The next day, the palace was buzzing with activities. Servants running left and right looking for things to help decorated the giant stage with.

Akia and Eleanor spent the morning feasting on fruits. When midday came Eleanor was nowhere to be found. That's how Akia found herself helping Mina pick flowers in the garden alone.

"Mina?" Akia asked as she leaned down with the clipper to snap apart a tulip.

"Hmm" the maid hummed carrying her basket of flowers to the other side of the garden.

"Do you ever think about marriage?" Akia asked and Mina nods.

"Sometimes, why?"

"Will you ever get married?" Akia asked knowing that every servant's contract was different. In her home servants can get married and has children but only on the basis that their children will also be servants to their household until they are capable of buying themselves out of the contract. Their compound didn't own slaves, all workers were paid livable wages.

"The decision is the king's alone to make." Mina replies and akia pouted at the indirect answer.

"Lets say, there was this big buff guard, he's like this high" akia said standing up on her tippy toes and holding her hand up above her head.

"And he had like these big muscles

with like really nice plump lips.. oh and very bright green eyes with southern skin. Nice and dark." Akia said and Mina raised a brow.

"Have you been having unholy fantasies my lady?" Mina asked and Akia laughed awkwardly.

"He's not for me, he's for you."

"If you say so my lady."

Akia sighs, " sometimes even if it's for a second i think, this isn't so bad" Akia said and Mina nods.

"I know precisely what you mean."

"How did you come to the palace?" Akia asked cutting yellow tulips.

"My family is not wealthy, they weren't wealthy i should say. Every now and then the king needs additional assistance so he sends people out to bring in more maids, i was one of the volunteers. You know that everyone here isn't a slave right? Some of us are here willingly for the betterment of our families. While i was here the king sent enough money for my father to open a Brewery of his own and now he's making enough money to marry and sustain 7 wives." Mina said, her tone drifting to something dark as she finishes.

"Why doesn't he try to buy you back?" Akia asked and Mina shrugged.

"I'm alright here. The king never ever finishes his food and that means every day for breakfast and dinner. We feast like an actual king. The king, he's pleasant he doesn't request companionship from us as much as the older maids said the rest of his family used to.

They said that his younger brothers used to get girls pregnant as much as they took baths. He doesn't even look at us much less indecently.

It was what I was most worried about coming to the palace, I never really feared keeping my virtue forever. I feared having it ripped from me. I've never been touched by anyone since I came here.

I live well and I see flowers like this everyday. I'm sure life could be better somewhere else, with freedom but I'm okay here."

Akia listened intently clipping flowers.

"You're so pretty Mina, if i was a nobleman I'd be all over you." Akia said and Mina blushed. Her usual pale Cheeks bright red.

"What in the sun goddess's good name are you doing?"

Akia turned around to see the queen, her long red hair was braided and tied on top of her head. She must've been heading to her bath.

Akia and Mina bow. Mina was practically shaking in fear at the look the queen was giving her.

"You let the king's sick woman bend over to pick flowers?" The queen said her tone sinister.

"I'm at fault, my crime is worthy of death-" Mina said getting on her knees in the rocky dirt.

"No wait, stand up-" akia said walking over to Mina to lift her from the ground.

"I insisted, i love flowers, i don't mind picki-"

"Let me see your hands." The queen said and Akia hesitantly walks forward.

Extending her hand with a clenched tight fist to the queen with her head bowed. She knew what she was looking for, her mother had done this multiple times for her not to know what the woman was searching for.

The queen snatches her wrist and looks at akia with a death glare in her eyes. Akia opens her hand and the queen sees it. The tiny beads of blood on her palm from her mishandling of Roses.

"This crime truly is punishable by death. Take her to the dungeon." The queen said dropping akia's hand. Akia gasped and stood in front of Mina who was shaking in fear. The two guards that were walking besides the queen walked over to them attempting to grab Mina.

Akia screamed in protest wrapping her self around Mina as the guards attempt to pull the maid away from her.

"What is going on here? The king asked. His hair also tight in a bun with sheer robes. He was also going for a bath as well it seemed.

"Lady Akialine has wounds on her hands because of this good for nothing maid." The queen explains to the king as akia wrapped Mina even tighter in her arms.

"Let me see." The king said and akia shakes her head. Already knowing how this was going to end.

The royal guards step up at the defiance.

