The Serpent's Chains

Sabine

Rushing water jolted me awake.

The pipes in my bathroom creaked and a plume of steam wafted into the bedroom.

I grabbed the edge of my sheet and pulled it over my head. Why Prince Cole sent a maid in every morning was beyond me.

"Miss Sabine, the bath is ready," the maid said from the bathroom.

If I kept her waiting, she'd come in and make a scene. I winced as I sat up and pulled my robe on. It had been a couple of days but some of the aches and pains from my torture still lingered.

I shuffled into the bathroom. The maid took my silk robe and unlaced the back of my night dress. She pulled it all the way to my feet, the cotton tickling my skin on the way down.

Ever since I got back, this was routine. Maids weren't supposed to wait on slaves, but she refused to take no for an answer. She even threatened to tell the prince that I wasn't cooperating.

"How are you feeling this morning?"

"Better. We won't need to keep this up much longer."

She held my arm as I stepped into the tub. My knees shook and my hips ached until the warm water sucked me under. The sweet scent of oils rose off the bath's surface.

"I got you another salve from the healers. They say it will help with some of your aches and pains." She set a ceramic pot on the stool beside the tub.

"Um... thank you."

She used a soft sponge and herbal soaps to bathe me. When she got to my wrists, she paused. "Do they still hurt?"

I had circular scabs on my wrists and ankles that were turning into scars. "Not like they did."

She carefully slid the sponge over the wounds.

Soap stung like little needles around the edge of the scab. I gritted my teeth and gripped the edge of the brass tub.

She washed my hair last and helped me to my feet before wrapping me in a towel. "I'll pick out a dress for you."

I sat on the bathroom stool and applied the herbal salve wherever I could reach without my joints protesting.

"Alright, how about this one?" She returned with a rose-colored dress with gold patterns stitched around the hem and the waist.

"It's fine." I nodded.

I felt like a toddler, being bathed and dressed. I was perfectly capable of doing it on my own, though it would take twice as long.

"The prince requested you in his quarters when you're ready." She stood behind me and ran a comb through my hair.

She braided part of my hair tightly against my scalp and wove a golden ribbon in with my strands of hair. I don't know what the prince said to her to make her style my hair every day.

"Alright, you look wonderful. Is there anything else before I head out?" She smiled warmly at me, her eyes bright.

"Oh... um... this salve... I couldn't reach my back or shoulders." I held the pot out to her.

"Say no more." She loosened my dress in the back and worked a generous portion of the salve onto my back and shoulders with soft, gentle strokes. She hummed to herself as she went.

I sighed and curled my spine forward. The healing salve sank into my muscles and spread a cooling, numbing sensation through the most painful areas.

"Thank you..."

"You're welcome, Miss. I'll be back tomorrow." She tied my dress back in place and continued to hum as she left.

"Tomorrow?" I shook my head. If I told the prince I didn't need her help, perhaps he'd send her away.

I hadn't seen more than a glimpse of the prince in days. He hadn't called on me for anything, until now. If he asked me to kneel on the floor to take his boots off...

I gritted my teeth. I'd have to do and I'd find a way to make it happen.

Prince Cole waited in the parlor. There were two covered meal trays on the table in front of him.

I bowed my head. "Apologies, Your Majesty. I did not know you were expecting company." I backed toward the adjoining door.

"I'm expecting you." He rose from his seat.

"I..." I wrapped my arms around my waist.

"We need to talk about what happened."

"I already told you..."

The prince held up a finger and I shut my mouth.

"Not everything. Sit." He motioned to the chair across from him.

I patted my skirts down and slid into the chair. The prince pulled the covers off the trays. A delicious array of sliced fruits, freshly baked pastries, sweet cheeses, and warm tea greeted me.

"Um..."

"I know what the serving staff gets for food. You need something more robust."

I cupped my hands around the tea mug and brought it to my lips. "Thank you," I muttered behind the rim of the mug.

"Tell me what happened when you were taken."

I sighed. Not much for small talk. That was probably better. "I told you, she tortured me."

"Not just that. I need you to tell me everything. No detail is too small."

