To Love, Once Again

"That was well done."

Icaros quips to Sera as he lopes along to match her quick pace. Sera nods as she makes her way towards the kitchens, holding the bundle of varying shades of hair in her fist.

"It's the environment that shapes a person. They were brave for coming to me for help."

Sighing, she unties the pale golden ribbon that tied her hair up in a simple bun, letting her chocolate brown hair sweep over her shoulders.

"I guess that's true. I wouldn't have been a knight if I hadn't been born into my House. I might be a baker, or a mercenary, maybe a dressmaker.."

Sera's eyes that were beginning to grow dull from Icaros' droning widens as she laughs in surprise. "You, a dressmaker? I can't even imagine."

Icaros waggles his long fingers. "Why not? I'm a connoisseur of the womanly form. It would be the perfect profession for me."

"Oh, please"

With a dramatic flair, he looks around and puts a finger to his lips. "Don't tell anyone I said that. If the King gets word of our conversation, he'll try and murder me again."

Icaros puts his hands around his throat in a choking motion.

The maids gasp in sync, as if they believed the King would truly murder Icaros because of his jokes.

"Lucien wouldn't do that! He cares for you, though he doesn't like to show it"

Sera remembered the fondness in Lucien's gaze as he recounted stories of young Icaros trying to 'brighten up' the stoic young Lucien. It was usually Lucien solemnly obliging after Icaros' pleas to go out became impossible to ignore. Icaros had gotten the two into all sorts of trouble in their youth....But there'd been a slight pain in Lucien's eyes when Sera asked what his royal parents thought about all his shenanigans. When Icaros pestered Lucien into a swimming competition in a pond, after a heavy rainfall, they'd nearly drowned together. 'Father and mother... they didn't care. But Icaros' parents...They'd canceled all their appointments to come pick him up.'

After hearing those words, Sera had decided then not to ask Lucien about his parents all too much. In the past, it was clear that the relationship Lucien had with his parents was still a very raw wound.

"Not as much as he cares for you, M'lady. He'd even recognized you in your strange getup!" Icaros grinned a wide smile at Sera.

Sera hid her laughter by looking down to tie the strands of hair together with the braid.

"M'lady"

Hilda increases her pace so she walks just behind Sera down the halls. Icaros, ignoring the stern expression on Hilda's face, continues to wave his fingers, this time moving his hands as if he was tracing a woman's waist. A few maids titter as Hilda stares at him with dead-fish eyes.

Sera smiles over her shoulder. "Yes, Hilda?" Icaros' charm wasn't strong enough to overcome the block of ice that was Hilda.

"His Majesty has requested me to inquire whether you would like your things moved to the Garden Cottage."

"What things?"

"Understood, M'Lady.

Sending a sharp look to the giggling maids accompanying Sera, Hilda issues her orders. "Send a maid when Lady Sera is ready to visit her chambers."

Fawn meekly curtseys, casting her eyes upon the ground."Yes, Miss Hilda."

"Miss Hilda?" Sera calls out to Hilda's retreating back.

"Hilda is fine, M'lady."

"Hilda. I only need Fawn to accompany me. I'm more comfortable going around with a smaller entourage."

Fawn perks her head up like her namesake, hiding a grin. But her twitching lips were giving her away. Sera smiles as she watches the maid next to Fawn elbow her in the side, making Fawn fix her impression before Hilda's hawk glare swept over her.

Hilda doesn't bother hiding her look of distaste. "Lady Sera, I would like to say it is highly inappropriate for one of your status to float around the castle without any maids."

"I'm alright. I'll have Fawn and Icaros to accompany me. Icaros is the Captain of the Guard. I'm sure he'll be able to keep me quite safe."

Sera gives the side-eye to Icaros, who tenses his shoulders. "Won't you, Icaros?"

"Miss Hilda, I can assure you she'll be safe with me."

Though Hilda knits her lips together in a disapproving manner, she nods, finally acquiescing.

"Girls, come away." With the strictness of an army sergeant, Hilda gestures at the maids to follow behind her.

"""Yes, Miss Hilda."""

Sera sighs in relief as she's finally left in the stone hall with just Icaros and Fawn, though servants come and go, passing her curious gazes. "Finally.."

She didn't need a whole retinue of maids and knights trailing behind her. It felt weird knowing they were listening to every word of her exchange. Sera much preferred having close, quality relationships with people.

As they move towards the kitchens, Sera is surprised as every footman and maid bows to her as they pass by. Word sure went around quickly in the castle.

Feeling the gazes of the servants, Sera focuses on keeping her head high and posture straight. If people wanted to watch her go by, she wanted to at least look good while they looked.

"My Queen?"

"Yes, Fawn?" Fawn fiddles with her fingers as she walks slightly behind Sera.

"I know it's presumptuous of me to ask... but...If you have some time...."

Fawn blushes as Sera waits for her response. She was glad the Queen was looking straight ahead and not seeing how nervous she was.

"Yes?"

Fawn's fingers creep up to her mouth as if she was going to chew on her nails but she pulls her hands down again. "M....May I bring my brother to see you? I-I told him I worked with you for a day as a maid and he really wants to meet you.."

Icaros cuts in. "My Queen, I'll advise you not to-"

Glancing behind her and seeing the red-faced Fawn, Sera gives her a reassuring smile.

"It's alright. Your brother, you said? Why does he want to meet me?"

Fawn puffs out her chest in pride. "Yes, my younger brother's like me. My older sister, Anais, told us both so many stories about you in the Great War. It was both our dream to meet you! He's a squire now, with a dream of becoming a knight!"

"A squire? What's his name?" Icaros asks.

"Aaron, Captain, sir."

They were finally at the entrance to the kitchens, where a flurry of servants constantly streamed in and out of. Giving a deep sigh, Sera continues forward. Would the cooks treat her any differently now, like the other servants had been doing? She'd quite enjoyed their busy company when she'd come to pick up Lucien's lunch trays...

The wood door creaks as Sera pulls on the side door to the kitchens. Loud noises of banging pots and pans and voices calling out to each other resound from the other side of the door.

Another person walked out at the same time she'd tried to enter, making her bump her nose on a hard chest.

"Well hello there, Mother of Leo" In a sing song tone, the low hoarse voice greets her.

Rubbing her nose, Sera stares up as the red-haired man nonchalantly biting into a roll of bread, slinging a bulging sack behind one shoulder. He'd called her by her title, so she would respond in kind.

"Hello, Dorne the Honorless."

She holds her head up tall as she responds. Sera was not going to show any fear to him. Men like Dorne seemed to feed on fear. There was no way she was going to let a psycho like him feel like he had the upper hand.

"Your Majesty" Icaros, who'd been smiling like an idiot as he'd continued to joke around was quick to resume a air of professionalism. Pulling Sera back and putting himself between Sera and Dorne, he glares at the man who'd once aimed for the Throne.