The Curse of Life - A TANGLED THE SERIES FANFICTION

26. The End

Camalia woke up late. That night, she slept more than she had ever slept before.
She didn't especially feel more refreshed. If anything, she felt sore, and groggy. Somehow, tired, despite sleeping in to late noon.

But it was new.

It was weird, something she never experienced before. It was like being tired, but without the tiredness. Her limbs felt heavy, like they never really woke up.

The first thing she did, after marvelling on the new sensation, was reach out for her guitar, and breath in relief when she touched the soft wood. Then, she looked around, still just as surpised as the night before of all the comfort she had.

She noticed new things, tiny details that were hard to see in the dark. The nice green of the blanket wasn't uniform. It was all dotted with little apples drawing, in a fun little pattern.
The stars she thought were painted on the ceiling, actually looked glued, and were a bit squishy when she touched them.
The curtains, that she didn't really pay attention to, seemed to be made of silk, such a rare and precious and valuable material, she was in awe that she could touch it in her little cell.

Cell that didn't really look like itself anymore. Or smelled. The nice smell of lavender filled it to the brim, even with the curtains open and letting the air of the corridor in, it never overpowered the lavander.

On the table, and that she was sure wasn't there the night before, was a plate, with a newly filled water cup, with a fork and a knife. The plate had meat, and some vegetables, and smelled how so tempting as her stomach growled.
But it was odd.

Why did the guards bring her such a meal ? Why didn't they say anything about the state of her cell ? How could the lutin even come by at such a late hour ?

All the questions she didn't have the mind to ask the night before were spiralling in her head. She sat down on her bed facing the table. If there was more space, she had no doubt the lutin would have also made a fancy chair, but the cell was too small for that. She ate in silence, thinking of what to ask the lutin when they came by again.
By the end of her meal, there were too much questions for her to remember.

Putting the plate aside, Camalia reached out for the quill, ink and one of the notebooks and started writing in it.

Halfway through the second page, she paused.

The lutin said they would come with a kid that was already under their care. It was a great opportunity to learn more of the actual living conditions, and the actual intentions of the creature.

Surely, it was lying. Like a mythological thing she read in her books, like her snakes. But she had to figure out what they really wanted.

She glanced to her guitar resting against her leg. She couldn't bare to not feel it after being separated of it for so long.
Did she have a melody of truth ?
It would be useful, but trying to find it right now would be too complicated. It took her a long time to find each new melodies with Varian...

Camalia sighed, closing the notebook.

Varian.
She wondered how he was doing. Probably well, since he wasn't here. The princess seemed to like him, and she probably helped him out. Maybe, if she dared to dream, did he free his father at long last. If he didn't, she really hoped that the princess was helping him find a solution.
He probably found Ruddiger again. Poor little guy, she really traumatized him with all of this. He probably was getting drowned in apple and love as she spoke.

She couldn't feel bitter, or betrayed. She was easy to forget, that was all. Forgotten by Captain, Stan, Pete and even Masha... By the king and the queen.