Akia watches with stars in her eyes as a group of beautiful girls walked in a straight line, they were being instructed by the court lady.

Eleanor was in the group of girls, Akia always though Eleanor was beautiful but next to most of the most prettiest girls in the kingdom she looked like a gem.

They were meant to keep good posture and poise as they walked, Akia has been doing that since she was able to stand. The only time her back bent before this was when she first started growing breast.

She had trouble balancing herself. Her breast weren't huge on any count but they had appeared so suddenly, taking her from someone who had been laughed at for having 'mosquitoes bites' to someone who now needed a corset to straighten her back.

Akia loved her body, she had to after all the time she took taking care of it. She picked, pounded and roasted the seeds to make her own shea butter. She did this on her own, without being able to read, without any useful strength or tactic like her older siblings.

Her mother had just mentioned her grandmother being obsessed with some kind of oil that came from some nuts she found in the backyard. Akia figured the rest on her own.

Her skin was soft before she used it having already been using a plethora of skin milks and oils. But the shea butter brought it to a whole other level.

Her hair which was always big and really hard to manage unless fully soaked and moisturized benefited greatly. The maid who was tasked with making sure Akia's hair was presentable was stunned by the ease in manipulating Akia's hair.

Akia always offered it to as many people as she could. Figured they needed a miracle in their lives as well.

Akia looks over and sees the queen. They's a very large green umbrella over her head being held by 3 maids. The queen is dressed in a beautiful emerald green dress decorated by white pearls.

She wonders why she couldn't be queen.

There were a lot of things Akia did that most people wouldn't notice. Although Akia was practically imprisoned in her home she still had hobbies. Hobbies she mastered over time. She may not know how to read but she knew how to suck out the venomous bite of a snake. She knew how silk was made and how to go about it herself. She knew how to harvest and how to plant as well as advanced training in recognizing flowers and medical plants.

"Join us." Eleanor mouthed.

"Can't, I'm fat." Akia mouthed back patting her stomach.

Her dress was pressed tightly around her sides and any sudden movements and the zipper on the back was going to pop right off.

She knows now that she's only going to get bigger. She just wished the royal tailor knew it too.

Akia walked passed the girls and into the garden. She looks down the fort over the garden, she leans down to see the king training.

He looks extremely pissed off today. His hair is out of his hold and he's shirtless and in leather pants. The other knights are in full uniform. The king isn't even wearing his crown. A swordsman was holding it as if it was a new born baby.

The king successfully beats his competition, even bruised a guard. Akia could feel his aggression coursing through her veins. Wondered if it was because of last night.

She couldn't help but wonder if they king hated her. She knows she's not supposed to care, she wanted to be the queen mother so she could put him in his place. So she wouldn't have to care.

This was all messed up, this wasn't what she wanted at all.

"What are you doing here?" The king asked and she jumps. Backing away from his sweaty muscular body that she couldn't stop herself from staring at.

"I wanted to see the garden." She said with a curt bow.

"Don't come here while I'm training again." He said voice was sharp.

"Why not?, the view is quite impressive." She said and just like that she feels a shift in the air. The smell of the king, something polished, clean and all man is replaced by something rotten.

Akia knows he was admitting it from the way his fist clenched.

His anger at her was only increasing.

"You will be moved to the concubine's chambers on the other side of the palace." The king said. The concubines chambers were dull but very well kept. The king never chose a concubine so the place was home to the old king's concubines who had aided in their King's abdication.

They were older women, older than Akia but close to the King's age.

"I don't want to g-go." Akia's confidence was lost and she felt like she was going to throw up on herself.

"I don't believe I asked."

"I'm not going to go." Akia said voice stern.

"You know I could make you right?!, you know I can make you do anything I want."

"You couldn't make me like you or forgive you. So I'm sorry that I doubt that you have any actual power over me." Akia words only worsen the smell in the air. It went from selling like something had rotten to the intense suffocating scent of rusty metal.

She choked on the air.

