#adalois

     A gust of icy winter air greeted Adalois when she stepped into the castle courtyard. Shivering, she curled her fingers more tightly around the handle of the empty bucket she held. She had never been fond of fetching pails of water during the frigid season;  the water from the well always found its way to her hands, making the bite of the cold wind all the more uncomfortable.

     I ought to hurry, she thought. Her bare fingers were already beginning to feel numb, no thanks to the constant blasts of air.

     Despite the undesirable temperatures, the serving girl’s spirits were not as low as they normally were when she needed to go out into the cold. Someone new had come to reside in the castle that day, and Adalois had been assigned the job of being her servant. Typically, the king showed hospitality towards new knights and magicians arriving from Rulica City, or towards travelers who came from far and wide. But the newcomer was none of these things; in fact, from what Adalois could tell at first glance, her rank in society could not have been any higher than that of a commoner.

     However, looks could be deceiving. The visitor, while she had been in a rough state after having been lost in the forest for a night, had the ability to summon flames at her will. Adalois thought that she had used magic when flames burst forth from her hands, but not a single word of the ancient language had left the strange girl’s mouth.

     Adalois found the girl’s power to be frightening. But she could not let it show; she would be ashamed of herself if she came off as ill-mannered to the king’s guest. She did not seem like a bad person, after all, regardless of the destructive element she held at her command.

     Yes, she thought as the well drew nearer. I will treat her with as much respect and openness that I can offer.

     Adalois hooked the bucket to the well’s pulley, rotated the nearby lever, and watched as the bucket descended into the depths of the hole. After hearing water rush into the wooden pail, she retrieved it. She momentarily held her breath before grasping the bucket’s dripping handle, as if to brace herself for the discomfort her hands were about to experience.

     Before she made her hasty retreat back to the warmth of the castle, new sounds reached her ears. She paused and turned her heard towards the source of the noise.

     After listening for a few moments, she realized that it was merely a group of knights having a conversation, although from where Adalois stood, most of their words were unintelligible. Every so often, she heard laughter.

     The girl was not fond of eavesdropping, but the knights sounded rather cheerful. Curiosity got the best of her. She placed the bucket on the ground, and, wiping her wet hands on her apron, peered around the wall that obstructed her view.

     Her heart rate quickened.

     The first face she saw was that of a knight she had never seen before. He seemed quite young in comparison to most of the knights she saw, but he appeared to be close to Prince Acestrin’s age. His hair was a sandy color, and his eyes, alight with hilarity, were blue like the sky. He was taller than a few of his fellow knights, though he was also slenderer. The warmth in his smile could melt the snow at his feet.

     Oh my.

     Adalois, blushing as red as a wildflower, gulped and hastily pulled back behind the wall out of fear that she would be seen. But as she did so, her foot nudged the bucket. It went toppling to the ground, spilling its contents. It began to roll into the view of the knights.

     “Oh, no!” she exclaimed in a whisper. She went to grab the pail, but it was too late. It rolled down the slightly sloped ground and disappeared from view.

     Well, so much for staying hidden.

     Adalois could not do much but remain rooted where she stood, with her back to the wall and hands clasped tightly together. I should not have spied. What if they grow angry with me? she fretted.

     Or, worse yet, what if that handsome knight approached her?

     The servant had very little experience when it came to interacting with men, let alone knights. Adalois judged that the likelihood of her tripping over her own tongue while talking to the striking young knight was precariously high. There were very few things she feared more than humiliating herself in front of the upper class.

     A few seconds ticked by. No one came.

     She sighed deeply. Do not be a fool, Adalois, she chastised herself. Retrieve the bucket.

     Adalois turned. Her first steps were sluggish and forced, but after feeling a much-needed burst of willpower, she took on a more hurried pace.

     She nearly collided with the young knight, who held the empty bucket in his hands.

     “Pardon me, my lady,” he said, taking a step back to ensure the girl had enough space.

     Adalois, now incredibly flustered, looked up at the tall knight. Her cheeks once again grew warm. “I’m sorry. I seem to be very clumsy today.”

     She felt butterflies in her stomach when he smiled again. “I take it this is yours, then?” he asked, extending the wooden container towards her.

     Adalois managed a nervous smile as she grasped the bucket by the handle. “Yes, thank you.”

     The knight peered at her closely for a moment, appearing to be deep in thought. “Tell me,” he began. “Has His Majesty resorted to recruiting princesses as serving girls?”

     It took a few seconds for Adalois to grasp the meaning of his question. Realization hit her like an ocean wave, causing her to blush even deeper. She laughed lightly and shook her head. “Thankfully not,” she replied. “I’m far from a princess.”

     He nodded, but he did not appear convinced. “May I ask for your name?”

     “Adalois,” she answered. Her stomach was no longer doing flips inside her, but something was causing her to feel somewhat lightheaded. She almost felt as though she was standing on clouds.

     “Adalois,” the sandy-haired knight repeated. “A ravishing name for a ravishing girl. My name is Falvon.”

     Adalois smirked. She was by no means a flirtatious person, but she felt a strange need to counter the knight’s advances. “A fetching name for a fetching knight.”

     Falvon laughed. “Am I fetching, my lady?”

     Try as she might, she still could not control the red flush in her cheeks. “Perhaps,” she said with a grin.

     The servant and the knight gazed at each other in contented silence. The seconds that ticked by felt more like minutes. Adalois felt strange emotions welling up deep within her; there was a strange sensation in the very center of her chest that warmed her from head to toe in spite of the freezing air. She had never felt it before, so she could not tell exactly what it was.

     It was not uncomfortable. Somehow, it felt… right.Adalois was abruptly dragged back to reality when she felt the weight of the bucket pulling at her left hand. She had still not completed her task. “I’m afraid I’ve kept you for too long, Falvon. I must return to my duties.”

     “Of course,” he said. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”

     “Likewise,” Adalois murmured.

     Falvon then reached for her free hand and placed a kiss atop it, causing the butterflies to reappear in Adalois’s stomach. “My lady.”

     He offered her one last smile, and then turned and walked away.

     Adalois found it difficult to wrench her gaze from the knight as he left her. Then, in a harsh awakening, she was once again fully aware of her surroundings. Every trace of the brief warmth caused by Falvon’s touch was swallowed by a perpetual coldness.

     Surely I will see him again, she thought, unwilling to allow the weather to dampen her spirits.