Whispers. Stares. Looks. They were all what Blu was receiving that day. People knew what had been going on. It was clear to them now.

Blu sighed as she scrubbed a bowl clean. She had heard that Evan had been sent back to his castle where he would finish his recovery. She was glad he left. She felt much safer without him in the castle.

She thought about Jonathan. He seemed like he truly cared for her. Never in a billion years would Blu ever imagine falling in love with the king. The king for heavens sake! But what surprised her most was that the king liked her too.

She thought about his overprotectiveness and how he wouldn't let anyone touch her. But his protectiveness frightened her. She knew what he was capable of doing. He almost killed King Evan and even Ryan! He was dangerous.

"Hey." Blu heard a voice beside her. She slightly turned her head to the side. She noticed the person's large hands and cracked knuckles. Although she knew who was standing beside her, she didn't care look up. Instead, she continued to scrub, rinse, and dry the bowls and plates.

A sigh, then a warm hand on her shoulder. Blu unhesitatingly shrugged the hand off. She did not feel like taking to anyone at the moment.

"Blu, please," the voice of Craig spoke. At this, she slowly picked her head up and faced the servant in front of her.

"I just want you to know that I don't judge you or think of you any differently," Craig said softly. Blu firmly grasped a glass cup in her hand and squeezed it tight out of anger. It almost seemed as if she would crush it between her fingers. But she loosened her muscles and let out a breath.

"Thanks," she breathed. She had to be nice to Craig. He was the most forgiving person in this castle.

Blu turned around to see if anyone had been watching her as if she was dangerous, a disgrace to the kingdom. As she had expected, she caught a few glances from around the kitchen. She wanted to yell, to scream. Anger rose through her like a volcano.

"Hey," Mini soothed her. Blu quickly spun her head back to her work. "Don't pay any attention to them."

Blu stared in front of her, unblinking. She needed some comforting right now. And thats exactly what Mini was going. Comforting her. And without thinking, she embraced him in a large hug.

She didn't care who was looking, Mini was the only one to care for her. Not Rachel, She wasn't sure about Ohm, But Mini. He lightly returned Blu's hug. She squeezed her eyes shut as a small tear drop seeped from her eye. All she wanted was to be accepted, for everyone to be on her side. All she wanted was... a friend.

She slowly departed from Mini and ignored the people staring at them. She continued work as if nothing had happened and Mini had done the same. How could people be so crude? So quick to judge one of their own?

Blu didn't know.

*  *  *

Walking back to the king's bedroom was almost frustrating to Blu for some reason. Her next session was cleaning in the king's room. She didn't want people to see her walking over there, to judge her even more than they already had. She even noticed they way the guards looked at her; with enmity and loathing.

She turned another corner. She was getting close.

The walls seemed to rise above her tighter than ever, as if they were avoiding her. A breeze swept through the air sending chills down her spine.

She turned the final corner and approached the two large doors. She watched as they got closer and closer. Finally, she halted before them. She firmly grasped the cold handles as she usually did. She slowly swung the door open in a smooth manner and quickly slipped inside, shutting the door behind her.

A golden glow filled the room and Blu was brimming with warmth. The bedroom was empty and there was no sign of Jonathan. The bed was still messy from the night before. Blu smiled. But it quickly faded as she remembered that her and Jonathan's affair was now known throughout the whole castle; once a secret, now a public scandal.

Blu walked over to the large, king bed and grazed her index finger over the soft edge of the mattress. She found the corner of the blanket and pulled it up towards and head of the bed. She did the same with the opposite side, spreading the blanket smoothly and evenly.

Soon enough, Blu was cleaning the bathroom, then dusting the king's dressers. She just admired his room. When she was a little girl, she used to dream of living in a room like this; like a princess, a queen even. With the large space, comfortable bed, and golden wardrobes, Blu believed this to be the best life anyone could live.

She slid the duster along the flat surface of a dresser as she reminisced about her childhood. She paused, however, when she spotted a small, silver box in the middle of the dresser. Although it was very small, Blu admired its color and decorative designs on the surface. Hesitantly, she reached her hand out to touch it. She grasped the small object in her hand and rubbed her thumb across its smooth surface. What would the king keep in such a tiny little box? Blu questioned.

Its beautiful designs hypnotized her as she traced her fingers along the sides. She was tempted to open it, to see what could be inside it. Setting aside the duster, she slid the tip of her fingernail into the crack of the box.

Slowly, she started to lift the lid gently, as if something would pop out of it. But suddenly, she heard the bedroom door cracked open. Oh no.

Blu hestily set down the box and placed in the exact spot it had been before. She instantly spun around, eyes wide, hands at her sides.

There he was. The king. Jonathan.

His eyes were fixed on Blu as he stood at the doorway of his bedroom. Blu thought he had seen her, but when a smile grew on his face, she was relieved. She had not been seen.

