Red

Nine.

The days passed into a routine. Xerxes or Court were the ones to leave me breakfast in the morning. Court was typically gone by morning to go back to the village. Very rarely would he be there.

Then I read the book to keep myself occupied. Around noon Court would appear on his horse and come in and bring me lunch. Then I'd return to reading my book. Court typically cleaned up around his room during that time. 

Then came dinner. Court would bring me dinner before a few hours later I'd be going to bed. It became a routine for each day I had been there. I had lost track of time of how long I have been here. The only way I could keep track was by watching the moon and counting each time it went dark.

The moon was reaching the fullest phase of when the full moon would peek out. Almost an entire moon phase had passed since the king had chosen me as a sacrifice.

Tonight, I stared outside into the dark woods where the moon rested in the sky nearly full. Court stood behind me changing into his sleep clothes. My fingers drummed against the wooden beam of the window before Court turned around.

"I won't be here tomorrow. The king is holding a feast at his place and I am required to attend as the crown prince. Xerxes will watch you while I'm gone." I turned around to face Court.

Court wore a loose white button up shirt and black cotton pants. I nodded doing my best not to look directly at him. The top four buttons of his shirt were undone revealing a portion of his smooth muscled chest.

"And when the feast is over, I'll be gone most of the night. The sacrifice tomorrow, and we'll be taking our share. It's returned to normal as well." Court brought in the last part to reassure me no doubt. No more sacrificial girls. I would be the last one.

Bitter resentment as well as relief flooded me. No one would be recklessly slaughtered or brought deep within the woods. But the resentment filled me knowing I was the only one to have suffered that fate.

I was alive, but in the grasps of the wolves. And I knew a secret about the prince that not a single soul in the village did. I nodded as Court went to the window and drew the curtain over blocking the moon from view. 

I went over to the bed and got in as Court waited for me to reach my side as he got in. He adjusted himself in bed before facing the opposite way. With that I rested on my side and fell asleep.

☾

When I woke up there was a plate of scrambled eggs and links of some sort of sausage on the wooden table next to me. I stretched before grabbing the plate and bringing it over to me.

It had been a little since I last had some eggs. I was glad to be eating some and didn't care how they were received. Once I finished the eggs up, I downed the sausage before setting the plate down.

I got out of bed and went over to the wardrobe. I took down one of the purple knee lengths off the shoulder dresses and put it on before tying the front of it. This dress reminded me most of the clothing I'd wear back in the village.

A lot of the clothing Lucia had given me have fur accents or were made of fur. No one in the village had clothes made of fur. Not even Court wore any fur clothing when he went into the village. He did it to prevent suspicion on him no doubt.

Once the dress was secured properly, I slid back into my boots and decided to venture outside of the room. Court had never told me I couldn't leave his room.

Anyways I needed a new book. I had finished the ones I had taken before. 

The cabin was silent as I stepped out. I hadn't ever gotten a good look of the cabin. Each time I had come out of the room Court had been quick about leaving. I looked around into the living room where I could see Xerxes seated on a chair with a pelt covered it.