"Tell me if it hurts okay?" I say making Camilla nods as though she trusts me completely; I go to work on the pin she’s already tangled. Giving it a gentle tug in the right direction it slides out smoothly and she doesn’t even wince. We sit in a comfortable silence as I remove the pinks and set them in a small pile beside my legs. As I thought one large pin was used to hold most of her hair in place, only a few small one’s were used to keep smaller pieces where they belonged.
With a tug all her hair goes tumbling down over her back and a soft sigh escapes from her mouth.
"Thank you, it was so heavy on my head!" She’s running a small hand through the slightly tangled mess and turning to face me. Wide blue-grey eyes plead with me and I know I’ll cave to whatever she asks. "Will you help me wash it?"
"I couldn’t tell the birthday girl no, could I?" I say with a tender tone to my voice, the words seemed to have been in my mouth for a long time, though I’m sure I’ve never uttered them before, not even to my sisters or mother in the other world. No, the Hare said she wasn’t my real mother.
"Yay! This is the best birthday ever, thank you mo-Alice! It’s just like it use to be!" She cries happily running into an adorning room.
I walk after her slowly, letting my fingers brush on the cool wood of the doorway. What feels like a jolt of electricity runs up my fingertips and I yank my hand away from the door. I decide to think on other things, like my family here Caleb and Hatter; I can trust them to look after the twins while I'm away right?
"Can you do the water?" Camilla asks digging in a cabinet for something.
"Sure, what temperature do you want?" I ask looking at her small figure, she reminds so much of my sister when she was younger.
"Hot! Like you use to run it for me!" She exclaims emerging from the cabinet with a bottle of something. Uncapping the lid the scent of freshly picked strawberries fills the air sweetly; bubble bath is what the bottle contains. I turn the red knob, adding some cold so it’s hot, but won't burn. Water gushes out or multiple faucets, roaring like a waterfall.
“What do you mean like I use to run it for you?”
"Mmm my favorite scent!" She says dumping nearly the entire large bottle into the tub. Instantly pink bubbles begin forming, this is a distraction from my question I just know it, though before I can ask again Camilla has already managed to get into the water and is now lurking someone in this bubbly forest.
“Go get your shampoo so I can wash your hair.” I command and tiny movements can be seen in the bubbles as she swims across the tub sometimes mountains of bubbles that must be as tall as or taller than me, will shudder as she passes beneath them. I can see bubbles twitching as she draws closer.
"Here."A pair of bright eyes peers from within the fortress of bubbles, a hand holds out a delicate looking glass bottle filled with pink soap to me. I accept it carefully and pour a generous amount into my hand.
"Wheres you hair?" I ask gently and Camilla cuts a space for her head in the bubbles. I apply the shampoo but when I lean down to rinse off my hand I’m pulled forward into the deep tub. I surface sputtering and shoving soaked hair from my face.
"Camilla!" I growl shoving bubbles out of the way to find the now hiding child “I’m soaked, are you happy now?" I ask and am rewarded with lots of giggles and laughs from a soap pile on my right, she won’t get away this time.
"Yes! I wanted you to bathe with me!" She squeals as I manage to catch one of her slippery arms.
"Why didn't you just say so? Now my dress is soaked!"
'My arm hurts to but I'm not going to tell her that.'
"I never really thought you'd say yes if I asked. No one says yes when I ask. They treat me like I've got the plague." Camilla's small voice contains so much sorrow, sorrow of an adult though she is of such a young age.
"I will always be here for you, alright?" I say wiping the tears out of her eyes, a motherly feeling has settled down on my heart.
We finished our bath, my soaked clothing now hanging out to dry on the private balcony, after much splashing. Camilla insisting that the bath be refilled and the bubbles should smell like watermelons this time to which I agreed since it’s her birthday. After dissuading her from refilling the bath a third time I finally got her and into her night gown. One was lain out for me as well, though this one larger than hers.
"Will you dry my hair?" She asks and I rub her hair vigorously with the towel, making her giggle, and grab the towel from my hands.
"Can you have someone tell my friends that I'm alright?" I ask and she looks at me in a very confused way.
"What friends?"
"The two small boys, blond hair blue eyes, the Hatter and the man you spoke with earlier.”
“You mean Papa?” She asks leaning on my shoulder, drowsy now that her adrenaline has worn off.
“ Papa?”
“Huh? Nevermind. I’ll have someone fetch them from their rooms in the morning since all the guests are staying here tonight. She begins breathing deep and even so I recline on the pillows leaving her head on my shoulder, simply thinking about whom her ‘Papa’ is. I thought her parents had passed away but perhaps she was only sleep talking about them in a dream. I eventually doze off, the events of the past day tiring me more than I could have imagined.
Golden light shining onto my face wake's me in the morning. The sun’s rays feel like the lightest brush of silk against my bare neck and arm, Camilla’s gentle breath is on my shoulder. Red mixing with gold her hair looks like flames against her pale skin.
"Camilla, its morning." I whisper and she opens her eyes, groggily wiping them with the back of her hand as she sits up. My shoulder has a small ache in it from her sleeping on it but I don’t mind.
"Really?"
"Yes really. Do you want to get ready for breakfast of do you want to wait for a little bit?" I ask and I hope she wants to get ready now.
"We should put your friend’s minds to rest; I did drag you away rather quickly." She sighs looking at the door, just as someone hesitantly knocks on it.
"You majesty, breakfast has been prepared and is waiting in the courtyard as instructed." A servant calls sounding frightened.
"Then go get our guests and meet us there in ten minutes!" She instructs immediately loosing the sleepy tone to her voice, instead she sounds like an adult.
"Would you like help getting dressed?" I ask as she pulls out a crimson gown with a lace-up back.
"Yes please. I had a maid who usually helped me but I caught her stealing some of your," She begins before taking a deep breath" I mean my mother’s things. She was the first to go."
"What happened to your mother?" I ask because in all honesty I know the answer but I need confirm it.
"My mother and father were both murdered by an assassin late last year, I became queen." She says emotionlessly before turning lightly on her heel so the corset faces me" Lace me up please!"
"Alright hold on." I say tugging the strings until it’s properly laced and the dress won't fall off her. I can see how hard she’s trying not to cry so I kneel down and turn her to face me.
“It’s okay to cry sometimes. You don’t always have to be a grown-up, sometimes what you really need is to lock your door and be a normal little girl for a while.”
Tears well in her grey eyes and she throws her skinny arms around my neck, I smooth her mane of curls until she calms down. After a couple minutes she pulls away and smiles at me, not the mask she puts on to look adult, but the pure and happy smile of a child shines this time.
“Let’s go see everyone!” She says with a happy voice that contains just hint of excitement.
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What did everyone think?I'm working very hard so it will be ready for the Watty Awards. Wish me luck(Unless you're my rival, then you don't have to unless you wan't to.
The picture on the right is how they fell asleep(or as close to it as possible.
Comment your thoughts below and help me make this story better to read!I love you guys!
Osiris Day✿◕‿◕✿