A Fairy Tale for Big Girls – 2. chapter

He sat and watched the dancers thoughtfully. His eyes drifted to the ladies’ table. More precisely, to Lili. Martin had seated her there and placed guards beside her. That was unusual. No other woman here was staying against her will.

“My lord,” Elena interrupted his thoughts. She had been his favored companion these past months. He glanced at her as she settled at his feet.
“Shall I come to you tonight, my lord?” she asked obligingly.
“No.”
She frowned.
“And where will that thief sleep?” Her voice turned unpleasant.
“That is none of your concern,” he replied dryly.
Her frown deepened, but she quickly changed tactics.
“You are right, my lord. As always. You know best…”

Mark listened to Elena’s sweet talk with only half an ear. He liked it when women fawned over him, but tonight it openly irritated him. His gaze returned to Lili. She was not conversing much. She seemed more interested in her surroundings. Too interested. When she glanced again toward the guards, he understood where this was headed.
He beckoned Martin closer and whispered something to him. Both men looked toward Lili. Then Mark turned back to Elena.

A moment later, he realized Lili was watching him. He turned to her, expecting her to look away and try to seem inconspicuous. But he was wrong. She was smiling at him and beckoning him over with a tilt of her head. Surprised, he shaped a silent question with his lips. She gestured toward the dancers and smiled again, mischief flickering in her eyes. He blinked in disbelief, looked at the dancers, then back at her. A broad smile spread across his face. He hesitated, unsure whether her gesture was charming or insolent. He did not decide. He rose. Elena fell silent and stared at him in disbelief. He ignored her entirely and walked toward Lili. She stood at once, giving him time to take her in. They had dressed her in a blue gown. Her light hair had been arranged into an intricate style. Her large eyes stood out along with her flawless skin, and when she smiled, perfect teeth showed.
Too pretty for a wanderer, the thought crossed his mind as he stopped before her.

She dipped into a gentle bow.
“Your Majesty.”
“Is that how one invites a king to dance?” he scolded in pretense.
“Perhaps,” she said with a playful smile. “You are here.”
For a moment he simply enjoyed the brightness of her face. Then he placed a hand to his chest and inclined his head.
“May I?”
She offered him her hand.
“It would be my pleasure, Your Majesty.”
He led her among the dancers, and they joined in.
“You do know,” he said as they drew close in the turns, “that it is custom for men to ask.”
“I’ll tell you a secret, Your Majesty,” she said with a wink. “I’m a prisoner. How I behave hardly matters.”
He smiled again.
“Good heavens,” she added suddenly, “does Elena have any prettier looks than the ones she keeps giving me?”
He laughed.
“You are stealing her pond.”
“I am not the one who shares your bed.”
“Not yet.”
“What if I don’t want to?”
“That is not for you to decide.”
“I can refuse.”
“I will take you by force if I want to.”
“And do you want to?”
He hesitated. He liked this mood of hers. Light. Mischievous.
“Perhaps not,” he said. “But patience has never been my virtue.”
“Then how much time do I have to run?”
She smiled, and he frowned.
“I would advise against it,” he said quietly. “You would fail. And once you do, my tolerance ends.”
“One day I will succeed. Sooner or later.”
He did not answer. She changed the subject instead.
“Why isn’t Elena dancing with you, when I bother her so much?”
“She would never dare what you have,” he replied. “Incidentally, very wisely.”
“Why don’t you invite her?”
He had no desire to explain that he spent time with women only in bed.
“I actually don’t dance,” he said instead. “This is an exception.”
“You do it well.”
“Who taught you?”
Her smile faded. She did not answer.
“Is it not time,” he continued, “that you tell me who you are?”
“…I’m tired. I’d like to sit down,” she said softly. She stopped.
He hesitated, displeased, then offered his arm and escorted her back to the table.

“Is it normal for His Majesty to escort a prisoner?” she asked as she sat.
He braced one hand on the table, the other on the back of her chair.
“About as normal as dancing with her,” he said. “Will I have my answer now?”
“…I can’t tell you who I am.”
He studied her for a moment, then nodded and turned away.
“Be mindful of my patience,” he said over his shoulder as he returned to his seat.

As he sat, he caught the anger on Elena’s face and dismissed her at once.
“I cannot remember the last time I saw you dance,” Martin murmured, leaning toward him.
Mark said nothing. He watched Elena sit down in a huff, immediately surrounded by other women. He shifted his attention back to the room. On his next glance, Elena was gesturing wildly, clearly furious and ranting indignantly. Someone handed her a goblet of wine. Mark frowned. He had seen those insanely yellow gowns earlier. Yes. Definitely. When they had gone to the privy with Lili. He searched for the second woman who had gone with her and found her. But not Lili.
“Close the gate!” he shouted to Martin and leapt to his feet.

He rushed into the corridor through the door he had seen the small thief enter. Straight ahead to the privy, then right. He knew these passages well. She did not. He avoided the routes that led nowhere. She would have wasted time there. While she had to move carefully to avoid attention, he ran. He repeated that to himself around every corner where he failed to find her.
It felt like an eternity before he spotted her. She stood with her back pressed to the wall, peering around a corner. He heard the guards’ footsteps too as she pulled back and waited. He stopped at the far end of the short corridor. She did not see him. As the clanking men appeared and began to pass Lili, he clapped his hands sharply. Everyone startled. The guards filled the passage at once, blocking its entire width. Lili turned toward him, exhaled loudly, and leaned back against the wall in defeat.

She watched him approach intimidatingly, dread tightening her breath. He stopped a step away and pinned her with his gaze.
“I warned you.”
He seized her shoulder and dragged her back to the hall. She did not speak. She barely resisted.
He pushed her into Martin’s grasp and, once seated, ordered,
“Have her prepared for the night. And strengthen the guard outside my chamber.”
She did not look at him even then as Martin dragged her away.