had asked them to do. But she couldn’t see how someone could have someone else fussing over them all of the time. Wouldn’t you start to feel a little useless and helpless if you had to then do things on your own suddenly? Her eyes closed, her breathing steady as she just let her mind wander while she listened to the clipping of the hair clippers orbiting around her head.

It had taken longer than Ana had originally thought it would too. She could tell that Oberon was getting to be slightly impatient, his footsteps clicked against the shiny hard floor around the barber chair that she was sitting in. Her eyes opened once more to look into the mirror quickly, examining Hans at work before her eyes slightly glanced over to the King. It seemed as though he was quite pleased with what was happening with her hair. It would definitely look much better after this. Ana would definitely miss her long hair but short hair kind of made her feel like a different person. A stronger person maybe.

Once Hans was finally complete, Anabella looked at herself in the mirror. She couldn’t even recognize the girl looking back at her, except for the ice blue eyes. No other person that she had run into had eyes quite like hers. The colour of frozen ocean waves was how her father used to describe them to people. Her eyes then watched as the King stepped into the frame of the mirror before circling her, examining the young woman’s new appearance. She closed her eyes as she felt his hand pulled through her hair once more, a smile forming upon her rosy lips when he said that it was perfect.

When Oberon had asked Ana if she was fit to return to work, she laughed softly to herself and looked at him through the mirror. “Of course, your majesty.” She said before pausing for a moment, her smile turning more genuine. “Thank you.” Words honestly weren’t enough to express her gratitude towards the King at this moment. His kindness and sympathy really touched her heart in a way that, at the beginning of the day, she didn’t believe he was capable of doing.

Anabella lifted herself from the chair once the cloak was removed and she turned towards the King, watching as he already started towards the door. Her footsteps started slowly towards him as he spoke to her about a meal while he worked. She nodded to herself before stopping in her tracks when he told her not to be late. The slight hint of playfulness caused Ana to smile lightly to herself. “I will go with great haste, your majesty.” She said back to him before he left the room. Her eyes quickly darted across all of the servants’ surprised faces and she shrugged a little before hurrying out of the washroom.

The young woman made her way towards the kitchen to give the chef the King’s order. She smiled to herself contently as she walked down the hall, shoulder’s back and head held high in her new found confidence. She tried not to look too confident though since she didn’t want to let everything go to her head. She was nothing special after all, just another maid… Probably one of the only maids that the King had ever shown kindness to though, by the looks of the surprised servants in the washroom.

It wasn’t long before she reached the kitchen and told the chef about what the King had requested. As soon as it was ready, it was put on a tray and given to the maid to bring to Oberon. Apparently they would usually give her an escort to hold the tray for her first day but they had a slight mishap in the kitchen and she needed to go alone. She honestly didn’t mind since she was a big girl and could carry a tray herself. It was a little heavy but nothing she couldn’t handle. She made her way towards the King’s office chambers (after asking for directions from some of the kitchen staff) and made it there as quickly as she possibly could.

The doors were opened by a guard for her, which she thanked before walking in with an ever so tiny smile as she bowed her head to the King. “I am sorry if I took too long, your majesty. I went as fast as I could.” She told him before setting the tray down on a table sitting beside the desk which had been put out specifically for that tray it seemed. “I hope that everything is to your liking.” She mentioned before stepping off to the side of the room, hands folded neatly in front of her to complete her perfect posture.


((You’re not controlling at all! It’s perfect, that’s basically exactly how I pictured it to look as well <3))


Hans listened to the female servant, looked her in the face via mirror, though after she had described what she had wanted him to do, his head turned over his shoulder to look upon his king. Oberon caught sight to Hans' uncertainty, seeing the questionable look that loomed within his eyes. Oberon was disappointed that Hans had even gave him such a look; a king would not bring a servant to his royal chair for her to get a haircut from his own personal barber to just have her pulled off. Oberon lifted his hand and gestured it for him to get to work. "Just as she had said," Oberon stated.

Hans nodded his head in compliance before stepping out from behind the chair to the vanity that contained all of his necessary utensils. He picked up hair clippers and a small comb before returning behind Ana. He glanced over the girl's hair, observing all the details he would have to fix before lifting his hands and begun his work.

Oberon paced behind him slowly, tilting and leaning forward and backwards to see how the progress was going. It took longer than Oberon had expected; the sun had shifted, creating an afternoon shadow behind him. His pacing slowed down until he stopped all together and stood at Hans' left side, though remained out of his way, and watched with his arms crossed.

When Hans had stopped and placed the clippers to the vanity, he lifted up his hands and slipped his hands through Anabella's hair, checking the length of the now groomed haircut. Just has the king and the servant had asked, the hair was cleaner, no more jagged locks and Hans trimmed and combed her short bangs and slimmed down the sides for the hair so they grew out in one length and naturally.

After Hans had inspected his fine work, he stepped back with a slight bow to allow the king access to examine. Oberon did just that and stepped forward; he circled around Anabella, surveying the new hair. He lifted his hand and ran his fingers through it from front to back and slowly brought his hand out. "Perfect." He nodded to Hans in his well-done job, "Now, are you fit to return to work?" Oberon directed the question to Anabella.

Oberon heard one faint, nearly silent gasp behind him from the servants that continued to clean the porcelain tub; he looked over his shoulder to them, catching their surprise upon his look and returning back to work. He knew it was odd of him and unlike his character to ask a servant if she was fit for duty; although, Oberon ignored the thought.

Hans removed the cloak from Ana's body and stepped out of her way, not bothering to help her up. He snapped his fingers softly for one of the cleaning servants to clean up the mess of Anabella's hair.

Oberon turned towards the door and stalked towards it, his hands loosely holding each other behind his back. "It is indeed noon," he said to Anabella, "I wish to have my meal while I work. Inform the chefs, they know what I enjoy for mid-day meal. Then you shall return to my work chambers and serve Sir Wilburn and myself." Knights standing guard as always, opened the door for Oberon as he closed the distance to it, "Don't be late," he said in a soft and yet playful tone.

From the king's tone, the room was in a silent shock, never seeing the king so light-hearted before, not even around his queen. Oberon gave to soft glare to the servants, turning them back to their work before he turned out and marched down the hallway, heading towards his next destination, his work/office chambers.

Oberon was greeted by Sir Wilburn when he entered into the office that contained the castle's library, which was four times larger than his own private library. He moved to the desk where Sir Wilburn sorted out papers for the king to sign of finances, requests, their military and so forth. Oberon sat down in his chair and lifted his hand to have Sir Wilburn place a pen in it before his adviser slid the papers that needed immediate signing in front of him.

