The Last Princess

Chapter 7

A stinging burn woke me up.

Just on my right wrist, a searing pain caused me to open my eyes. Slowly, as they adjusted to the light (not that there was much of it), I saw Forreston standing over me, smirking. He dropped the hot iron rod and turned away.

I tried to breathe.

Iron was deadly to elves. Forreston always wore gloves while using it. But on the skin of an elf, well, it wasn't very pleasant. Luckily, the bars of my cell and the chains which held the bench up were made of steel.

My wrist had a long red burn over it. That would heal eventually. I turned my attention to more pressing matters.

I made sure I couldn't hear his footsteps, and finally propped myself up on one elbow, fighting another small migraine. Luckily I hadn't had one of those during the Ceremony, or the whipping.

A gown had been laid out on the bench. That was probably Maple. And there was a mirror, too.

Grimacing, I pushed myself up. I was very careful not to stretch my back. But it still hurt. 

Limping slightly, I made my way to the mirror. Holding my breath, I turned around and looked at my back.

It was covered in blood.

That much was expected. But it was dried, which was also a disadvantage, because I couldn't tell where the wounds were. I had never had any healing after these...incidents.

But elves had a lot of withstanding power. Our bodies were very strong and fended off many diseases. I supposed that was what kept me alive.

Gasping, I changed into the deep blue dress laid out, and looked at myself in the mirror again.

How much it concealed.

Well, except for the fact that my long, red hair was a mess, and I had sleep lines all over my hands and face.

Suddenly I frowned. Just how long was I out?

This required research.

I looked at the iron rod.

I pulled the long sleeve of my dress over my hand and grabbed the rod. Holding it, I banged it against the bars of my (now closed) cell. A guard came running immediately. "What is it?" he said testily. With as much dignity as I could muster, I replied, "Just how long was I...asleep?"

The guard rolled his eyes. ""Well, since last night. So...almost a day?" He plodded away, his steel boots clanking on the floor.

It felt as though something was squeezing my heart. A whole day.

With so few days left in my life, I treasured every moment. Now I had lost a whole day.

I sat down on the stone bench.

Three more days left.