A Queen Conflicted (Alys Book #3)

Chapter 31

Endolynn did not stay conscious long once she was returned to the cell. All she was aware of was that the princesses had helped her to her bed and tended to her injured face as best as they could. Within minutes she was asleep, surrendering to her injured and weakened state. 

***

When Endolynn woke the next morning, her body felt broken. Her face was throbbing and felt like it was on fire. Her stomach was extremely bruised where Leoford had punched her. Any movement hurt.
"You must get up," Jocelynn was crouched at the side of Endolynn's bed, her hand grasping a shoulder.

Endolynn squinted at her, trying to get her brain to register what was happening.
"The guards are coming," Jocelynn said firmly, giving Endolynn another gentle shake, "You need to get up."

It was not so much Jocelynn's words that convinced Endolynn to start moving, but the mere fact that the once spoiled princess was looking out for her.
Endolynn pushed through her discomfort as she forced herself to sit up and shake the fog of sleep from her head.

The lock on their bar door rattled as a key was inserted and turned.

With Jocelynn's help, Endolynn managed to stand up without falling over.

Maajida and Zari were already lined up behind the door. The other two women made their way over to line up as well, but the guards shoved past Zari and Maajida, depositing two wooden buckets on the floor a few steps in, then retreating.
The door was shut and relocked, and the guards left without a word.
Zari turned slowly to look at the buckets on the floor, and then to Jocelynn and Endolynn who had stopped in the middle of the room.
"What?" Jocelynn asked, her voice strained with tension.
"Food and water," Zari replied, moving to pick both buckets up.
Silently, Maajida moved back towards her bed, fleeting away from social interaction.
Jocelynn frowned into the buckets that Zari brought up to her, confused.
"This has never happened before," she whispered, looking back up at Zari as if the other princess would have an explanation.
"What has?" Endolynn asked, raising a hand to her throbbing head.

Jocelynn's voice held notes of worry, "Us being fed in this manner."

Zari met the queen's eyes, "He has never once not had us summoned for bathing and then dining with him."

Now it was Endolynn who frowned. They had been kept extremely well, then. Almost as if they were not prisoners at all.
But of course, that was not true. It was more likely that Leoford held cleanliness as important and wanted to keep his trophies in good condition.

"He is probably sulking from last night," Endolynn's voice dripped with venom as she turned from the women and moved back towards her bed.
If they were not going to be required to leave their jail that day, she would gladly take the time to rest and recover.
"Sulking?" Zari's accented voice came across the room to the queen while she sat down gingerly on her bed, "Why would such be the case?"

Endolynn looked at the floor, trying to figure out what to say and how to say it.
Thus far, the other women she was caged with were innocent of her rash interaction with Leoford the night before. Would she be putting them in danger if she told them of her defiance of him?

But they were already in danger.

"What happened, Alys?" Jocelynn asked, turning towards the queen from where she still stood with Princess Zari. The Marniac princess stroked her long locks of blonde hair nervously.
"I fought him off."
Endolynn did not have to look up to know it was Maajida who had made the surprised gasp in response to her cold words.
"And...he let you leave unharmed?" Jocelynn's voice was filled with her shock.
"Well," Endolynn looked towards the women, unable to hold back the sneer on her face, "He got in a few good strikes first."
Jocelynn looked as if she had seen a ghost, but Princess Zari had the slightest hint of a smile on her face. Almost a look of approval. The Arkalan princess crossed her arms against her chest as she sized up the injured queen sitting on the bed.
But Jocelynn was slowly losing her composure. Endolynn did not miss how her hands were trembling as she rubbed them together in front of herself.
"Do you realize what he will do to you?" she whispered, looking genuinely fearful, "He will never let you get away with that."