Before she knew it she was placed over the stone railing. She's being held over the wall, her body strained over the Stone with heavy hands on her neck.

She was shaking with fear.

"You must really crave death. You want the honor of dying from my hands?!, Sure." The king was ready to toss her over the edge when Clast and Michael show up holding his folded robes.

"YOUR MAJESTY!" Clast yelled dropping the King's robes to the ground.

He drops to his knees.

"Forgive her my king, please she's just a child." He's tears eyed. He knows the king could kill her now and nothing, nothing at all would happen to him.

Michael's nose twitches, he's immediately angry once he catches the scent of metal and the rotting.

The king turns to Clast, eyes a soulless black.

"You move her into the concubine house, tomorrow. Let tonight be the last I lay eyes on her." His words were venomous but oh was Clast grateful.

"Thank you for your mercy, your majesty."

The king drops Akia, leaving her gasping for air. With a purple bruise rapidly forming on her neck. Not only that but Akia's stomach was killing her.

The king walks passed the two men.

Lifts his hands up and takes out a gold bracelet from his wrist wrapping his hair up in a bun.

Clast carries Akia back to his chambers. He stops when Akia pleads.

She bends over to the ground and retches. Nothing comes out but she can't stop.

"Here, Eat this." Michael says handing her a small red root.

Akia wolfs it down and the need to throw up stops almost instantaneously. But the pain doesn't leave her stomach.

"Why'd you leave the king?" Clast exclaimed.

"I think he can handle himself."

Akia thanks him silently before climbing on Clast's back.

He sings to her as he carries her home.

A song their mother used to sing to her when she was young. Akia cries in pain, she's in so much pain.

Michael follows behind her, assessing her body. He's looking right through into her body. He's looking for the point of illness, he's making sure the sun king isn't the cost, he makes sure he's well.

The pain didn't seem to be a side affect of her pregnancy or her body really. Michael is confused by the physical symptoms she's experiencing without any physical cause so he continues looking.

It's while he's looking through her that he noticed a small gem embedded deep into the sun King's pre-formed skull. A tiny yellow gem that sure as hell didn't belong there.

Michael doesn't know what it is but he knows that it's not supposed to be there.

When Clast lays Akia down in her bed, he leaves. Michael follows behind him when he hears sniffling before he knows it the boy is full on sobbing.

He stands there awkwardly watching as the boy collapsed into the ground once more with his head in his hands.

"You're right, I fucking did this to her. It's all my fault." He says voice soft and trembling.

"I know it's your fault." Michael said stoically and Clast chuckled softly at the almost comedic lack of sympathy in the taller man's voice.

"But you can not go back in time so you can not change it."

"Thanks for the pep talk buddy, this is really helping." Clast said sarcastically.

"You didn't let me finish. You can't erase your mistakes but you can lessen their effect. Go pack your sister's dresses. I'll get the jewelry. We will move her into the concubines quarters as was requested from us. She'll be far away from the king and we will take turns making sure she isn't alone there."

Clast was in awe. Michael had never said those many words at once and nothing that compassionate.

"Have witches gotten to you?"

"No. But a grown man is crying in front of me with snort getting ready to drip down from his nostrils." Michael said leaning in. Clast's breath picks up as Michael's palm inches closer to his cheek.

Clast wants to lean into the touch but he's frozen. Michael pinched his cheek.

"Don't blame yourself and cry. Blame yourself and do better." Michael said and a small smile adorns his face. The first one Clast had ever seen from him.

"Now wipe your tears. You'll both be punished if you're seen crying."

"Right I'm sorry."

They enter the chambers. Akia has stopped crying, she is sat up and She's rubbing her belly quietly.

"Akia, what'd you do to make him so angry?" Clast asked voice soft.

"I'm going to make my claim to the title of queen mother tonight." Akia said.

Clast swallowed, "what?, he'll kill you."

"Let him. Let everyone see the monster that he is. If I die and my son lives he'll know what kind of man his father was."