Out of Time

Chapter 6

Dani put off getting dressed as long as possible. And so, door barricaded with the tub for good measure, she explored the tiny room stark naked. She kneaded her chin, inwardly cringing at the stubble there, but being able to see the up side of the exceptionally hairy nature she seemed to have inherited from her uncle. The little bit of chin hair, and dark shadow on her upper lip which had plagued her since puberty would only help to convince people she was in fact a boy.

Her exploration didn't really take long. She could nearly cross the distance between the bed and the fireplace in one step, probably closer to one and a half. The room ran just the length of the bed plus a couple feet more. No other furniture graced the room, and no chest or wardrobe had been brought in for clothing. She wondered if she would only get the one set of clothes.

Dani turned, looking at the articles in question. She touched them with the very tips of her fingers, but even that left her wanting to jerk away. Wool! She hated wool. When she'd gotten a varsity letter in high school, she'd ended up not getting a letter jacket because it was wool, and she'd practically screamed for her mom to get it off her.

With a sigh, she grabbed the tunic, the fibers irritating her hands. Then pulled the garments on one piece at a time, cringing as that horrible itching set in. She wanted to rip it off, and had the almost uncontrollable urge to run away from the sensation, even though she knew she couldn't. So, she pushed the tub away from the door with her fists clenched in an attempt not to start scratching—or stripping—and exited the room.

She hoped being around others would keep her from stripping without thinking.

"Oh, there you are, Dani." Arleigh rushed over, looking Dani up and down. She nodded. "Much better."

A slight tremor had developed in her muscles, and she clenched her hands tighter, repeating the mantra, "Don't itch," in her head over and over again. She wanted to tell Arleigh how sensitive she was to wool, but she couldn't think of the words. So instead, she just said, "It itches."

Arleigh waved the statement off. "It's far better than what you'd been wearing."

Dani would beg to differ. Even dirty and torn, she would wear the cotton and spandex in a heartbeat. She felt like she was going mad. "It really itches." She tried to stress how bad it was, but Arleigh didn't seem to get it.

Instead, she grabbed Dani's arm, and led her away. "The king asked that you be brought back to him after you'd been properly cared for. Although, I'm sure you're tired. Probably haven't gotten a decent night's sleep in the gods only know how long."

Dani opened her mouth to speak, but Arleigh didn't give her an opportunity. They'd arrived at the king's office, and Arleigh knocked, opened the door, and shoved Dani through it without waiting for a response. She turned, but the door slammed in her face.

"Is she always like that?"

"Frequently, but she's a good woman, loyal and respectful when it counts. Have a seat."

Dani nodded, and sat in front of the king. His deep voice almost made up for the fact that a few more minutes would surely see her skin leading a revolt against her for subjecting it to this damnable wool.

"Feel better?"

She nodded.

"Good. So, I know you can read and write. Do you have other talents?"

"I'm fairly handy with a bow and arrow."

"And yet you nearly starved in the forest."

"But I didn't have a bow and arrow. I had to make one, which I've never done before. The arrows weren't straight, and the bow didn't have much power to it at all. Though, I guess, I'm not strong enough anymore to draw a decent bow." She looked down at her pitiful biceps, remembering when her arm had been too big to look good in a sleeveless shirt. Now, it was too small to look good in anything.