Some months have passed since Verona. After collecting their journals, and fleeing the city, the two fugitive demons continue on their journey. A journey with no destination in mind. Xylek has been toying with the amulet he so desperately sought after. He learned that it heightens his ability to see a person’s life span.
He also learned he could manipulate the minds of others. After getting the amulet, he bargained with the journal salesman. Not knowing if the amulet had given him the ability to persuade the human to lower his costs or if Xylek had used his persuasion to his advantage, he was given a significant discount on the journals. He later tried the same technique with less persuasion and still got his desired outcome from another shopkeeper.
Later, while on the journey, Xylek had an idea. He would try his new ability on Lucinda. On one of the many stops they made, Xylek looked Lucinda in the eye and asked her a question. In his mind, he requested the truth. When he released her, she didn’t remember what had happened. This surprised Xylek. He keeps her response to himself.
Lucinda has learned more about herself and abilities as well. She learned to control her flames and has learned to control her rage. Her scar is up to her knee on one leg and started creeping up the opposite leg. It took a great deal of effort and self control, but she has learned to manage her emotions and understand where they stem from. She learned after her mother’s death, she felt lost and alone in the world.
Lucinda even began to understand the emotion she has been feeling over the last few months. To her, she understands the emotion is one of love and adoration. And she has come to understand the emotion is one she felt when she was with her mother or when she thinks of Mai. However, Lucinda knows these emotions are different than when she imagines her mother. She learned that she has these feelings for Xylek. But she refuses to admit them. To herself or him.
While walking through the wooded path, the weary travelers stop for a rest. After dismounting from Umbra the black horse, Lucinda steps towards the river’s edge, pulls up her skirt and dips her sore feet into the water. The horse drinks upstream from where the fugitive princess sits. Xylek stretches and paces about the river’s edge. He grunts as he relaxes his body.
Lucinda looks up to Xylek. She asks him where they were headed. He replies with a shrug.
“I’m not sure, but there should be an inn nearby.” He sits next to Lucinda on the embankment.
“Do you know if there is a bathhouse?” she asks as she leans back in the grass.
“More than likely,” Xylek replies. He pauses a moment and chuckles. Lucinda asks what’s so funny. Xylek tries to assure her it isn’t worth mentioning, but the nosey demon rolls onto her side and looks at him, an expression that dared him to tell his secret thought. He looks her in the eyes and swore she would strike him if he revealed what he had thought. After glaring at him longer, Lucinda finally convinces him to share his idea.
“Will you need assistance in the bathhouse?”
Lucinda lies on her back and starts laughing. Months prior, she would have punched him on the spot. But despite her mild anger, she knows he is only joking. She looks at him once she finishes laughing.
“No,” she says. Then she calls him a pervert for suggesting he see her bathe.
He tells her that due to her being a princess, she may need assistance. And as a fugitive from another world, she may need someone to watch the door for her. Attempting to reassure her his intentions were not of deviance, Xylek explains that her white hair is a dead give away.
Lucinda however begins to frown. Contempt drawing on her face. She looks at him and told him with the coins they have, she could afford a private bath. That’s when Xylek pulled the pouch from his waist. He shakes the bag and Lucinda notices that the bag seems far less full than she remembered.
“We are running low on funds,” Xylek says with sorrow in his tone. “We need to figure out how to make this stretch.”
Lucinda nods. She needs a private bath, one where no one will see her long white hair. She wants to be able to bathe in peace. But if they are running low on the money that was given to them, they have no choice.
Then, without warning, Xylek perks up. His eyes have a hint of optimism and malice intertwined. Lucinda tilts her head in curiosity. She asks him what it is he thought of, curious as to why he went from somber to malicious.
“We could try my mind manipulation and persuasion skills to make some extra cash,” he suggests.
The female demon looks at him, her face contorted into one of discontent. She doesn’t approve of Xylek using his powers to cheat people. And she tells him this plainly. He shrugs and asks if she has any suggestions. Lucinda shakes her head. She racks her brain to come up with an idea. But nothing comes to mind at the present time.
Xylek stands up and offers a hand to Lucinda. He nods his head as he tells her they should get moving to the next town, explaining that the map said they are almost there. She takes his hand and stands. Xylek helps Lucinda onto Umbra. And without further discussion, they are on their way to the next village.
Located somewhere in northern France, the pair find the village located on the map. At the far end is a large inn. The building is built of stone and wood, painted a bright shade of white. Spring flowers adorn the entrance way and hanging ferns decorate the large wrap around porch on the front of the structure.
After tying Umbra to the post out front, the pair enter the building. Xylek walks to the front desk, a hulking wooden piece. It’s not as nice as the mahogany one in Zakasi’s inn, but the desk is still nice. A wall of keys is behind the innkeeper, a small and petite older woman, with dark ringlet curls. The demons approach the woman.
“May we get a room with two beds please?” Xylek inquires.
The old woman nods slowly, mild confusion on her face. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like a single bed for the lovely couple?”
