The King's Cursed Bride

Shipwrecked

Author's Note: Alright, Alright, I admit it: I am officially addicted to sea-related chapter titles 😄
And another thing. I'm not sure this completely comes through in the comments, but you guys are like seriously awesome. Seriously. I'm thinking of dedicating each chapter to a loyal fan--thoughts?
And today's dedication is for macaronitsunami! She's been with me since the very beginning of the story, and she's been so supportive and awesome through her copious amounts of comments 😉

***

The stairs finally—finally—leveled off at the main floor. Carissa sucked in another breath, shoving her dizziness down. At this moment, she would have liked nothing more than to pass out cold on the floor, but that obviously wasn't an option. It was only a matter of time before her absence was noted.

Carissa strode across the room, brushing past the red curtains without actually entering the sampling area. A nightwoman stood in the middle of the room, brushing her fingernails down a man's arm before teasingly darting out of reach. Her waves of dark brown hair rippled to her waist, and though most would think her golden eyes sparkled, Carissa saw the tension tightening them at the corners.

Elisa. Just the nightwoman Carissa wanted to see.

Carissa checked to make sure her veil was snugly looped around her ears before striding towards her. "Elisa?"

She whirled away from the man, tossing him a coy smile. "Carissa, what are you doing here? I know Akasha worked you hard last night. Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I have a favor to ask." She drew near Elisa, so no one could see the wad of paper Carissa pressed into her hand.

"What's this?"

"A note. Could you have someone deliver it to the King for me?" Carissa pressed a coin into her other palm.

She pursed her rosebud-colored lips, which shone with a hint of gloss. "The King? Whatever for? And why can't you?"

"I'm leaving."

Her eyed rounded. "Leav—" She cleared her throat, lowered her voice. "Leaving?"

Carissa nodded. "I'm afraid that Akasha didn't appreciate our little chat during the meeting, and I fear what will happen if I stay. I'd like you to deliver this should I be unable to escape for some reason." Now that the main doors were only half the room away, such precaution seemed silly; freedom was so close. But Akasha was clever, and Carissa wasn't going to take any chances.

Elisa nodded. "Of course... but why the King?"

Could she tell Elisa? Would Elisa even believe her? "The King... he knows me, so I'm hoping he'll do me a favor, if need be."

Elisa glanced down at herself and hesitated before hiding the coin and the paper in the front of her dress. With how the fabric clung to her body, the outlines of the objects were rather visible, but hopefully it would suffice until Elisa found a proper hiding place. "Very well. I will do as you have asked. Please be careful. If you're caught, you'll be punished, perhaps so severely that you'll be beyond my ability to heal."

Too late for that. Carissa thanked her and stumbled towards the doorway. She resisted the urge to glance around to see who watched her—no reason to arouse suspicion by acting overly paranoid.

By the time she reached the door, violent tremors wracked her body. The exhaustion, fear, and excitement were all crashing down on her at once. When she had put a good distance between herself and Iver, she'd need to find some place to rest. Could she make the walk to the royal embassy in a day? Would she even be permitted to see the King should she come?