Keith

Keith walked down a naturally lit hallway, nervously looking around for any signs of a blue cloak.

He had been late arriving to pick up the Carrier. It had been stupid getting distracted by the birds perched outside his palace window, but he couldn't help the need to sketch them out before he ran to meet the maid. Only, when he got there he found an empty room where he was instructed Siren would be.

He couldn't blame the maid for wandering off. The palace was beautiful and seemed to draw you along with its expanse of glass walls that let in the beauty of nature that hung just outside the palace. The entire courtyard was a groomed replication of the areas natural habitat.

.....but that didn't mean that it was appropriate. And granted, it was partly Keith's fault in the first place, but the maiden should have known better. Sirens were told that they were not allowed to just wander the streets much less a palace without a guard. Certainly not before having been claimed and impregnated. That's was just asking for a war.

Keith speed walked down the hall, getting the occasional eye roll from other guards stationed in front of doors when they noticed he was empty handed. He just kept moving forward, growing more anxious the farther into the palace he ventured. He should have seen them by now. The Siren had just been dressed and prepared by servants, why would they leave him alone and give him the opportunity to get lost?

He prayed Alfor was busy, at that whomever had been chosen for the Carrier wasn't waiting.... Keith also prayed that the Siren hadn't wandered into the throne room. The king would have his ass for that.

No not literally you nasties.

The hybrid sighed as he came to a stop. He wasn't far from the throne now and had yet to find any sign of the sea dweller. Keith groaned, tugging on his hair as he turned and looked around him. Where the hell could the maid have gone?

The young man was about to turn to head back. His plan was to retrace his steps and look down the halls he'd passed when someone ran into him, taking him down to the ground gracelessly.

"What in the quiznack-" he started, trying to shove the person off only to freeze when he met wide blue eyes. The carrier. His face was covered in blood and his cloak was crushed in a ball between their chests.

Keith stared up dumbly at the Siren, wondering where the fuck the Siren came from. He heart almost tried to jump out of his chest when fat tears started to spill from the Maiden's eyes, forcing him to snap into action.

"What happened?" He asked as he pushed the carrier back gently so he could stand. He pulled the Siren up to their feet and frowned as he looked them over. Normally a Maiden wore billowy fabric that draped down to the the ground and left little to the imagination. This Siren's outfit only reach down to their knees. They were as big as the largest Galra soldiers Keith had seen. Maybe bigger. They were at least height or nine feet tall.

He swallowed. He was just happy that he wouldn't be the one who'd have to pleasure the maiden... he wasn't ashamed of himself, but... he didn't want to go there with his mind, so he shook the thought away.

"My guard, they attacked me. They wanted to take me but I couldn't let them. I didn't let them, please believe me. I'm clean. I'm still pure." They cried while raising their hands up to their chin to catch the tears and blood to keep their clothing clean.

Keith frowned, glancing around warily. "I'm your guard." He guided the Siren around a corner so that if someone came away from the throne room no ones would walk in on the scene. He noticed the open door that the siren must have launched out of before taking Keith down. "Who took you?" Keith demanded as he motioned for the siren to stay put so he could peek around the corner and step into the side room. He startled when he turned around and find the Siren directly behind him. And at eye level.

"Did you just shrink?" Keith asked, staring at the Maiden in mixed confusion. He was annoyed that they'd followed him, but beyond confused by the size change.

"No." The Siren answered after an unsure pause. They were still holding their hands under their face to keep the blood off his clothes. 

Keith sighed and glanced around, he grabbed a decorative curtain hanging from one of their high windows. He took the edge and lifted it towards the Siren's face. "Here, move your hands." He said before he wiped away the blood and tears much to the Siren's horror. 

"What if I get in trouble for that?" The Maiden gasped. 

Keith shrugged and used the fabric on his sleeve to clean the Maiden up the rest of the way before he took the blue cloak and fixed it around their shoulders. "Show me the guard. Are they still in the room?" He asked and nodded back to the room he meant to enter before getting distracted by the Siren,"

"They are." The maiden answered no louder than a whisper as they pulled their hood over their face. Any sign of the elegance Sirens walked with having been stripped away from the maiden. Keith lightly tapped the door frame before entering. He glanced back at the Siren to make sure they weren't going to move before he stalked forward to investigate.

The layer of blood coating the floor was the first thing he noticed. The second was the slumped-over body and finally the intestines and other assortments of organs laying on the floor.

Keith stepped away from the scene and looked back at the maiden who was wrapped up in their cloak, face concealed. They didn't give any explanation, so Keith swallowed and stepped further into the room towards the body. Blood coated his soles as he came up to get a look at the galra's face. He recognized him, the traitor's name and face known among all the king's highest security. Keith was a part of the Blades. Sendak was one of their highest concerns after the Galra leader himself. He'd only been a soldier, but he'd always been one of the most troublesome soldiers in their ranks. He always opposed the throne but never did anything to get him discharged.

Sendak had been trying to get into the Blades for years. He was one of the greatest warriors in the guard, but he didn't have the loyalty needed of a Blade. The Blades served with the greatest loyalty to the throne and required honor to be accepted into the group.

Look's like they wouldn't have to worry about it anymore.

Keith stepped away from the murder scene, ignoring the way he left a trail of bloody footprints in his wake. It would be fine. He could cover the carrier's tracks this way. He wasn't sure what would come of them if someone knew that the servant was responsible for such a violent crime. Some asshole would probably try to say it made the Siren a danger to the throne.

