FIRE NATION

CHAPTER 6

Roseanne felt a surge of relief as the washroom door closed behind her. The thin screen didn't offer much privacy, and she was fairly certain the Princess could still see her silhouette from the other side, but at least she was alone. Alone for how long? I'm trapped here with her unless I try to escape again. The thought of escape didn't seem very appealing. She had no idea what she would do if she left. Even if she managed to incapacitate the guards and sneak out of the palace, she couldn't return to the circus. The circus master and her fellow performers knew Lalisa had 'purchased' her for breeding stock and wouldn't accept her back. She couldn't go home either. Her family probably still hadn't forgiven her for running away in the first place, and they wouldn't hesitate to return her to the palace again once they found out what had happened.

She knew she needed a plan, but at the moment, all she could think of was how nice it would be to sink into a warm bath. She felt sticky all over, and her muscles screamed in agony. I guess it wouldn't hurt to clean up, she thought, dragging herself over to the giant, claw-footed tub in the middle of the room. There was a fireplace nearby, and although her body ached at the thought of lugging water around, the chance to soak in a warm bath was worth it. She opened the closest cabinet along the wall, looking for a kettle or bucket.

What she found instead surprised her. The cabinet was lined with bottles and jars of all shapes and colors. Several seemed to be filled with salt, others with liquids, and many more with herbs. A few were labeled, and she scanned the names curiously. "She must like scents and oils in her bath." Some of them appealed to her heightened sense of smell, and she inhaled. Jasmine tugged at her through the other scents, and she reached for one of the bottles and removed its top. The sweet smell relaxed her until she realized why she had chosen it. She put the bottle back in a hurry, disgusted with herself for choosing something that reminded her of the Princess's perfume.

In her hurry, she almost knocked over another small jar on the same shelf. As she steadied it, she caught sight of the scrawling label: kajihana. Her eyes widened and she drew her hand back as though she had been burned. If Lalisa caught her touching this bottle, or even looking at it, she had no doubt the Princess would be furious. It also explained why there hadn't been any heirs to the throne so far despite Lalisa's incredible sexual appetite. Roseanne wondered if the Fire Lord knew his daughter was in the habit of drugging her bedpartners. As contraceptives went, fireflower was the most potent, and also the most dangerous. If someone took enough to overdose...

A shudder raced down her spine, and she blinked the thought away. What she had endured had been awful, but she didn't want to die. Not like this, alone on the Princess's bathroom floor after being... could she call it rape? Her heat had made her complicit in her own violation, but it had still left her feeling awful. All she wanted was to get clean and forget.

Carefully, she set the bottle aside, making sure to place it back where she had found it. She knew she should sneak some of it away for later, but she was too terrified to touch it. What if Lalisa noticed some of it was missing? And what would her punishment be if she didn't conceive like she was supposed to? She didn't want to find out the answers to those questions.

It was a lucky thing she set the bottle down when she did, because a few moments later, the screen pulled open and Lalisa entered the washroom. "I've sent for breakfast," the Princess said in a clipped voice, barely sparing a glance in her direction. Lalisa strode past her and stopped in front of the fire, setting it ablaze with a careless gesture of her hand. "You should have waited for the servants to do this, but I suppose there's no point now. Turn on the pump and get in the tub, Roseanne. I'll get the hot water."

The offer was so surprising that Roseanne remained frozen, staring at Lalisa in absolute shock. Despite the Princess's dismissive attitude, her treatment was almost... kind? No, that's not the right word. But it isn't cruel, either. And she remembered my name. I didn't even know she was listening when I told her.