Oberon read through the papers, yet his focus was far from his work; he kept glancing up towards the doors. After every sentence, he glanced up to see if there was a jiggle of the knob or the door opening; he was hungry, though Oberon was searching for his personal servant rather than his meal.

"Are you done, Your Majesty?" Sir Wilburn questioned with a less than enthusiastic tone.

Oberon's eyes were upon the door when Sir Wilburn had questioned, thus he was caught in his act of staring away from the papers. Oberon frowned slightly, willing the embarrassed blush away from his cheeks. "Not quite," Oberon muttered under his breath and turned his eyes down to the paper.

[OOC: <3 Not gunna say it even though I want too XD <3 Oh and I don't mean to be controlling o-o;; But this is what I thought Anabella's hair would look like after the haircut:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

You can definitely change it since she's your character XD <3]

Anabella felt quite awkward as she walked next to the King instead of behind him. It almost felt as if the eyes from people passing and the people around them were on her, judging her almost. All of the servants who had passed by them had stopped to stare at her for a moment but she then figured it was because of her hair. She must have looked horrendous to most people, being a woman with her hair cropped like that of a boy. The young woman tried to keep her face straight, avoiding the gazes of everyone. She didn’t want to hear the questions; she didn’t really want to talk about it at all. It was something that she wanted to deal with and get over quickly so that she could continue doing her job.

Her mind had returned to that moment in the garden. Mostly the reason why she was not in tears was because of the King, how he had told her that she was beautiful and smiled that gentle smile towards her. Something she believed the King never did to his Queen. Why would anyone? Sure, she was beautiful but in a sinister, cruel sort of way. Her outer beauty did not match her inner personality which made her an ugly wretch, to Anabella. Of course she would never tell anyone these thoughts out loud since she was referring to one of the two people that ruled over her country. No, these thoughts would stay hidden in the back of Anabella’s mind until she was far, far away from the Queen. Perhaps she could be changed? Though, the maid highly doubted that.

Blinking a few times, Ana’s head turned towards the hallway that they had just passed, which would have been the hallway they would have had to take to make it to Faye. She looked towards the King, slightly puzzled before frowning and looking back forward when she heard what she assumed to be the King’s advisor tell him to just ‘drop her off quickly’. He made it sound like she was dirty laundry getting dropped off to be cleaned or something. Oh, how she wanted to turn around and show him what she was truly made of. There were a lot of things that she had to get used to not doing, like speaking her mind to people of higher authority to her.

The advisor was then told to get to work on whatever business the King had mentioned as she was lead towards the King’s personal, private washroom. As soon as they stepped in, Anabella’s eyes widened and she couldn’t help but gasp lightly. The rooms here in the castle never ceased to amaze her unspoiled eyes. Everything was so large and shiny, she had never once experienced any room quite like these of the castle. It was only her first day so of course she would have been a little overwhelmed. Though, Ana couldn’t see herself getting used to these types of rooms anytime soon. She would still be in awe and amazed at them for a little while longer at least.

Anabella followed the King as he motioned her more into the room to meet his… Barber? Seemed almost fitting for her to be tended to by a barber with her hair like a boys. It almost made her laugh at herself. It was honestly hard to contain her slight laughter at the barber’s face when she stepped forward as well. Perhaps this new hair change wasn’t so bad after all. Anabella was starting to enjoy the surprised faces of everyone that saw her. At least they would know who she was and remember her now.

She was then quickly led to probably the most comfortable chair she had ever sat in, followed by a hairdressing cloak being pulled around her neck. Ice blue orbs looked towards the King as he spoke to her, telling her to tell the barber what she wanted him to do. “Thank you, your highness.” She smiled at him before looking towards Hans. A slender hand raised from her lap, running her fingers through the short locks before thinking for a moment.

“Just straighten out the edges, I suppose. Make it look more presentable not like I had just run into a rabid animal in the forest that had attacked my head.” Anabella couldn’t help but smirk at her comparison before getting serious again. “Try not to take too much more off but do what you must to make it look… Good. Just make it work. You are a hairdresser; I am just a poor girl. You probably know more about what you are doing then what I can describe.” She nodded, thinking that she still did pretty good at explaining even though she had no idea what to say.

((Ha ha ha, it wasn’t lame XD It was awesome like always ))


Oberon's natural instinct was to place his hand upon her lower back to lead her through the gardens and back into the castle; he truly wanted to hook his arm for her to hold, allow her to feel that she was beautiful and deserved to be at the king's side. A faint flush had formed upon his cheeks upon that thought; even his heart skipped a beat. Did he truly feel that way? It was an honest, instinctive thought, so it must be true. Thus, Oberon's hand shifted towards her lower back, his eyes trained ahead of him; however, from his peripheral vision, he caught the soft, scolding glare from his adviser, who already knew what the king was thinking. Oberon's head fell back to his side, his eyes glancing away. He felt like a child when he shouldn't; could the king express his fondness?

'No.'

He was married and even his father would disagree on Oberon's thoughts. He had to stay true to his Queen, to his country. Falling for a servant girl was more than absurd...was he falling? Oberon scoffed at the thought; he threw a book in her face, he highly doubt that was falling...however, he told her she was beautiful to dry her tears...Oberon never said a word of beauty to his Queen. His mind boggled with this notion. Could he have at least a little attraction to Anabella--a slave?? His heart twisted and his stomach churned. He heard his mother's soothing voice in his head, repeating what she had told him nearly every day of his life until she passed: Follow what your heart says and you'll live a happy life.

Meanwhile, his father's stern but kind voice echoed as an undertone: Do what is right for your country, they come first before you.

It was a tough quarrel, considering his parents fell in love before marrying, his mother a princess of the neighboring country and his father the prince of his land; they met at a ball, fancied each other before bringing up the idea of marriage to their parents.

Oberon sighed very subtly through his nose, his eyes glancing down towards Anabella; her hair was pretty snarly, very boyish, but the short hair brought out her face. His eyes shifted away back to what was ahead of him, climbing up the stairs with Anabella at his side to the doors; his personal knights darted ahead to open the doors for the king and the servant at his side.

"Drop her off quickly," Wilburn stated in a less than sensitive tone. That had pushed Oberon to the edge; it was the fact he was being controlled--the king being treated like a child, though it was for Anabella as well, a beauty being mistreated.

