Missus Lucille spun around and left the room, leaving me alone to face the maid uniform hung on the backside of the door. I took a deep breath and hopped out of bed, only to endure a sharp pain searing through my right foot.
Of course. My foot was sprained.
I looked over my shoulder and noticed a pair of crutches leaning against the wall on the other side of my bed. I swung my legs around I scooted over to the other side before hobbling out of bed to grab the crutches. Trying to change into my uniform with my injured foot was tedious, and it took longer than it should have to wriggle into my outfit. I lazily placed my frilly white headband on before making my way to the bathroom. After using the toilet, I finally caught my reflection in the mirror.
It was atrocious.
I still had the makeup on from two days ago before I went on the hike. Unfortunately, unlike movie stars who always have impeccable makeup no matter what grueling task they endure, I was not so fortunate. Black mascara remnants smudged my eyes and loose strands of greasy hair stuck out everywhere from my failing ponytail. Moreover, my body odor and breath were just...horrible. And the Queen of Aregano wanted to see me. If she wasn't going to fire me already, she certainly would now. Suddenly, a light knock at the door interrupted my thoughts.
"Who is it?" I asked as I hobbled out of the bathroom.
"It's Luke."
My instinctual excitement was soon washed away by the fresh memory of my reflection and smell. Even still, it might hurt his feelings to turn him away. And yet I looked awful!
"Might I come in?" he asked.
Dang it. With the help of my handy dandy crutches, I headed towards the door.
"It's probably best if you don't. I look awful," I told him. "And I smell bad."
I heard him laugh. "Is that all?" The door opened, and I immediately tensed up. However, when Luke laid eyes on me, he melted into a beautiful smile. "I'm glad to see you again."
Of course, his smile prompted one of my own. "Me too."
His presence was like a breath of fresh air. He wore his reliable dark butler uniform, but his normally impeccable hair lacked its usual mousse.
"But how are you, Cassie? Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine now. And you? Weren't you feverish?"
"I am feeling better, and I'm on Tylenol." He paused. "Ah, I probably should be around you. I wouldn't want to get you sick."
I took a crutched step toward him. "I'm sure I'll be fine." Then I smiled. "If you can stand the sight of me."
He laughed. "You're acting quite ridiculous. Sure, you're a bit ruffled, but..." He fingered a loose strand of hair. "Well, you don't look so bad, is all. Especially considering the ordeal you've been through."
"I'm alright now, really."
"I'm glad to hear it. I was--I was worried about you. I mean, obviously you did get hurt, and I'm sure you must have been terrified, alone in the woods and—"
And as he listed off his worries, wringing his hands, my heart felt full and warm. Before I could second guess myself, I took the extra step towards him and drew him into a hug, shifting my weight onto my left foot.
Luke seemed taken aback for only a moment before wrapping his arms around me in turn.
"I'm so glad you're safe, now," he whispered in my ear.
"I thought about you," I murmured. "When I was on the mountain. I missed you terribly." I withdrew slightly from Luke—though I still kept my arms on his shoulders—and looked him deeply in the eyes. "Luke...if I...if I have to leave, I hope I'll see you again. I want to see you again. I don't want to say goodbye."
"Leaving?" he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Who said anything about leaving?"
I gulped. "The queen wants to see me. And I have to think that it can't be good, Luke. And—and look at me. My hair's a mess and my face is—"
"I'm sure it will be alright," he said. "Let's get you off your feet for a moment. I'll fix your hair for you."
"You will?" I rose an eyebrow. "You'll fix my hair?"
Luke pulled up a chair for me, looked at me with a twinkle in his eye, that cute freckle just as darling as ever. "I have sisters." Luke stood behind me and took off my ill-placed hairband. He began by gently running his graceful fingers through my hair and carefully working through some snags. He then braided my hair into a French braid and went to retrieve a bottle of water by the bed. Luke returned and crouched down in front of me. He carefully placed my headband on my hair, and pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket. He poured some of the bottled water onto the tip of his hankie, and softly wiped under my eyes and dabbed my face with the handkerchief. I could feel his soft breath on my face, could see every wisp of his long eyelashes, and could smell his fresh cologne.
"There, now," he said at last, his soulful eyes reaching mine. "Shall I show you the way to the Queen?"
I should kiss him.
His lips were right there, ripe for the kissing.
But then I remembered my bad breath.
So instead, I ran my hand through his pretty hair. "Thank you. That would be lovely." Luke smiled in a way that I can only describe as blissful before he scrambled to pick up my crutches and help me up on them.
"I still don't smell very good," I noted.
"It's really not that bad." He replied as we headed out into the hall.
"Oh really?"
Luke smiled sheepishly. "Well, perhaps you have smelt better."
"I knew it."
"Well, I doubt you'll be hugging the queen."
I shot him with a faux-insulted look, and he wore a mischievous smile. Luke led me to an elevator, where we were lifted several floors up. We then made our way through the floor until I was presented with large, ornate golden doors.
"Queen Klara is just in there, Cassie," he told me.
I turned to face him. "I'm nervous."
He smiled weakly. "Don't be."
He sure doesn't seem all that confident.
"I'll wait for you out here, Cassie." He placed a hand on my shoulder. "Good luck." Luke opened one of the heavy gold doors for me, and with the help of my handy dandy crutches, I made my way in. Before me was a large, spectacular room draped in colors of green, purple, and silver. But honestly, I wasn't too focused on the décor. Several feet away from me sat the cross-legged Queen of Aregano. Her dark hair was pulled back in a spectacular updo crowned with, well, quite literally a crown. She wore a Byzantium purple dress that looked to be about knee-length, and long diamond earrings. Her attention withdrew from Miss Alexandria and her gaze fell upon me. As soon as the door behind me shut, she spoke.
"Miss Cassandra. You have arrived at last."