Desires of the Crown

13 - Another Road, Another Life

         Alliar

They say that when you die, you join the gods. Your sprit travels high up past the mountains and clouds and in the sky where the gods can either; gift you with peace, and let you live among them in the stars or they can curse you to never find peace, to live amongst the living, to be nothing but a shadow forever haunting the earth.

I slowly opened my eyes letting them blink to adjust to the light. Okay this was a strange peace, it kind of looked like the damn tent I feel asleep in last night but that would mean I was either cursed down by the gods or I was still alive — I'm thinking I was cursed, but what the hell did I do wrong? I only lived a short life and sure, I wasn't the nicest to sister Clairea but she was at times a major pest to me too so we were even right?

"Oh good you're wake." Jonathan's deep husky voice said as he pulled on a new shirt — this one a light grey.

"Why are you in my star?" I asked quickly as I narrowed my eyes at him.

"What? What star?" He looked at me like I was insane — which at this point I was starting to believe. "We don't have time for this. And don't, narrow your eyes at me or I'll cut them out. Now get up we have work to do." He exclaimed as he tapped the side of my face to break my deathly glare and walked out of the tent but not before he threw a dress at me.

I stared at the dress on my lap in confusion. What the hell was going on? I reached up with my hands and rubbed my face, trying to wake myself up. So I was alive then? I pulled myself out from under the sheet my body was tangled in and quickly slipped my feet into the black boots that were neatly chucked beside the stretcher, so that my feet didn't dirty themselves on the ground.

Standing up I found the bucket of water with the cloth from last night still where it had been left — which I was thankful for. I pulled the bucket closer towards me as I dipped my head inside of it, holding my breath as I tried to quickly comb the much and knots out of my hair and off my face.

Lifting my head up with a loud a gasp I suddenly felt a lot more awake. I padded my face and hair dry with the sheet before I started to braid the sides of my hair and tied them in a lose knot behind my head — hoping that it would keep the hair from falling in front of my face.

Standing up I unfolded the dress to get a better look, it wasn't a dress at all; it was riding leathers. I shook my head and I stared at the clothes. Were they taking me with them? Or did they just plan to dumb me somewhere on the way? Pouting, I started to dress myself pulling on the leather pants that clung to my body tightly — gods, if sister Clairea saw me in this she would have a fit and chase me around the tower with a plank screaming harlot at the top of her lungs.

Reaching down I grabbed hold of the white shirt and quickly pulled it on, it was rather long on me, ending at my mid-thigh while it hung off my shoulder showing my neck and a little cleavage.

I stare down at the corset that would keep my shirt from falling off and groaned. It tied in the back — fan-bloody-tastic. I pulled the corset around my stomach, letting it sit just under my breasts and started to reach behind my back with one arm and tie it, whilst holding it in place with the other hand — let's just say this was not working in my favour at all.

I felt hands brush against mine making me gasp quickly and look over my shoulder to see Jonathan, his eyes were down and focussing on the knots that he was beginning to tie as my hands went back to holding it in place.

"Are you taking me with you?" I asked him as he tightened the strings so deathly tight that I feared I wouldn't be able to breathe. "Do you mind, I would actually like to be able to breathe here." I quickly said as I tried to pull away from his grasp but he only pulled me back towards him.