Oberon didn't reply back to his statement though said, "Get started on business," he ordered. He heard the soft, almost silent scoff from the adviser, but that gave him empowerment, even if for a short while. Instead of taking her to Faye, Oberon felt as if he should do one better and decided to take her back to the royal wing; he moved towards his hallway with Anabella at his side and turned into the private washroom for the king.

He stepped in, the maids at work cleaning up the bath to be used tonight; there was a barber, the best barber in the entire country waiting every second of the day for the king if he so wished for a haircut or a shave. The barber turned when the door opened and pulled up a bright smile, beckoning the king to his personal plush chair.

However, Oberon stepped forward, his other hand extended backwards to motion Anabella to follow. "Not I, Hans," he said, obviously throwing the barber a little off guard. "She is in need of a touch up with her hair."

Unable to reject the king's orders, Hans the barber quickly hurried over to Anabella and lead her to the king's chair--the only chair for haircuts or shaves--and sat her down. He pulled a cloak over her body, tying in gently for the fact that Oberon hovered over them.

"Anabella, tell Hans what you wish." Oberon knew he had to stay to keep from anything worse from happening.

[OOC: Sorry the ending is so lame ;3; I had to leave halfway through to go out and then I came back and was like: "oohhh...what was my train of thought..?" XD so I had to pick it up and it just failed XD <3]

Anabella could feel herself start to get a bit feverish from the sobbing. She would have to get up soon; she would have to leave before anyone saw her crying like a child in the middle of the garden. Though, could her legs hold her weight at the moment? She felt weak and her body felt so heavy, she wasn’t sure if she even had the strength to lift herself. But at the moment, she really didn’t care to get up. Her tears wouldn’t stop as she felt the breeze again on her bare neck. It was such a strange, foreign feeling and she definitely did not like it. Ana had never once thought about ever cutting her hair short. It was precious to her. Her mother used to braid it for her all the time when she was younger and it was a memory that she wanted to keep forever. The memory would still linger, yet the feeling of a braid hanging over her shoulder would be something that would take years for her to ever feel again.

Her thoughts were suddenly cut short when she heard footsteps quickly approach her and for a moment, she believed it was the Queen again. Back to humiliate her some more? She kept her hands over her face, almost in fear of what she would find had she of taken them down. The voice of the Queen never came though, and instead she felt a gently touch on her shoulder followed by the voice of the King instead. Her hand was then taken off of her face, flushed and moist from being upset. She didn’t get a chance to answer him right away, when he had asked her about what happened to her hair and why she had done it. A voice had interrupted their little moment before that voice was silenced by the King.

Her eyes stayed towards the ground, not wanting the King to see her like this, all weak and vulnerable. She watched as she shuffled in front of her and then forced her to look up towards him. Not a harsh force this time though. More of a gentle touch and when her eyes gazed up at his face, she blinked in surprise. Oberon was smiling, which was something that (until now) Anabella wasn’t sure he was capable of doing. When he called her beautiful, the corners of her mouth turned up just slightly to make a little smile before it quickly disappeared. Her eyes gazed upon Oberon’s features, feling his hand running through the short strands of hair that she had left.

Anabella then felt herself being lifted from the ground, her legs shaking slightly as she noticed his smile turn into the frown that he was known for. “A… Alright, your majesty.” She spoke quietly, replying to his comment about him escorting her to Faye. Of course, the looks of protests from the man that he had come here with slightly unnerved the girl but she didn’t think that he would speak up against the King after he had been silenced once already. Slowly, Ana took a deep breath and then walked beside the King as he escorted her out of the garden’s.

The girl’s eyes stayed on the floor as they walked through the corridors of the castle. Conflicting thoughts were running through her mind. Should she tell the King that this was the Queen’s doing or should she just stay quiet? Technically she had yet to answer his questions about what happened but perhaps she should just wait until he asked again? Maybe he wouldn’t ask again, did he really care that much about a servant girl’s hair? But what happened back in the garden had led her to believe that maybe he did. He genuinely seemed concerned for what had happened to her and before he had even reached her, she had heard his quickened pace towards her. The King had so many different sides to him it seemed. As she suspected, maybe he didn’t intend to come off as this mean dictator.

Annabella’s ice blue eyes glanced towards Oberon before looking forwards again. Did the Queen think that if she humiliated her enough, beat her down enough that she’d quit and stay away from her King forever? If that was the case, she was sadly mistaken. A new fire and determination was starting to build up within Ana. Must like her revelation after the King had scared her out of his private quarters. She would prove everyone wrong. Anabella was going to see this through to the end.

Oberon had taken his time on recollecting himself; he couldn't show himself as he was in front of the other occupants of the kingdom. What he felt like mattered little to everyone; the king was, more or less, a god in everyone's eyes; he was strong, no matter what sort of pain he endured. The thought had made him feel all the more worse, yet he took in a deep breath in and released it.

After an hour or so of gathering his composure, Oberon started out of his private office silently, closing the concealed door behind him quietly. He turned around to have become abruptly face-to-face with his adviser, Sir Wilburn. Oberon lowered his head after he had jumped in a start from his adviser's sudden appearance; he frowned, lifting up his hand half way, "Sir Wilburn, must you continue to do that?"

"Do what?" his adviser replied with a monotone and cold tone. "Now, we must attend to royal matters; I searched for you over the gardens and in the royal dining hall but could not find you. Your highness, I believe its best for you to stay on your schedule, thus I must not wear myself out just to search for you."

Oberon glanced up to his adviser, a faint frown appearing. "Yes, yes," he mumbled, though never promised him that he would follow those orders. He stepped out from the corner Sir Wilburn had placed him in and strode quickly forward, his hands folding behind his back.

Sir Wilburn watched his king stalk past him before he glanced in front of him once more, searching for the personal servant that always tailed after the king. He frowned when he saw no one and turned quickly on his heels, hurrying after Oberon. "Your highness, what happened to your peasant?"

"My what?"

"Your servant--what's her name..?"

Oberon furrowed his brows, "You have worked alongside Mrs. Faye for years, Sir Wilburn; take the time to know names."

"I do not have time for that, Your Highness; I'm too busy dealing with you as it is."

"Faye has been reassigned; she is no longer my personal servant. I have a new one."

Sir Wilburn stopped in his tracks for a second in the shock before hurrying quickly after his king to meet up at his side. "Beg your pardon? Did you say you--"

"I did and I will not repeat myself. I have yet to visit the gardens so speak to me while we walk; I do not want to be held down quite yet."

"When do you ever?" his adviser frowned, "very well then Your Highness, a curt walk through the gardens and on to business."

