Erivale: The Lost Princess

Chapter 5: Part 1

With nothing else to do, I wandered around the room, trailing my hands along the luxurious fabrics and intricately carved furniture.

Windows on the far wall gave me a view of some of the waterfalls that fed the body of water surrounding the palace. Himmelsk was practically carved out of the mountains. The high rock surrounded the city and the palace from the back and sides. This meant that night came early within the city as the shadow of the mountain blanketed the ground we stood on as the sun was setting.

The doors to my room were opened by one of the Garuda outside and in walked a woman. She was probably not much older than me. Her thick blonde hair was pinned up in braids, and her face was tanned with sun freckles along her cheeks and nose. Her face held a kind smile that warmed the room like sunshine.

Brightly colored makeup adorned her face. The colors of yellow, coral, and orange were blended together on her eyelids in a way I would have thought gaudy, but the woman pulled them off magnificently.

"This must all be quite a shock, but my name is Leda, I'll be your servant. I was instructed to draw you a bath and get you prepared for dinner tonight."

I was uncomfortable having someone doing everything for me, but I nodded my head in agreement. A hot bath sounded terrific at the moment. The woman disappeared through a large archway to the bathroom.

After a few moments, she popped her head around and beckoned me forward: "Follow me, your highness." 

When my bare feet hit the cold marble, I involuntarily shivered and hoped to get to the bath quickly. The steam and the sweet scent of soaps made the air thick. Leda brought me to the edge of the bath before letting me go, and I nervously took my clothes off, not used to being naked in front of others. Leda didn't seem fazed.

"If it makes you feel better, I grew up surrounded by nudity, I'm quite used to it." My face blanched, and Leda laughed. "Oh, dear, it's not like that. I grew up in the tropical waters, my parents were of the water. I am, or was, a Syreni."

"What do you mean was?" I asked before slipping into the water. The tub was more like a small pool. At it's deepest, it came to just over my breasts and was about six feet wide.

"Our waters were polluted in an attack on our city of Breeze. I became very ill and was taken here to Ithica. They have wonderful healers who were able to save my life. My aquatic form was too damaged by the pollution, and strong magic brought me to be in a constant human form so that I may survive."

"I'm so sorry," I said. Leda gave me a sad smile.

"It's alright. That was many a year ago. Now I give my gratitude to Ithica, by helping to serve. It's really a nice job. They offer a vast quantity of clothes, our chambers are very nice as well, and they feed us like kings and queens." Leda laughed at her own joke.

"So you like it here?" I asked Leda as the woman began to massage shampoo into my hair. I was curious as to more opinions of the land and the rule.

Individuals such as Leda, who had lived in and around the palace, would be my best opportunity at finding out what it was really like here. Their experiences and opinions would tell me if the palace was an excellent place to live or if the rulers here were honorable. The views and words of the king and queen could not compare to their subjects' and servants' thoughts.

"Yes, very much. Sometimes I miss my home in Breeze, but Ithica is a wonderful place. There's also a lot of handsome young men." Leda winked, and a gentle blush made my already flushed cheeks redder.

Once cleaned and feeling calmer I got up from the bath and dried off while Leda fetched some clothes. I was provided silky lounge pants that cinched at the ankle and waist and a thick sweater. "Feel free to rest. I will be back in two hours to prepare you for dinner."