Black Pearl

Chapter 6

I heard my personal maid enter at some point. My head lolled towards her, my eyes wide and unblinking. Had I slept at all? I wasn't sure. I remembered laying in the candle light, wondering if the prince was vile enough to come into my room in the middle of the night and breed me before we were even married. I had no idea what I would do if he did, but I knew that I could not make myself vulnerable. The candle burned itself out, dying in a pool of wax. By then, the sun had started to peek in through the windows.

"Oh, you're awake," my maid murmured, dropping into a little curtsey.

I just watched her.

"And you're still in your dress," she whispered, her brow furrowing. She must have seen my weary features, the dark rings under my eyes, because she gave me a comforting smile and cocked her head to one side. "It can be stressful to sleep in a new place, especially when you get to meet your betrothed the next day. Come, let's get you into the bath and ready to meet your prince."

I felt no shame when my maid undressed me. I had grown up in close quarters with my sisters, after all. If anything, having her there made me feel less vulnerable. I was taken to the secondary room that I had seen before as a dozen women came bustling in, all carrying metal buckets filled with steaming water. Each bucket was poured into the tub in the center of the room. 

"What is that?" I asked, pointing to the strange contraption on the side.

"A toilet," my maid said excitedly.

"A what?"

"It replaces a chamber pot. You just pour a bucket of water on top and the waste is taken away. They're very new, but the king insisted we have them right away."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful," I agreed.

"And, obviously you've seen a bathtub before."

"Of course."

In truth, I hadn't. We had no need for one, as far as the other sirens were concerned. They could waddle into waist deep water in the middle of winter and the ocean would warm for them. All of their grime was washed away in comfort while I shrieked and whimpered and shivered as each wave touched me. Though, in fairness, when our sanctuary had been built, not even my own mother had been aware of my lack of powers.

So, when I sank into the warm water, I pretended that I had been used to this kind of treatment all my life. 

"Here, let's add some lavender oil to help release the stress."

The second those few tiny drops of fragrant oil hit the water, my head tipped back and my eyes shut. Surrounded by a dozen women whose only task was pampering me, I finally felt safe enough to doze. 

Sadly, I wasn't allowed to sleep long enough to recover from my stressful night. I was pulled out of the water, dried off with fluffy towels, still half asleep. But when my maid got me in front of my own looking-glass, I realized once again what she was prepping me for.

I was going to be meeting the prince that I was supposed to marry in less than a month. 

The prince who was going to toss me aside as soon as I gave him an heir. Or dispose of me in some other way. 

Getting dressed was quite an affair. The little cabinet that had been empty last night was now filled with what seemed like hundreds of dresses. Layers of various white fabrics were put on and strapped to me. Then a simple blue dress slipped over top of it all. I assumed I was done, but another two layers were added, each heavier than the last. In the end, I was already sweating beneath layers of pink, blue, and white.

I should have been in awe that they could waste so much on a single person, but I just stared at myself, thinking that this periwinkle blue dress must not have been designed for me. It looked positively heinous against my dark skin and somehow, all the frills covered me up too completely. The dress made it impossible to look upon my face, to see my smoldering brown eyes for what they were or my dark lips.