49 La Guarida del Rey

The King's Lair

It has been a year. Karl is like the seasons. Ever changing. He can woke up with a breath of sunshine and smile at her. And later go to sleep like an iceberg in the dark waters of the ocean.

Kristine has been able to adapt like a still water. No matter how Karl treat her for the moment, she will adjust herself. She is the mistress, he the master. She can't leave this place, so she accepted her fate. Just that sometimes, loneliness will consume her. He still hasn't told her what became of her family. Are they still alive? Sometimes, her fears would manifest itself in her dreams and she will wake up in the middle of the night crying.

It would upset Karl, and he would leave her for a few days. But most of the year, he was here. What she noticed was, when he is angry he would leave. He never once hit her. When he comes back, he treats her coldly. She would serve him as he wanted until her handsome king would smile again. Before he left her as upset as he came.

He is so temperamental, sometimes she wanted to give up. But that is not a choice for her. Even if she does, where would she go? She's not a child to throw tantrums, besides she doesn't want to test his patience. At the very least, she is thankful that when they do it, it feels like lovemaking. Not sex. He's never violated her.

There must be a pressing matter with The Order, as it had been three days since he had gone. She finished cleaning the whole house, changing sheets, and today she will attend to the garden. Already accustomed to living a commoner's life. If not for her faerie genes, her hands might be roughened with the work she does everyday.

Aside from the flower garden she so loved, she has also started a vegetable patch not far away from the house. Maybe mother nature still knows her even when she is stripped off her magic. As her patch grows abundant with lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, pumpkin, melons and even strawberries! She didn't notice that it had gotten so big until Karl pointed it out.

"Am I starving you?" He was never away more than a week, he can't leave her side for too long no matter how angry he gets. But he always made sure the fridge is fully stocked, including Japanese ingredients.

That day, Kristine look up to him confused, before she answered no.

"Why do you plant so much food?" Surely she can't finish all of these! It's enough to feed a whole orphanage alright!

Her eyes went from his face back to her vegetables. "I didn't know it would grow like that." She said a little shy. Well, not able to use magic she wasn't even sure that the plants would live.

"Should I change the name of this place from the King's Lair to King's Farm?" He teased her. It was one of those days he woke up at the right side of the bed. And her cheeks blushed furiously. He bent and hugged her thighs, in a beat she was lifted off her feet.

She put her hands in his shoulders to steady herself. And Karl look up to the woman he imprisoned for himself. The bright sun behind her, her beautiful face looking down on him.

If she would only love him, and be contentedly happy with him, and not dream of that stupid lover she have outside. The thought will make him mad and as he did every time, he would leave.

As she work on her plants, Kristine sighed. Three days ago when he left he wasn't angry. So either something happened at the island or The Order called him back. He never tells her what happens outside. This confused her a lot. He could atleast say something right? Afterall, what can she do?

But when she asked him, he went berserk. So she didn't try asking him again. Also, when she was having dreams, or when she is sad for whatever reason, he would get upset. So she tries her best to hide her sadness. Only that she has no control over her dreams.

She wipe a bead of sweat on her forehead, and stand up. She realized that the sun is already high and it's rays hurt already. But suddenly she felt dizzy. Her body made a half turn before it hit the ground below her as darkness consumed her senses.