Alexandria: The Lost Princess

Chapter 13 - Part 4

The chilled sheets of the mattress, touch my exposed damp skin and I moan. The door clicks, and I am alone with Kalen. My dress tears and my corset releases its tight grip around my lungs. Finally able to breathe, I sigh in content. Glancing over my shoulder, I notice the dagger, Kalen had cut the strings of my corset, freeing me from my bindings.

Silently, he leaves for the door, and I sit up panicked, "Wait!" A sudden urge to not be left alone in this large echoing room leaves me yearning for him to stay. My face drips with sweat, and I shiver. When have I become so dependent on him? I find comfort in his proximity, yet he is my captor. His constant glances my way, analyzing my every movement, brings me a sense of security. Why do I feel this way? He just told everyone he owns me.

He turns around looking at me, "Yes?"

His dark eyes remain emotionless, but a small hint of guilt flickers in them. Uncomfortable with the truth of my desires, I blush. He stays still, waiting patiently. My mouth opens, and the truth never leaves my lips; instead, I mumble out, "Something is wrong."

Turning directions, he moves to the corner of the room. Lifting the pitcher, he pours the water into the basin and grabs a cloth resting on the table. Dunking it into the water, he rings out the access water before returning to my side.

"What is wrong with me?" I whimper.

Sitting down on the mattress, he brushes my hair clinging to my face away. "Nothing, this is my fault."

"How?"

He pushes me against the sheets. My head rests against the pillow, staining it with my sweat. "The drugs can cause this sort of effect afterwards. By morning you will be back to normal," he explains dabbing the cloth against my skin.

The dampness eases the burning of my face, and I groan in discomfort. My body feels stiff and damp all over. A tingling fire prinks my skin, and I lean over the bed. Kalen is quick to grab the chamber pot, and I hurl into the container. My body trembles and he rubs my back tenderly. I blink a few times, and my eyes fall shut.

~

The bright sun falls into a sharp piercing ray in the afternoon. The room is boiling, and my sheets are peeled back, my dress stripped from my body. The fluttering of the curtains ruffles into the silence and darkness consumes the room.

"Get out," Kalen hisses. He is glaring at Cecile from the chair he pulled over beside the bed.

Cecile crosses the room, the tapping of her shoes, echoes in the room. "I'm more qualified to handle this," she hisses.

"I did this to her, I'm supposed to protect her," Kalen groans, shifting in his chair with discomfort.

A loud trickle of liquid, fluids into the room, Cecile is pouring something. "Stop with the guilt. She will only suffer from it." I can hear the rolling of her eyes.

Stiffly, I stretch out my aching limbs and groan. My sheets are damp from sweat.

Kalen sits abruptly, leaning inward. "How are you feeling?"

I rub my eyes, and my arm falls weakly across my face. My bed dips under Cecile's weight, and she moves my arm back to my side. "That bad?" I remain silent, my mouth feeling oddly thick. She offers me a cup. "Drink this."

"No," I groan, my voice thick and hoarse. 

Kalen pushes me upright. My body shaking in weakness. "It's water."

"No," my voice fades dryly.

"Please," Cecile coos. Tipping the cup to my lips.

Liquid runs down my throat, clearing it of the thickness. Instinctively, I grasp the cup and gulp down the water greedily. Cecile holds the cup in place, my hands trembling and the water splashes inside.

"Easy, we don't need you throwing up again," she chuckles, pulling the cup from my lips and placing it on the table beside us.

I lean weakly into Kalen, and my heavy lids fall closed again. A cloth bloats against my skin, cooling me.

~

"Kalen?" Wilfrid whispers into the room.

I blink, through the darkness. An orange glow of the fire lighting the room. With the curtains still drawn, I'm left uncertain how long I had slept this time.

"She's better," Kalen mumbles dabbing my skin with the cloth again, "She eats in the morning, her energy is gone." With a groan, Kalen gets up to leave.

My hand lobs off the bed, and he freezes, looking down at my pale face. "Go back to sleep, the worst is over."

"Thank you," I mumble lazily.

A half smile slips onto his lips. "It was my pleasure, princess."

The door closes behind him, and I'm left alone.

~Poor Chloe is sick! Was it Kalen's guilt that had him with her or something else? Let me know what you think!~