Arthur heaved a sigh, having managed to convince Alexander was the right thing to do. Marking her would mean no one had the right to touch the King's property. Although he understood Alexander's fear but that shouldn't stop him from moving on.
Arthur slumped in a chair, raking his hand through his thick locks. He closed his eyes and released a sharp breath. He was deep in thought, everything was weighing down on his shoulder and he was tired.
"Sire," Arthur opened his eyes and saw a knight bowing to him. "Lord Marcus sent a message." The knight passed the scroll to Arthur.
"And the king?" Arthur asked, taking the scroll from the knight. His eyes scanned it, and it seemed to be for the king.
"I have searched the whole palace but there's no sign of him." the knight responded with a bow.
"Very well! You may leave," Arthur dismissed him. It seemed Alexander was in a bad mood. He usually leaves the palace to clear his head. Did marking the girl really worry him? If so, they would have to come up with another way to claim the girl.
Arthur opened the scroll, his eyes scanning through the message. What?! His eyes widened in disbelief. What does Marcus want now? He wasn't stupid enough to start a war over a mere slave. It was well known that even though the King and the Lord worked together, they were sworn enemies, yet they didn't fight each other.
Marcus was coming to the palace to relay some messages. Arthur wondered why he didn't just state the message in the scroll, but Marcus, being who he was, wanted to anger the king and probably take back the girl. Alexander wouldn't let that happen.
He rolled the scroll, placing it in his pocket before walking out of the courtroom. To his surprise, he found Alexander in the corridor.
"My King!" He bowed, to which Alexander nodded in acknowledgment. "Where did you go?" he asked.
"The woods. Why?" Alexander tilted his head to the side.
"You know you shouldn't be out alone as..."
"Oh, spare me the lecture, Arthur," Alexander said, waving his hand in the air. "I can very much take care of myself," he added with a smirk as he noticed the look on Arthut's face. "Don't believe me? It's been a while since we had a duel," Alexander, to which Arthur shook his head furiously.
"I do not intend to duel with His Majesty, You nearly sent me to my grave the last time. And besides we have important things to deal with." Arthur quickly dismised the idea. The last time they had a fight, Alexander was too deep in it he nearly killed Arthur. He had to wait ages for his wounds to heal.
"What is that?" Alexander asked, pointing at the scroll in Arthur's pocket.
"Oh," Arthur exclaimed, taking the scroll out of his pocket. "This came today from Lord Marcus " He handed it to the king, who did not take it from him.
"What's the message?" Alexander asked, staring blankly at Him.
"Lord Marcus said he would be paying a visit to the palace in two days. He stated that there are important matters that needs to be discussed in person. No other information was given," Arthur said calmly.
"In person?" Alexander asked. He knew damn well why the Lord was coming here. "Alex if you don't want to mark the girl, we can look for an alternative."
"I will. Get the preparations started," Alexander stated before walking away.
Arthur stared in disbelief, a smile appeared on his face, though he's been with the king for a long time, he still hasn't gotten totally used to his mood swings. 'I guess taking a stroll in the wood works.' Arthur murmured before walking away.
---
Serena heard a knock on the door, which made her jump from the bed. Who was at the door? Was it the king? Isn't this the king's room? Why wouldn't he just walk in? Another knock, this time louder, jolted her from her thoughts.
Serena stood up and walked to the door, opening, she saw three women, moving backwards, a gesture which meant the women can come in.
Three women walked into the room. The two younger women were wearing maid's uniforms, while the older woman, who looked to be in her mid-fifties, wore a plain dress. They bowed their heads, which made Serena also bowed to making them confused but they dismissed it.
"Lady Serena, the king said we should help you prepare for the marking ceremony," the older woman said. Serena wasn't given time to register what the woman had said as she spoke again. "My name is Maria and this is Anna and Sarah," the woman said, pointing to the two other girls.
Serena took a deep breath. "C-can I please get an explanation of what is going on?" she asked in a lowered voice. Nothing made sense to her. First, she was sold to the slave traders, then bought by a 'Lord Marcus' She tried escaping, only to end up with the Vampire King instead. Could things get any worse? Now they were treating her like she was some sort of princess, preparing her for a marking ceremony. She didn't even know what that was supposed to be. She wasn't given any information.
"My lady, why are you crying?" the slim maid named Anna asked, worry on her face.
"The king is going to kill us?" the second maid, Sarah, who short, said with panic in her voice.
Maria shot the two girls a glare causing them to keep quiet, she walked towards Sarena wiping her eyes.
"My lady, I understand your fear but the king isn't going to hurt you." Maria said calmly, Serena stopped crying, she turned to them.
"That's not why I'm crying." She said calmly, she saw relief on the girls' faces. Was she a burden to them? She didn't like this at all!
"I'll explain what the marking ceremony is to you, and we'll get you ready, okay?" Maria asked, she touched Serena's shoulder offering her some sort of comfort.