Xylek raises a hand to stop the woman. “That won’t be necessary.”
Lucinda pipes up with her own question. “Is there a bath house nearby? We’ve been traveling for quite some time.”
The old woman nods again. “We actually have one on the property, out behind the inn.”
This makes Lucinda perk up. She smiles and nods at the woman. The old french woman turns and grabs a key from the wall and hands it to Xylek. She explains that dinner is served at sun down and this evening the kitchen is serving a meal of smoked ham and vegetables. Beaming at the thought of a real meal, the two demons grin widely and make their way to the room.
In the room, Lucinda lays in the large comfy bed, sighing with deep contentment. Xylek stands by the door and chuckles loudly, amused by the princess’s reaction to the room. Lucinda didn’t even have a chance to admire the room. Two large beds adorn with thick offwhite linens, powder blue curtains frame the windows, and a large ornate rug on the floor, taking up the entirety of the floor.
Lucinda hugs one of the large, fluffy feather pillows that sit on the bed. A smile crosses her face. She feels relaxed. Before she can think about sleep, Lucinda decides to grab a change of clothes and goes out the back of the inn. A large building out behind the inn with ornate pillars and stained glass windows on the upper level.
As Lucinda begins to prepare for her bath, she removes her head wrap and unties her braids. Her silver hair drapes down her back and past her rear end. She strips her dress off and slides it down her thin figure.
She steps into the barely warm water, shivering at the coolness. After submerging into the bath, she sighs in contentment. She hasn’t bathed in quite some time. Despite the chilly waters, this is relaxing to her. The princess was used to bathing daily. But now, as she wanders the human world, never knowing where they are going or when she will bathe next, let alone sleeping in a cozy bed. She misses her cushy life in the palace. The delectable food, the hot baths, her comfortable bed. Some days she misses her beautiful gowns. Other days, she misses talking to Maraget. But most days she thinks of her father.
A loud creak sounds from the door to the bath house. Lucinda sinks further into the water. She quickly reaches for her towel when suddenly a woman walks in, stark naked and submerges into the bath. The woman sighs, content to be having a bath herself. Lucinda tries to sneak out of the bath before the woman can notice her.
But, as Lucinda climbs out of the bath, the woman says, “Don’t let me ruin your bath. I can help wash that long hair of yours.”
Lucinda stops dead in her tracks. She turns to the woman and, with a gentle smile, says, “I was finished anyway.”
The woman has a look of doubt on her face. “Your hair is barely wet.”
“I- uh,” Lucinda stutters.
“Deary, it is alright, I’m a mother of three, two girls and a young boy. I’ve seen many feminine figures. And I’m used to washing other’s hair and backs,” the woman says as she stands in the bath, exposing her naked figure. The woman says to Lucinda, taking her by the hand and placing her towel in a heap on the floor, “Come, child, enjoy your bath.”
Lucinda follows the woman back into the pool of cool water. She asks the woman for her name. The woman replies with, “Charlotte.”
Charlotte asks Lucinda for hers. The princess lies and says, “Matilda.”
Lucinda assesses the woman, skeptical of the human before her. She sees a slender woman with a pouch of a stomach, long brown curly hair down to the woman’s waistline. Her breasts, though still firm, hang lower than their original position, a sign of nursing young children. Her dark brown eyes are cradled with the start of wrinkles, though only noticeable when looking for them. Her pale skin shows signs of aging and sun damage.
Charlotte looks at Lucinda with a soft expression. Lucinda submerges back into the bath. Her skin shivers at the cool water. The water has gotten colder. Charlotte takes one of the bars of soap and massages Lucinda's scalp with it. As she lather the sudsy foam into her hair, she asks the demon about where she is from.
Lucinda thinks for a moment. She explains that she and her partner have been traveling for months. They had just arrived at the village today.
Pouring some water onto the new acquaintance’s head and massaging the suds out, Charlotte asks where Lucinda’s partner is. And asked how long they had been together. Lucinda says she left him in the room at the inn. She wanted to have a peaceful bath without him peeping on her. She goes to explain to the woman that they are not a couple, but that they had been traveling together since they left their homeland.
“Do you have feelings for him?” Charlotte pries. She takes the soap bar and rubs it on Lucinda’s back.
“That is my problem,” Lucinda begins. “I’m not sure. We have been traveling together for so long. He has been by my side since our land was overtaken. He shows me kindness and support and has been through so much with me. He makes me feel warm and safe. But on the other hand, he drives me insane. He can be a bit much at times. But I'm not sure how I should feel about him.” The princess blows bubbles into the water. “How do you know what these feelings are if you don’t know the emotion itself?”
Charlotte chuckles. “Deary, it sounds like you have a fondness for the lad.” handing Lucinda the soap, Charlotte offers some advice. “Tell him you like him. Admit the feelings you are having. You’d be surprised he may feel the same for you.”
Lucinda lathers her body with the soap. She ponders on the words of advice. The women continue chatting, and Lucinda begins to wash Charlotte in return for her kindness of washing the princess.
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