The king shoots them a look and they all back down. The king walks over to Akia and sticks his hand out, opening up his palm. Akia hesitates but places her hand on his.

He turns it around, seeing very little blood.

He pulls up the sleeve of his robe and gently wipes the blood off.

"Be more careful." The king said before placing her hand back down.

"And be thankful that the queen is concerned for your health." The king said and akia sighed in relief.

"Thank you Queen mother." Akia said with a deep bow.

The queen stares at her and then at the king before she left acknowledging that the king had just undermined her command.

"Thank you your majesty, I'll take her in right away." Mina said tears streaming down her eyes. She was sobbing quietly now.

"No, not unless she wants to." The king said and Mina nods.

The king walks away leaving the two girls in the garden.

"How'd I do?" He asked Clast who smiled softly at him. Remember when the king was still a teenager courting the queen who wasn't as much of a lady as she is now.

"You did great your highness." Clast confirmed. Clast watched as the king swayed more in his steps, assuming the little interaction with Akia had made him happy.

"I have a question." Clast said, unsure of whether the king would even permit him an answer.

"Go on."

"Why hasn't Michael been on duty?" Clast asked and the king continued walking.

"I'm not sure, If there's any problem please get the attention of the royal guard commander. Speaking of, I need everyone on duty tomorrow. The palace has to be safe for the pageant."

-

2 Female hunters clad in tight leather shaping around their skin tightly. The outfit was so scandalous, clothing that the rest of the female population would scold and shame them for the attire, clothing that could get some arrested in the smaller villages away from the capital. The two women enter the Kenya household.

Their faces covered by black painted large goat skulls.

Lady Kenya is sat by the fireplace book in hand staring bleakly at the page.

"Lady Kenya, your guest have arrived." A servant said ushering the two scary masked women into seats.

"You called upon us?" One of the women asked and Lady Kenya dropped her book.

"it's about The Stone." Lady Kenya explained.

"You said it was in a safe place." One of the woman growled.

"It was." Lady Kenya said and the women stilled.

"The Stone was inside me for a very long time to avoid detection from witches. I gave birth to two children who came out without it. The last child, she carried the Stone. I tried to protect her to keep her close. The stone safe but the king just-"

One of the woman wrapped their hand into a tight fist and lady Kenya quickly wrapped her hand around her neck gasping for air. Her Light eyes almost pop out of her head as she continues to suffocate.

"You are telling me.. that the only weapon we have against the king is laying next to him every night." The woman said twisting her wrist just to here the sound of lady Kenya's neck bone crack.

Unimaginable pain surged through her body, she quivers unable to make much of a sound.

"Lessandria stop it." The other woman said and the woman with the twisted tight fist unclenches her fist and puts her hand up straight.

Lady Kenya gasped for air, massaging her sore aching neck.

"The child, is she still at the palace?" The woman next to Lessandria asked.

"Yes yes, but she's pregnant. Pregnant with the sun king."

Lessandria wrapped her index and middle finger together and lady Kenya's neck falls. Her head hands low unnaturally.

"The sun king might adapt to the stone. Might steal its powers. We must retrieve it now." Lessandria said.

"Killing the girl should stop the adapt-"

The woman stands up, attempts to walk out the door. Stepping on something as she does. She picks up the piece of paper.

' THE KING'S PAGEANT' she reads.

"It's decided then Akia Kenya must die."

"Welcome to the palace Pageant. The king has created a befitting title and present for one winner. The king grant the winner, the title of 'the face of the sun'. The king will proceed to take the pageant winner as the wife of the kingdom. they will be provided housing in the palace and have the honor of being in very close quarters with the queen. The winner will be the star fire lighter at the sun festival this year aswell as also having the king choose a husband chosen for them, when the time is appropriate. The King will also grant this winner, 1 wish. Anything you desire." The royal jester said to a crowd of beautiful woman in fancy dresses waiting for entrance to the palace.

Akia and Eleanor peeked out from behind a wall.

"You can totally win against those girls." Eleanor said and Akia's brow hitched.

"Um have you seen her?" Akia said pointing towards an eastern girl in the crowd.

She wasn't dressed in a fancy dress like the rest of the girls.

Instead she was in a beautifully decorated black Silk robe that was tied elegantly in the middle.

"She looks more like a He to me." Eleanor said and akia frowned.

"Don't be so rude Eleanor."

"I say that knowing for a fact that they're definitely going to win."