"Possibly," Oberon replied as he strode quickly through the hallways, ignoring all that stopped and bowed to him. As always, he looked as if a man on a mission, working hard to get to his destination. As Oberon crossed to the tall back doors that were decorated with a beautiful, Utopian landscape to fit the gardens, the knights who guarded the doors opened each door for their king. Oberon stepped out, breathing in the fresh, crisp air; he closed his eyes, remembering his mother did just that as he was a child and he mimicked her every time.

He still wished his mother was at his side.

However, the thoughts of his mother were cut short to hear sobbing from a young girl; he frowned, glancing over to Sir Wilburn to see his confusion though less than sentimental look. Oberon glanced over his shoulder to the guards, catching their attention to pull up in a defensive stance, holding their halberds close to their chest as they turned to stand at either side of the king to protect him.

Oberon stepped down the stoop that lead to the gravel of the garden and followed the sobs with his ears. He kept his pace normal, though he was quicker in his steps than usually from the curiosity. As he went down the path towards the baffling, sobbing sounds, he came across Anabella on her knees, her hair cut to her scalp in ragged chops and she held her face.

Oberon frowned, his body tensing up before he darted in a jog towards Anabella; the knights followed him quickly, shifting to get ahead to reach for Anabella and hold her down, one knight shifting the point of the halberd to face her. Oberon lifted up his hand and lowered the weapon as he came closer; he knelt down next to her, his hand hesitantly reaching out to touch her shoulder softly.

"Anabella...your hair....what happened...? Why did you do this?" He looked over her hair, frowning. All her beautiful locks were gone. He huffed softly through his nose, his eyes falling back upon her covered face. Oberon lifted his free hand to gently hold her wrist to pull it back from her face.

"Your Highness, Faye will deal with this, I must say that we should--"

"Silence Sir Wilburn." Oberon waddled to kneel down in front of her, tilting his head down to meet her gaze. Short or long hair, Oberon could see Anabella was beautiful as always. He smiled softly, lifting her chin to have her gaze meet his. "There, there," he cooed softly, loud enough for only her to hear. "You look beautiful. Calm down, Faye will tend to your hair and straighten it out." He lifted up his hand from her shoulder to run his fingers through her short locks; he felt the silky texture of her hair for once and the warmth of her scalp. In all honesty, Oberon preferred it this way...though he wouldn't say it aloud. He removed his hand, frowning softly from his sentimental slip, and he gently took her arm; he lifted her up into a stand, "I'll escort you, Anabella."

[OOC: Fuuu, such a softie Oberon is XD <3]

Anabella ran her hands along the clothes she just finished folding, feeling the fabric run over her fingertips and feeling the lingering warmth left there from Oberon’s body. She let out a slow breath and smiled a little to herself, bringing one of her hands up to touch her rosy pink cheek. Everything was just happening so fast ever since she got here. In the past two days, she had felt so many different emotions and experienced things that she never thought that she would have ever gotten to experience in her entire life. Her world was literally turned upside down ever since she arrived here. And for the most part, it seemed like it was for the better. There was nothing for her in the village. No family, barely any friends, there wasn’t any sort of job for her other than working on a farm or helping the priest with his daily duties. This, by far, was definitely more for her.

The young woman touched her lips softly, keeping her back turned to the King for now as she heard him shifting in the water. A King. She was a personal servant to a King. A King that was married to a Queen, she had to remind herself. Ana turned slightly to look over her shoulder at his face, noticing Oberon looking at his reflection in the water. Her head quickly turned back to look at his clothes as her heart sank a little. These feelings were wrong. He was married. He was… Someone that was becoming very important to her. No one had ever made her react like that before. No one had ever looked at her the way that he did before.

Her thoughts were broken as his voice chimed out through the silence. She turned towards Oberon, looking at his face, and blinked curiously. She nodded, smiling a little at him when she saw his smile. She made her way over to the King and kneeled down next to the bathtub so that she would be somewhat more eye level to him. “What is it, your highness?” She asked him. Though as he started talking about the Summer ball, her smile faded slightly and her eyes widened when he mentioned that he was personally inviting her. Immediately, she opened her mouth to protest against him but his hand raised, hushing her before she even got a chance to speak, knowing already that she would protest.

When Oberon’s voice grew more stern, Anabella froze slightly. The End of Summer Ball was something that she had dreamed of going to for years now. She would always make her way to the road on the night of the ball, just to watch the carriages roll by with the extravagantly dressed guests, all shiny and sparkly. She would always pretend to be dancing at the ball with her broomstick while she swept the floors of the church. Thinking back on that now, it seemed a little silly to her. But it was something that truly made her happy. Just imagining herself dancing among the guests. And now it was… Going to become a reality. It was an overwhelming feeling and she had to press her hands against the ground to keep herself from falling over. When Oberon asked if she would come to the ball however, a huge smile appeared on her face before she forced herself to look away, a little embarrassed with the thought of how silly she must look with that huge grin.

“I… Truly don’t know what you say, your majesty.” Anabella let out a slight breath, almost starting to shake with excitement. Her ice blue eyes looked back up at him however and she nodded. “But, of course I will come to the Ball. It is an honor to be invited by you.” It was hard to keep herself from smiling too much. “Though there’s so many things that I don’t have to look suitable there. What am I to wear, how will my hair be done now that… Oh, so many things, so many things.” She mumbled, bringing her hand up to tap on her lip as she looked away, starting to go into her little world before she quickly snapped out of it. “Oh, I apologize for the mumbling, your highness. It is… A bad habit.” She laughed nervously, quickly trying to recover from that.

“Now, let’s get you washed up.” Ana smiled before beginning to continue her job, whatever she had to do to finish the King’s bath and get him clothed again so her cheeks could return to their natural colour. The whole time she was thinking about the Ball and being able to spend the time with Oberon on a night that would surely feel like a dream to her.

((Gah! Ending is crap, LoL. Just wanted to give the push to get them out of the bathroom though, LoL! And oh Danica, you’re such a bitch XD LOL. Love the idea though <3 ))


King Oberon did everything he could to keep shudders of pleasure from strolling down his back; his blue eyes focused on Anabella, watching her hands closely as they unbuttoned and pulled the lace from his clothing. It took every ounce of him not to grab those hands and kiss her delicate digits; he wanted to be close to her, he wanted to feel her skin against his own. The thought of her bare in front of him made the king huff heavily. Such perverse ideas flooded his mind, thoughe he did his very best to keep them from becoming a reality. Already, the young girl was very flustered--she was; her face was red as her body shivered.

