17. Chapter Seventeen
Servants rush into my room and fix my hair, but they keep it down for the first time, only leaving it in loose curls that reach my waist. It’s uncomfortable since I only leave it down long enough to braid it or pin it into various styles for effortless movement during the day.
One goes to grab the powder, and the other yanks it from her. “The king wants her face uncovered,” the second says.
The first stares at her for a moment like she thinks it’s a bad thing.
The second shrugs. “He likes her face as it is.”
“No blush?”
“She has her own.”
They leave, and I go through the closet and find a flat pair of shoes that matches my dress.
A guard is waiting outside my door. “I’m to escort you to dinner, my lady.”
“I know my way to the dining hall,” I say.
“It is somewhere else.”
I side eye him, but my annoyed suspicion shouldn’t be directed at someone just doing their job. Once we reach the bottom of the stairs, we go right instead of left and down a hallway I’ve never been before.
The walls look made of genuine gold, and the translucent blue marble floor has orange fish swimming underneath it, reminding me of the glowworm cavern.
On the walls, the paintings change depending on the direction you look at them, and go from scenes of nature, like forests and oceans, to castles and fancy buildings on which dragons perch.
Five steps at the end of the hall lead to a black door, and the guard opens it to show another staircase covered in shiny red carpet and continued golden walls and magical paintings.
I stop and take two steps back. “That’s not a place I’m supposed to go.”
Zyon pops out from the side of the entryway. “Since when do you behave with your location?”
“When I believe an evil king is testing me.”
“An evil king? Hmmm... I would have thought Neera, the obstinate, would relish the opportunity to defy.”
“It’s not as fun when you allow it.”
He grins and holds out his hand. “Shall we have dinner? Even though you didn’t wear what I suggested.”
I hook my arm in his. “I did not feel you deserved to see that much of me.”
“The king deserves anything he desires.”
“In his own mind only that's true.”
He opens an arched red door to a massive room.
The sealed water floor continues, but strange creatures swim under our feet along with bright fish of all colors.
Yellow seaweed drifts at the bottom between pink and blue coral.
I’m so distracted by the view that it takes me a minute to notice the glass ceiling that lets in the winter sky over the castle.
He notices me watching the floor. “The cavern inspired it.”
We have to take several steps into the room before a huge ground level pool appears on the right.
There are shelves on the far wall and ropes dangle from a low ceiling that is only over the water.
An open door reveals a toilet, a shower, and two large sinks.
Garlic and herb scents mix with the smell of fresh bread and something sweet.
It takes several more steps to find the source spread across a table with red roses sealed into each leg of the table and four matching chairs.
On a platform ahead is an enormous round bed with red blankets.
More ropes hang around it along with chains, and a swing is in a little cove off to the side.
There’s a silver pole in front of the bed. “What is this place?”
He pulls out a chair and extends his hand to the red cushion. “My royal bedchamber.”
“Since when do you like me enough to bring me into your most private space?”
“Since I claimed you under my table.”
“You call leaving me unsatisfied and having to soothe my needs claiming me? If that is your effort to make me yours, please go back to looking at me with indifference.”
“What do you mean, soothe your own needs?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. How dare you take me so close and leave me wanting. Then you say that was claiming me?”
“I would not have touched you at all if I wasn’t claiming you, but you can show me after dinner what soothing yourself looks like.” He takes his place across from where he expects me to sit.
“You treat me like I’m some village whore. A trinket you can add to your harem and tie up to do vile things.”
“You would very much enjoy the vile things I’d do to you here.”
I roll my eyes and stare in disgust at his bed. “You want to know why I turned down every suitor who showed up at my door?”
“You didn’t want to birth babies until your body gave out. You told me that. That’s not what I would use your body for.”
I slide into the chair instead of leaving like I should. “You will not use my body for anything because you are no better than the men who showed up wanting a servant more than a wife. The least they could have done is bring flowers or take me to watch the stars. None even tried to be romantic."
“We can watch the stars from my bed. Well, we could if it wasn’t winter.” He pours himself tea and mixes in cream.
“Are you listening at all? I don’t want to be touched by a man who sees me as valuable only for my body, whether that’s for sex or childbirth.”
