A Dove's Tale

Chapter 26

I was in a much more mellow mood the next morning. It was nice, bringing a smile to Mother's face, but her pain tainted the memory. The bittersweet evening had brought me crashing back down to the ground after my happiness high. Maybe it was for the best. I may work twice as fast when I was that happy, but I also got in twice as much trouble.

And now I had to deal with Prince Chevalier again.

I sighed heavily outside his door. The teasing and flirting that went on yesterday couldn't happen again. I had to focus on Mother. This was just a job, and Prince Chevalier was just an unnecessary distraction. I didn't need him clouding my thoughts when I was at home taking care of her.

One more deep breath, and I opened the door.

The two uncovered windows directly opposite his bed flooded the room with so much light that I always wondered how he could sleep in. It was easy for me to tidy up quietly without risk of bumping into something and waking him up accidentally. This particular morning, it was also easy for me to see the blood-stained clothes in the laundry hamper.

So much blood.

I stared in shock for a moment, and then I looked over at the unmoving lump under the blankets. What happened? Was he hurt? Surely he wouldn't neglect having an injury properly attended to, would he?

"Prince Chevalier?" I called nervously, approaching the bed.

The lump moved slightly.

"Prince Chevalier, are you okay?"

"It's too early," he mumbled.

"I'm sorry, Prince Chevalier, but the blood-" I swallowed hard, trying to quell my rising anxiety, and sat on the edge of the bed. "Are you hurt?"

"Go away," he muttered tersely.

"What?"

His strange response surprised me, but it also fueled my fear that something was terribly wrong. I put a hand on what I thought was his shoulder.

"Prince Chevalier-"

He sat up suddenly and shoved my hand away, his blue eyes flashing.

"I said, go away," he growled threateningly.

I saw the warning in those eyes, but I shook my head. "What's wrong, Prince Chevalier?"

He grabbed my arm and yanked me down with ferocious strength, straddling me and pinning me with a hand pressed firmly on the center of my chest before I could even react. My heart was racing as I stared up into those frigid blue eyes. Why was he doing this? What was going on?

"I don't want you here anymore," he snapped, applying pressure to my chest. "Leave, or die."

It was hard to breathe, more because of my fear than because of his hand pushing down on me, but I shook my head again. "You won't kill me, Prince Chevalier," I gasped.

"No?" He leaned over me, his other hand wrapping around my neck. "Have you forgotten who I am?" he asked, his voice low and threatening.

My heart rate was rising quickly, but I still couldn't believe he'd hurt me. Not after what we'd been through. Not after the care he'd shown to me, not after the obvious flirting and teasing. He was hiding something, trying to scare me away. If the blood on his clothes wasn't his, then whose was it?

"What's going on, Prince Chevalier?" I asked in a small, trembling voice.

"I killed an assassin," he said, a touch of frustration in his eyes.

Suddenly, a cruel smile spread over his face, and he removed the pressure from the hand on my chest. His fingers slid up across my exposed skin to my shoulder, pulling my collar aside. My fear exploded into a full-blown panic, but I couldn't move, staring horrified at this face I'd never seen before.