Crown of Blood (English) (Complete)

Uh oh

Dyses wakes up to sunlight pouring into her room. She gets out of her bed, almost sinking through her knees. Her whole body feels sore. It feels unreal to be back home, after everything that has happened in the past few days. She puts on a simple dress, and walks barefoot to the royal baths. From every side she is stared at in surprise by servants. Could they have noticed what happened? Or are they surprised to see a dirty princess walking barefoot? Without saying anything, she pushes open the door to the baths. A warm, herbal air welcomes her. When she walks out of the room after an hour, she feels like she has been reborn.

Her hair hangs wet and combed over her shoulders, and all the dirt has been washed off her body. Only after finding her shoes back in her room does she walk toward the kitchen. One of the cooks immediately walks up to her, bowing. 'Princess, what can we serve you this time?' Dyses smiles. This is how it should be. The past few days have been a nightmare. 'The greatest breakfast you have ever made.'

As she is eating, her mother comes storming into the kitchen. She looks furious. 'Everyone but my daughter out of the kitchen, now.' With wide eyes, Dyses looks at the woman. The servants and cooks walk out of the kitchen whispering softly, casting curious glances at the queen. As soon as everyone is out of the kitchen, the queen slaps her flat in the face. 'What have you got to do with Phaedra's death?' she hisses, clasping Dyses' face between her hands. The spot where she was struck still glows.

'Nothing, I promise.' The queen looks at her furiously. 'Don't lie. It can't be a coincidence that she dies when you were there. You killed her, in some kind of sick power game with the Stars. Now get out of my castle. How dare you show up here? You must leave now, I never want to see you again.' Stunned, Dyses stares at her mother. Does she really mean this? Would she really banish her only daughter for a murder she didn't even commit? 'But mother-' The queen shakes her head drily. 'No, I don't want to hear anything. Go away.'  

With wide eyes, Dyses looks at the woman. 'How stupid you are looking. Don't you hear what I'm saying? You must leave now, or I will call the guards.' Dyses gets up, pushing her chair hard against the table. Then she slams the kitchen door behind her, and walks to her room. She gathers a few knives, a sword and some pieces of clothing, and packs her bag. Hopefully her mother will recover a bit, but she shouldn't assume so. She swallows away the lump forming in her throat. It would be very pathetic to start whining about this. She needs to keep thinking calmly.

With the weapons in her belt, and the bag of clothes and a blanket in her hands, she stands in her room for the last time. She has no idea where to go. Uthomor is absolutely not an option; Cassian would cut her throat before she took a step into the forest. Staying close to the palace doesn't seem like a good idea to her at the moment either. She slowly closes the door behind her, and walks down the steps, toward the entrance. She avoids everyone's gaze and walks to the gate. There she steps into the fresh air outside. The sun is shining, but the wind is still cold. Fortunately, summer is coming, otherwise the nights would have been unbearably cold.

She decides to just go for a walk first. Maybe the queen will cool off in the meantime, and perhaps she didn't mean it all so violently. The sun feels warm on her skin, a pleasant difference from the past few days in the freezing dungeons. After a while, she slumps down on a large stone by the side of the road. What should she do now? This is not what she expected from her homecoming. Perhaps she would have been better off dead than as someone without any kind of power. Because right now she is even less than a servant. At least that one still has a job. Still, it doesn't hurt to rest a little. She closes her eyes and enjoys the sun on her face. Where would Cassian be now? What about Thalassa, Nayeli, Rhidian and Arlo? Would the children still be alive?

Something blocks her sunlight, and disturbed, she opens her eyes. The Star Woman stands before her, holding two children by the hand. The youngest runs to her, climbing into her lap. 'Hi Dyes,' he murmurs into her dress. 'Hi Arlo.' A rare smile appears on Star's face. Suddenly Dyses sees the similarities of the faces of Star, Thalassa and Arlo. The Star woman is their mother. Thalassa also walks up to Dyses, and hands her something elongated.