Page 84 of Wingless Crow: Part 1

My heart pounded anxiously. I tried to keep fear at bay the best I could and considered the worst.

Did the king rape me?

Why would he, though? He hadn’t even tried to have sex with me before giving me the drink. And if he had, I didn’t think I would’ve refused him. He didn’t need to force himself on me. I came to his bedroom mostly prepared to go through with it.

What happened, then?

I shifted my legs under the silk sheet covering me from my waist down and waited for my body to tell me what my mind had forgotten.

My inner thighs felt sore. But there was no ache anywhere higher between my legs. I ripped the sheet off me. My skirt was still on but torn from the waist down. Short, slim scars covered the inside of my thighs from my pelvis area halfway down to my knees.

The scars looked at least a week old, the cuts fully healed and only slightly sore, but the sight of them made my stomach twist in knots.

What had been done to me? Who cut me and why? How long had I been here for the cuts to heal?

I remembered nothing. And that made the whole thing even more disturbing and terrifying.

Untangling my limbs from the luxurious sheets, I stumbled out of bed and grabbed my robe from the floor.

No one was around. I was all alone in this gorgeous bedroom. My silver rowan berry necklace lay on the marble stand next to my empty glass. I put the robe on, grabbed the necklace, and fled.

The guards at the door to the king’s chambers gave me mildly curious looks but made no effort to stop me. I ran all the way to my room, clutching the robe closed at my chest, and didn’t stop until I was inside my bedroom with the door firmly shut behind me.

First thing first, I put the necklace back on. Its slight press against my chest immediately made me feel safer. Then, I went to the toilet room and scrubbed my skin with a cloth and soap in the washbowl, getting rid of the phantom sensation of being touched, prodded, bruised, and cut.

Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to let them spill. I felt violated, helpless, and hurt. But I was also angry. Anger made me feel stronger, so I let it burn in my chest unimpeded.

I had no idea what happened to me, but I knew who was responsible. King Tiane betrayed me. I’d trusted him, and he crushed my trust under his foot, smiling and kissing me while he did it.

I put a clean robe on right before Brebie burst into my bedroom, bright and cheerful like the sunlight behind my window.

“Sparrow, what a glorious day it’s promising to be!” She threw the curtains open, exposing the brilliant crystal of the window. It shone with a myriad of iridescent sparkles from the sun outside. “You did it, honey! They said the king was all smiles this morning. He insisted on singing at breakfast. The king was singing! For the entire court.”

While I lay passed out in his bed.

Brebie noticed my less than gleeful expression.

“What happened, Sparrow? Why a long face? You should be celebrating. We finally got to see the sun for the first time in ages, and it’s all your doing.”

I stretched my lips into something hopefully resembling a smile, even as my insides twisted in nauseating uncertainty.

“How long have I been gone?”

Her smile wavered.

“What do you mean? You spent the night with the king. Several hours.”

“That’s it?”

How did my scars heal so fast? I didn’t remember the night, but I knew I came to the king’s bedroom with my thighs intact.

Brebie beamed at me again.

“Aww, he made you forget all about the time. You must be tired.” She winked.

With a knock on the door, Alacine arrived, flanked by two other maids. They carried a giant basket filled with sweets, jewelry, and flowers.

“From His Majesty,” Alacine announced with a wide grin.

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