Oberon frowned softly, realizing...maybe she was not enjoying this as much as he was; was he breaking her innocence by doing such a thing. He lowered his head as his high disappeared from his mind. Oberon remained where he stood as the last of his article of clothing was resting in Anabella's arms. Even though Anabella may not be enjoying this as much as he suspected she would, he still had an attraction to this situation.

The king turned to the ready bath and slowly stepped in, lowering himself down until the water reached up to his chest; he stared down at the water, looking only at the surface to study his reflection. No longer was he young, thus why should he act as if he was young? Oberon looked to Anabella as she stood at the clothing table, his eyes softening; she was the reason why the king wanted to be nothing more than a prince...that beautiful woman made him feel full of life.

There was little he could do already being married to a horrid queen; if he could have one night with her, that would be all he would need in this life. The king slouched against the side of the porcelian bath tub, his arms snaking up to rest on the sides of the tub. He pondered how he could make that possible; he knew he had private homes around the country, though he would have to bring his ugly queen along his side.

Then a flicker of an idea kindered in his mind; he sat up straighter, his eyes going to the windows in thought. The annual end of summer ball was around the corner, he could have his privacy as he did at the end of every ball, and he could not go anywhere without his hand servant. The king looked over to Anabella, a smile forming at his lips in delight; this was perfect and just the idea of being alone with Anabella under the bright moon made his heart flutter.

"Anabella," he called out, a chirp in his tone, the smile still very pleasant and noticable. "Come here," he motioned the girl closer, turning his body slightly to face her as she came. "You know the End of Summer ball will be coming up soon, yes? The invitations have not been sent out quite yet; however, I am personally inviting you, Anabella." Oberon paused, lifting up a hand to stop her even before she could begin her protest of her being a servant and not a guest. "I will not accept a refusal--or you may see the unthinkable to happen," his voice grew stern; he wouldn't really harm a hair on the young woman, but he would do anything to avoid the cost of her not appearing at the ball. "Now, what will you say, Anabella? Will you come?"


[OOC: This will really get Danica pissed off and then DUN DUN DDDDUUUUNNN. Oberon will be whipped by his wife and so will Anabella XDDD]

Ana could feel the eyes of the Duke and Sir Wilburn on her the entire time she sat at the table beside the King. The disapproving and enraged stares from both of them bore into her soul and she would be lying if she had said that the very stares didn’t bother her. She had one crumpet and two sips of the tea before she folded her hands in her lap and looked down at the table, making it a habit not to look up at the two. She really didn’t want to see the hate and disgust on their faces, something she knew would be there. The way things were with royalty and peasants hurt her heart. Was it really that bad that she was sitting here, with all of them? They were all human. Just people beneath their titles and wealth. Though she supposed that not everyone understood that concept. Especially the people with money and power.

The servant girl’s eyes lingered over to her King that sat next to her, listening intently to what was being discussed. Ana looked away quickly however when she noticed Oberon’s eyes moving and looking back down towards her hands, which were lightly fidgeting in her lap. She wasn’t sure if he was about to look her way or not, but she wasn’t sure how she would react if their eyes met in such a secretive way. Her heart fluttered a little in her chest and a small redness appeared on her cheeks as the thoughts of last night appeared in her mind once again. They lingered there for a moment before Anabella shooed them away, not wanting to start smiling like a fool in front of company that already disliked her.

Anabella refused politely to everything that he offered her other than the one crumpet she had eaten. Unless he ordered her to eat it, she respectfully declined. Her stomach was in knots and she was not sure how much her stomach would be able to hold in its current state. She was too wound up and nervous about being here to eat anything at all really. And in no time at all, though is felt like an eternity to Ana, the lunch meeting was over and they were escorted to a garden to wait for the carriage to take them home. She bowed respectfully to the Duke, not making eye contact with him, before straightening herself up and brushing off any wrinkles that might have found their way onto her skirt. It was then that they were scheduled to be off.

The young maid frowned in disappointment however when both the King and Sir Wilburn were helped into the carriage, but not one hand from the Duke’s servants reached out to help her. She may be a commoner, but she was still a lady. She huffed in her mind, picking up her skirt a little in the front to ascend the small stairs into the carriage. Though, before she had gotten in, Oberon himself reached over to help her in. She smiled lightly, placing her delicate hand in his larger one and was in the carriage, sitting across from the King yet again in a matter of seconds.

Anabella shot Sir Wilburn a cold glance, raising an eyebrow at his snide comment that the King didn’t seem to pick up on the sarcasm. She decided to pull her eyes from Sir Wilburn to looked at the King with a softer glance, smiling and giggling lightly to herself at how happy Oberon seemed to be. She watched him out of the corner of her eye until he had fallen asleep once again during their ride back. Ana then looked back to Sir Wilburn and raised an eyebrow at him yet again. He may have been “above” her in title, but he definitely was not above her in manners. She gave him a sweet, yet mocking smile before turning her head to look out the small carriage window for the rest of their trip home.

When they returned home, the trio piled out of the carriage and were awaited by his servants, maids and knights. Yet, he did not even take one glance at them. Anabella blinked a few times, looking towards Oberon and noticed that he had looked back at her. She nodded quickly, trotting a few steps quicker to catch up with him when he told her to go with him. The maid followed the King to his personal wing of the castle, past his bedroom and to his private washroom, where her hair had been cut the previous day. They entered the washroom before she was stopped by Oberon who had requested that he…

He wished to take a bath. Was that a signal for her to leave or… He raised his arms and as soon as the other servants went to tend to the King, he ordered them to leave. All except for her. Her eyes widened slightly and she couldn’t help but blush slightly when he turned to her again, telling her to proceed. “U-um… Yes, your majesty.” She stuttered, the blush deepening as she stepped towards him. In her mind, she was telling herself not to be embarrassed. This was her job. She had to do this. She could do this.

Her eyes quickly looked passed the King and to his bath, seeing that the bath had already been filled, probably just moments before they got here. It was probably common for the King to take a bath after getting back home from an event like they just had. Or, that’s what she figured at least.

Quickly, Anabella’s fingers reached towards Oberon’s shirt to start preparing him for a bath. Her heart was thumping loudly in her chest and she was sure that he probably could hear it, especially since they were rather close at the moment. “I am… Still quite new to my new maid position, your highness.” She started. “So please, do not hesitate to tell me if I am doing anything wrong.” She thought that she would get that out of the way.

