Princess | Riven (Fate: Winx Saga)

Act Two: Chapter 6

Sensing her hesitation, Rosalind cocked a challenging eyebrow, "In due course, Miss Chambers."

Again, Mor held her tongue, for she knew the woman was right. Now was not the right time. 
Right now, what she needed was to shower and scrub away the dried sweat, blood and dirt that smothered her skin. Right now, she needed to completely break down, and then she needed to gather the shattered pieces of herself and sew them together just long enough for her to face the crowds of the Alumni Ball. 

"I shall see you at the Ball." Rosalind hummed smugly as she held the door open for Mor, as if she could sense the girl's fragile state and was relishing in it.

The only thing that stopped Mor from reminding the woman just who was in charge here, was the ring of purpling bruises that was slowly beginning to form around her throat from where Mor's vines had strangled her earlier. The sight alone was enough to flood the girl with a renewing sense of empowerment, and so, instead of cowering at the glint in Rosalind's eye, Mor held the woman's gaze and allowed a smirk to curl her own lips, the gesture brimming with icy contempt.

Without another word, Mor stepped into her new room and closed the door behind her, shutting Rosalind out.

The room was (annoyingly) really rather lovely. 
It was divided into three separate spaces. At first, you were greeted by a quaint coffee table, surrounded by two sofas and an armchair, with a TV mounted upon the right wall. At the far end of the room, the floor raised up a step, and upon the platform was a double bed. Above it was a large window that overlooked the courtyard of Alfea, and next to it, was a wardrobe and a vanity table. To the left, was a door that opened into an ensuite - not massive, but big enough for it to be comfortable. Potted plants were dotted about the place, and bookcases lined the walls, floor-to-ceiling. 

Safely in the privacy of this room, Mor's mask began to crumble. 

Her footsteps were sluggish as she dropped the dress onto the bed and walked into the bathroom, and it was as if she was underwater. Every sound was distant, every view was slightly unfocused. Her movements were nothing but mechanical as she stripped off her tattered clothes and stepped into the shower. She could barely even feel the the water touch her body, and she only knew that it was hot by the steam and the way her bloomed red in protest.

There, standing in the shower with the boiling water pelting her skin, was when Morrigan Chambers finally broke.

A scream tore from her throat and her tears mingled with the water pouring over her head and her limbs faltered beneath her and she collapsed in a heap on the shower floor. Her entire body trembled as wave after wave of emotions racked through her, draining her, emptying her. 
Anger, guilt, loss, loneliness, despair, pain, exhaustion. They consumed her, spilling out of her through her tears. 

For what seemed like years, Mor remained in that shower. 
Her tears had ran dry a while ago now, her throat was raw from her screams, and she wouldn't be surprised if her skin would start blistering from the exposure to the boiling water. But she didn't move. She couldn't bring herself to. Instead, all Mor did was watch as the water pouring off of her blended with the dried blood and dirt before swirling away down the drain.

*****

Eventually, Morrigan hauled herself together and properly scrubbed herself clean. In the end, she was pretty certain she'd managed to use half a bottle of shampoo and conditioner, and the entire bottle of body wash.
She still didn't quite feel clean, though.

Currently, however, Mor was finishing up on the final touches to her makeup. Stepping back from the mirror, she examined her reflection, noting the way the crimson dress enunciated how much weight she'd lost whilst in the cell. Her hair, whilst finally clean now, would take a while to completely replenish and return to its healthy thickness and shine. Her cheeks still looked hollow, but she'd managed to disguise the worst of it with some contour and blush.