Kid

Chapter 6

I had a fitful sleep before Flynn shook me awake. His graying hair was damp and combed to the side. His gear was rumpled, but he looked refreshed.  No smile played on his lips today. It was King’s funeral.  I cracked my eyes in disgust as I groaned.

            “I know Kid,” He sighed. “No one wants to go to a funeral, but it’s just something we have to do.” I groaned ever louder as I slid off the bed with a large thump. I had dragged the sheets with me in the process so they spilled on me. Flynn glared at me. “The royals are still asleep.” I nodded and stood up, forgetting to make my bed in the process. I shuffled toward the adjoining bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror. We didn’t have a mirror in my old house.

            My hair was messy and matted on one side. It was too shaggy as well. Maybe after the funeral, I could cut it. As if on cue, Flynn knocked on the bathroom door. He held a pair of scissors.

            “Want a haircut?”

            “Yes,” I demanded. Flynn smiled for the first time today and got busy trimming the black hair. Tufts of hair fell to the tile floor. I closed my eyes for a moment and then opened them again. My hair was shorter and I liked it. I shook my head to feel it move. “Better,” I commented as I squatted to pick up the dead tufts of hair and threw them away.

            “Be down in the entry room in 15 minutes.” Flynn ordered. “I’ll go wake the royals.” I acknowledged him by waving my hand. I waited for the door to click before I stripped my shirt off.  I tossed it onto the floor. I stared at my body. I was somewhat pale and I had some muscles from working various jobs in the summer time, but other than that, my body wasn’t too appealing to women.  My face though, was a different story.  The chiseled jawline, the slightly curly black hair, the blue gray eyes; everything was there.  I walked over to the tub and turned the water on. I just wanted to give my hair a quick rinse before I presented myself to the royals. As I stuck my head into the water, the tub had a faint aroma of sweet smelling soaps, something a woman would use.

            Woman.

            Princess.

            Was this bathroom connected to the Princess’s? I bolted my head out of the cold water, banging my head on the spout in the process.  I cursed loudly and then bit my lip wondering if Princess Britta would have heard that. I looked around the bathroom quickly to see if there was another door in here.

            There was.

            My eyes got wider. I needed to get out of here. My head throbbed as I wobbled to grab my shirt and turn the water off. The doorknob to the other door turned. My heart stopped.

            No.

            No.

            No.

            This couldn’t be happening.

            The door opened and Princess Britta in a dark blue satin robe stepped inside. She held a bottle of some sort of flower soap. She saw me in the bathroom, hair dripping cold droplets of bath water onto my bare back, my shirt in one hand, my other hand on my throbbing head. She dropped the bottle. It clattered to the floor, but thankfully didn’t break. She stared at my bare chest. This was awkward.

            “I…I didn’t know this was an adjoining bathroom.” I stumbled on words. My cheeks began to burn red.  Britta’s did as well. I needed to escape.

            “I didn’t know you stayed at the castle last night,” She gapped. She was just as shocked as I was.

            “It was late,” I tried hard to explain, but it just didn’t seem to be convincing. “There was no point in riding back so late in the night.” She blinked her eyelids.