With every piece of clothing that she removed, she hung it neatly over her right arm. Her eyes tried to stare past Oberon, trying not to look at him and to only focus on what she was doing. Her head felt a little light and she felt a little dizzy from all the blood rushing to her cheeks and the warmth in the room from the bath water. She just continued to remove his clothes, getting him ready for his bath before she was done. One of her fellow maids had told her a little about what to do in this situation but she only found herself remembering bits and pieces. Once everything was done, Anabella quickly rushed over to a small table that his clothes were to be folded and set upon.

Anabella let out a breath as she began to fold his clothes, her hands shaking a little while she was doing so.

((I was really stuck on what to have her do at the end D: I had it all planned out yesterday and it was awesome but then I forgot what I was going to do D: ! So I hope this is okay D: ! ))


The King didn't make any mention of the obvious looks of disgust and outrage that appeared upon both Sir Wilburn and the Duke's face, though it was quite obvious to everyone who stood near that they were livid at the fact a servant girl was eating in their presence. The Duke felt more enraged that the servant girl was at his table, eating the crumpets and drinking the tea that was meant for him and his King. The Duke cared not less what the King felt about of the servant sitting at their table in rags and short, untamed hair as hers; he knew what was in the best interest of the king and dining with low life what not what he wanted for his King. However...no matter how much the Duke cared for the King, he would not go so far as to tell the king what he should be doing or even deciding anything for him. The King was no ordinary King, and was less like the past king: the man who he grew up knowing was God's angel who was sent to them by chariot. King Oberon could be cruel, he could be vile and ghastly, and he had the right to take anyone's head if he so please. The Duke had to rub his neck to ward off the phantom pains that ached him it at the thought of an unclean axe coming down and decapitating him. Thus, the loyal servant to the King remained silent, though at every glance to the servant girl that sat across from him he glared and sneered, wishing death upon her and her parents or siblings and children to come.

King Oberon paid only attention to his food and the words coming out of Sir Wilburn's mouth, though even at that he was a little spacious on the details. He went about at the business at hand, taking no mind to Anabella sitting next to him...to be frank, Oberon hadn't felt so at ease while eating in quite a while. This was surprising and he knew the reason why--Danica, his Queen; there was something about that woman that Oberon completely detested and if he had the chance and reason to why, he would strip her of her heir or be off with her head. Sadly, Danica had done nothing wrong to her countrymen or him...well nothing that would seem relevant enough to take her life.

Just thinking about his wife got him on edge and he was slowly turning grumpy, that is until he glanced Anabella's way. She was an angel of perfection; that soft, white skin and those ruby red lips that he tasted the evening before. His heart fluttered within his chest, his loving gaze tracing out her profile; it was a moment's glance in real time, though for him, Oberon felt as if he was staring for hours. The clanking of silverware upon fine glass caught his attention and he pulled his eyes away from Anabella; although, Oberon would preferred to just stare at her for long hours.

If only she were of royalty...he could wed her, bed her, kiss her and live his life in peace.

There were certain things that were out of a King's power that no one thought could exist.

Their lunch and meeting went smoothly well, better than the king had planned, though most of what he was doing was offering delicious foods to Anabella in the short time they had together. The Duke saw them down the plaza's gardens to their awaiting golden carriage to return to the palace; the Duke bowed in front of all three, but the respectful bow was only for the King.

Oberon nodded his head in return and turned on his heels, allowing the Duke's servants help him up into the carriage; they repeated this for Sir Wilburn, though allowed Anabella to pull herself up on her own. The King had leaned past Sir Wilburn's lap to help her into the carriage by taking her small hand into his own and sitting her down in the seat across from them.

"Well," Sir Wilburn hissed faintly under his breath, "that was a nice lunch," he spat out, his glaring eyes directed at Ana across the way from him.

"Yes," the king cheered rather loudly with a faint smile, something no one ever really saw from the king. "Yes it was, delicious meal and nice company--oh and a lot of work done," he said with a growing smile. This left Sir Wilburn to stare at the king in awe, his mouth nearly gapping open in the shock.

Their trip was a rather short one for the king as he had fallen asleep all over again but with a warm stomach and soft smile that lingered upon his lips. Sir Wilburn had remained silent with his mouth though his leering was quite obviously loud; he knew better than to speak illy of the things that the king liked, even if he was asleep next to him. Sir Wilburn's eyes probably were the only things that needed to be noticed, for they spoke the silent notions of hate and death directed at the servant girl in front of him.

The king woken up when they arrived to his palace, the front, large doors were opened and his servants, maids, and knights were there to greet their beloved king. Oberon brushed them off, not even noticing one person who stood outside to see the king in; however, his eyes turned over his shoulder towards Anabella with a faint smile.

"Come," he said to her, moving up the grand staircase and to his own private wing of the palace. He kept leading her until they passed his bedroom to his private washroom; the knights on guard opened the doors for them. "I wish to take a bath," he said to Anabella as he lifted up his arms. The servants that worked hard to clean and make their majesty's wash room quickly huddled towards him to prepare him; however, the king gruffed, lowering his arms as he did. "Leave! All of you!" he barked, scaring the servants off. He turned to Anabella and smiled, "Proceed if you will" a soft tone was used and the smile was nearly invisible from his beard, though it was so out of place it could have been spotted a mile away.

[OOC: >/v/< Oh Oberon, you man-dog-king thing XDDD <3 Will try to reply to Bioshock next <3]



Ice blue orbs fluttered open, locking with the King’s deep gaze. Anabella could barely hear herself think, all she could hear was the loud pounding of her heart. So loud that she wondered if the King could hear it as well. Or even the guards outside. Though she knew that was impossible but it almost seemed like it was beating loud enough for such a thing to be possible. The young woman felt light headed but all she could do was stand there, staring up at her King with a rosy blush upon her pale cheeks. Should she say something? Even if she was supposed to say something at a time like this, she could barely think of what it could be.

Soon enough, perhaps too soon, Oberon’s hand slipped from her cheek and returned to a more proper position behind his back. His head then nodded, which snapped Anabella from her daydream like state, knowing that he was about to tell her to leave. Though, his goodbye was more pleasant than simply telling her to be on her way. A small smile appeared on her lips as she herself took a step back, far enough to bow her head lightly to the King in front of her. “Sleep well, your majesty.” She told him softly before heading towards the door, knocking on it lightly to make the guards open it and then headed out towards her bed.

The young maid collapsed on her bed once she had changed into her own night clothes, staring up towards the ceiling as she felt all of her bones decompress from the stress of the day. Her delicate fingers moved up to her lips to touch them softly before rolling onto her side, pulling up the blanket. The King had kissed her. And it wasn’t just any old kiss. It was… Something else. Something special. She had never felt her heart flutter in such a way before. Her eyes closed and she sighed with a small smile, wanting to fall asleep fast so she could wake up for her duties the next morning. Never once would she have thought that she would be excited to wake up and do a job like this.

