FALDREY

It had been two months since he was taken into this foreign castle, in this foreign land. After taking over a month to fully recuperate, Faldrey barely spoke but he observed quite beautifully.

He spent a month in a servant bed-chamber at the far end of the servant's quarters, getting regular visits from the person he took to be the healer of this tribe. But the healer couldn't heal him as quickly and efficiently as the healers of his tribe would, Faldrey then realised he was no healer. He was just some medical personnel without healing abilities.

He had only two very regular guests during this period of time; the medical personnel, who always brought with him bitter herbs, mixtures and new casts for his wounds, and the the servant girl who brought food for him at the appropriate time.

One of these guests became someone Faldrey started looking forward to their visits, the servant girl who Faldrey found out her name to be Aphrodite. She'd randomly started a conversation with him one faithful evening she brought him his dinner. Since then they'd been talking and they gradually became friends. She was a nice Dakyre from the Green Stoichi Tribe and just like Faldrey, she was reserved as replenishment for the Mage when the time was due.

The wooden door to his quite eerily dark room creaked open, revealing a beaming Aphrodite with a tray.

"Dinner," she announced, placing the tray on the wooden stool, the only other thing in the room except the small sized iron bed with a poorly layered mattress.

Faldrey opened his eyes, a smile forming on his lips when he saw who it was.

"Aphrodite." He muttered, sitting up on his bed.

"Mhmm," she hummed, sitting beside him and squeezing the thigh close to her. "How're you feeling now?"

"Not like a dead person anymore, that's for sure," Faldrey joked.

Despite being through all that hardship, Faldrey still had his gleeful boy spirit. He claimed it would take a lot more to break him. The uncanny voice of the Mage who tried rummaging through his memories flashed through his thoughts, carrying the words; his spirit is broken.

Faldrey's spirit was not broken, it was far from being broken. But his trust in everyone else was. The only person he could imagine himself putting his trust in was Aphrodite, but then everyone would find Aphrodite trustworthy.

He was surrounded by Fire Dakyres, hell, he was in the very heart of their land; the castle of the Tal Dane. It was expected of Faldrey to be apprehensive. His prayer was answered so maybe, just maybe, Zaal hadn't forsaken him. He hadn't been feeling his Stoichi flow lately but he brushed it off, guising it behind the fact that he just bounced back from a near death experience.

Aphrodite was the only person he'd said complete sentences to since he was taken into the castle.

"That's a good thing, because the Young Mistress ordered you commence your maid servant duties tomorrow. She complains to have waited too long already."

Faldrey stared at her bright green eyes, which still achieved its glow despite the dim room which was lit by only an inferior candle stick.

"She calls you 'her prize'," Aphrodite quoted the Young Mistress.

"Oh," Faldrey felt a pang of sadness but he brushed it aside. "So that means today is the last day of my royal life experience. No more beautiful servant girl to bring me my food," he smirked at Aphrodite who blushed a bit.

"I could continue serving you after you leave here, if you like." She coiled a few strands of her silky, coral red hair around her index finger timidly, while avoiding Faldrey's gaze.

"Really?" He grinned, leaning forward to see her face.

"But for a price," she added. Turning to meet Faldrey's hazel coloured eyes with her shimmering green ones.

"Oh shoot, I keep forgetting everything has a price in the Red Stoichi Tribe." He moaned, feigning disappointment.

"I'm getting a bit scared." She mentioned after they'd stopped laughing.

"Why's that?" Faldrey had begun to eat.

"I met the Young Tal Dane on my way here, he was leaving the servant's quarters. This is about the twelfth time I'm seeing him around here if I'm not mistaken and trust me I'm often not mistaken."

"Why does that scare you?"

"He never ventured towards this part of the castle before you came along. Crawling crickets, he never even visited the kitchen, now he's a frequent visitor there." Aphrodite rambled on.

"You still haven't told me why you're scared about this." Faldrey held the hot plate of soup up against his mouth and took a noisy sip.

"I put one and two together and I feel he might be watching you."

Faldrey choked.

Taking a huge gulp of water to soothe his throat and abate the burning sensation the peppery soup induced.

"Goodness you're so easily scared! Calm down," Aphrodite rubbed his back, "let's just hope I'm wrong this time. Even if I'm right, we don't know the reason he might be watching you for."

Faldrey had an idea of why the Young Tal Dane might be watching him, deep down in his heart. The depths he'd long locked up and made a firm decision to keep locked. He remembered the way the Young Tal Dane spoke when he was presented to them by the Flame Breather guards. The strangely familiar concern in his voice.

Brushing all these thoughts aside, Faldrey had more issues to worry about. Like that fact he was beginning the works of a maid tomorrow, despite being a boy. He remembered how the Young Mistress had commented on his long hair, saying how she would love him to be one of her maid servants.

"You'll be fine." Aphrodite squeezed his lap, bringing him out of his head and back to reality.

You'll be fine.

A wave of nostalgia washed over him as his mother's melodic voice echoed indistinctively in his head.

"Indeed, I will be. We will be," a genuine, sad smile formed on his lips.

"I never got your name, you haven't told me all this while." Aphrodite stared fixated at Faldrey.

"I haven't?" Faldrey replied, shocked that he hadn't told her his name up till this point in their friendship.

"I swear on the sacred Mustard Tree."

"My name is Fal-" he stopped, thinking to himself for a while.

Faldrey was dead. Faldrey had died alongside his entire family. Faldrey died while being locked up in that dungeon cell for three weeks without food or water, hovering over the thin blurred line between realms before eventually crossing over, and someone else who promised to keep Faldrey's strong spirit alive and well took over.

"Byron. My name is Byron." He met Aphrodite's green eyes which still seemed to glitter even in the darkness.

There was a short pause between them, but Faldrey didn't know the reason behind it. She just fell mute. The next thing he knew she was leaning in closer, puckering her lips into a kiss with her eyes closed.

"Aphrodite?" Faldrey furrowed his eyebrows at her.

He just sat there unfazed, his face holding a vague expression.

Aphrodite stopped halfway. Opening her eyes only for her to meet Faldrey's frown.

"Bollocks, I'm sorry." She shot up from the bed, nervously fixing her apron. "I should be going now, I've spent so much time here with you. I don't want to cause any problems for any of us." She spoke hastily, looking everywhere but at Faldrey.

"Okay?" He muttered, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I'll come later for the plates, goodbye Byron." She took only two regular steps from the bed and was already at the door. The whole room was just about six steps from wall to wall. "Oh and welcome to Metsumi's maid servants cult in advance." With that she opened the door and left.

Faldrey looked at his food with sudden displease. He'd lost appetite, but not because Aphrodite had tried to kiss him. He felt not even the slightest ripple of pleasure as she tried to, and he did not have the luxury to sit around wondering why that was so.

Forcing the rest of the food down his throat because that was all he was going to get, he laid back down on the bed. His thoughts keeping him fully agile.

His life in the castle was to begin tomorrow, he wasn't sure if he was ready for the wave of events that were surely bound to occur.