The Hibernian Runaway

Chapter 23

Lilly could only stare at the woman as she flitted about the room, holding dresses up to her body. They were old and smelled like the wood of the wardrobe, but her mother's faint scent brought tears to Lilly's eyes.

"What are you doing?" Lilly asked.

Queen Josephine just giggled and held up another dress. Then she came over to play with her hair. "Oh, you're in horrible condition. We must get you washed up for the ceremony. We can't have you looking like a common prisoner when your head will be rolling on the ground."

Lilly stiffened with each touch of her crazy step-mother. She was walking around her, inspecting every inch of her body and soiled clothes. "You are an absolute disgrace." she said, her finger subconsciously on her lips. "A princess running around in a foreign country, doing unlady like thinks."

She turned around and pulled Lilly behind her. She stumbled over her feet for the first couple of steps, but caught herself. She walked into the room, surprised to see three maids waiting for them.

"Maids. Please clean up this unsightly girl." She said, not even looking at them. "Make her pretty enough to die for." She giggled on the way out, slamming the doors behind her.

Almost immediately, the humidity in the room started to grow, the doors preventing the water vapor from the bath to escape. The maids stepped forward, stripping her grimy clothes from her body. Goose bumps immediately rose on her exposed skin, and she crossed her arms self consciously. Lilly was painfully aware of how tight her skin hugged her bones.

The maids helped her into the bath, Lilly flinching at first to the hot water, but she sighed in bliss. She sat back in the water and tried to relax, but could not bring herself to do so, knowing that the Josephine was dressing her up for her death.

The maids worked tirelessly in order to transform her from a convict to a Princess. Lilly tried not to accept the luxury so easily, but being pampered after more than a half a year of running was something anyone would enjoy. She sat back in the tub and relaxed as the maids did their work, scrubbing layers of grit from her skin, and massaging shampoo into her hair.

They finished their work and herded her out of the bath, wrapping a robe around her as she stood up. One of the maids pulled up a chair and she sat down, as they began to perfect their finishing touches. One pulled a brush through her hair, bringing the coppery sheen into full light. Another massaged her feet and fixed her nails. The last one disappeared into the other room and returned with a blue and silver dress that Josephine had chosen.

And sure enough, the crazy woman swooped in behind the maid with the dress. She was giggling to herself, obviously mad. She tottered over to Lilly and began to play with her hair.

"Lilly," she gasped, "You look absolutely stunning." She held up one of the coppery strands into the light. "You'll look even more spectacular when your head is rolling on the cobblestones." Josephine giggled again and pinched Lilly's cheek. "I would've loved having you as a daughter, but you're loyal to your father, so you have to go."

The crazy queen giggled as she walked out of the room. Then she saw the dress that the maid was carrying. "What is that?" she asked, the mad giggling replaced by anger.

The maid immediately froze and turned to face the Josephine. She kept her eyes aimed pointedly at the stone floor. "It is the dress you instructed us to use, my lady." she said, her voice trembling.

"I would never chose that." She said in disgust. She walked up to the maid and pulled the dress from her hands. The maid looked up as Josephine dropped the dress to the ground. Then Josephine grabbed the maid's head, her left thumb dangerously close to the maid's right eye. "Don't tell me you were making your own choices."

"No, my lady." The maid stammered out, trying not to tremble in terror. "You said to use the one on the bed."

Josephine seemed to think about the maid's answer. Then without warning, she dug her thumb into the maids eye. She screamed in pain, but Josephine cut her off. "Don't scream. Accept your punishment."

Josephine let go of the maid, who fell to the floor cradling her eye. Blood dripped from Josephine's left hand and she grabbed the dress from the ground and cleaned her fingers off. She dropped the dress back to the cold stone floor, then she turned as if nothing had happened and left, as bubbly as before.

Lilly and the other maids were immediately at the maid's side. She was a younger woman, with a pretty face and blonde hair. But now that face was marred by the blood dripping down her face from under her hands.

"Are you alright?" Lilly asked, kneeling in front of the girl.

The maid said nothing, but was choking down sobs. Lilly gently reached up and took the girl's arm. She quickly shied away, whimpering in fear and pain.

"I'm not going to hurt you." She said, soothingly. "But we need to clean it up before it gets infected."

The girl looked at the older maid with her one good eye, and the older woman nodded. She took her hands away from her face, her entire body trembling. Her right eye lid was clamped over her eye, blood weeping out from underneath it.

"Heidi, go get Bertha." The older maid said to the one standing behind the younger girl. "Tell her that Celine needs her."

"Yes, Cliona." The other maid hurried out of the room, looking to find Bertha. Lilly and the older maid took the washcloths from the bath and began to clean the Celine's face. She had gotten over the shock of what had happened and sat quietly.

"Did you run to Araluen to get help from their king?" Cliona asked, as she dipped the washcloth into the hot, pink water.

Lilly put her head down, knowing that in her heart she had been selfish. She had run to save herself, not to help her country. Cliona seemed to notice, and sighed. "Child, I don't blame you for running. Others might not be so forgiving."

Lilly sighed. "Honestly, I ran to get away from Josephine. Not to get help for Hibernia." She dabbed Celine's face. "I ended up not trusting anyone, not even their King. I met their King, and the Araluen Rangers, but I didn't trust them enough to explain the situation. I think that tomorrow, Hibernia will be ruled by a madwoman."

A minute later, Heidi came in through the door, followed by Bertha. The woman looked older than Bertha, but had a kind face. She quickly took care of Celine's eye, cleansing it and wrapping it in a clean white cloth.

"You need to go rest," Bertha said. "Heidi take her to the rooms."

Heidi nodded, and helped Celine off of the ground. Then Bertha turned to Lilly. "I see that you, Princess, are in good health."

"Yes, thank you." Lilly said.

"It's weird. I was talking to a couple of foresters, a father and his sons, I think. They were asking a lot of questions about you." Bertha said. "I guess I can let them know that you're alright."

Lilly looked at the woman with a puzzling look. "Were the foresters an older man with a salt pepper scraggly beard, and a short younger man with a beard and dark eyes?"

"Yes." Bertha said. "And-"

"Did they carry bows?" Lilly interrupted.

"Yes." Bertha answered. "How did you know that?"

But Lilly didn't answer her questions. She ran into the next room and looked out the window, watching as the castle guards put the finishing touches on the stage where she would meet death. But she didn't feel hopeless anymore; the King's Rangers were in Hibernia.