Prince of Fire

Chapter 21

When Laurent returned to his rooms, he found Catherine pacing before the unmade bed.

Lilith and him walked from the library in a solitary silence, quietly processing the death of her friend. Laurent's mind ran rampant: Why was the body left there like that? Who would do such a thing? What message did they wish to leave? They parted ways in the Southern ring, Lilith going east to her room and Laurent west to his tower. All the way there, he felt like someone lurked behind him, watching from the shadows, but when he glanced back no one was there.

He carried an unsettling fear from the library all the way to his rooms. He did rightly so, because now Catherine paced in his room, shoulders drooping with worry.

Throwing his tunic on the nearby chair, he rushed to her and grabbed her shaking shoulders. "What is it, Cath? Did something happen?"

Her shaking eased, but did not stop. "Where were you?" she asked, her voice a faint tremble.

"Lilith needed my help in the library," was all he said. It was not a lie, just not the complete truth. Catherine has been shaken for the past days; he did not want to scare her further with the brutal murder of a servant.

"I need you now, Laurent." Fast as lightning, her hands grabbed at his shoulders, clutching at him through the thin material of his shirt. Laurent winced as her tight grip tore at his still opened wounds.

She dropped her hands, worry replacing the fear on her face. "I am sorry- I did not know-"

"Don't apologize, Cath." He pushed past the stinging pain on his back. "Tell me what brought you here."

Defiantly, she shook her head. "Not until your back is taken care of."

"How did you know?"

She studied his face, his posture. "I know what he does to you every year on your birthday. I just wish you told me so that I can help you take care of it."

She took his hand, gently guiding his into the bathroom. The cloth he used earlier still sat in the sink stained with his blood. He stood motionless as Cath unbuttoned his shirt and slid it down his arms, careful not to hurt him. She then unwrapped the bandages Laurent sloppily put on. He watched in the mirror as her lips parted in a mixture of shock at the pain the King unleashed on his son, anger at the King for doing this, and the dawning understanding of how bad the situation truly was.

"Laurent why have you not told me?" she asked, eyes raking over each cut on his back.

He watched her in the mirror: her soft caramel eyes glowing in the firelight, her pursed lips, the light tint of pink on her cheeks. "I feared you might be disgusted by them. And I feared you might tell someone, even my accident. My father would never be punished, but I could be." He told her the truth, the whole truth, not some half lie this time.

Her eyes met his in the mirror, blurred by the layers of dust coating it. "I am only disgusted by your father, not you." She reached into the cabinet for salve and lotions. "And I will tell no one, I promise."

"Thank you," Laurent said, his eyes on her as she began rubbing the salve on his back.

"There is something I still need to tell you." She spoke as she worked, her hands light on his back. The salve stung, but the feel of her cool hands on his burning back soothed the pain.

"You can tell me anything, Cath," he murmured, keeping the pain out of his voice.

"I-" She closed her eyes for a moment, sighed, then opened them again and began with a new determination. "One time I... forgot to take the potion." She paused, looking at him in the mirror to see if he understood. He did not. "The potion to prevent pregnancy..." Her voice trailed off. Her eyes willed him to understand.