The Royalty

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

We sat in the dining room for a while, chatting and catching up. It was nice to just have a conversation with people I trusted. There was a lot of smiling and happy tears. The warmth that came with family surrounded me.

Eventually, America and I excused ourselves. Guards appeared at our sides and escorted us to my room. The wariness from earlier about the guards returned. I kept America close to my side as we walked.

When we reached my room, America turned to look at me. "I'm not going anywhere with you until you take a shower or something. Seriously, Maxon. It's been months and I've been polite about it, but I can't anymore. I love you, but you smell- like really badly. I'm probably not much better. So, both of us will go to our rooms and get cleaned up. Meet back here in an hour or so?"

I laughed and nodded my head. I gestured to the guards. "Could half of you escort America back to her room?" I kissed her before letting her walk away from me. It saddened me to watch her go, but I tried not to think about it. I would see her in an hour and I didn't want to be one of those clingy people who couldn't give their partner some time alone.

I turned and went into my room, shutting and locking the door behind me. Nothing had changed since the last time I'd been here. I immediately went into the bathroom and turned on the shower, all the way to hot. It started steaming almost instantly. I tugged off my clothes and quickly stepped into the scorching water. I recoiled the moment the water touched my skin. It felt like I was being doused in liquid fire. Slowly, I moved back under the stream of water. I squirted out a large amount of soap and washed away the layers and layers of dirt that had accumulated over the weeks. I scrubbed for what seemed like hours, never seeming to feel clean enough. Eventually, I decided I was as clean as I was going to get and turned off the water, wrapping a towel around my waist.

I got out of the shower. Wiping the fog from the mirror, I surveyed the state of my body. The scar running down my midsection was ugly and large. There were other scars on my biceps and there were still scars on my cheek. I hadn't lost too much weight, thankfully. My hair was longer and a little scruffy looking. I was grossly pale. I felt my self-confidence lower. My time at the rebel base had made me into something disgusting that I didn't ever want to look at in the mirror. I turned away from my reflection with a repulsed sigh and moved to my bedroom.

I went up to my closet and pulled out a navy blue sweater and dark jeans. I felt like I would be completely underdressed, considering my usual attire consisted of a suit and tie. This outfit was the only comfortable thing I owned.

I glanced at the clock. I still had twenty minutes until America got here. My hands ran over the pictures on my dresser. There were so many memories in them, pieces of my past captured the moment they occurred. Many of them were of my fiancée. She never seemed to notice when I took pictures of her and I was glad for it. America acted more natural when she didn't know the camera was there.

I went to my bed and laid down. My blankets and pillows smelled faintly of vanilla perfume. I smiled and pulled them closer. Her scent was comforting.

Despite being soothed by the familiar smell of her, I felt on edge. My nerves were frayed and I twiddled with my thumbs anxiously. I looked at my clock every few seconds, feeling like every minute was a decade. Worry seemed to claw at my mind, forming questions that made my heart pound. Were there any rebels in the palace? Were we safe here? Would they try to capture America and I again? Could I trust any of the guards?

I jumped in surprise when I heard a sharp noise. I looked around frantically, searching for the cause and praying to God that it wasn't rebels. I let out a sigh when I saw it was just a picture that had fallen over. My hand ran through my hair, while I tried to steady my heartbeat. What was wrong with me? Why was I so high-strung? I was home, I had my loved ones all around the palace, I'd escaped from the rebels. What was making me so jittery and easily frightened?