Page 22 of Heir Of Sun And Moon
The two maids work in tandem, doing just as they said. When the bath turns red, they drain it and put fresh water in. One wets my hair, then slowly and carefully scrubs it clean. My knees draw into my chest, my arms wrapping around them as I lay my cheek down. I feel them rinse my hair and then start to wash it again. It’s unsettling how being cared for in this way manages to ease some of the shock of what I witnessed last night. And I know that I must be in shock because even though Alexi’s pale face is all I can picture, even though his cold blood is all I can feel, my thoughts are eerily quiet. My eyes are heavy as exhaustion from being awake all night pushes down on them. I allow them to close, knowing that there isn’t much more these maids could do to me that could hurt me further. I’ve already lost nearly everything.
I know that some time has passed when I come out of the heaviness of sleep still in the bath, the water now cold, to hear the low murmuring of voices nearby. Opening my eyes faintly, I see the forms of three maids now huddled together, one of them gesturing towards me before looking back to the others. Another nods her head and then leaves. The original two who had helped me bathe walk back over, one of them kneeling at the edge of the tub. Now that I am looking at them, I can see that they are a bit older than me, likely somewhere in their third decade. One has blonde hair lighter than mine, and the other’s is dark brown.
“My Lady,” the blonde one whispers, “let’s get you dressed and put to bed.” She helps me stand, the now cold water of the tub dripping down my body in little zigzag patterns. Immediately, I’m wrapped in a towel and brought out into the bedroom. “Where are your clothes kept?” she asks, looking around the small space.
My shaky finger points to the trunk at the foot of my bed. As the one with brown hair rifles carefully through my clothing, she shakes her head before grabbing a thin sleeveless pink night dress and white undergarments. They help me get dressed and lead me to the vanity to sit on the small stool. I don’t want to see myself in the mirror—don’t want to stare at the eyes of the person who led Alexi to his death—so I keep my gaze fixed on the ground.
One maid brushes my hair slowly before braiding it into a single plait and tying it off with a ribbon. I wonder when she learned how to braid hair, who taught her. It’s such a simple thing. One that I wish I had been taught.
“Let’s get you to bed,” one of them says again. The blankets are still rumpled from the night before whenhebarged into my tower. Like a thief in the night, he stole the only person that mattered to me. But he isn’t the only one to blame. When I’m tucked into bed with the comforter pulled up to my chin, I close my eyes andbegto drift away into oblivion.
“We are sorry for your loss, My Lady. Alexi was known amongst the staff. He was…” She trails off momentarily. My eyes open, vision blurring as I try to focus on the woman with blonde hair. “He was kind when so many are not.” Her blue eyes meet mine, and while they are caring, I also see the sadness layered there. The other maid clasps her hands in front of her body as she comes to stand by her companion.
I open my mouth to speak, but a rasping sound is the only thing that comes out. It takes a few times clearing my throat to be able to say anything. “What are your names?”
The blonde woman smiles brightly, gesturing to herself. “I am Erica, and this is Tienne, My Lady.”
“Please, call me Rhea. There is no need for titles.”
Erica shakes her head in disagreement. “Are you not the daughter of the late King Conrad and Queen Luna?”
Hearing their names spoken out loud for the first time by someone other than Alexi or myself is a shock to my system, like a lightning bolt piercing through fog. King Dolian avoids talking about my parents in general, but he’s never given them the respect of mentioning them by name. Pinching my lips together, I dip my chin in agreement.
“Then that makes you worthy enough of the title, My Lady.” She smiles again, something she seems to do easily, while Tienne rolls her eyes in a playful manner. I wonder if they are related or if they are just good friends.
What would it be like to have a friend like that?They both dip their chins towards me in goodbye before turning to leave.
“Thank you,” I rasp, catching them both mid-step. They look over their shoulders at me simultaneously, but it’s Tienne who answers.
“Of course, My Lady. Now rest. The others have cleaned up everything downstairs.” With that, they both continue down the stairs and to the door, closing it quietly behind them.
“Bella, are you there?” My words are barely a whisper, my eyes already closing, when I hear her scurry out from under the bed. Without hesitation, she jumps up and lays next to me, her head resting on top of my thigh. I’m conscious for only a few breaths before darkness sweeps in.
“Wake up, Rhea.” The familiar female voice wraps around me, goosebumps covering my body in response. My eyes flutter open, easier this time than the last. There’s weightlessness to my body again, as though I’m floating in time and space. Maybe that’s what this place is… a spot between worlds. Or—the more likely scenario—it’s just a really good dream. “You are not too far off.” Her voice startles me as I nearly feel it brush my skin. That sense of familiarity returns at the sound, but I can’t pinpoint exactly why.
My eyes stare above, to the night sky that is not quite a night sky. Innumerable stars light the pitch black until it flares silver instead. Those purple, blue, pink, and green galaxies swirl throughout—an endless spinning of worlds that is as jarring as it is beautiful.
“Why am I here?” It’s almost as if I can see my voice flutter on a phantom wind to wherever the woman is waiting.
“I wanted to talk with you. I know you were close to him,” she replies softly. The sound is ethereal, like the gentle tinkling of bells in the distance.
“You know of Alexi?” I whisper in a jagged voice. I keep my gaze pinned on the celestial bodies above, but my mind replays every single memory of Alexi. Even the earliest ones, when I was just a small child and his presence scared me. I wish I could hug my past self and tell her that Alexi would become the best part of our life. Then a cold feeling settles into me as I’m reminded that he died because hewasso good and kind to me.
“I do know of him,” that sweet voice answers, slicing through a little of the iciness I feel. “You mustn’t blame yourself, Rhea; you cannot control what the king does.”
“I tried to save him,” I whisper. “I could have. But my magic… I couldn’t call it up in time.”
“You are still learning what it means to have magic. But even if you had full control, it was too late for him. It was his time.”
“You don’t know that,” I gasp. Tiny specks that look like stardust begin to swirl around me, glowing as they brush soothingly against my skin.
“I suppose you are right. Only one being truly knows all,” she says softly. Her voice is like moonlight; it shines into the darkest recesses of my mind, but I don’t want to see what is hiding there. I wish I could know if Alexi is okay, if he is indeed with Alanna. If they are happy. “You can ask me anything. I will always do my best to answer what I can.”
I huff a breath, slightly annoyed that she can hear my thoughts before I’ve voiced them. The scent of jasmine hits my nose as I close my eyes and prepare to ask a question that I hope I like the answer to.
“Is he with her?”
The woman hums, the vibrations of the sound something I feel deep in my bones. “He is. His mind and soul are with hers in the Afterlife.” I can feel her joy seeping out with her next words. “They are happy.”
