"My love, what are you doing?" Luca asked in a low voice. He knew exactly what she was up to and he was furious but he had to contain his anger in front of her.
Alia froze hearing the voice that called her my love. Knowing that only one man here had the guts to do so and that man was going to be angry as ever with her leaving the room, she tensed up, her shoulders retreating into her body as she slowly turned around. Met with a pair of piercing blue eyes, she slowly spoke, "ummmmm, nothinggggg," drawing out her words while trying to put on an innocent face.
"Really? I could have sworn it looked like my Queen was washing some dishes?" Luca teased back. Her childishness had tempered the anger ever so slightly but only as a bandage not a cure.
She shrugged her shoulders and stayed silent, staring at her shuffling feet.
He sighed. Cupping his hand under her chin so that her "Alia, my love, why were you doing the dishes? You're the Queen, such tasks are beneath you." He spoke softly, but firmly, trying to be gentle but let her know that he was serious about his stance. She would never be doing this sort of work again.
"But I used them, I'm supposed to clean them. That's how it works." Alia whispered.
"That may have been the case before, Alia. But not anymore. You should never be doing these things. And to make sure that it doesn't happen again, every slave present here will be punished severely." Luca turned back to stare at the trembling crowd. "Fifty lashes for every slave and seventy for the one who dared to show the Queen disrespect!" He boomed.
"What? No!" Alia cried. "Your Highness, I swear I won't do this again, leave them be, please! It's my fault, they asked me not to!" She collapsed to the floor, crying.
"I'm sorry, my love, but it doesn't matter. They knew better and they failed in to obey their King. They're lucky I'm not punishing them for allowing you to come into the kitchen and search for food. It should have already been ready to go. And my heart, it's Luca, not your Highness." Luca grabbed her gently by the arms and lifted her up off the ground. "Shhh," he said as he stroked her hair gently, holding her close to his chest. She continued to sob and shivered in fear.
What the hell had she gotten herself into?
As if he was reading her mind, Luca responded, "I know you're scared, my angel, but one day you'll realize everything I do is for you." Hearing him only made her sob harder. He lifted her up into his arms bridal style and held a sobbing Alia close to his chest. "We will be returning to our bedroom. You three, bring whatever the Queen wished to eat and some water to the room immediately. The rest of you, report to the dungeons for your punishment. Except for you- you are the slave that disrespected the Queen- are you not?"
"My King, please forgive me! I did not know it was the Queen." The man collapsed on the floor, his hands clasped in front of him, as he repeatedly kowtowed and begged for mercy.
Luca ignored his pleas and continued, "I will administer your punishment myself. You will spend every night for the next month serving your Queen and her every whim."
Luca ignored the tap he felt at his chest. He knew Alia wasn't happy about his decision, but this was about setting an example. No longer could he allow anyone to disrespect her, nor could he allow her to determine the punishments of his slaves. They were getting out of hand and he needed his iron fist back. He turned on his heels and began walking towards their room, gently whispering to Alia who was still sobbing and tapping away.
As he got closer to the room, he got curious. Based on what the slave at the door had told him, Liam and the other guards went with Alia because she didn't want to sleep. But why couldn't she sleep? "Alia, sweetheart, why couldn't you sleep?"
Alia said nothing. If she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of asking for her music then, she certainly wasn't going to now. He could figure it out himself, if he cared. Luca sighed as cradled her, continuing with their walk. When they reached the bedroom, the man standing at the door, opened the door and then turned into a deep bow.
Luca walked in and placed Alia on the bed. She immediately turned over to face the side opposite of Luca's couch. He chuckled as he shook his head. "Is my Queen upset with me? Let's play our game, shall we?" He grabbed her hand and she tapped it.
"You're not upset with me?" He raised one eyebrow.
Alia was infuriated but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of telling him so she stopped responding. She felt humiliated and embarrassed at his actions, almost wishing she could find it in herself to scream at him. But since she couldn't, she would give him the cold shoulder. She shuffled to the edge of the bed furthest away from Luca.
He frowned at her action- she shouldn't be that upset- it wasn't like he ordered their deaths. Luca gently leaned over so that his lips were near Alia's upturned ear, "Sleep well, my love. I'm sorry you're upset with me but it's all because of how much I love you. Soon, you will understand." She clamped her eyes shut, not giving him the satisfaction of her response. She felt the bed shift as his weight came off the bed and heard the sofa creak as laid on it. Moments later, a light snore filled the air- he was asleep.
