9

Who.. who are you?" I stammered. My teeth were chattering as I raised a finger at him. " Who the hell are you?!" "I'm sorry I frightened you."

He really did look sorry. " I didn't mean to. We'd been knocking at your door with no response, so I let myself in."

"You haven't answered my question." I didn't want to hear any excuses. I just wanted to know who the fuck he was. " I'm not going to ask you again." "I'm Gustav." He stood straight, something glinting on his wrist.

It was a gold bracelet. Almost every guard in the palace had one. I may or may not have snuck a glance at all of them a couple of times " Your personal bodyguard and royal escort."

As I looked at Gustav, my heartbeat began to slow down. I could see the concern in his eyes, and I realized that my reaction to his presence was a bit extreme. I felt a bit embarrassed, and I hoped that he would not judge me for it. I took a deep breath and tried to compose myself.

"Gustav," I repeated his name in a softer tone. "I'm sor