SMITTEN

"How did your day go?" King Leandro asked her with his usual deep voice. 

He was not moving from where he was, nor glancing at her while she was at his side. 

Her face went pallid white as her hands went clammy. 

"Where would I start?" Aisha thought while blinking rapidly, thinking about what transpired the whole day. 

"Will I tell him how I was able to escape the Castle the second time? And how did I meet Lord Lycano again in the Market Town?"

A sudden gust of wind seemed to send shivers down Aisha's spine. "No way! That would not do!"

Aisha decided to skip some parts of the story, so she would not add to the King's stressful day, especially now that he was already winding down. 

"I was curious to know more about Spelta, so I searched around. And I found out about Riso," Aisha told him in the most nonchalant way possible..

To emphasize that she just had a normal day, she went to the waters and played with it with her hand. 

As she did so, her eyes caught on something that she shouldn't have seen.

Her eyes bulged open as she realized what it was. She has never seen one, but it was definitely big!

"Leave us," King Leandro ordered the servants who were also there at that time. 

The servants immediately complied and bowed down to them before leaving the room. 

Aisha drew in a deep breath and gulped to moisten her parched throat. 

"Sh*t, I told you, Aisha, you should've stayed outside!" Aisha scolded herself under her breath. 

She was fanning her face with her hands as she paced back and forth, not even casting a glance on the King, scared that she might see it again.

Now that they were alone, the King must have had extra boldness as he turned back with a sly smile on his face, "Did you like what you see?" 

"See? I didn't see anything!" Aisha replied immediately as her eyes frantically darted elsewhere.

"Then maintain your innocence. Close your eyes," King Leandro commanded before standing up from where he was, completely naked from head to foot

"Uh, oh, oh," Aisha immediately dashed away with her flailing hands, not knowing what to do. Without even thinking, she went to a nearby huge vase and hid behind it. 

A soft chuckle escaped from King Leandro's lips. "You're really a ray of sunshine, Lady Aisha."

He then donned on a soft furry robe and closed it with a tie. "Forgive me if you have to see me in this way," He continued to say, "I am too weary to stand up earlier. As you were saying?"

Aisha heaved out a sigh of relief. Her wobbly legs finally found the strength to stand up. 

She slowly peeked from behind the vase and saw that the King was now covered and waiting for her to come out.

She didn't know if she was disappointed or glad. But the situation was now more relaxing than before. 

She quickly jumped out from her hiding hole and grinned from ear to ear. 

"Rice, I mean Riso, is a staple food in my country. If you grow more of its kind, you can have an alternative to Spelta," Aisha proudly said in a cheerful demeanor.

Her body swayed from side to side with her hands behind her back. 

King Leandro's eyes went wide in excitement as he heard Aisha's news. It seemed like it somehow has helped alleviate his stress, which was what Aisha was after. 

"Riso crops needed a hot and humid climate. It is best suited to regions that have high humidity, prolonged sunshine, and an assured supply of water. I think the Southeastern Lands are perfect for that," King Leandro thought out loud as he gazed up.

"But tell me, my lady. How have you encountered Riso? I believe the Castle doesn't have them because we get our ripe fruits and vegetables straight from Market Town. Not unless -" King Leandro paused mid-sentence and faced Aisha. 

His excited reaction turned into a frown as his amaranthine eyes bore into hers in search of answers.

Aisha's elbows unconsciously pressed to her side as she felt rooted to the spot.

She could recall how the King banished the Gatekeepers just because they had missed checking on her.

He might do it again to the current ones if he learned about it. But what would she say? She may have managed to lift his mood. But he still had a bad day.

Aisha decided not to tell him the truth and made an excuse. 

"I learned it in the Athenaeum, while I was studying with Master Aurelius," she smiled with her fingers crossed behind her back.

Her feet slowly scuffled backward, unconsciously. She knew herself. She's not a good liar. 

"Why don't you continue to do your thing, your Majesty? I only came here to tell you that. I'm sorry to disturb you. I will be leaving now," Aisha stuttered before bowing down.

