Time slowly drifted by, the weather grew colder and fall seemed to have finally arrived. The incident now behind them, Maya devoted herself to her new duty and found out it was not as strenuous as it first appeared to be. The new workers Dexter hired for her turned out to be super helpful and she soon saw vast improvements in the quality of her work. Glad with the results, she was much happier and the tense air that seemed to have settled around her gradually lifted.

Thanks to the punishment meted out to the nobles by the king, the atmosphere in the castle seemed to be stilted. Everyone seemed to be walking on eggshells around the king, afraid he would lash out on them but ran to seek favor from the Queen. Maya found it the whole situation amusing.

Their relationship still remained the same. Unfortunately Maya was yet to tell him about the knight who had visited her a while back and it was beginning to weigh on her mind. Dexter too seemed to have something on his mind as well as occasionally she caught him lost in thought. Though she wondered what was wrong, she didn't press, not wanting to bother him.

Fall had already arrived and the lush green trees of the summer had faded to to their golden glory. Though the sun was high in the sky, it did nothing to warm up the cold, arid air. Maya was in her office, staring out at the view. Already bored from staying indoors for too long, she decided to go on a walk.

Her hands maids who were never far dressed her in clothes suitable for the weather and she started out to the garden. In these past few days she'd grown closer to them and they've also warmed up to her.

As Maya stepped into the garden, her eyes scanned everywhere. Fallen leaves filled everywhere and workers were hard at work on clearing them all up. Maya spent some time there lounging around before deciding to venture outside. She wanted to go to the lake Dexter had taken her before.

She turned to her handmaids. "Do you think I can go outside of castle?" She asked. They glanced at each other, nodding affirmatively. "Well, of course your majesty. But you would need a knight accompanying us."

" I don't mind." Maya replied.

" Okay, then I shall make the preparations." Claire said, stepping forward. " Would you like to go on a carriage?" she asked.

" That won't be necessary. I would prefer to walk." She answered. Claire nodded, and hurried out of the garden. Moments later, she arrived to tell her that everything had been prepared.

After confirming that they've told the King, they began their walk outside the castle. These days have been so peaceful, she'd almost forgotten that she was once treated like dirt. She took in a deep breath, rubbing her cold palms together in an attempt to warm it up. She gently strolled around,taking in the scenery, her handmaids and knights not far behind.

It may be because they rode their earlier, but the lake seemed much farther than she had anticipated . "How much farther?" She asked Olivia who was behind her. The young maid glanced at her and smiled." Not much farther your highness."

She nodded, looking forward. She'd only taken a few steps when something unexpected happened. It happened too quickly, Maya could barely keep up. Someone shot tiny arrows at her handmaids, causing them to slump to the ground, completely out. A hooded figure dropped down from the trees and knocked her knights put as well, shooting them with the same tiny arrows. Maya's heart began pounding, her body shaking with fear.

She was about to scream when the hooded figure motioned for her to keep quiet. Maya swallowed her screech, holding Olivia protectively against her." Who are you? And what do you want!" She screamed at the intruder, glaring defiantly at him.

He pulled down his hood, revealing his face. It was none other than Nicholas and he had come to seek her out again. Maya stood there, stunned.

" Your highness." He said, going down on one knee in front of her. " I apologise for meeting you like this, but it was the only way I could think of." He said, his voice solemn.

Maya couldn't figure out what was going on, so she backed. " Why are you here? Why did you seek me out like this? Don't you realize this a a foolhardy thing to do!"

" I wanted to talk to you. We didn't get the chance to speak earlier." He said, referring to the time at the garden. He walked closer to her. On closer inspection, Maya noticed just how terrible he looked. His clothes were dirty, dark circles underneath his eyes, and he looked haunted with his parched lips and overgrown hair.

" You've not told the King about me, have you?" He asked, slightly alarmed.

Maya shook her head. " No, but I just might. Why are you here?"

" I don't have much time. So I'll say what I want to say quickly." He took in a deep breath, staring at her. " Gegoria has fallen into a dire state, your highness. Since the attack, the kingdom has collapsed. We've found it really hard to live and some of us are fearing for our lives. Everyone is starving and the soldiers surrounding our borders has made it impossible for us to trade. Not to mention the killings as well."

Maya who had been unaware of all of this, just stared at him blankly. "Killings?" She repeated.

" Yes, your highness. Just recently did the king of Madonia that everyone who worked in the palace should be killed. There's a search on my head as I'm speaking to you."

" You're wanted?"

" Yes, your highness. King Dexter is a monster, your highness. I can only imagine how terrible it must be for you." He stated passionately. " It's why I've come to seek you out so I can save you from him.

Terrible? Me? Maya was sure he was mistaken. " The king has been nothing but kind to me." Maya revealed quietly. " I'm sure you're mistaken." She added firmly.

It was Nicholas turn to be shocked. " That's impossible, your highness. That man has no kindness bone in his body. He's ruthless!"

"Are you sure it's the same king were talking about?" Maya asked, genuinely confused.

" Of course it is. He's the one who broke into our kingdom and kidnapped you, is he not?"

