7:34AM, Friday
"The End." The woman says patting the small child's hair, "I don't like that," the child said slipping farther under his blankets, afraid of what will come out from under him if he looked. "It's okay darling, I'll protect you," the woman says groggily.
"You promise," he says showing one of his eyes, "I promise," she says smiling towards him. The room was dark, only one window emitting the tiniest bit of sunlight.
The woman pulled the chair back to his bed and picked him up, he sat in her lap and wrapped his tiny body around her torso. "I love you" she chuckled, "I love you too Clay." She replied holding him tighter
As he drifted off to sleep, she drifted off into thought.
This was the prince of a strong country, the first born, he is to be raised to lead his country ruthlessly but she knew he wasn't going to be able to do that. He wasn't the same as his siblings, he liked the sweetest parts in life.
He already started his training at just 6 years old, she was worried for him, his parents could tell he was really struggling but refused to find a better way to teach him.
The soft snores of Clay kept her in deep thoughts, she looked down and smiled at him, she had 1 hour a day in here with him, she decided to take that chance and drift off to sleep with him.
_______________________________
By age 7 he was already mastering to hide his emotions, not showing them unless the woman was in his presence. To him she was the only person that didn't judge, the only person who didn't see him as the assassin his parents were making him.
At age 7 he was already aware of the faults and corruption in his nation, and that is what the woman hated, she wanted to see him grow and experience childhood but this country and these people took it away from him.
She went to the King and Queen almost everyday begging and pleading them to let him have a break until he was 13, enough time for him to get his childhood back. But every time they refused and got their advisors to do their dirty work and beat her.
They whipped her back, until the bone was showing, as each swing hit her she tried to hide her pain but she didn't care, their healers were some of her closest friends and always helped her get back to stable enough condition to take care of Clay.
She didn't care if it was only enough to bathe him, or to dress him, or to teach him, she was determined for this boy to experience a childhood and not grow up as fast as she did.
Clay was thankful for her, sometimes he heard her get hit, and sometimes he heard her beg them to stop. He was more than grateful.
Even though he appreciated the effort, he always asked her to stop because he hated seeing her wince whenever she carried him, he was innocent in a lot of ways and still enjoyed the sweeter things in life but, he couldn't experience them in his position and he knew that.
He basically lived in a jail cell, hidden away with the rest of his siblings because of their parents fear of their deaths, scared that their enemies will hurt them or worse.
Alone again in his cell, he laid on his bed and listened to the white noise, he was trapped, waiting for the woman to come back and take him to do whatever was next, he was told never to leave the room without her.
His room was a normal size, compared to the other palace rooms this was small but he didn't mind. The bed was decent size and the only things he had were weights and a bookshelf. He wasn't a fan of reading and all the books he was given he read, he didn't particularly like them, he wanted happy endings and none of them provided that.
He looked towards the window and jumped up, he grabbed onto the cold and lonely bar and pulled himself up. He put his legs on either side of it and watched as the orange sky turned black.
The woman never came back to read him his book, he sighed out of boredom and hopped off of the window. "Where is she," he thought and walked to the door.
He stopped before opening it, "A couple seconds won't hurt," he said slowly opening the door. He squeezed through it before the door made its signature creak. He looked both ways before taking a left and heading towards the maid quarter.
He got on his tiptoes and opened this door, when it fully opened he saw the wide eyes of all the maids. He tilted his head before looking for his favorite person, he asked the other maids where she was and each response was different.
Sighing in defeat (after asking 5 of them) he heads back to his room. He was basically gliding from how fast he was running back to his room.
As he walking in letting the door creak he saw two people turn around, they glared at him. He froze in his spot not expecting his parents to be in his room, "Where have you been," his mother says pinching his arm.
He snaps out of the trance and doesn't answer her, "Answer your mother," his father says. He tried but nothing came out his mouth. "You're getting punished for this," she says grabbing his arm and dragging him out of his room.
The word punishment was harsh for Clay, it wasn't just a couple day locked in his room, it was almost the equivalent to what happens to the maids but as his parents describe it as 'easier.'
He hated that word, nothing he goes through is easy, unless he is with the woman, she makes things easier.
As loud shouts and screams are heard throughout the palace, the woman winces as she hears them, even though she was only a few minutes late that was all that it took but, she couldn't help this time. They threatened to throw her out and she couldn't leave Clay's side, she knew what they would do once she left.
