Alexandria: The Lost Princess

Chapter 20 - Part 1

Fear keeps me from sleep. An echo in the hall, or an animal's cry drifting in from the window, their all warnings of danger. The door opens with a creek, and I stir with alarm. Tugging the blanket against my cheek, I shiver under the approaching footsteps. My heart pounds with a matching rhythm and then the noise ceases altogether.

"Wilfrid," Kalen inquires, "Why is the princess in my bed?"

Wilfrid yawns loudly, groaning under the stretching of his stiff muscles. "I thought you'd like a little surprise," he chuckles. A shiver runs through me releasing a broken whimper. "It's alright, Chloe. Go back to sleep," Wilfrid mumbles sluggishly.

"Chloe? Care to explain?"

Fear consumes my thoughts of the reason. A hollow tingling memory of Nicholas' touch spreads through my body like the crawling of a spider.

"Don't bother," Wilfrid mutters in frustration, "she won't talk."

"Then talk for her, Wilfrid! What is the meaning of this?" I gasp under the sudden anger rolling off Kalen. Uncontrollable shakes, convulse through me and a deep sob slips from my lips.

"Chloe, stop it," Wilfrid groans in defeat.

"Why is she like this, Wilfrid?" Kalen hisses with accusation. "This isn't because of Tristan, what did you do?"

Pulling the blanket tighter to my face the wool roughly tickles my upper lip. Tristan, the one man who could have taken me from this castle. The only person who could have freed me from this experience. 

"I don't know," Wilfrid whispers painfully, "Estella only said that Lord Nicholas was drunk and looking for her. The room was a disaster, even the maids were trembling. She wouldn't even let me near her. I found her in the damn cupboard shaking like a leaf." A heavy breath leaves Wilfrid. "It's like Anne all over again."

Kalen nods in understanding, his hand gently resting in comfort on his friend's shoulder. "I've got it from here. Go rest, tomorrow I'll need you if we are going to get through breakfast."

The door clicks closed, and my heart jolts in fear. Kalen racks his hand through his hair and shrugs out of his jacket. Tossing it across a chest without a care, he squats down in front of me. Tucking back the blanket under my chin, he sighs. "Look, if you're going to sleep in my bed, I'm not taking the couch," he warns.

I don't move. I can't. With a lack of response, Kalen stands. Wandering around me, he shrugs out of his outfit. Pulling up the blanket I am laying over, the bed digs under his weight. My wool blanket falls off my shoulder, and he freezes. "You're still dressed," he questions in shock. Grabbing the blanket, I tug it over my shoulder, the warmth returning to it. "You're going to ruin your dress," he sighs.

The blanket is flipped up and folds in on itself in front of me. Hugging the quilt to my chest, I squeeze my eyes shut. My body jerking under his fingers working their way through the lace of my corset. Each string slides out of place with a snap and a flick, I tremble with each popping action. Stepping around, he gently sits me up. His trousers hang low along his hips, and I become a trembling doll, it is as if the bindings of my bodice were holding me together. Pulling the blanket from my hands, he carefully slips it through my hands and places it to my side. Everything moved unbearably slow, not a single action surprises me. Shuffling the dress up over my head, I cold breeze stings my flesh, and I screech, pulling the blanket over my chest. This dress didn't allow for a shift, the wool ruffles against my skin and I shiver in embarrassment.

Grabbing the shirt he had tossed to the floor, he slips it over my head. A familiar feeling of a shift flitters down and around me. Slipping my arms up into the sleeves, I hug the fabric to my body. He folds the blankets back, gently eases me down on my side. Hugging my knees again, the quilt flips up over my chin. Stepping around the bed, he climbs back in. My shivering rippling through the mattress.