“What do you want then?”
“To be romanced and cherished with no expectations for physical advancement.”
“You want romance without the promise of reward?”
I stab the cube of red meat. “Yes, I want to matter for who I am, and not for what I can give someone.”
“Seems time consuming.”
“Then if I am not worth that, I refuse your claiming me. Not to mention you can’t just go from being like, Neera, I hope you die on the mountain to wanting to tie me up for pleasure.”
“Your body won’t be disappointed with the results.
Would it make you feel any better if I told you I still don’t care if you die on the mountain?
Then we can both enjoy ourselves and be done if that’s what you would like?
Our status remains the same.” He sips his tea but has no window to look out to pretend he’s indifferent to my company.
“You’re no better than the men who wanted to marry me for my hips and hands.”
“I am because I want very different things for your hips and hands than they did.”
The way his voice goes low and gravely leaves me twisting my napkin. It’s like my body doesn’t realize we shouldn’t find him attractive. I cross my legs and stuff my mouth to stop myself from agreeing he can have his way with me.
We eat, but he keeps his eyes latched on me like he does every morning when I find him sitting in the chair next to my bed. The way they strip me, like they can see my most vulnerable secrets, has me unable to steady my breathing.
I finish the food on my plate and get up from my spot. “Dinner was lovely. Thank you.”
“Why don’t you show me what soothing yourself means?”
“Why don’t you realize I’m not going to bed with you? I tell you I want romance and beautiful gestures, and you want to ignore everything I said. Why are we even doing this?”
“Because snow creates the need for a warm body next to you.”
“So that’s all I am. A warm body. Not that I’ve known you long enough to be insulted, but it doesn’t make me want to do anything with you either.”
“Can’t we just enjoy ourselves while we’re cut off from other options?”
My chair slams to the ground as his words heat my cheeks, and I grip my dress to keep from punching him.
“As soon as the snow melts, we’ll both go back to our lives.
You on your oversized cold throne, and me to my family and saving people with apothecary advances.
You will continue to harm while I fix some of it.
So you’ll just have to wait to warm your bed with other options!
” I push in my chair and trek across the long expanse of his room.
For once, I don’t wake up to Zyon staring at me, and the window shows it’s morning, so I don’t go to breakfast. He’s a stupid man, and he is only king because he was born into it.
There is nothing special about him. I put on my outdoor clothes and venture into the snow.
It’s heavier today, and the clouds in the west are almost black.
It doesn’t deter me from trying to be productive.
The quest needs to stay my priority and not sleeping with the king.
I go to the apothecary building, being careful to make sure no one follows me.
When I tap on the glass, Aldric lets me in and hides in the hood of my cloak.
Morvin goes into my pocket, and I return to the cavern.
The back way to the red door seems the best way not to get caught with the skeletal animals, so it takes me much of my morning to walk there.
I light the lantern I brought and have to slide on my bottom down the slope.
Aldric pops his head out when we make it to the glowworm cave. “This is beautiful.”
I take Morvin out of my pocket so he can see too. “Look at the floor.”
Aldric squawks and jumps to the floor as he turns in quick circles to take all of it in. “This is so amazing!”
“Yes, it’s magic water that has been sealed off because of greed.”
“So many things are devoured by greed.” He crawls up my leg and struggles to get higher.
I put him back in my hood. “That is very true. Greed has made my brother suffer since birth. Medicine has existed to help him, but it is far too expensive for my family to afford. I’ve tried everything to get the ingredients or outright buy it.
It’s taken me so long, and I often despise myself for not finding a way to get it. ”
“Is that what you needed the black pixie dust for?”
“Yes, it’s an extremely rare and expensive ingredient. If I could break this barrier somehow, I could use the water, but King Zyon claims it’s impossible. I may search the library soon to see if I can find more on it.”
We stay for a little while to give Aldric and Morvin time to take in all the beauty.
The closer we get to the red door, the stronger my need to be on the other side becomes.
Morvin squeezes under the door, and as soon as it clicks, I turn the knob.
A blast hits me in the chest, and it takes several seconds to remember how to breathe again.