The Broken Crown

Chapter 6

 Still, it was how you made children – and giving the King children was the most important of her duties. She had to give him an heir.

 With a sudden interest, she moved her hand across her thigh and touched the inner part of her thighs. Since her bleedings, she had not wanted to touch anything close to that part of her. In that moment, she just needed to know. So she defied her disgust and ran a finger across... it.

Her lips parted slightly, mostly in wonder, when she felt the pleasure. It wasn’t much, just a little bit. She was even more surprised by what her hand felt; never had she thought that she would be like that down there. She ran her finger across once more and felt the pleasure again; this time, there was more.

 It was pure instinct that led her index finger to the right point. As her finger paused, she furrowed and bit her lip hesitantly. She looked around her quickly, making sure that the room was empty. Then she bit down on her lip even harder and pushed up.

 There was no pain. Not much pleasure, either, but no pain. It felt so different from what she’d expected; she could even feel her muscles moving. Clenching and unclenching as she got used to the feeling. With a gasp, she pulled out the finger. What am I doing? The water splashed around her as she rubbed the finger with her other hand, harder than needed. Then she jumped out of the tub, suddenly convinced that the water had gone dirty with whatever had been on her finger.

 “My lady?” Adrianne jumped at the sound of Miriam’s voice behind her. Slowly, she turned around. Somehow she felt guilty, as though Miriam had caught her. “Are you done bathing?”

 It took her a second to realize what she was talking about. Then she nodded frantically. “Yes,” she said, “could you clear away the bath? Quickly, if you please?” She couldn’t wait for the bath to be out of sight.

 Miriam smiled and Adrianne began to realize who was standing in front of her. It’s just Miriam. “Do you not want to be dressed first? You would not want to catch a cold, not today of all days.”

 “No.” Not today of all days. “You’re right.”

 The handmaiden smiled understandingly and rushed over to pick up a light shift. She helped Adrianne into it and tied it together on the front. “Are you nervous? About tonight?” Adrianne nodded silently as the silk wrapped around her pleasantly. “That is understandable. Go sit on the bed, if you please. Relax for a while.”

Once more, Adrianne nodded and walked past Miriam. When she reached the bed, she collapsed on top of it. Her knees were weak and the thing between her legs was still aching. She hoped it would stop before the feast.

 “Are you feeling right?” Miriam asked when she had finished clearing away the bathtub. “You look pale, and your cheeks are blushed.”

A hand flew to rub her cheek, feeling the heat beneath her skin. She was sweating a bit as well. Perhaps she had caught a cold. Perhaps that wouldn’t be so bad. “I am fine,” she said, unsure if it was a lie. She did feel... strange.

 “Good.” Miriam looked her over once more before turning around and opening a large chest. The dress she pulled forward was not a dress that was unknown to Adrianne; she had tried it and retried it a thousand times by now.

 It was sewn in golden silk, two shades of it, in vertical stripes that made her look even taller. The shoulders were puffy and beautiful, and the sleeves that were attached separately matched the colour of the dress perfectly. Intricate embroideries were attached by hand, not a single one the same as the other. It fit as perfectly as it had some days ago, when she had tried it on for the last time before the feast.