Page 9 of Her Ivory Flame

“One bed huh?” she teased, the first hint of a smile on her face since they left her small village.

“Jema doesn't have anything different. It's nothing fancy but it's safe.” He set his own pack on the foot of the bed and let out a long breath. “I can sleep on the floor if you like.”

“Then there would be no one to keep me warm,” she teased again as she set her bag on the floor and took in her surroundings.

There was a bed with nightstands, a fireplace with a window on each side, and a door to a small bathroom with a deep tub. It was well kept, but could use some modern improvements.

“I call the bath first!” She burst out as she jogged across the room and she could hear him laughingbehind her.

“I’ll get the fire going to warm up the room for you when you are out.”

She could feel his eyes on her, her head turning over her shoulder to meet his gaze. “I know I’ve been quiet the last few days. It's just,” she looked down for a moment and sucked in a deep breath, “returning to society brings up so many emotions for me and I don’t know how to handle it. I have no family, no kingdom, and my power is muted. I’m afraid there are going to be high expectations and I will fail again.”

Silas moved towards her slowly, pulling her into him and wrapping his arms around her. His head rested on top of hers, pressing her forehead against his chest.

“You have me,” he breathed quietly. “We will get your power back. I believe in you and I believe in us, working together to make it happen.” His hand stroked her back lightly. “You did not fail; it wasn’t your fault.”

“I was supposed to kill him and instead became his prisoner” she mumbled against him.

“You were betrayed, Alyra, if it wasn’t for that you would have killed him. You are not to blame.”

She took a deep breath, the vanilla scent calming her nerves once again as those last words rang through her head. He was her only friend and the anchor she had to keep her grounded. She had to hold onto that even if she didn’t agree with him.

“Now, go take a hot bath, relax, and I'll be here waiting when you are done.” he pressed a soft kiss to her head before pulling away, his finger once again grazing her hairline scar and pushed her hair away from her face.

Smiling, she turned and closed the door behind her, the fae light illuminating the small bath. She lit the fire under the small metal boiler full of water next to the tub and waited for it to heat before emptying it into the marble tub. Once she was undressed she lowered herself into the warm liquid, her muscles aching as they submerged.

Tomorrow she would turn the whole royal system upside down with her arrival. She was no longer the Princess of the Valkyrie, but Queen of a decimated kingdom and knew there was nothing left of her home except charred earth.

Now she just had to get her power back, and maybe, someday, rebuild.

- - - - - - - -

The bath was cold by the time she pulled herself from the water. Her body had finally felt relaxed for the first time since Silas showed up with information that imploded her life.

She dried herself off and wrapped the towel around her frail body then gazed into the small mirror above the sink.

Her hair was pulled around the front of one shoulder, her breast slightly peeking out the top of her towel as she walked closer toit. She looked herself over, realizing she had not really looked at herself for a long time.

Her cheeks were slightly caved in, and she had almost no color in her face. Her pointy Fae ears appearing through her hair was one thing she was thankful for, if she would've had normal Valkyrie rounded ears she would be easier to recognize. It was when she looked into her own eyes that shocked her the most.

They used to be bright, almost like a glacier blue color with a silver ring around the outside. Small silver flecks used to sparkle in them, but looking at them now, they were dull.

Too ashamed of her current condition she took one last look at her scar, the one that ran down her hairline on her left side from her forehead down to her ear. She stroked her finger down it, memories of that day flashing into her mind and she quickly shook her head to get them out.

She took one long breath before scrubbing her dirty clothes in the tub to try and get them somewhat clean. It was not a proper wash, but she didn’t have time nor the energy to do it perfectly. Once she hung them and emptied the tub, she opened the door to see the fire lit and Silas on the bed reading a book.

His eyes lifted and a grin appeared on his face. “Careful, not a lot of cloth covering you.”

“Oh grow up,” she laughed. “I forgot my bag.”

“Was that a genuine laugh just I heard?” His tone taunting her. “I should make sure you take baths more often.”

A smile formed on her face and stuck her tongue out playfully towards him in response before returning to the bathroom to get dressed. She could hear his laugh through the door and it warmed her heart and made it flutter slightly.

Once dressed in a long shirt and loose pants, she joined him on the bed. The fire had warmed the room to the perfect temperature and it was making her eyes feel heavy almost instantly.

He was still reading when she scooted herself next to him, her head resting on his shoulder.