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My thighs pressed together knowingly, and I felt a surge of anger at my traitorous body, my fear momentarily forgotten.
“You can’t break me,” I sputtered, annoyed at myself for getting aroused when I most definitely shouldn’t.
His eyes flashed with something unreadable—anger, amusement, perhaps even admiration. “You have no idea what I’m capable of, little thief.”
“And you have no idea what I’m capable of either,” I retorted.
My chest rose and fell with my ire. I stood my ground, meeting his gaze with as much courage as I could muster. I gritted my teeth as he rose to his feet and left the room, leaving me alone.
I shuddered, feeling cold and empty now that his presence was no longer with me, and I didn’t dare think about what that might mean.
I got up and checked the door.
It was locked.
Whatever kind of game he was playing, I was going to win.
Sometime later, a knock at the door startled me. I could hear the lock disengaging and I turned to see a group of servants enter the room. They carried with them large buckets of steaming water, which they poured into a big copper tub in the bathroom adjacent to the bedroom. The smell of lavender and other fragrant herbs filled the air, luxury of the kind I’d never seen before in my life.
A young woman with bright blue eyes and chestnut hair pulled back in a loose braid stepped forward with a soft smile. She approached me cautiously, offering a small, respectful bow.
“My lady,” she said softly, soothingly. “I’m Liora. I’m here to help you get ready for your bath.”
“I can bathe myself,” I shot back, and she flinched.
“But, my lady, it is the king’s command,” she replied quietly, fidgeting with the hem of the apron over top of her dress. I sighed. The Dark King would likely punish her in some form if she didn’t follow his orders and I didn’t want that on my conscience, so I nodded and went along with it.
“Thank you, Liora. I would love a bath,” I said softly.
She guided me to the bathroom, where the tub now stood filled with steaming water. The scent of lavender was stronger here, mixed with hints of chamomile and rose. She helped me undress, taking the blanket from around my body, and I couldn’t help but feel a small sense of relief in her presence.
Maybe, just maybe she could be something of a friend for me here in this strange dark world.
As I stepped into the tub, the warm water enveloped me, soothing my tense muscles and washing away the grime from the past days. I sank deeper into the bath, allowing myself to relax for the first time since my capture. Liora handed me a soft cloth and a bar of fragrant soap, then stepped back to give me some privacy.
The warmth of the water seeped into my bones, easing the cold that had settled there since my arrival in Helheim. I closed my eyes, letting the scents and sensations lull me into a rare moment of peace.
“Is there anything else you need, my lady?” Liora’s voice broke through my reverie, gentle and unobtrusive.
I opened my eyes and shook my head. “No, thank you. This is… wonderful.”
Liora smiled, a hint of sadness in her eyes. “I’m glad. The king… he can be difficult, but he means well, in his own way.”
I frowned, her words stirring a mixture of emotions. “You speak as if you know him well.”
She hesitated, then nodded. “I’ve been here a long time. I’ve seen many sides of him. He is not an easy man to understand.”
I sighed, sinking further into the water. “He’s a monster.”
She opened her mouth to say something else, but stopped herself.
“What were you going to say?” I pressed.
“Perhaps he is a monster, as you say he is. But even monsters have their reasons.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I said nothing at all. Instead, I sank lower in the bath, enjoying the heat and the warmth and the scent of the fragrant water. Taking the bar of soap and the wet cloth, I started washing my body, starting with my arms, then my legs, and then the rest of me.
Liora stayed in the corner of the room, and my gaze kept flitting to hers.