I rolled a grape between my fingers. "May I ask, why?"

"You may." He nodded. "The answer is simple. For the safety of the palace and this kingdom, I need to know who is coming after palace residents."

The grape burst on my tongue, sweet and tart juices tingling the inside of my mouth. I still hadn't had a chance to make sense of everything Cara told me.

"Some of it is still a little fuzzy." I rubbed my temple.

"Start at the beginning."

I nodded and recounted the events I could remember, starting with when we were attacked in the streets. When I mentioned Cara, his eyes narrowed but he didn't say anything. I told him about how Cara was looking for her sister, Aurora.

My mother's name left my lips and I paused. I looked down and absorbed myself in a pastry.

"Cara and Aura... the princesses of Stivalia," Prince Cole stated.

"Cara said she was a princess..."

"Cara and Aura Sarcon. Aura was heir to the throne until she disappeared about twenty years ago."

"That's what she said." I nodded. "But I..."

"Stivalia seems to think that the Agyion family assassinated her. I didn't think another of the royal family would come looking for her personally."

I'd listened to a lot of war talks between the prince and the king. Not all of it made sense but I felt like some of it was starting to.

"Is that why Stivalia is trying to start a war?" I raised my eyes to glance at the prince.

"It's the excuse they are using." He nodded.

"And..." my mouth dried out and I took a sip of tea. The warm drink turned to ash in my throat. I swallowed several more times.

"And?" The prince pressed, his eyebrow rising toward his hairline.

"Did your family... a-assassinate her?" It was impossible to think that Princess Aura from Stivalia was my mother. If the Agyion family was responsible for her demise, then it would answer that question once and for all.

But if they weren't...

"No!" The prince's voice turned harsh. "If my father had... I'd know about it." He waved his hand in front of his nose like he was wafting away a bad smell.

My heart pounded heavily. If what Cara told me was true, my mother could be Princess Aura. That would make me... I touched the collar at my neck. No. That was impossible.

"What else happened?" the prince asked.

I told him the rest, about how Cara tortured me and spoke of mages that were adept at crafting horrible torture spells and about the curse she claimed was on her family.

Prince Cole held up a hand when I got to curses.

"She didn't divulge what kind of curse?"

I shook my head. "No. That would be too easy, wouldn't it?"

The prince smirked. "Yes, I suppose so. King Verill is widely known for creating spells that cause pain. Some say he likes it a little too much."

My insides knotted. Cara had tortured me and showed no remorse. Her father crafted spells specifically to cause pain. If I were to believe my mother was from that family... was that my family legacy; pain and torture?

"He taught his daughter well." I looped my fingers around the scab on my wrist.

"She didn't break you."

I creased my brow and met the prince's eyes. I forgot about propriety and stared at him. What kind of a statement was that?

He stared back and cocked his head to the side. His lips twitched.

I bowed my head and nibbled the corner of a pastry. "She knows naught of a life in servitude and what horrors that can bring. Pain is easy to live through."

The prince reached his hand across the table. Halfway, he seemed to think better of it. Sighing, he reclined as far as he could in his chair.

"Did she mention why she was after you?"

My fingers twitched and I looked around the room. I tapped my thumbs together. This was the question I didn't know how to answer. I couldn't lie to the prince, he was my master, but I didn't know the truth.

"She told me she found a connection between Aura and my old slave master. She tracked down everyone he did business with and everyone he owned..."

"Hmm. A princess consorting with a slave trader and thug. It's not the most unusual story I've heard."

"I wouldn't know."

The prince laughed again. "I doubt you know of your former master's business associations or if they were the missing heir of Stivalia."

"I don't." That was truthful enough.

"Princess Cara made sure to silence him." The prince sighed. "I'll have people track down his known associates."

My hand went to my collar again. I'd almost forgotten that my former master was dead. Until now, I hadn't thought about it.

"Something wrong?" the prince's voice came to me from across the table.

"My collar will never be... removed..."

The prince was silent.

My curiosity got the better of me and I tipped my face up. His face was an expressionless mask, his eyes askance.

It was presumptuous of me to think that I'd ever be freed from the prince's service. I'd spoken too freely.