Cured? (2)

Talia shut the door behind her and leaned against it, closing her eyes and taking several deep breaths to calm down.

What was she even thinking? When she'd seen Prince Mikhail suddenly stand up and stagger forward, unsteady on his feet and with a look of abject terror on his face, she hadn't even had a thought! She'd jumped in after him before she even realized what she was doing.

And then she'd thrown herself at him, wrapping her arms around his naked body and holding on for dear life, even after ascertaining that he was in fact, not going to pass out.

Her face burned with shame.

The man was severely injured for Great Eosin's sake! They'd just discovered that his lifelong curse might have ended, his own brother had attempted to kill him only hours before, and she... had the nerve to be disappointed that he hadn't taken the opportunity to at least kiss her.

All the same, she should have looked. Why would he disrobe completely in front of her if he hadn't wanted her to look? It was only natural to be curious and she'd never seen-

"Stop it!" She hissed out loud, giving herself a hard tap on the forehead as if the dislodge the inappropriate thoughts in her brain.

He could barely stand on his own, let alone handle the things she was imagining!

Besides, there was much to do. She went at once to the bellpull and yanked it twice to call for the maids. They appeared quickly.

"I'll need the bed changed and you must see to it that the bedding is burned, not washed," she ordered. "I've had to use medicines that are very dangerous in order to heal our Prince, and they could hurt someone if the sheets are reused."

The maids eyed the bed tenatively, with mirrored looks of uncertainty.

"You should be fine as long as don't touch anywhere you see blood," she assured them. "And when that is done please send for some bone broth and pureed liver-- some greens and dark bread as well. Our Prince will need nourishing food to heal."

As the girls began to strip the bed, Talia glanced down at the puddle of water that had grown beneath her and realized that some of their hesitance might have been due to her appearance.

She crossed the room to where her trunks still sat, and began to rummage through them, trying to find a suitable gown.

Odd how until recently, she had never given much thought to fashion, and now, she rued the fact the most of her clothing was drab and unremarkable. She wanted to appear... Talia flushed at the realization that the word she was searching for was enticing.

Prince Mikhail had never passed on an opportunity to kiss her or touch her or... rip her clothing off. Normally, she only had to stand within arms reach of him and not say anything. Yet this time-

This time he was gravely injured and very weak! She nodded, reminding herself.

Or perhaps he'd recently had his physical needs met, a treacherous voice in her head suggested, reminding her also of the metal bracelets in her pocket.

Ridiculous, she mumbled, snatching up the first gown her hand fell upon. It was ridulous to be consumed with such inconsequential thoughts when there were numerous matters of great importance requiring her attention-- all of which needed to be addressed quickly.

Her eyes fell upon the painting leaning against the far wall.

First things first... in her haste to heal the Prince, she'd forgotten all about Grieta's treacherous gift. It seemed Sir Ilya and Prince Mikhail had as well. That was fortitous. Ilya did not seem very interested, but the Prince had an eye for small details, and very little slipped by him.

Some day soon, when she had time and did not have other eyes upon her, she would examine the painting in greater detail. There had to be more to it than the simple threat that Grieta knew one of House Eosin's secrets.

For now... it would be best to remove it from the Prince's sight.

"My lady, we've finished changing out the bedding," one of the maids called to her.

Talia turned toward her and nodded.

"Very good. I shall need towels brought- warmed towels, but first, send someone to remove this painting. It is an eyesore. Have it set aside in that guest room down the hall... the one with the broken window," she commanded.

"Yes, my lady," the maid curtseyed and scurried away.

Talia sighed and brought the dress she'd selected, over to lay across the freshly made bed.

She studied the grey, simple cut of its form with a frown as she waited.

The next thing she would have to do, was to speak with Ilya. Prince Mikhail had been almost dismissive of his sudden ability to speak against the bond. This might be due to the fact that he was quite unwell. He would not want to experiment with it when any additional pain might knock him off his feet or unconscious again.

No, Ilya would be the one to help her test her theory. He would be quite excited to learn what she had discovered. With any luck, she would not even have to make a truth serum, and then-

A knock interrupted her thoughts. The maid entered with an armful of towels.

"My lady as you requested," she said bowing her head, and laying the towels on the side table.

Behind her, two footman entered the room and went at once to remove the painting. Talia watched as they quickly and efficiently hefted it between the two of them and carried it from the room.

"Will that be-"

"All? Yes. When you bring Prince Mikhail's meal, set it just there beside the bed. You may go," she dismissed the girl.

