Page 29 of The Princess of Nothing
“Some do, many wouldn’t.”
I swallowed thickly. “Perhaps. But their ruler is vile.”
“Agreed.”
“I don’t know how I’m going to get out of this mess. I’m afraid and far too weak to do anything about it.”
“You couldn’t escape if you tried.” He warned. “There are guards around all the walls and you don’t have your staff.”
“Great.”
“I will break you out. I have an idea of what to do.”
“Care to tell me?” My gaze met his, pleading in my eyes. “Cedric, I need to know.”
“I’m going to contact some old friends. Find a way to get you out. For now, try to stay alive.”
I closed my eyes. “I’ll try. I’m lucky to still be here. I feel worse than ever. Like I’ll never move past this.”
“Let’s not think too much right now.” He kissed my forehead. “Enjoy our dream.”
I smiled, resting against him, feeling painless for a moment.
My eyelids fluttered open to Edna changing my bandages. I grunted and turned onto my side. “Don’t wake me up ever again.” I grumbled.
“Sorry, miss.” She stepped back, taking the discarded bandage with her.
I closed my eyes, but it was too late. Cedric was gone, as was my sleep.
“Can I get you some breakfast?”
I exhaled sharply. “Sure,” I muttered groggily.
“Eggs?” She asked.
I nodded.
“Eggs,” she repeated and hurried to the door. Her blonde bun bounced as she walked. “Oh!” She turned the handle, then whipped her head back. “His Royal Highness will be visiting your chambers today. He told me to tell you he has good news.”
I scoffed. “That’s unlikely, but thank you, Edna.” I didn’t know why I was being so harsh. She’d been nothing but nice to me in the brief moments I’d been awake.
Edna cleared her throat. “Miss, the bath has been filled. You should go and see it. I think you’ll like it. Your room has one of the best ones.”
I waited for her to close the door, then tried to edge myself out of bed. Surprisingly, I was feeling a little better. Either I’d been asleep for weeks, or most likely, they’d given me some magical healing something or the other to speed it up. A shooting pain ripped through my stomach when I finally stood. My feet ached against the hard ground. My arms felt heavy as I slowly moved, barely inches with each step, toward the bathroom. I moved back the room separator with agony, glancing at a harp collecting dust next to the doorway, and stepped inside.
My hand shot to my mouth. I’d never seen anything like it. The evocative smell of rosewater and citrus wafted over to me. Blue and red petals floated on the surface. Enclosed columns stood around the small, square pool. Steps led down into the hot water. Steam spiraled up from the surface and disappeared into the warm air. The walls were brown and gold. Murals of mercreatures, made to look far more beautiful than the creatures I’d been accustomed to seeing, stretched across the tiles. My stare fixated on their seaweed-green eyes, which glowed against the painting. I looked around. Surely the massive pool wasn’t just for me.
I gazed to the left, and my eyes paused when I saw a separate section closed off from the rest of the pool. It was filled with milk, or at least that was what it looked like.
“What sort of place is this?”
My aching muscles begged for me to take advantage. I shuddered to think how long it had been since I’d bathed. Edna had sponged me down last night, but it didn’t quite get rid of the stench leftover from the cage. I was afraid nothing would.
I peeled my silk nightdress over my head and watched it ripple down to the tan-colored stone floor. My toes curled when I stepped into the steaming water. I groaned lightly but walked in farther, each step pulling me deeper into the bath, until the water reached my shoulders. When I tried to run my hand through my hair, my fingers got caught by several tangles.
My pain melted away. Whatever they’d put in the water soothed my cuts and bruises. A few of the bandages, which I’d forgotten to remove, danced in the water. I took them off completely and tossed them onto the stone ledge to the side.
I ran my finger against my lips, then bent my knees and floated in the water, letting it carry me. My thoughts relaxed, pouring from one to the next. I closed my eyes and let my mind drift. Ripples moved outward as I swam the short distance to the back of the room.
