The Dream Keeper's Dragon

2.21 Deborah

"It isn't quite ready yet," Jimble cautioned.

"That's fine, I just want to watch." Aurelie stopped at Jimble's side. The walls and floor were covered with planks of redwood. The bath was wooden too but made out of a darker wood. It didn't contain a window. The steam created little drops of water that ran down the walls.

"Scared we'll poison you, eh?"

The whispers stopped, and the girls turned her way. The room went silent. A drop of water fell in the tub, then another. With that one sentence, Aurelie knew exactly what everyone thought of her presence.

She was taken aback, no doubt about that, and they'd seen it too, but damn that woman if she thought she'd get the best of her. Taking a second to recover, Aurelie smiled. "I'm making sure you do it the way I like it," she said and walked into the washing room. She knew that Jumble's eyes were on her without having to take a peek. It made her colder than the snow. "You want me to be comfortable here, don't you?" She turned in her step and eyed Jimble. "The queen specifically extended her appreciation for my visit. I wouldn't want to disappoint her with my disappointment."

"Get on with it," Jimble ordered the girls, her jaw clenched. "Did I ask you to stop?"

The girls passed glances. One lowered herself to pick up a bucket filled with herbs. She passed it to a girl on her right and picked up another bucket. This one was filled with milk. The girl poured it into the water. She rolled up her coat and placed her hand inside to stir. As she lifted her arm above the milky water, her blue skin had turned bright pink. When she retracted her hand, the girl with the bucket of herbs started to throw them about. The herbs— lavender as far as Aurelie could tell—were kept in some sort of dark oil. They floated in little oil bubbles all around the water.

They were stiff in their movements, being extra careful to do everything perfectly. Aurelie guessed that it was more Mrs. Jimble's presence that caused it than her own. She was an outsider and an enemy. The latter probably first.

"All done, Your Highness," said a girl in brown. Her white locks peered out of her hood. She hadn't noticed it before, but she was an exception among the others. There was a tiny ring of light green in her eyes. The cold hadn't taken everything away from her. In a way, she was victorious. Silly as it might have been, to Aurelie, it felt as if the girl had connected to her soul.

"Deborah," Jimble called.

The girl that spoke stood and wiped her hands on her coat. "Yes, Mrs. Jimble."

"Go on and fetch the Princess a change of clothing," she said and turned her gaze to the others. Deborah bowed and walked toward the door. Aurelie wasn't the only one to watch for a clue in expression, it seemed. Jimble couldn't have seen through Aurelie faster if she had been reading her thoughts. If she leaves now, they're not going to let her come near me again. "You stay here and give her a bath," Jimble told the others.

"No," Aurelie said and the room went dead quiet again. This time, however, the girls turned wide-eyed to Jimble. "Deborah will stay with me. The others can prepare my gown for dinner."

"One girl cannot bathe you alone," Jimble said. "That's ridiculous."

"Nonsense!" Aurelie beamed. "We'll manage, won't we?" Even if she didn't want to befriend Deborah, she needed help getting out of the dress. Otherwise, she would have made them all leave her.

Deborah lowered her head throughout the exchange. "If you say so, Princess."

"Princess Aurelie, with all due respect, Deborah isn't trained as a lady's maid. She is a server. That is not how things work in this castle."