When she was again alone, she reached back and untied the lacing of her dress. It fell to the floor with a wet, heavy, thud. Sighing in relief, she peeled off her undergarments next, and then loosened the knot of her top binding, unwinding it quickly.

She wrapped herself in a towel and then, with practiced fingers, unbraided her hair.

It had, at least, remained mostly dry.

She turned and caught sight of herself in the long pier glass opposite the bed.

At least her hair had remained full and beautiful. The rest of her... well, hadn't the Prince himself said it best? A stomach stuck to her back, fingers raw and peeling, body bruised and cut... the rest of her was hard to look at.

She unwrapped the towel and let it fall, forcing herself to look at her own body... something she'd been almost unconsciously avoiding for some time. Her face was still puffy on one side from where the steward had struck her. There were, indeed, large bruises across her abdomen which had healed to the point of leaving unsightly splotches of yellow and violet across her pale flesh, and she was-- there was no other way to put it-- most dreadfully thin. Her ribs were beginning to show.

Talia frowned at herself, and tried to stand a little straighter, pushing her shoulders back.

At that moment, the door to the bath opened and she froze.

Prince Mikhail stood in the doorway, his hand pressed to his forehead, but his eyes glued to her! His mouth hung open slightly as if in shock.

Talia shrieked and crouched, shielding herself with her arms. It was then that she remembered the towel she'd dropped. She snatched it up, wrapping it quickly around herself.

When she glanced up again, she saw that Prince Mikhail still stood in the doorway, but that he had turned his back to her.

Still panicking, Talia glanced around, trying to remember where she had left her clean gown.

Seeing that it was draped over the bed, she seized it, and quickly struggled into it, while keeping an eye on the Prince's back.

He reached out to grab the door frame for support, and even at a distance she could see that his arm was shaking slightly. It must have been difficult for him to remain standing for so long, especially after bathing himself.

There was no time to find clean bindings and undergarments. She slid her arms through the sleeves, and stood, reaching back to pull the lacings tight.

"You... you may enter now," she called, straightening her back and doing her best to maintain a dignified facade. She could feel her face burning however.

Prince Mikhail turned slowly around to face her.

"Forgive me... I..."

"It is not your fault," she interrupted his apology. "I thought you would be in the bath for some time. It was thoughtless of me to-- well, it was thoughtless of me," she mumbled, glancing up at him again through lowered lashes.

He nodded and frowned slightly, but did not speak again.

"You must be exhausted... please," she said, turning to the bed to turn down the clean sheets.

As he passed her, she froze, wondering if he would stop and turn toward her and-

"You should eat something," he remarked, and then lowered himself to sit on the edge of the bed with a slight, pained groan.

Talia flushed again. Did he mean to say that she had grown so thin that her body was unappealing?

"You barely touched your breakfast this morning, and I doubt you ate anything while you tended to me," he continued. "There is a private dining suite at the end of the hall. I shall have a guard escort you to-

"I would prefer to take my meal here, with you," she said.

"I appreciate the Princess's care and your quick actions this morning, but I feel that what I need most now is rest. I find it difficult to rest in the presence of... others," he answered slowly. "It was my hope that while I rest, you, along with Madame DeGhal, will visit the Imperial Office of Events and begin making the preparations for our wedding. It is something that will need to happen as soon as possible, and though we do not have the time to plan for a large state wedding, I want you to have whatever you wish. You may request a Vezdan priest, of course, and whatever sort of gown or jewelry you'd like as well. I would have sent Madame DeGhal this morning to begin the preparations, but I fear she knows very little about Vezdan customs."

Talia frowned and shifted uncomfortably on her feet. She did not fancy walking about the palace without her underbindings in place, but she also wasn't sure how to broach the subject without sounding vulgar.

"I... I had thought we could, perhaps, speak a bit before you rest," she began. "We should find out for certain if you are free of your bond and-"

"We shall speak at length when you return," he answered. "Please send in the guard."

His tone might have been polite, but he was dismissing her! Talia felt a surge of anger at the realization.

"Then yes, we will speak at length when I return!" She snapped, "At great length!"

She reached down and snatched up her sodden gown, thrusting her hand into the skirt pocket, and ripping out the bracelets concealed there.

Holding them up, she glared at him and then tossed them on the floor between them.

"And perhaps the first thing we'll discuss are the untidy habits of your other women!" Talia seethed.

She noted, with no small amount of satisfaction, that his eyes widened in surprise, before turning to stalk from the room.