Heir of the Underground

Chapter 7: Aurelia

Aurelia awoke the next morning in an unfamiliar room and no recollection as to how she got there. She remembered pulling the ribbon and Kassius coming to take her away, but everything after that was absent from her mind.

Perhaps it was the teleportation. She had never experienced anything like that before. It must've knocked her out or exhausted her to the point of deep slumber.

Either way, she wasn't in Keddeirin anymore. She was in the Underground, though she had no idea where.

In sitting up and surveying the room around her, however, she quickly determined that she was somewhere expensive.

The floors were dark and wooden, and the walls were covered in a cream-colored wallpaper. Directly beside her bed was a wardrobe and gold-trimmed mirror. And across the room was a crackling fireplace, and next to that was an even fancier organ which was accompanied by a plush pink loveseat.

It was all so beautiful, and unlike anything she had ever seen before. Even her room in Keddeirin paled in comparison.

How strange it all was. The Fey were an endangered people, and yet they seemed to be living in the lap of luxury.

The sound of a turning doorknob quickly snapped Aurelia from her thoughts. She turned her head and watched as the door to the room opened, and an odd-looking woman walked in.

Her skin and hair were a rosy shade of pink, and she had a sharply angled face, eyes of sea foam green, and blush pink pansies sprouting from her head.

Aurelia's jaw dropped at the sight of the Fey woman. She seemed to notice Aurelia's surprised expression and grinned at it.

"Who are you?" Aurelia finally asked, irking a brow. She had expected Kassius to be at the door. After all, he had been the one to save her.

The Fey took another step towards the bed, her smile widening. "I'm Jacinth," she explained. Then she dropped into a low curtsey, one that she had clearly worked on and perfected over the years. "I'm a helper in the palace. Prince Kassius sent me to help you get ready."

Aurelia's jaw managed to drop even farther. "Kassius is a prince?" she sputtered.

It would certainly explain the fancy décor.

"He's more than just a prince, milady," Jacinth giggled. "He's the Heir of the Underground. He could be our king one day."

"Heir of the Underground?" Aurelia marveled. "That's news to me."

Jacinth laughed at that before heading over to the room's wardrobe. She threw the doors open and sifted around inside.

"What are you doing?" Aurelia asked, sliding off the bed and planting her feet on solid ground.

Jacinth glanced over her shoulder at Aurelia's question. "I'm picking out an outfit for you," she stated simply. "You're expected to attend dinner with Kassius and his family later this evening. You should look presentable. Which also means that you'll be needing a bath."

"A bath?"

Jacinth paused and gave Aurelia an intrigued look, curiosity glinting in her eyes. "Is it customary for humans to repeat everything that is said, or are you just not familiar with many things, such as a bath or an heir?"

Aurelia felt her face heat up at Jacinth's inquiry. She quickly shook her head. "No, no, it's nothing like that. I just suppose that I'm a little frazzled, that's all."

"Well hopefully a bath will fix that for you," Jacinth grinned.

"Where is the bathroom exactly?" Aurelia wondered. She padded around the room and examined its interior a bit further.