The Princess of Cithrí - Chaol Westfall Fanfiction

Part 7

I laid on the straw bed, staring at the greyish cieling above, it was covered in scratches, but had to be about eight feet above me.... I wonder what monster carved them in. As I shifted I got a waft of my own stench. "Oh god." I mumbled, scrunching my nose up, that was the consequence of not bathing for three days, almost four by the end of today.
I looked to the door and sighed, my hands - resting on my stomach- clanked as they sunk with my chest. The only light was from the lantern outside and down twelve yard on the right if I remembered correctly. Although being honest it had probably been moved by now. The light relfected off the thick metal clamped to my wrists, a chain leading off them and running up to the ceiling in the centre of the dungeon. I scratched my forehead, the metal rubbing on my skin, pulling at the skin agonisingly. I shut my eyes and my thoughts turned to Chaol, I wish he was here, lying besides me, his strong arms safely holding me like a fragile doll. His head nuzzled into my neck, and his brown eyes running over me, looking like he had just won a huge competition and I was his prize.
I had heard from a servant he had recovered well, back on his feet drinking in a few hours after being paralyzed. Apparently he was managing to piss off the whole servant household with his continuous questions of my condition. I just hoped he was begging father to let me out.

A key turned in the lock with the familiar clicking noise. I sat up waiting for a servant to walk in with my dinner. However the door just swung open, revealing a dark haired man, his build was muscular but with a more rectangular shape than Chaol or Dorian. Rowan, turned his nose away. "Come on smelly, lets get you out of here." He undid my shackles, his eyes staring worried at my wrists. I pulled my tunic over them to hide the red sensitive skin. "Thank you." I mumbled.
Rowan smirked and pulled me in for a hug. It was nice to smell something other than my body's wretched stench. "You look a mess." He laughed. I laughed, pulling out and heading for the doorway, all too ready to say farewell to this dump. "I wonder why that might be."
We walked back to my room in silence, everyone who passed stared at me, my face covered in a thin layer of dust and dirt, my hair - I had tried to tie it up but over the days it had slowly fallen out, I was dreading having to de-knot it - my tunic still had straw stuck to it. I think the only good bit was my eyes, they were wide and alert from all the sleep I had caught up on in the dungeon.

Rowan held open the door to my room. "How is Chaol?" I asked him the moment we had some privacy.
"He won't shut up about you." Rowan said leaning on the foot of the bed. I smiled, I couldn't wait to bathe, sort my hair, scrub the dirt from under my nails and go see him. "What is it between you two?" Rowan asked. "Do you love him?"
I gulped. "Rowan!" I warned him, going down this route would be dangerous.
"Have you slept with him?" Rowan asked getting more aggitated.
"What?! No!" I marched over to my bathroom, a hot bath was already set, a bar of soap and scrubbing brush next to it. "Is that what you think of me? That I'm just going roll over that easily after a month?"
Rowan growled. "I'm not going to lecture you on what a bad idea it is... but I will warn you to be careful, if father finds out..."
I snorted. "What he will lock me up for longer?!" I wanted to see him try.
Rowan tapped the wood on the bed. "Yes maybe, but you're his favourite daughter y/n, he would have Chaol killed."
Favourite daughter? He clearly displayed that affectionate love well. "Did he tell you why I was locked up?"
Rowan's jaw clamped shut and I saw the veins in his neck as he tensed the muscles. "Yes and I don't approve of it either, but y/n you have to abide his rules, you may end up as queen one day."
I shook my head, as I began to unbutton my tunic. "You are not advocating your position for that woman."
He shrugged. "You get your secrect lover, I will have mine."
I slipped the tunic off, standing in my underlayers, a black shirt and black leggings. "You can have your secrect lovers when your king."
He chuckled. "And what of my daughter?"
I flashed up at him, my face unable to stop beaming with happiness. "You know it's a girl?"
He nodded. I laughed, my eyes moistened with joy, I have never been so happy for any one else in my life. "That's amazing." I whispered going over and huggjng him. His arms strong from weilding his hammer all day, curled around my back. "Thanks sis." He muttered in my ear.
I giggled. "Imagine me an aunt?!"
Rowan's eyes flew wide with fear. "You would be awful! You would probably drop her on her head like ten times."
We both laughed, I leant next to him on the bed, our shoulders pressed together. We both stated at the tapestry on the far wall, it was worn down the colours all faded. It was of my mother and us two. I was in her arms, a newly born baby, ugly little infant I was and Rowan was at her feet trying to peer into her arms at me. It had been a gift from the finest artist in Cithrí, to celebrate my birth. It was weird to think my brother would be having his first child in just a few months. I looked at him, his eyes focused on the tapestry. His fine features and curved lips, petite nose I often teased him for looking so feminine... but mainly because I was jealous, he was the best looking of all of us, it explained why he never struggled to find a woman, I was amazed it was the baker's girl he fell for.
"We'll find a way to love who we want." Rowan said, I wanted to tell him that I didn't care at the moment. All I wanted was to be with him, listening to his stupid jokes. He stood up. "I'll leave you to wash. Y/n, speak to father, appologise. He may change his mind on the wedding."