--

Anabella woke up early the next morning, changed into a fresh uniform and made herself presentable for the King. She ran her fingers through her short locks, messing them up a little like the King had after she had gotten it cut yesterday, and smiled. If anyone could pull off this new hairstyle, it would be her. Long hair definitely suited her much better, in her opinion, but this new style was really starting to grow on her and she kind of liked it now.

She hurried towards the King’s chambers, trying to settle her heart on the way over, and did everything that she was taught to do in the morning. She stood near to his side during breakfast like she had the previously day. Though, Ana tried to avoid any and all contact of any sort with the Queen and it seemed like Oberon was doing the same. Though, the Queen soon got the hint to be silent when the King didn’t answer her. It kind of made Anabella relieved since she really didn’t want to hear any more of the Queen’s wretched voice. It wasn’t until the King was finished with his meal did he speak, informing the Queen about the travel that they would be going on today. Which was the second time she was informed of the trip. Someone had told Ana about it before she had met up with the King in the morning, just so she was informed.

Anabella nodded and followed the King out of the dining room when he had ordered her to, walking close to him as they made their way to the front of the castle. She looked towards the King when he spoke to her about Danica, and Ana nodded. It seemed like a decent choice, even though the Queen didn’t know of the trip until just moments ago. Though, Anabella probably just though it was decent because of the loathing she felt towards the Queen. Either way, she was happy about the King’s decision, somehow knowing that the Queen wouldn’t make it outside on time.

The young maid followed Oberon out to the carriage, getting in after the King had motioned her in, and sat across from him. Her eyes looked towards the carriage door and she tried not to snicker to herself at Sir Wilburn’s tardiness. How unladylike of her to have such thoughts but she really didn’t care all that much. She kept them to herself anyways. Her ice blue eyes turned back to the King and she smiled. “As your wish, your Majesty.” She spoke softly, watching as he got himself comfortable before looking out of the small window in the door of the carriage when they took off.

This was the furthest that Anabella had ever been from home. It was also her first time riding in a carriage. All of these things made her very excited and it was hard to contain her excitement. She didn’t want to wake the King and she certainly didn’t want to engage in any sort of conversation with Sir Wilburn. He would probably kill her excitement like a cat killing its small prey. She just smiled to herself the whole way there, even though it was a long trip. She didn’t terribly mind the distance.

And then they were here, at the Hesse province. The carriage pulled up to the Duke’s palace which almost took her breath away. Such royal and extravagant places in such a short time. It was amazing to her. She followed the King out of the carriage, looking around silently, trying not to be too over the top surprised and amazed. She tried to keep her expression rather neutral, wanting to make a good impression.

Anabella followed the King as they were escorted to the palace’s garden’s and to a table with the cutest and more delicate looking cakes and snacks, with ornate teacups. Everything about this place was wonderful and detailed. It was so beautiful that she felt so small and insignificant in comparison. She stood near to the King as he took a seat with Sir Wilburn before Oberon ordered for another chair. She blinked a few times, looking down at him before the chair was brought and she was ordered to sit. Her eyes widened in slightly surprise before she smiled cheerfully with a nod. “Thank you, your majesty. They do look delicious.” She answered him, sitting down gently but keeping her perfect posture. Her eyes looked quickly to the Duke and Sir Wilburn for a moment before looking back towards the King. It was kind of the same look that those other servant had given her after her haircut yesterday.

Was it really that strange for servants to be treated like human beings by royalty? It didn’t seem right to her. Either way, she tried not to let it bother her too much and waited for the other people to start on the snacks. Though inside, she was starting to feel a little embarrassed with the way Sir Wilburn and the Duke looked at her. Perhaps she would ask the King about it later on.

(( Bah! It was not crappy, it was awesome I hope this one is okay! I think I kinda wrote more then necessary, LoL. Replying to the Bioshock one next ))


Oberon's heart was pounding furiously like war drums within his chest; it echoed in his ears like thunder at the time he slowly pulled away from Ana's lips. He locked eyes with hers, gazing deeply into her icy hues; the look in her eye, the pink flush that touched her cheeks differed from how Danica appeared after a kiss. There was no reaction within his queen aside the faint sparkle of gratitude; however, with Anabella, there was this amount of fluster, this grand surprise and her cheeks painted with a pink hue that obviously told Oberon she had enjoyed the slight peck, even if for a bit.

Oberon held back the urge to smile and stood up straight, his hand slowly slipping from her cheek and made its way behind his back. He rested it against the small of his back as he continued to look into Anabella's eyes. Oberon nodded his head, holding back the lustful impulse to steal another kiss from her--she was far too beautiful not to kiss.

Oberon took a small step back to gain a bit of distance in between Anabella and himself. "I will enjoy seeing you tomorrow," he said to her on his word for her to make her leave. He waited until Anabella did leave his chamber before he turned towards the bed, his hand lifting up to graze his fingertips over his lips. The warmth, taste, and texture remained upon his lips, forevermore.

Oberon glanced to the door then to his bed; he had duties to attend to in the morning, to visit the duke in the neighboring village to discuss political matters. He moved himself to bed and slipped under the already folded back sheets and rested his head upon the pillow. He closed his eyes, licking his lips constantly to taste Anabella over and over again until he had fallen into a deep slumber.

The next morning, Oberon was woken, bathed, and dressed in a militaristic suit before having his breakfast with his queen and accompanied by Anabella. Oberon refused to talk with her this morning, not even listening to her whenever she did speak; after Queen Danica saw that her husband had ignored her first call to him, she decided that it was best not to speak afterwards. When Oberon was finished with his pancakes, eggs, and sausages, he wiped his mouth with his napkin and looked to Danica at long last.

"We are traveling to visit Duke of Hesse. We leave as soon as the carriage is prepared; come Anabella." Oberon stood up, leaving the bewildered queen alone and moved out of the royal dining hall towards the front doors of the castle. He stepped down the stoop and turn towards Anabella, "If my queen doesn't show within a few moments, we take off. It was her fault she wasn't quite prepared."

It was foolish for Oberon to blame it all upon Danica when she had no idea of the circumstances; however, Oberon was king, and kings do not make mistakes.

After the carriage had arrived, Oberon boarded it and motioned Anabella to get in; just before they had closed the door, Sir Wilburn hurried his way down the steps, his face red and sweat trickled to his shirt collar. "Forgive me, your majesty," he apologized for his tardiness and boarded the carriage, taking the seat next to Anabella and across from Oberon.

