The Serpent's Chains

Chapter 26: Legacy

Sabine

Rushing water jolted me awake.

The pipes in my bathroom creaked and a plume of steam wafted into the bedroom.

I grabbed the edge of my sheet and pulled it over my head. Why Prince Cole sent a maid in every morning was beyond me.

"Miss Sabine, the bath is ready," the maid said from the bathroom.

If I kept her waiting, she'd come in and make a scene. I winced as I sat up and pulled my robe on. It had been a couple of days but some of the aches and pains from my torture still lingered.

I shuffled into the bathroom. The maid took my silk robe and unlaced the back of my night dress. She pulled it all the way to my feet, the cotton tickling my skin on the way down.

Ever since I got back, this was routine. Maids weren't supposed to wait on slaves, but she refused to take no for an answer. She even threatened to tell the prince that I wasn't cooperating.

"How are you feeling this morning?"

"Better. We won't need to keep this up much longer."

She held my arm as I stepped into the tub. My knees shook and my hips ached until the warm water sucked me under. The sweet scent of oils rose off the bath's surface.

"I got you another salve from the healers. They say it will help with some of your aches and pains." She set a ceramic pot on the stool beside the tub.

"Um... thank you."

She used a soft sponge and herbal soaps to bathe me. When she got to my wrists, she paused. "Do they still hurt?"

I had circular scabs on my wrists and ankles that were turning into scars. "Not like they did."

She carefully slid the sponge over the wounds.

Soap stung like little needles around the edge of the scab. I gritted my teeth and gripped the edge of the brass tub.

She washed my hair last and helped me to my feet before wrapping me in a towel. "I'll pick out a dress for you."

I sat on the bathroom stool and applied the herbal salve wherever I could reach without my joints protesting.

"Alright, how about this one?" She returned with a rose-colored dress with gold patterns stitched around the hem and the waist.

"It's fine." I nodded.

I felt like a toddler, being bathed and dressed. I was perfectly capable of doing it on my own, though it would take twice as long.

"The prince requested you in his quarters when you're ready." She stood behind me and ran a comb through my hair.

She braided part of my hair tightly against my scalp and wove a golden ribbon in with my strands of hair. I don't know what the prince said to her to make her style my hair every day.

"Alright, you look wonderful. Is there anything else before I head out?" She smiled warmly at me, her eyes bright.

"Oh... um... this salve... I couldn't reach my back or shoulders." I held the pot out to her.

"Say no more." She loosened my dress in the back and worked a generous portion of the salve onto my back and shoulders with soft, gentle strokes. She hummed to herself as she went.

I sighed and curled my spine forward. The healing salve sank into my muscles and spread a cooling, numbing sensation through the most painful areas.

"Thank you..."