Page 16 of The Time Of Kings

8

THE TASTE OF A NAME

After his abrupt departure, I was left looking pretty pitiful. Like some sad period drama version of Bridget Jones Diary when she realises Daniel Cleaver is cheating on her. Of course, I didn’t have fake lashes to strip off my eyes, but I did have a bucket load of mud to get out of my hair and off my face. Something I was smart enough to try and do before getting into the bath and filling it with mud. So, with the help of one of the sheets of linen and the jug of water, I gave myself a good wipe before getting in, my hair being a lost cause at this point.

It also wasn’t ideal washing so much of it with just a bar of soap but hey, it beat scraping oil off my skin like when in ancient Rome.

Of course, it wasn’t enough to wash away my tears as I sat in the bathtub withCeline Dion’s, ‘All by myself’playing through my head. This while feeling completelyand yes, also ‘pathetically’,sorry for myself. Something that had started the moment I was on the toilet. My crying was not just in relief for the chance to pee or that I had an actual seat to sit on. I mean, okay, so yes it did just all go into a removable bowl, as clearly,plumbing hadn’t been invented yet. But it was a step in the right direction I guessed.

Now as for my tears and the root of my heartache, it was simple…

I missed my Draven.

The Draven I knew and loved. But even more so, the Draven who knew and loved me back. The one I could tease freely, or that knew how to make me laugh. The one who understood me and knew everything about me. Because the type of comfort found in that knowledge had been stripped away from me. The weight of not knowing my fate in this unknown world was held above me like an anvil barely secured by an ancient rope. One hanging there precariously with nothing to do but look up and wait for it to eventually come crashing down on my head any second.

An anvil named…the dangerous truth.

I felt completely alone and this time, I didn’t even have Ranka by my side, guiding me through this next unknown. Gods, I missed my friend, and it was a loss I felt often but especially now. In fact, it made me wonder where she was in this time. Forever known to me as ‘her’ because that was who I always knew her as. Who she wanted to be. Who she had chosen to be and not the male she might have started life out as. Oh, how much easier this would have all been had she been here from the start to once again be my guide.

But this was where my pity party had to end, as I knew I had to get out of this bath or Draven would come back and find me still in it, no doubt adding to his distrusting mind. So, once all the mud had been washed from my skin and my hair was clean enough that it squeaked, I got out. Then after wrinkling up my nose at the colour of the water I left behind, I wrapped a sheet around me.

I walked over to a wooden table with the mirror above it, and picked up the comb that sat there, holding it up and saying,

“Well, this is going to take me a small forever… but who knows? Perhaps Amelia’s quest will be over by the time I have finished brushing my hair.”

Of course, this was only the first of my complaints as knot after knot was teased apart until finally my hair was done, now half dry, full of natural long waves.

I was at least thankful for two things as I walked back into Draven’s bedchamber… the first being that he wasn’t there. The second was that there was a dress on the bed, which meant I wouldn’t be standing here near naked by the time he came back. Although trying to tie my own corset was one of the more challenging things I’ve ever had to do in my lifetime, and yes, that did include fighting Demons in Hell.

As for the dress, it was a pale blue, fine muslin gown with a low scoop neckline and a high waist. One that had a narrow ribbon sash under the bust in a darker, royal blue, and the long sleeves puffed at the shoulder. The long, narrow skirt, was embroidered at the hem with pretty, royal blue flowers to match the ribbon. A pair of flat silk pumps finished the outfit, along with my damp knickers after I had done my best to clean my underwear.

I may have not been able to wear my wet bra just yet, but there was no way I was wearing a pair of oversized bloomers that felt scratchy and starchy. Nope, not doing it.

As for my hair, I had just been in the process of trying to plait it to one side, barely making it a few inches down when the door opened, and it seemed as I wasn’t the only not prepared for the sight of the other.

“I had food…Gods.”This sentence stopped abruptly and ended with what felt like some uttered curse whispered under his breath. As if now stunned by what he saw. I guessconsidering how I looked not long ago, it wasn’t surprising, as I had barely looked like a girl at all.

I even noticed the way he swallowed hard as his eyes scanned down the length of me, coming back to my now clean blonde hair flowing freely by my side. The loose tendrils framing my blushing face down to my waist. I swear, the look he was giving me had the power to singe the edge of my dress, making me wonder if it would any second simply unravel. The hint of purple I had witnessed already told me that he was too far in his emotions to stop it. Just like every time I had witnessed it when we had first met all that time ago. Every time questioning it as possibly being a trick of light.

Well now I knew better. Now I knew the man who stood in front of me and what the sight of me biting my lip nervously would do to him. Hence why he uttered,

“Mea vellus aureum.”Something I now knew meant ‘My Golden Fleece’ in Latin. He had said this to me enough times over the years. But then as if something had snapped within him, he narrowed his gaze before barking out,

“Leave us!”

At first, I felt the confused sting of this demand, along with the sudden change in his demeanour. But this was before realising it had been aimed at the maid who had followed him inside, not me. The poor girl had brought in a tray of food and had been standing there waiting for her orders, and now she looked terrified of her master’s wrath.

I couldn’t say that I blamed her. Not considering how frighting and intimidating Draven could be. Meaning she quickly hurried out of the room after a quick curtsy he completely ignored on account of him yet to take his eyes off me.

The moment she was clear, he used his foot to slam the door shut behind her, making me initially jump at the sound. Christ, but I could just imagine how nervous I would have been had thistruly been our first time together. He had most definitely learned restraint over the centuries, that much could be said.

But as for now, he was breathing heavily like some wild animal about to pounce, and I half wanted to run away, and half wanted to run towards the beast of him. In the end of course, he took both decisions from me as he took long, purposeful steps towards me. As for my own reaction, all I managed was to take a few cautious steps backwards until my back hit one of the bedposts before he reached me.

I even opened my mouth to speak when he ordered,

“No words…only this…”

Then he took me into his arms and kissed me like it was his first, his last, and every kiss in between. As if he had never really kissed before this day and what he found in my own was an equal amount of passion.

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