Once Oberon's adviser and his personal servant was in, Oberon didn't care for anyone else; he ordered the coach to take off. Oberon looked at his pocket watch and nodded his head. "I will take a nap, notify me when we have arrived, Anabella." He leaned against the back of the seat and allowed his head to rest upon the side of the carriage; he drifted off into a sleep a few moments later.

The travel to Hesse province was three hours and they arrived before noon; Oberon had awaken by himself before they reached the palace of Duke of Hesse. He sat up straight, fixing his appearance rather quickly and just in time for the doors of the carriage to open. A knight placed a stool near the carriage and aided the king down; trumpets played to mark his arrival and there was lines of politicians and rich guests there waiting for the king. Everyone had bowed, aside from the Duke of Hesse, who traveled quickly to meet up with the king; he bowed and took his hand to kiss his royal rings before standing.

"Welcome to Hesse, your majesty; I am so pleased you could make it."

Oberon brushed him off before pulling his hand back, "Yes, yes."

Duke of Hesse chanced a glance over the king's shoulder to see only Sir Wilburn and a young, beautiful female, but no queen. "Your majesty, where is the queen if I may ask..?" he did ask so but bowed in the process.

Oberon stepped to the side of the Duke, keeping his chin held high, "She wasted time and I could no longer wait for her."

"Of course, your majesty, of course. This way and we'll start with tea, your majesty."

Just as the Duke said, he escorted the three to the palace's gardens where there was a table already with cakes and crumpets and tea. Oberon took his seat with Sir Wilburn and motioned for another chair; Duke obeyed and had another chair brought forth, though was confused to the reason why another chair was brought.

"Sit, Anabella, Hesse's crumpets are a delight," he said, motioning his hand to the platter of crumpets.

Both Sir Wilburn and the Duke were in shock and disgusted; however, neither had the courage to stand against the king...at least not at this moment.

[OOC: Baaah, it's a crappy reply D: I'm sorry <3]

Before Ana even made it to the edge of the room, the King had motioned her over to him again to set the meal on his desk. After doing so, she was instruction by hand motions to stay near to his chair as he worked. It felt like somewhat of an honor to be able to stand so close to someone with so much power when she was probably one of the lowest ranked people in the country. Just a peasant girl without a home, and yet it seemed to her that Oberon had taken a fondness to her presence. The thought made her heart flutter a little with happiness. Her determination of staying here might have been paying off already. He already seemed like a totally different person then this morning and she was starting to see his good qualities which, to Ana, far outweighed his bad ones.

Though, Ana couldn’t lie to herself, standing there for most of the day did get a little boring with the King’s lecturer droning on for the better part of the day about things that she only vaguely could understand. For most of it she just kept her thoughts to herself and drifted away into the thoughts of stories she had read or her times down in the village. When she thought about the town, she wondered if she would ever see those people again. It would be nice, since she did grow up with most of them. A peculiar thought then passed her mind. The King had never been down to visit the people of the closest village since he officially became King. Maybe it was about time for him to greet his people. Maybe not even as a King if it was too much pressure.

Anabella had to try to keep the small smirk from showing upon her lips. Oh, to get the King away from the castle and his Queen for at least one day would probably do wonders for him, she thought. Perhaps this was a plan that she could figure out and bring up to the King on a later note, when they had become closer. Bringing up on her first day of work would probably not be a smart idea, too much had gone on already today. She would soon bring up the idea to him, maybe at one point when they were both the only ones in his secret room where no one could listen in.

Her thoughts were only shaken when she was sent to fetch his dinner, which he ate while working, similar to what had happened at lunch. After dinner was complete, the time after that seemed to go by like nothing. Anabella was a patient person who didn’t really get fidgety so she really didn’t mind standing there. Except she kept her weight off of her one ankle since it was still a little sore. At least her face wasn’t burning anymore. Or perhaps the pain in her heart when her hair was chopped off had gotten rid of it. Either way, she was glad that two out of the three pains had almost completely vanished, the third almost barely noticeable.

When Sir Wilburn left the room for the night, Anabella sighed softly to herself as the slight tension in the air had completely disappeared with his leaving. Her eyes trailed over to the King as he stood up and she smiled back at him, catching the little glimpse of a smile that he had just given her. The young maid followed after the King quickly as he left, heading towards his bed chambers. The castle halls seemed a little more quiet now, more calm and not as much organized chaos. The clicks from her small heeled shoes seemed to echo through the large hallway.

Anabella followed the King to where her day had really began and smiled a little at Baum’s cheerfulness when they were shut inside the King’s bedroom. She started wondering how long Baum had known the King, since he seemed to be the only one other than her now to actually smile and act happy in Oberon’s presence. The way the King spoke to Baum in return seemed to tell her that they had known each other for quite a while and were more like companions. She waited quietly as the King was changed into his nightclothes, smiling softly to herself in a somewhat tired fashion. She was starting to feel just how tired she was from today’s events as she stood there by herself.

As Baum said his goodnight to Oberon after he was changed out of his day clothes and into his night ones, Anabella took a few steps away from the wall, prepared to do the same. However, she was stopped before she could even open her mouth to bid him farewell. “Yes, your majesty.” She answered him softly as her ears caught the sound of the door being shut after Baum had left. She quickly made her way over to Oberon when he motioned her to and stood at his side.

When the King mentioned that she has had an eventful day, Anabella couldn’t help but close her eyes for a moment with a small smile and a sigh, nodding to him. Her eyes opened again though and she smile faded when he spoke about her hair and her being beautiful again. “Your words are too kind, your majesty.” She spoke softly, deciding not to correct him on the first part yet. She would tell him when the time was right. Or perhaps the Queen would tell him herself, though she highly doubted that.

The feeling of warmth on her cheek had brought her back out of her thoughts and her eyes widened slightly as she King caressed her cheek. The touch made her heart flutter in her chest. Though, when she moved her head to look up towards the King, she suddenly froze. It almost felt as if she was paralyzed but paralyzed with what? A deep blush burned its way onto her pale cheeks as his warm lips pressed softly against her. She wasn’t sure what to do for a moment until Oberon stepped closer to her, their bodies almost touching. Her eyes slowly closed and she kissed him back gently, her heart pounding hard in her chest.

It wasn’t long before both of them pulled away from one another, her ice blue eyes opening to stare at the King in disbelief, leaving her speechless.

((Kyaaaaa~ >w< !!!!!!!!! I definitely fangirl squealed like, ten times when I read your post XD ))