Blossom

Chapter 7: Shadows

Max sat drying her hair when a gentle knock sounded at the door.

"E-Enter."

Rudis made her way in through the door. "I'm sorry to disturb you, my lady. I've come to refill the fire..."

Rudis trailed off, a confused look passing across her face as she took in the roaring fire and the pile of wood next to the hearth, then her eyes found the tub filled with rapidly cooling water.

"My apologies my lady, I did not realise you were awake otherwise I would have attended to you personally. I had anticipated that you were going to sleep for longer after the feast last night to see the knights off."

"It's n-no issue. Joanna woke me as there's p-plenty to do today. She fed the fire about half an hour ago while I was b-bathing. She's just l-left a few minutes ago to find a dress.""

"I see."

Max thought she saw a slight look of dissatisfaction pass across her face momentarily before it was replaced by her usual passive expression. An awkwardness settled across the room. Max placed the towel that she had been using on the table next to her and reached for her hairbrush.

"Would you like me to brush your hair for you, my lady? Would you like me to put it up in a braid?"

Max gave the maid a small smile, thankful for something to ease the tension in the air. "Y-yes please."

They moved over to the dresser. Rudis spread a small amount of scented oil on her hands and ran her fingers through Max's curls before gently brushing her hair starting from the ends.

Max felt her shoulders beginning to relax as the sound of the brush gliding through her hair soothed her. Just as her eyes began to feel heavy and her breathing deepened, Rudis's voice called her back to earth.

"That's a lovely jewellery box."

Max's eyes flew open. She looked at the box that had been placed on the dresser, next to the mirror, earlier that day. It was a small wooden box which looked plain at first glance, but closer inspection revealed a beautiful floral pattern painted on the lid which had faded with time and use.

"It's my mother's... I mean, it was my mother's. She died when I was very young."

"I'm sorry. That must have been difficult for you."

Max smiled sadly to herself.

"Yes and no. I-I only have a couple of memories of her and t-they are vague. I never g-got to know her. Father remarried shortly afterwards b-but his new wife died s-several years later and he never married again."

Truth was as a child she had often wondered what her mother was like but years of her being used as nothing but an insult to Max had taught her not to ask questions. Her father liked to remind her how incompetent her mother was and how she had failed at her one purpose in life. The few memories she had of her mother involved her sitting by a window staring blankly out at the world. She had been reduced to little more than a shell of a woman by the end.

Thinking back to the frail broken woman Max wondered again how similar to her mother she truly was? She knew that she had the same hair and eyes as her father, which were the only reason he didn't denounce her as a bastard child that was the product of an affair when her flaws came to light, but how much had she gotten from her mother?

She had tried to speak to Joanna years ago but every time her mother was mentioned, she would become quiet and excuse herself from the room.

Just at that moment, as if hearing her thoughts Joanna burst through the door