He didn't kidnap me, Maya started to say but Olivia stirred in her hands, so did Claire. All of their attention quickly turned to the waking maids. Nicholas saw the action and quickly wore his hood. " I can't stay much longer, your highness. I'll find a way to make us meet again.", Turning back to her. " I promise to get you away from him."

He hurriedly pulled off the arrows from their bodies. Climbing to one of trees, she watched as he escaped. The knight that had accompanied them, finally regained consciousness and sprang to his feet, panting heavily. " Are you alright, your majesty?" He asked. Maya nodded, still shocked.

"What happened?" Olivia asked when she saw she was being cradled by the queen. Claire looked around, fixing a worried gaze on the Queen.

"Oh, you fainted. So did Claire." Maya replied.

Olivia hurriedly stood up to her feet, and Maya followed suit, straightening her dress. " B-but how is that possible?"

" I have no idea." Maya replied. She turned to look at them. " I changed my mind. Let's go back to the palace." She said and started out first, leaving them behind. As she walked back, she couldn't help the questions swirling in her mind. What the hell just happened?

.

.

.

By the time she arrived in the palace, Maya was as confused as hell. She immediately headed to her chambers where she spent a great deal of time thinking about what she learnt. Gegoria was in a deplorable state and has the only living Royal, she should have been concerned about it but it had been at the back of mind for far too long. The thought made her feel ashamed. Although she tried to justify herself by saying it never felt like a home to her, it did nothing to alleviate the guilt that had taken a hold on her.

Dexter also seemed to be lost in his thoughts as well when he came to see her that evening. They had eaten and settled on the bed, holding each other. Pushing her worries to the back of her mind, she decided to ask him what's wrong. He glanced at her, then shrugged, his eyes darkening. "There's someone I have been looking for for quite some time now. I'm yet to find him."

"Is he a threat?" Maya asked, slightly worried.

Dexter worked his jaw. "He could be. Anyway, I need to find him. He's been running around for far too long."

"Oh, I wish you good luck." She muttered, laying against his chest. He began caressing his hair. Shebl let out a sigh, closing her eyes.

"What about you? You also seemed to be thinking about something. Is someone bothering you?" He asked, his chest rumbling.

"No. Nobody is. Actually, someone I know came to see me." She replied.

" Who is it?" Dexter asked.

"Oh, a knight I know from Gegoria." She answered. She felt Dexter stiffen, his hands pausing in her hair.

"Did you say, a knight?" He asked, his voice strained. Maya pulled away to stare at him, a brow raised.

" Yes, his name is Nicholas." She replied.

Dexter's eyes slowly widened as he stared at her. He gripped her shoulders, holding her firmly. " Where did you see him?" He asked, his voice suddenly serious.

Maya was startled by the sudden change in his demeanor. She couldn't understand why he was reacting this way. She was lost for words.

" Where did you see him?" He repeated again when he saw she wasn't answering.

" Just outside of the palace. When I went on walk today." She said. Dexter jumped out of the bed, hurriedly putting on his robe. " Guards!!" He yelled, his voice angry. The door burst open and a guard cms e rushing in. He immediately bowed on sight.

" You called on me your majesty." He announced.

"Get Geoffrey for me." He ordered. The guard nodded and hurried out of his chambers, closing the door behind him.

Maya just stared at him, utterly confused. " What's going on?" She asked, also getting out of the bed.

" Nothing you need to be concerned about." He answered, running a hand through his hair. It took a while but a knock came on the door and at Dexter's approval, a burly man dressed in ceremonial wears, strode in.

" You called on me, your majesty." He answered, his voice calm.

" Get a handful of your soldiers and scour the palace surroundings. That's where our target is hiding. You have to be capture him today." He stated. Geoffrey looked confused as to where he got the information but did what was told him anyway. He bowed once more. " Yes, your majesty." He said and walked out of the room.

Maya has never seen him this way so it worried her. " Why did you give that order?" She asked. Dexter didn't answer, just paced around the room. Then it clicked. "Wait, Is he the one you're looking for?" She muttered, her eyes widening. " Why?"

"Because I have to." He answered.

Maya waved it off. " That aside, what's going on in Gegoria?"

Dexter paused, staring at her. "What did he tell you?" He asked, walking up to her, his icy gaze directed at her.

"What did he tell me?!" Maya repeated incredulously. "What's this I hear about your killings?"

"He told you that?"

"He told me that!!"

" It's none of your business." He stated coldly.

" It's none of my— it's all of my business, Dexter. I need to know what's going on. What have you been doing? Just because I never asked about Gegoria doesn't mean you should go and do whatever you want! He literally called you a monster!" Then she froze. "Wait, are you going to kill him?"

"Maybe?" He murmured, glaring at her.

" I didn't ask you to!" Maya stressed, frustrated. Dexter just stared at her, his mouth gaping open. He looked sincerely shocked.

Maya groaned, facepalming herself. " I can't deal with this right now. When you finally capture him, just put him in a dungeon. You're not allowed to do anything to him until I've spoken to him, do you understand?" She stated.

Dexter opened his mouth as if to say something but snapped it shut, his eyes narrowing, lips pursed." I'm going to sleep. Good night!" She climbed into the bed, pulling the covers over as she curled up a defensive position.

Dexter watched her. Stupefied. What just happened?