"Come. I'll clean you up and then I'll get you to the king where you'll be given to whoever you've been paired with." Keith said coming back to the Siren. He ignored the way they flinched when he put a hand on his lower back to direct them to the closest room he could access that had a bathroom. He walked quickly, the maiden following his lead, bare feet tapping on the ground as they hurried towards Keith's personal room.

After a short walk, Keith opened the door to his room, hoping the Siren wouldn't care to notice that he had an actual palace room. He pointed towards the foot of his bed, the sheets still rumpled as proof that the King's servants purposefully neglected his room. He didn't complain about it. He had fewer people rummaging through his things. What's so bad about that?

"You can sit there. I'll get something to wash your face with." He muttered disappearing into the doorway that was off to the side of the room. Keith didn't stop to look back and see if the Siren followed his gesture.

He was ashamed of himself for what he'd done. He'd risked the life of the royal maiden. He'd almost cost the Empire its chance of uniting the two kingdoms. He'd almost cost the Siren their dignity. He'd already made a mess of things just by seeing them uncovered by their cloak before they were even presented to the king . . . granted he was assuming that the Siren hadn't been completely violated before taking care of Sendak. Granted, he'd respect the Siren's promise that he was still "pure".

Keith could still hear birds he'd allowed himself to become fascinated by still singing outside his window. They were probably perched on the open balcony pecking away at the plants he'd brought up to his small space. He wondered if the maiden was looking at them or if they'd ever seen songbirds. Were they even concerned about something like bird song after what happened?

He scowled and grabbed a cloth out of a drawer and snapped the faucet on. He soaked it with warm water before wringing it out and going back to the bedroom. He wasn't surprised that the maiden had not taken to sitting on his bed. Keith should have known better than to assume they'd ever accept the invitation to a bed. Even if it was just to sit. It was stupid of him. Instead, he found them standing near a table with their hood pushed back, hands still cupping their face again they gazed at something. The young guard blushed when he realized that it was his sketchbook from earlier.

"I have this." He blurted out quickly to draw their attention away from it. It worked, the Siren turning to look over at him curiously. Their eyes were beautiful. It was like Keith had been sucked into a vortex of sea water and mystery swirling around him, threatening to drag him into their depths and drown him.

Just as they were meant to do.

"I mean, I have something to wash your face." He said ripping his eyes away from the creature's own. There was a reason why all nations were at war with the Sirens. They were creatures born of the sea. They were designed to lure men and women into its depths to never be seen again. It was nearly impossible to kill a siren, making all conflicts rather one-sided when all the Siren had to do with mutter a few soft notes from a hidden perch to draw their prey to the water. Altean's were deemed insane when the Galra empire discovered what they were doing with the Siren Empire.

The only measures the Alteans had to protect themselves against the maidens was the word and promise of obedience from the royal escorts that brought them up, and the power they had in numbers while keeping the sirens far from the water. If the race were to try anything eventually someone would be able to take out the one singing their song... but no one had ever come close to that. No. They had to put their resources into protecting the maidens from their own people and those like the one Keith had found in the closet. He didn't understand why the Sirens didn't protect themselves when they clearly had the ability. This Siren had shown they were more than fully capable of eradicating any enemy.

"Oh." The Siren said glancing at the cloth before back at Keith. They didn't move, simply leaning their weight from foot to foot nervously.

Keith hesitated when he realized that the maiden wouldn't be coming forth. He glanced between his hand and the maiden. "Um." He wasn't supposed to be looking at them. He was a guard, touching them and cleaning them was... well that was a lot worse than just looking at them. Even... if he wasn't technically- whatever. He'd use the same respect as the servants who prepared the Siren and hope they didn't tattle on Keith.

He approached the Siren slowly with the cloth to show he wasn't going to do anything. He watched the maid who was glancing between Keith's hand and his face. Their eyebrows furrowed slightly as He came close. The maid shied away, turning their face away slightly but didn't step away when Keith gently put the cloth against their cheek. When The guard was sure that they wouldn't startle he cupped the Siren's face with his other hand and started to wipe away the blood. 

He couldn't ignore how beautiful they were as they closed their eyes. Smooth tan skin, soft and fluffy brown hair on a lean body. Keith had seen more than he needed to earlier. The thin fabric was given to the Siren to give the receiver an easy comprehension of what they'd be taking to their bed. The maiden was both muscled but smooth and curved like the perfect blend of a man and woman. They were elegant, and it made Keith's heart hurt to know that they were nothing but a thing to be used. This was a person that could be loved, but he was warped up like a prostitute and expected to be treated no differently.

"There you go." He said once the blood was cleared away. He'd taken away with it layers of powder that had been covering specklings of glittering blue scales along the Siren's cheek bones. Whoops. He didn't know how to fix that. Surely no one would throw a fuss? 

He swallowed nervously and pulled their hood back up over their head, fixing their hair. Finlay, he stepped away to toss the cloth into a door in the wall that dropped his laundry down to the maids who would wash it. "If someone makes a fuss about your face, tell them you guard did it. And then I can explain the situation further. Just don't say more than you need to, okay?"

The Siren was beautiful, watching Keith nervously but with a curious light in their eyes as they followed him. "Okay."

Keith had the urge to draw him. he wanted to preserve the innocent and curious gaze on the creature's face that conflicted with the rumor that their race were monsters.

The young man cleared his throat before gesturing towards the door. "It's time that I take you to the king."

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