The servants seemed to be waiting outside for them to finish their conversation. Aisha was about to go out so that they could come in when King Leandro spoke again. 

"For a minute, my lady," he said, making Aisha tilt back. 

As she did so, she didn't realize that King Leandro was already standing near her. 

"I want to thank you for your help on behalf of all Gaea. The Great Theos would certainly be pleased," he bowed down to her in acknowledgment.

Aisha's head bobbed in a nod as her lips lifted in a smile. She was supposed to be happy that he was being a good King to Gaea. 

But she recalled what Lord Lycano said about him. He wasn't capable of loving anyone because of his greed for power.

Could it perhaps be true? Was he really just living for the throne and pleasing the Great Theos, who is probably their God in this land?

At that time, King Leandro was gazing at her intently, perhaps wondering what was going on in her mind. 

He drew nearer to her and asked, "Is anything troubling you, my lady?"

"Maybe it's too early to tell," Aisha concluded. Still, she didn't want to get her hopes up.

Aisha's lips lifted, even though they didn't reach her eyes.

"Nothing, your Majesty. I'm glad to be of service," she bowed down to him. "Thank you also for allowing me to stay in Gaea when I lost my home," she smiled sincerely.

It really was one of the reasons why she wanted to help. She could've been swallowed up by the wrath of the sea. And killed by the Gaean creatures, who thought of her as harm if it weren't for him.

Those words must have struck something in King Leandro, that he suddenly went soft on her.

"I am more glad that you came to Gaea. You have given me back hope," He uttered as he gazed at her with warmth in his eyes.

Aisha swallowed hard as her eyes gazed at him. He seemed to be sincere. 

But she couldn't help but recall the legend of the Chosen One, where he has no offspring to pass on the throne unless the Chosen One would bear it. 

Was he perhaps talking about that? Or he really is just talking about the issue with the scarcity of Spelta?

She felt like her lungs were getting more constricted. It would burst if she wouldn't release the negative vibes. She decided to ask straight away.

"By hope, you mean that the Gaeans will not starve? Or that you could produce a child, your Majesty?"

She asked it in the nicest voice possible, hoping that the King would not get a hint that she was negatively thinking of him.

"I think it would be both," he finally answered. 

"With the solution that you have offered, the Gaeans would continue living in peace, without needing to fight to survive. And with your presence, I could finally have peace about the next in line to the throne," King Leandro added.

That is a nice answer. He would have won first place if there was a contest for the kingship of Gaea. 

He is really the best-suited King of Gaea. No wonder the Great Theos chose him. He seemed to have pure intentions for his people.

"I just wish that Lord Lycano was just bluffing. I wish he would desire something else than being a great king. Something like love," Aisha mused while gazing at him.

The reason why she didn't want to bear a child was that she was afraid that her children might not experience the love that she had longed for from her parents. 

If they can't have it from her, they could have at least a loving father. But now that he was having this conversation with the King, she wondered if that would possibly happen now.

Thinking about it, Aisha decided to ask him straight.

"Have you ever loved someone, your Majesty?" She asked all of a sudden, making King Leandro's eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

His foot stepped backward, putting more distance between them. His face slightly grimaced at her question.

"That's out of the blue, my lady. Maybe we can talk about it some other time. You may go back to your Chamber now," his voice suddenly went cold as his body tilted away.

His response lifted Lord Lycano's statement in the weighing scale of truth, making Aisha sigh heavily.

She was about to turn her back when she recalled another reason why she was there.

"Your majesty, I also just want to ask for your permission to hold a tea party tomorrow afternoon, if you don't mind," she asked. 

The King gave her a crisp nod and walked back to the pool.

But before she goes, Aisha couldn't help but blurt out. "Maybe you should open your heart not just to the Gaean people, but yourself too, your Majesty. Good night."

*********

A woman who opens her heart to love you when it's already broken is braver than any person you'll meet. The same goes with a man.