Of Thorns and Glamour

A Whole New World

My eyelids were heavy, but I finally wake up, feeling the light peak into my eyes. I crack them open but they feel glued shut. Moving my body is just as bad, my aches and pains protest against my movement, and I groan loudly. I call out to Cynthias to draw me a bath.

That's when it dawned on me.

I sit up, too quickly and suck in breath through my teeth from the pain blooming. Every movement hurts but it subsides eventually. I rub the crust out of my eyes and get a quick glance around my room. My bed is much smaller, with an old wood frame and a mixture of quilts and fur blankets cover me. I am not in my dress, but instead an oversized white tunic. I also had no bottoms and the tunic only comes down to my mid thigh. My face flushed as I realized I did not have the slightest memory of changing out of my dress.

I do remember the battle, and Inchiki coming to my rescue. I also remember that I was severely injured, but I can move all my fingers and toes easily. My back feels terrible still, but thankfully I don't feel stumps protruding from where my wings were. The terrible aching pain was the only proof that I had been flying, even if only for a few seconds. Sprouting them seemed far too easy though.

After I rub the sleep from my eyes I took a look around, and realized I was alone in this room. It was full of books, a writing desk and other lived in items. It was a fairly small room, but I had enough space to move out of bed easily. I noticed the chill in the air, but the heat of the small fireplace across the way was much needed. Shifting to move out of bed I found a pitcher of water and a glass on the nightstand beside me. I grab the pitcher and drank it quickly to quench my thirst, some of it dripping down my neck from me being too eager. After I got the strength to attempt to stand, my legs were very weak and gave out beneath me. I caught myself at the end of the bed frame before I could fall. "Faeries, are you there?" I called out and one popped out of my hair and flew in front my face. "Is it only you?"

She nodded, flying around me worried, but she was too small to help. I must had used too much of my own power to keep them corporeal. I looked at the shelves and the tables around the room. I found a dresser across the way, "Inchiki took me here right?" I asked my faerie.

She nodded her head again and I found my satchel, shredded on the desk. Some of it salvageable, such as my jewelry, and my tiara was also in there. My brows furrowed as I saw my clothes were destroyed, as large holes ripped in it. My faerie flew to me and pulled open a drawer in the dresser. I started to protest that I wasn't going to wear Inchiki's clothes, but I could tell that they were feminine design. I pulled out a skirt, a top, some stockings and a smock that crossed and tied in the back. I began pulling off the tunic I wore, which was difficult, and I realized it had some old dark blood crusted around spots. I think that was the most amount of blood I ever had spilled. It was like having a bucket of ice water dumped on me as I realize how lucky I was that I didn't lose my own corporeal form and eaten by Nuir.

I looked down and saw where the majority of my pain was on my back and top of my thigh. The bandage look fresh though, tied tightly to prevent more of my blood to come out. Mortals claimed gods didn't bleed, but it was only because it was hard to hurt a god. Nuir did a number on me, and I will never, ever forgive him for it. Did he ever love me as his daughter, his only daughter that he fought a war to conceive? I shove down the thoughts of how easy it was for him to hurt me. I must find a way to get stronger, so that way he will never hurt me again. Or at least so I wouldn't be so helpless that I had to call out to a stranger.

A stranger who saved me and bandaged me.

A stranger who probably saw me completely naked.

I blushed hard, covering my face with my hands. He had to see me so I wouldn't die, but I really wished it wasn't him. I felt my stomach flip as I thought about it more, him undressing me, and wished I had water to splash on my face to cool it. I shook my head rigorously to knock out the thoughts and proceeded to continue with my task.