Kings and Thieves

﴾16♦Imperfections﴿

Filler chapter, sorry. 

Love you guys <3

Alice

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 The water felt warm on my skin as I stared up at the orange rock ceiling. The smile on my face was faint but held its own. I've never seen an underground pool, though I've felt them before. I'd be able to hear, for lack of a better term, the water drip into the body, hear it creating rivers in underground caverns. But this was something else.

I'd felt it as soon as we walked into the city, but thought nothing of it except of it being a very large body. I could feel the small waterfall created from the spring higher above the wall, as if they'd carved the room perfectly surrounding the opening, letting the water flow freely into a never ending pond. The excess water would reach a hole, so after 8 feet of water, it'd flow out into the city.

I floated on my back, motionless and let the calming effect of the water take place. As much as I wished that I was used to that kind of treatment from men, each time felt like another punch to the gut, reminding me I was one secluded area away from ending up like my mother. I closed my eyes, remembering her originally blonde hair, her smile as she bent down to show me a purple flower she'd found at a pond.

"The water gives life to everything, Iris. It gives life to the trees, plants, animals, and even you." She'd told me. "Water is the reason we exist, and without it, we are nothing."

"But what happens when we run out of water?" I had asked like the little kid I was looking at the purple flower.

"Even when the vastest oceans dry out, or when the rivers stop flowing, or when the rain stops falling. We never run out of water. Because we are all water."

I remember looking at my mother like she was crazy, thinking to myself, "I'm not water, I'm a person." But I had smiled and nodded like my mother wanted me to.

Just like I was, my mother was obsessed with water, more so than I. She and my father would go to the river that flowed past our village and would swim for hours, ignoring the setting sun. Their smiles soon faded into tears of horror and I lost my balance, sinking into the water and letting the silence enveloped my mind. Once my head was clear of the images, I rose to the surface.

"12 minutes and 43 seconds." I gasped and spun to face Nix, hands in his pockets as he watched me from the bank of the pool.

"What?" I asked crossing my arms over my chest, trying to cover myself.

"You were underwater for 12 minutes and 43 seconds. I counted." I looked at him incredulously.

"And?"

"That's not possible." I looked away from him.

"I don't know what you want me to say." I muttered, knowing my voice would reach him with the echo.

"I want you to tell me how the hell you do that." I ignored him as I moved to the bank of the pool and pulled myself out.

"I just do it, there's no trick. Did you want something or are you just here to bother me when I'm finally at peace." I didn't look at him as I spoke, walking straight to the towel I'd hung earlier and wrapping it around me. I turned to the now silent man and found him staring at me, his eyes a darker shade of green now.

"We're leaving soon to get your imperfections." His voice was deeper as he moved his gaze away from me. I glared at him before nodding, knowing he could see me from his peripheral vision. "Come." He began walking and I followed, glaring at his back all the while.

The silence once again surrounded us as we made our way to our room. I hated the sound of that. Our room. It felt too intimate, too private. It seemed as if ever since I left the forest, all I've encountered is burden after burden, guilt after guilt. I sighed as the door closed, Nix leaving to let me get ready. I rolled my eyes and changed back into my black leather clothes, feeling much better with the thick armor hiding my vulnerability.

Only Nix and I were going to get my imperfections. It seemed everyone else had something better to do. He eyed my clothes and turned away, walking through the doors without a second glance. My scowl deepened as I followed, finding the awkward silence very inconvenient.

I decided sticking to the shadows was simply a waste of time. I wouldn't stick out considering everyone in the Undergrounds were sketchy figures. They wouldn't even bat an eye at me, especially with my hood up hiding my perfect mask. Nix, though opted to follow along the less populated alleys, saying it would be safer if no one saw me so being recognized later would be impossible.

We walked into a nearly empty beauty parlour, where the only other customer had fallen asleep in the waiting area. The old woman behind the counter looked up from her papers and a beaming smile made its way to her lips. "Nix! My dear boy! It's been too long!" She shouted with delight as she made her way to him, pulling him into a bone crushing hug.

"Indeed it has, Adelina. But I'm afraid pleasantries have to wait." He said pulling away from her and turning to me. "This is Iris."

Adelina turned to me with a smile as she took in my features. "My, you look like the living embodiment of perfection!" She said, gripping my chin and tilting my head in different directions to get a better look.

"That's the problem." Nix told her. "She needs to have some imperfections." Adelina tisked and stepped back.

"I'll say, with such a perfectly sculpted body along with a flawless face, I'm amazed you made it past all those wretched drats." She said, scowling as she looked out the window. "Very well, come on then."

Adelina shoved me into the chair and immediately reached for my hair. I quickly slapped her hands and jumped away from her. "You will not touch the hair." I narrowed my eyes as I took in a threatening position. Her eyes widened in shock, surprised at the sudden action, but nodded nonetheless.

"I promise." I watched her for a few seconds before sitting back down and letting her get to work.

Hours went by and I thanked the Gods when Adelina said she was finished. I jumped out of the chair and finally allowed myself to stretch. Though my muscles were familiar with the still position, they still sighed in relief as the tension was pulled out of them. I looked into the mirror for the first time throughout the makeover and found those tiny details Adelina had put in.

Freckles lined my nose and I now had a dimple on my right cheek. A tiny scar was pressed into the corner of my forehead that was so small I nearly missed it. My lips, instead of a pout, now held a more natural, more neutral expression. I nodded, not feeling the same anger and hatred I had felt the first time with Maywed back in Belleview, and thanked Adeline before finding Nix back in the waiting room, who funnily enough was sleeping next to the other customer.

I rolled my eyes as I walked over to him and pushed him over. He groaned sitting up from the floor and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes like a young child. He sat up and scowled at me before taking in my appearance, groaning once again.

I furrowed my brows. "What's wrong?" I asked as he stood up and dusted the dirt off his pants.

"Just forget about it." Instead of answering he turned to Adeline. "Thank you Aveline, wonderful work once again." He kissed her knuckles. "You never disappoint. Come Iris." rolling my eyes once again I followed Nix out. 

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sorry guys I figured out what happened and I fixed it. It wasn't a wattpad bug I just fucked up and was stupid :P

Anyways thanks for telling me about the problem you guys are awesome.