Chapter 2 - The Invitation.

It was around midnight when everyone in the Wells household had retired for bed, that was when Summer slipped out of her room as quickly as possible gently tiptoeing to Maven's room. 

She tapped on the door in code while looking around suspiciously before Maven opened the door and pulled her in. He was shirtless wearing nothing but pants and he seemed to have grown more muscle than the last time she saw him. 

"I have been expecting you" he whispered as he buried his nose in the crook of her neck. 

Summer was happy , she had taken extra care to take care of herself. She lightly rubbed perfumed oils into her skin. The ones she had stolen from Astra's room. It was not like Astra would ever notice. She had so many of them. 

"You smell delicious" he growled huskily and he brought his lips down to hers. 

She broke away and looked at him with a silly smile on her face. Her heart was beating rapidly and busting with the feeling of joy and elation she normally had whenever she was with Maven. 

"I'm ready Maven. I'm ready to be totally yours" she said quietly and Maven's face broke into a huge grin. She knew that he had been waiting for it for quite a while. She promised him before he left for service. She told him if he came back alive he could have all of her. 

"I promise you. I will be gentle with you" he said solemnly as he leaned in for another kiss. Maven slowly led her to his bed while she ran her hands on the smooth hard pane of his chest. 

He was gently taking off her dress when the door suddenly opened. 

Lady Lucia stood in the dimly lit hallway watching them with simmering anger. Summer untangled herself away from Maven quickly. Her cheeks were burning up with embarrassment as she pulled back her dress on, hurriedly fastening the sashes and buttons. 

His mother walked into the room slowly. 

"Mother. I can explain." Maven said slowly. 

She turned her head slightly to look at him. Her face was filled with a sort of calmness that Summer had never seen before. 

"Explain what?" she asked lowly. 

She turned to Summer, there was no other look on her face except disgust.

"Leave." 

Summer scampered out of the room. Running quickly across the hallway. Sal spotted her and he stopped her. It was his night watch. The look in his eyes told her that he must have figured out what happened. 

"I told you. I told you to be more careful. It was only a matter of time before someone figured it out." he said sadly. 

She tore her hand from his grip and walked away swiftly. 

Her eyes were burning with tears that she wouldn't allow to fall. But she made it to her room in one piece and crawled next to Suri on her bed. Suri didn't notice her, she was fast asleep. Summer sobbed the entire night.

****************

The next morning, Emily came to tell her that Lady Lucia would like to see her. She gritted her teeth in annoyance. She had stayed out of sight as much as she could. 

She dressed up very quickly and went into the lounge room that Lady Lucia was in. She was sitting while a servant served her tea. Astra was at a corner with her governess. 

They seemed to be learning etiquette today.

Few months ago her lessons had stopped since General Wells went on an assignment and Lady Lucia decided that since she was just a ward she had no need for a proper education fit for nobles. Ever since then she had stopped having lessons and Lady Lucia had forbidden her from ever joining in during lessons. It had done little to cripple her education. Summer was always a fast learner and Astra always left her books lying around. That was enough for her to take a peek at them.

"Summer. I want to talk to you." she said as she patted the space next to her. 

Summer sat down uncomfortably, wondering what the woman's intentions were. 

"I know, growing up here can be so confusing. The General made it seem as though you belonged here and you forgot your home so quickly." she said casually as she sipped her tea.

"I was quite shocked to learn from Maven when he told me that the thing between you two has been going on for quite a while. I don't blame him though." she said as she waved her hand dismissively. 

Summer was tempted to ask her why. 

"Men will always be men. They're always looking for a quick tumble in the hay. The General had a few mistresses back in the day!" she added as she laughed lightly, there was nothing warming about it. 

Summer's cheeks flushed at the thought, she quickly looked away. 

"Now, listen to me. Maven is now a highly ranked soldier at the king's army, the son of General Wells, the head of the King's army and one of the first founding noble families. He is destined for greatness. And you are? Well, what are you Summer?" she asked with a mocking curious look on her face. 

"You're just an orphan. A lowlife. A nobody. From a nameless village. You always seem to forget your place. Wait, did you really think that Maven would marry you?" she asked.

She looked away and blinked back tears. She was right, it hurt so bad but she was still right. 

"You're not the first child here to be rewarded by my husband's kindness. There have been many more before you. And even the ones with you now have all found their places. Sal is a guard, Tommen is a stable keeper and Suri works in the kitchens. But you. You haven't seemed to accept the reality of what it is you are" 

It was true, all the other wards had found something to do. Tommen worked in the stables. He had a love for horses which made him instantly glued to the stables. Suri loved baking and she decided that she was better suited in the kitchens than anywhere else. 

