Persephone

17. Bath

Peresephone listened to the sound of Alistair's expensive leather shoes slap against the floor receding from the room she lay in.

She shivered, despite the thick covering of blanket surrounding her, the chill of the dungeon had set into her bones. Never before in her life had she been so scared. Never before in her life could she imagine a situation like this. She just wanted to go home. She just wanted her mom.

She cried for all that had happened to her and all that could happen to her.

That's how she spent her day. As Alastair wasted away his hour somewhere besides where she was. She laid in his bed drifting in and out of sleep, crying while she was awake, dreading the return of her captor.

She did not stir when Martha came to bring her lunch, nor when she brought dinner. She did not feel like eating, did not feel like moving at all. In this manner, she did not acknowledge her visitor later that night, assuming it was Martha coming to take her tray from dinner.

Her only reaction to Alastair's arrival was after she felt the mattress dip next to her and his cold fingers slowly trailing down her waist, and only then was he met with a whimper and the reemergence of tears.

With a sigh, Alastair rose from the bed and moved towards the adjacent bathroom. He had left her by herself for the day hoping she would feel better when he returned, however he could see now that that may have not been the best idea. To an extent he regret frightening her but she needed to learn what would happen if she crossed him. Of course he was unsure if he could even bare to harm her like that. His attachment to her had seemed to grow faster than anticipated.

Moving to the claw footed bathtub, Alastair turned a knob at the top, allowing hot water to flow. Moving to a nearby cabinet, he smiled to himself. Although he rejected much of the outside worlds advancement, there was one thing he could not help but enjoy, running water.

Pulling out several white fluffy towels, Alastair placed them on the sink counter and returned to his main room. Moving to the bedside he scooped Persephone into his arms, causing her to whimper, but not struggle. Her fear for him was overpowering her at the moment.

She kept her face scrunched up and eyes closed as he carried her to the bathroom, refusing to look at him or even acknowledge him. He placed her down next to the stack of towels on the sink counter and began to undo her nightdress, the same she had slept in the night before.

At this her silent tears turned into sobs followed by a heart wrenching "No!"

Alastair sighed, putting a hand behind her head and pressing his lips to her temple, "Relax sweetheart, I'm only wish to bathe you."

Persephone shook her head and her lip wobbled, she didn't want to be naked in front of this man. Alastair kissed her temple again and finished unbuttoning the front of her nightdress, sliding it off her shoulders. Persephone put up her arms, not allowing it to slip past her breasts, tears falling faster. But Alastair only brushed her hands away, as if they were mere flies, all the while keep his cheek pressed to the side of her face. Lifting her from the counter, he placed her on her feet, securing an arm around her waist, letting the nightdress pool around her feet. Persephone pressed her arms against his chest, creating a barrier between her and him, burying her face in her hands. Hooking a finger in her underwear, he pulled it past her thighs and let that fall as well. Scooping her up again, he gently placed her in the tub of warm water, turning off the faucet as he did and turned away.

Persephone's face was burning as she pulled her legs to her chest, resting her forehead on her knees. Never in her life had a man seen her naked, she felt as though something had been taken from her.