She needed to heal herself and then she will fight harder for him, she won't let him go.
"You promise," he says showing one of his eyes, "I promise," she says smiling towards him. The room was dark, only one window emitting the tiniest bit of sunlight.
The woman pulled the chair back to his bed and picked him up, he sat in her lap and wrapped his tiny body around her torso. "I love you" she chuckled, "I love you too Clay." She replied holding him tighter
As he drifted off to sleep, she drifted off into thought.
This was the prince of a strong country, the first born, he is to be raised to lead his country ruthlessly but she knew he wasn't going to be able to do that. He wasn't the same as his siblings, he liked the sweetest parts in life.
He already started his training at just 6 years old, she was worried for him, his parents could tell he was really struggling but refused to find a better way to teach him.
The soft snores of Clay kept her in deep thoughts, she looked down and smiled at him, she had 1 hour a day in here with him, she decided to take that chance and drift off to sleep with him.
_______________________________
By age 7 he was already mastering to hide his emotions, not showing them unless the woman was in his presence. To him she was the only person that didn't judge, the only person who didn't see him as the assassin his parents were making him.
At age 7 he was already aware of the faults and corruption in his nation, and that is what the woman hated, she wanted to see him grow and experience childhood but this country and these people took it away from him.
She went to the King and Queen almost everyday begging and pleading them to let him have a break until he was 13, enough time for him to get his childhood back. But every time they refused and got their advisors to do their dirty work and beat her.
They whipped her back, until the bone was showing, as each swing hit her she tried to hide her pain but she didn't care, their healers were some of her closest friends and always helped her get back to stable enough condition to take care of Clay.
She didn't care if it was only enough to bathe him, or to dress him, or to teach him, she was determined for this boy to experience a childhood and not grow up as fast as she did.
Clay was thankful for her, sometimes he heard her get hit, and sometimes he heard her beg them to stop. He was more than grateful.
Even though he appreciated the effort, he always asked her to stop because he hated seeing her wince whenever she carried him, he was innocent in a lot of ways and still enjoyed the sweeter things in life but, he couldn't experience them in his position and he knew that.
He basically lived in a jail cell, hidden away with the rest of his siblings because of their parents fear of their deaths, scared that their enemies will hurt them or worse.
Alone again in his cell, he laid on his bed and listened to the white noise, he was trapped, waiting for the woman to come back and take him to do whatever was next, he was told never to leave the room without her.
His room was a normal size, compared to the other palace rooms this was small but he didn't mind. The bed was decent size and the only things he had were weights and a bookshelf. He wasn't a fan of reading and all the books he was given he read, he didn't particularly like them, he wanted happy endings and none of them provided that.
He looked towards the window and jumped up, he grabbed onto the cold and lonely bar and pulled himself up. He put his legs on either side of it and watched as the orange sky turned black.
The woman never came back to read him his book, he sighed out of boredom and hopped off of the window. "Where is she," he thought and walked to the door.
He stopped before opening it, "A couple seconds won't hurt," he said slowly opening the door. He squeezed through it before the door made its signature creak. He looked both ways before taking a left and heading towards the maid quarter.
He got on his tiptoes and opened this door, when it fully opened he saw the wide eyes of all the maids. He tilted his head before looking for his favorite person, he asked the other maids where she was and each response was different.
Sighing in defeat (after asking 5 of them) he heads back to his room. He was basically gliding from how fast he was running back to his room.
As he walking in letting the door creak he saw two people turn around, they glared at him. He froze in his spot not expecting his parents to be in his room, "Where have you been," his mother says pinching his arm.
He snaps out of the trance and doesn't answer her, "Answer your mother," his father says. He tried but nothing came out his mouth. "You're getting punished for this," she says grabbing his arm and dragging him out of his room.
The word punishment was harsh for Clay, it wasn't just a couple day locked in his room, it was almost the equivalent to what happens to the maids but as his parents describe it as 'easier.'
He hated that word, nothing he goes through is easy, unless he is with the woman, she makes things easier.
As loud shouts and screams are heard throughout the palace, the woman winces as she hears them, even though she was only a few minutes late that was all that it took but, she couldn't help this time. They threatened to throw her out and she couldn't leave Clay's side, she knew what they would do once she left.
She needed to heal herself and then she will fight harder for him, she won't let him go.