Lying awake, Alia turned so that she was staring at the ceiling. With the moonlight coming from the balcony doors, Alia could see the intricate designs on the ceiling shaped in hexagonal tiles- each individual tile design unique across the entire ceiling. If this hadn't been her captor's bedroom, she may have been awestruck.
With each moment passing by, Alia felt the exhaustion and what was most likely a strong sugar crash force her body to sleep.
The next morning she awoke to the sounds of birds chirping and water pounding against the windows. Luca was still fast asleep, last night's activities had kept him awake for quite some time even though he had made snoring sounds to make Alia calm enough to fall asleep.
Alia wordlessly slipped out of bed and into the bathroom. Fortunately, since Luca was in the room, there were no other people present. She secured the door closed with a tight knot from her scout days and stepped into the shower. Allowing herself to breathe deeply and relax under the cascade, she began to think about all she had seen and experienced over the past 4 days. This man, whom she had never met before, kidnapped her to make her his Queen. He was ruthless towards those that worked fit him yet when it came to get, he was desperate to get her to love him. She was in charge but could only do things that he approved of and apparently that list didn't include cleaning or leaving this place. It was confusing and quite overwhelming.
BANG! BANG! "Alia, my love! Are you in there? Are you well?" Alia could hear the panic in Luca's voice and she was terrified. Please don't break the door, please don't break the door, she prayed.
"I'm fine! Just taking a shower!" She yelled back. She hoped that this would hold him off long enough for her to rush out of the shower and get dressed. It did and the banging was paused.
After quickly getting dressed, Alia undid the knot and opened the door, stepping into the bedroom to behold quite the scene. Luca was seated on the couch yelling at the three people kneeling before him. "What good are you three if my Queen has to do everything herself? I thought I told you to be here as soon as she wakes!"
Alia frowned, listening to Luca. How would they know if they were outside the room? What the hell was Luca talking about? She pondered how to point the obvious flaw in his logic while he was already furious. Praying for a solution, ingenuity hit Alia. She didn't have to confront him, she could distract him. But with what? Scanning the room, she came across the perfect idea! Slowly making her way to the bedroom door, Alia moved to grab the door handle.
"My love, what are you doing?" She heard Luca call from behind her. His anger evident all over his face made his soft voice even more oddly placed.
Alia whimpered in response. She knew that with her not responding verbally, Luca would be forced to pay more attention to her. That would hopefully save these people from more punishment.
Shaking his head, Luca moved to stand up. "My love, we have to get past this. We have to find a way for you to communicate with me. Would you feel more comfortable if you could write it down? Or what if you could whisper it to a slave who would tell me? My sweet, my love, how can I gain the pleasure of hearing your voice?"
Alia stayed silent as Luca came to grasp her hands. "My sweet, are you talking to me again?" Squeeze followed by a tap.
"Yes and no?" Alia nodded quickly in response.
"Are you hungry? Is that why you were leaving the room?" Squeeze. It was actually to distract him but he didn't need to know that.
"Would you like pancakes for breakfast?" Tap.
"Waffles?" Tap.
"Cereal?" Squeeze.
"What kind?" Alia shrugged her shoulders. It depended on what the had. Luca smiled though- he had found out that her favorite cereals were Fruit Loops and Cocoa Puffs and had already had them brought in.
"Cocoa Puffs?" Big squeeze. Alia was ecstatic! She loved Cocoa Puffs but hadn't been able to buy them in years. None of her local grocery stores sold them after the shift. SHe looked up at Luca and gave him the largest smile he could muster. That smile made Luca's heart melt- he would do anything for that smile, hopefully she would learn that soon.
"You slaves heard her- you go get your Queen exactly what she desires breakfast. The rest of you stay here for your..."
Luca was interrupted by a tapping Alia. "Yes, my heart?" He asked.
Alia whispered a quick sentence, so quick and rushed that all Luca could hear was sounds. "What, my love? Luca questioned. She repeated herself in the same rushed, quiet tone.
Sighing, Luca gently scolded her, "Alia, sweetheart, I can't understand a word you're saying. I know you can talk, please just tell me."
"I want to go to the garden," Alia spoke, after taking a deep breath in and calming herself.
Her statement made Luca frown, it was raining and cold outside today. But he had promised his Queen whatever she wanted in the castle so it he would find a way to fulfill her desire.
After all, she was his Queen, his everything.