After that little showing, I could not care less how the prince sees me. But I am eager to wash the dried blood from my skin and soak my aching feet.
“If you tell me where to find my room, I will make myself more presentable.”
“I will do you one better,” Lanneth smiles, an expression I do not trust. “I will take you there myself.”
King Kaelus exhales. “Good. While you attend to our Jewel, Arax and I will discuss what happened on the journey from the mainland. I have heard a great many concerning things.”
His gaze shifts to Arax, who stands stoic and stalwart. “Yes, my King.”
King Kaelus kisses Lanneth’s hand once more, then tips his head to me before strolling from the hall, gesturing for Arax to follow.
“Now then,” Lanneth starts as the giant doors close with a resounding thud. “Time to prepare you for our prince.”
The way she speaks makes my skin crawl, as if I am a gift to be wrapped and presented for his enjoyment. All I want right now is to be shown my room so I can escape her.
We do not leave through the doors as I expect, but through a passageway unseen in the room’s corner between two columns. Queen Lanneth takes a torch from the wall and I follow behind her, weaving through a maze of dark, narrow corridors and passing several plain wooden doors before coming to a stop before one in particular. The queen leans into the wood and the door opens to reveal a bedchamber. When she closes the door behind us, I notice it appears as only a wall panel on this side.
I wonder just how many secret doors there are in this place.
“The castle is large, especially as you cannot fly or void walk. These passages will be helpful.”
I bow my head and give an appreciative nod, only slightly unnerved that she’s followed my train of thought. It’s also possibly the least condescending she’s been since we’ve met.
The first thing I notice are the arches that lead onto a wide balcony overlooking the vast stormy sea, with dark shimmering curtains billowing in the whistling wind. Beautifully carved and lavishly dressed furniture decorates the space. There are tablesand desks, chaises and sofas and two crimson high-back chairs in front of a blazing seven foot fireplace with an ornate baroque mantle.
It is hard not to notice the enormous bed against the wall with its intricate headboard and wooden posts that twist like a serpent, and the black gossamer curtains draped around its sides. It is a reminder of just what I must do to seal this bargain, and a knot forms in my belly.
“Put your plant down there,” Lanneth instructs, gesturing to a round table by the arch.
Her suggestion is acceptable. Right by the open archway, my vine will get the sunlight she needs. I place her down and realize she has been quiet for some time. Perhaps the journey has exhausted her, too.
I glance at the bed once more, its dark covers piled high with cushions and scattered furs, but relief comes as the queen guides me into an adjoining room, away from the reminder that soon I will be someone’s wife and bedmate.
The next room warms me with the soft amber glow of a roaring fire. A clawfoot tub sits by the hearth, its water scattered with dried flowers and fragrant herbs and the soothing aroma fills the space, inviting a sense of calm to settle over me.
In The Grove, hot baths are not common. The weather is fine, so we wash in the river where the sun warms the water. You would certainly not find a copper clawfoot tub in the forest. But with my body sore and cold, I can not wait to throw myself into the steaming water and sink to the very bottom.
“Thank you, Your Highness,” I say, eager for her to leave.
But she doesn’t. Queen Lanneth stands still as a statue.Staring at me.
“Let me help you,” she says abruptly, pinching the leather ties of my bodice between her fingers and loosening them.
I gasp and take a step back. “I can undress myself.”
The flames from the fire reflect in her frighteningly pale eyes as her fingers continue to pull at my bodice. “Nonsense. Mothers bathe their daughters all the time. Did your mother not bathe you?”
I cannot find words as the queen pulls open my bodice and slips my dress off my shoulders. Instinctively, I cross my arms over my breasts and I can feel my skin glowing bright red, but Queen Lanneth seems disinterested in my discomfort. When my dress falls from my shoulders, it catches on my hips and the soft round of my belly, but without a second thought, she balls the fabric in her fists, wrestling it over my curves and down my thighs until it falls in a sodden pile on the floor.
I cross my legs, hoping to conceal my most private area, but still the queen shows no concern for my naked state and how strange this is.
“Well. Get in,” she says, as if I’m the one acting unusual.
I rush into the tub. At least if I’m underwater, my body is not on display. I sink beneath the flowers and herbs. At first the water is so hot it stings, but it is not long before I feel myself melting like candle wax, and as my eyes roll back in my head, an overwhelming sense of relaxation takes over me. I’m not sure where my body ends and the water begins. I close my eyes, content to lie here forever, then I feel the queen’s breath on my neck and the sound of dripping water.
I open my eyes and see Queen Lanneth soaking a yellow sponge, then squeezing out the excess before gently dabbing at my shoulders.
“There. Doesn’t that feel better?”