"Blu," Jonathan spoke in his raspy voice, closing the door behind him. "I did not know you were to clean here today." His smiled then turned into a frown. "Is there something wrong? You look frightened," he said as he approached her. Blu gulped loudly and shook her head.

"No, no. Everything's fine you just startled me," she said with a slight laugh. Jonathan smiled once again. His hair still looked the same as this morning. Blu wanted to run her fingers through it again and again.

"Well, how about you take a break from cleaning," Jonathan said. Blu stared at him, blinking.

"A break?" She asked. A break! Something she needed badly. Jonathan laughed.

"Come." He tilted his head towards the door of the bedroom. "I want to show you something."

Show me what? Blu thought. Curiousity overwhelmed her as she followed Jonathan out of the bedroom.

His boots clapped on the marble floor as Blu walked beside him.

"Where are we going?" Blu asked. She waited for an answer as she looked at Jonathan. But no words came from his mouth. He just smiled, amused by her curiosity.

"You'll see." He glanced at her.

They walked in silence through the halls of the large castle. Blu suddenly felt so small in such a big place.

"Jonathan," she pleaded.

"Not much longer now," he responded. Where on earth was he taking her?

The two of them passed by a guard who would have looked like a statue if he hadn't changed his facial expression. He gave them a look of confusion and annoyance. But they did a good job of ignoring him.

Another turn, and another. How much longer?

Suddenly, Jonathan halted in front of the library, its doors propped open."We're here," Jonathan said with a huff. The library? Despite Blu's confusion, she continued to walk with him. They passed many shelves, one of them holding Blu's father's journal. Blu wondered how Jonathan would react if he found out she had found it.

"Here," Jonathan finally said. He stopped in front of a large portrait of a woman. Blu stared at the picture with much interest. She had never seen this painting before-- or maybe she had but she did not pay any attention to it.

The painting depicted a women probably around her twenties. Her face was round and her skin, pale. Her hair was brown, like Blu's, and it flowed all the way down to the small of her back. Her eyes were hazel and seemed to follow you if you took a step to the side. The variety of colors were marvelous, each one seeming to pop out of the painting.

"An amazing piece of art, isn't it?" Jonathan said as he scratched his chin. "Here, come closer." He motioned for Blu to take a closer look at the canvas.

"Look close enough and you can see the brush strokes. Each stroke done with preciseness and intelligence."

Blu analyzed the smooth strokes. It indeed was a remarkable piece of art. She noticed how accurate the strokes seemed to be, how realistic the painting looked. But why was he showing her this?

"Who is she?" Blu asked.

"Her name is Angela," Jonathan responded, not taking his eyes off the painting. He seemed to be mesmerized by it; the way he looked at it with such fascination. Did it have some meaning to him?

"Who is Angela?" Blu pushed for more answers.

At this, Jonathan unglued his eyes from the canvas. He slowly turned his head towards Blu to look at her in the eyes. His lips were pressed into a line. Blu could almost see some sort of sadness or lobbing his eyes.

"My wife."

Blu froze, her eyes locked on his which were glass-like. She opened her mouth to respond but she was mute. What could she say? His wife had died a few years ago. She could tell he was delicate on this topic.

"As you know, she had died during her pregnancy along with," his voice cracked for a moment, "the baby."

Blu's eyes softened as she tried to give him a sincere yet comforting look. How awful. He continued.

"I can feel her arms wrapped around mine as she spoke her last words: 'I love you'. Those words that haunt me. Those words that even I from that moment on did not dare to say."

Blu's heart beat in her chest as she thought about how Jonathan never said those words to her. Was this the reason why? Was it too painful? Blu remained silent.

"After her death, I turned into a mad man. I was crazy in here," he said as he tapped his finger on the said of his head. "She was my whole world. We were about to have a child who was going to be the next prince or princess of the kingdom." He paused. His face was reddish and his eyes almost watery.

"Angela," he continued, "was a strong woman. Like you. You remind me of her. You have the same eyes, same hair, same personality." Blu smiled shyly at his kind words.

"I just want you to know, you are a wonderful woman, Blu. Do not listen or pay attention to what the other servants think of you. They don't matter." His voice echoes in her head. They don't matter." His voice echoed in her head. They don't matter.

"Now that our relationship has become public, it is going to be harder," he said. His voice toughening up now. Blu nodded and let Jonathan's words sink into her brain. She took a step closer to him and placed her hands on his chest. She was on the verge of letting a tear escape from her eye. But Jonathan's words soothed her and she stayed strong.

He leaned down slowly and kissed Blu's lips softly. She felt sparks as their lips moved together in a slow motion. When they parted, Blu rested her head on his chest.

"I love you," she whispered ever so softly. Seconds later she heard his response; so quiet, she could barely hear it.

"I love you too."

______________________________________
He finally said it! Sorry I took so long, this was suppose to be up earlier but I overslept...