Islands in the Sky

4.2

Cassa was sitting in her bathroom. It had been seven days since her wedding, and those seven days had been crowded and busy and full.

So full that now she was sick of people. She was utterly sick of people, and duty, and of being told what to do. She was sick of her family, and sick of the servants, sick of everything, really. Oddly, the one person she wasn’t sick of yet was her new husband Willem, but that was mostly because he seemed to have the sense to keep to himself when she was in a foul mood.

She had been surrounded by people for a week, talking to her, clamouring at her, and she almost couldn’t stand the noise. A few moments ago she had decided she needed to hide. She had suddenly decided she needed some peace, some time to herself, to get away from everyone for a little while.

She had excused herself, and gone into her bathroom, and how she was wonderfully, quietly alone.

Alone, and slowly calming herself down.

It was peaceful in here. It was quiet. There was very little noise coming through the walls to disturb her.

She ran water from the tap, onto her hand, and splashed it onto her face. She wiped her face, and then just watched the tap slowly drip the last of the water out of itself.

Even the tap dripping was quietly, gently relaxing.

She liked her bathroom. She had always liked her bathroom. It had very old fittings, simple fittings, but which she had always thought quite nice. It had calming earthy colours. It had walls and a sink-top bench made of ancient greyish made-stone, which she liked to look at and touch, to run her fingers over the slightly coarse texture. It had an actual toilet to sit upon, and a basin to wash at, and a bath and shower that had been added where other toilets had been taken out. It had the original locks and snibs on the doors, the ancient ones from when the tower was new, and it had the original tapware as well, all sleek and shiny metal, barely tarnished over the years.

Cassa liked the old taps, and Willem had too. He had actually noticed the taps and doorhandles the first time he went in there, and had told her so, delighted. He had told her the glow-bulb fittings and switches also looked original, and Cassa had nodded, and believed he was right, although she had never quite realized before. She usually just left candles burning in there for light instead, and barely used un-magic at all.

She liked her bathroom, and found it calming, a sanctuary away from everyone else.

A sanctuary she desperately needed now.

She sat on the closed toilet lid, watching the tap drip slowly, the way it always did for a moment after it was shut off. She watched it, and slid her hand along the rough wall beside her, and felt a little better.

She felt calm again. It only took a few moments on her own.

She stayed where she was a moment longer though, sitting quietly in the dim candlelight. She was glad of the chance to be away from everyone else. It had been a busy week, an irritating week, and here she could be alone, away from the servants, away from everyone, and just think.