Sal on the other hand never really wanted to be a guard. He just couldn't bear to sit back and stay idle. And since the General paid his guards well, he was hoping to save enough money to leave and live a comfortable life in Ludmilla. 

But Summer, she had done nothing. It was no secret that she was the General's favourite ward so he had always been more gentler with me. 

She lived in his home as though she was his child. She received the same education as Astra and Maven. He even taught her to fight whenever she was around. Ever since he had learnt how good she was with a bow and arrow, he had been helping her hone my skill. 

And she had been perfectly content living as his ward, because of Maven. 

Because she had been in love with him ever since she could remember. 

"I love him." She whispered loud enough for Lady Lucia to hear. She blinked back tears as she waited for Lady Lucia's reply.

She smiled and shook her head wearily. 

"You foolish little girl. That doesn't mean anything. It will never mean anything." 

She said as she turned away and dismissed her with a flick of her hand. 

"Oh! Before I forget. There will be some new changes. Astra needs a new handmaiden. I know you will be perfect for the job. So, you will be at her beck and call and serve her whenever she needs you. In your spare time you will also do kitchen duty. Know that if I find out that you are not doing as I say you should, you will be out of this house in the speed of lightning without a penny to your wretched name. And if I ever see you with Maven again, I swear to the gods that will be the last time you ever set foot in this house." 

She turned back and bowed slightly and briskly walked away from the room. 

"That isn't so bad!" Suri said as she focused on measuring the sugar in front of her. 

"Not so bad???? I get to be Astra's handmaiden. You know how much she hates me. Remember that time she cut off all my hair!!" Summer asked and Suri chuckled a bit. 

"You cried the entire night. You vain little thing." 

Summer smiled at the memory and Suri turned to look at her. She was even tinier than her. Her fine pale hair was in a bun at the nape of her neck, with a few wisps of hair framing her face. She had what Summer called "tired eyes". Suri was so heavily lidded she looked like she's either bored or tired half the time. 

"I think you are lucky that she didn't send you away. I doubt that you will have been able to survive out there on your own, even if you had money. And you know how easy it would have been for her to send you away. The general is away again." Suri said and she nodded her head in agreement. 

"I guess you are right. I really should stop loafing around. My lessons stopped months ago." She said sourly as she remembered Lady Lucia who had brutally put an end to her lessons.

She had argued to the General that it was a waste of time and money to him. And so her lessons had stopped, but that didn't stop her. She still snuck into the library to read and she still practiced her archery with Tommen who was good at archery and Sal taught her hand to hand combat. 

In the kitchens so far she had been hopeless and Cook had rejected her help countless times. Apparently the only help she could be of was by eating food and not making it. 

Summer shuddered at the thought of being thrown out. Ludmilla was a pretty city to live in, but if you weren't stinkingly rich, a noble or possessed some skill that made your services of high demand, it was practically useless in Ludmilla. The gap between the rich and whatever poor could be found in Ludmilla was alarming. There was no middle class. Besides most poor people in Ludmilla tended to migrate to other towns.

She didn't even want to think of what would happen to her on the streets. Even if she could defend myself, it wouldn't stop her being thrown into a brothel or being the nightly entertainment of some men without a family or a husband's protection. 

She tried not to think too much of Maven as she walked to Astra's room ready to start her day as her handmaiden. After a light knock on her door, it was obvious that she wasn't in her rooms. 

She looked around baffled before she heard a squeal from the lounge room. 

She stood rooted at the spot as Astra comes out with a silly smile on her face. 

"Don't look so glum Summer. If I like you enough, you can be my handmaiden when I'm Queen."

She teased as she walked past her.

What was she blabbering about?  

She wondered as Lady Lucia walked out from the lounge room with Maven in tow. 

Lady Lucia said nothing as she glared at her and roughly pulled Maven away with her. He gave her a apologetic look as he went along with his mother. 

She missed him. She missed him so much.

What was Astra blabbering about? She asked herself and walked back in the direction of her room. 

Astra was sprawled on her bed smiling hopelessly. 

"Are you well?" she asked and Astra simply chuckled. 

"I've never been better!! I've been invited for Queenstrial!" she shouted gleefully and Summer rolled her eyes. 

Of course, she forgot that it was that time of the season. The time the Crown Prince got married. A daughter from each of the thirteen founding noble families was picked so they spend about three months in the palace till the Prince picked his choice. They would be put through a series of tests to determine whether or not they were fit to be Queen.

Might as well be a pageant to Summer, she thought the Queenstrial was a waste of time and effort. As if the Crown Prince couldn't pick a bride for himself. Utterly ridiculous she thought as she wrinkled her nose. 

"We leave in a few days. Be prepared Summer!!! We are going to Wyeth." 

She internally groaned. If she left, how would she ever see Maven?