Bent But Not Broken

Eight

The next morning, Nyxia woke up in a pool of her own blood. The pristine white sheets beneath her was soaked with a bright crimson.

Not to mention it felt like her stomach was getting stabbed with a dull rusty knife.

She shrieked and tried to scramble up, but her stomach seized and instead, she tumbled off the bed, taking half of the blanket with her. Nyxia curled up in a fetal position, considering on giving up on life with the guards burst in, their swords drawn.

"My lady, are you okay?" One asked anxiously, peering at her on the ground.

"No, I think I'm dying..look at all of the blood." Nyxia whimpered softly. What the fuck is this shit?

"Oh, my lady, well—thats—" Nyxia couldn't see their expressions, she had her eyes squeezed shut against the pain, but she could hear the awkwardness. She could hear a set of footsteps walk away.

"That's what?" She snapped, then recoiled. "That sounded rude, I apologize."

Nyxia groaned again, curling up in a tighter ball.

This must be what hell was like, there could be no other comparison.

Nyxia was used to pain. She dealt with it every day of her life until recently, but this was something else.

She shut out the world, focusing on trying to make the pain go away.

"Nyxia, sweetheart, it's okay."

Christa's soothing voice came from besides her; she was Keeling next to the fallen girl.

Sometime in the months that she's been here, Nyxia had come to regard Christa as a sort of a mother figure. It felt like a betrayal to her own mother, but right now Nyxia didn't much care.

"Do you know what this is?" Nyxia demanded Weakly.

"Of course. I'll explain it to you, but let's get you a bath first. A few maids are coming to change your sheets out."

With a bit more coaxing, Christa managed to get Nyxia undressed and in the bath. The lower half of the gown was soaked in blood. It was impossible to wash it away, so it was thrown out. So were her undies.

Nyxia sighed in relief as she sank down into the hot water. The water gave her stomach some relief from the pain.

As she soaked, Christa explained what it was.

It was a period, and it was perfectly normal among females, both humans and faes. Basically her body got pissed that she wasn't pregnant so it decided to extract revenge on her in a really painful way.

Usually females got it at around 12—13 years old, when our bodies matured. Nyxia was way older than that. She didn't quite know how old she was, since she never kept track because she didn't know how to.

But definitely older. "Why didn't I get it sooner, then?"

"Because you were so malnourished. You weren't taken care of properly. But now you're eating well, sleeping well, and exercising quite adequately. Your body is now back to normal. You'll be getting a period every month now."

Now this stuck Nyxia as unfair. She had to through this shit every fucking month?

"What?! There's no way to stop it? I mean, asides from getting pregnant. I don't want to deal with bleeding and cramps and mood swings every month."

"I'm afraid not, but there's a tea that you can drink which will help the cramps. I've sent for some, don't worry. And there's something you can use so your clothing doesn't get ruined with blood. I will teach you how to use it." Christa explained In a very understanding way on how to use this thing called a Tampon. It had to be changed out every once in a while, unfortunately.

When she was dressed comfortably, Nyxia exited the bathroom to find a steaming hot cup of tea placed on the little table. She eagerly took the cup and dipped it, wincing as the scalding liquid burned her tongue and slid down her tongue.

But Nyxia kept at it until the tea was gone, and the cramps had subsided. Despite that, Nyxia felt like she  lifted weights for eight hours nonstop and she wanted to do nothing but sleep.

Nyxia shot a pleading look at Christa, who shook her head. "You have to practice for the dance, my lady."

Nyxia made a face and regretted her decision to go to the ball.