Summer had never dreamed of experiencing such luxury.

The bed was as soft and fluffy, just what she imagined a cloud would feel like. The sheets and covers warm and velvety, sliding over her skin like water.

The room itself was impersonal. Normal, as it was a guest room. The enormous bed stood on a dais, its wood carved and stained with lines of gold. The gauzy drapes covering the bed danced in the breeze. A thick rug the color of sunset covered the floor around the bed, and it was the most luxurious thing Summer had ever put her feet on.

A fireplace across the bed kept the room warm, on either side of it a painting of a beautiful scenery decorated the wall. Two cushioned seats and a dark wood table were placed near the fireplace. Sheer curtains of palest orange covered the wide window.

For the past three days, the very instant Summer woke up she pinched herself to make sure it wasn't a dream. She was afraid she would suddenly wake up to realize she was still in the forest with a dying Leon sleeping nearby.

Summer sat up, her feet sank into rug. She padded to the adjoining washroom. Her very own washroom. The cream colored tiles chilled her feet. The washroom was equipped with seamless modern plumbing, the likes of which she'd never seen before. Everything looked good and served its purpose perfectly. The tub was already filled with steaming water for her use.

The door linking the washroom to the dressing room opened and Lily, a maid who was assigned to her, stepped inside.

She and Lily had come to an agreement the very first day when the young maid tried helping Summer undress.

Lily insisted she was doing her job by seeing to every need, spoken or not, Summer had. And Summer had drawn the limit at washing her back or brushing her hair or dressing herself. Lily could bring her food, prepare the water for washing and bathing, lay out her clothes, and Summer would take care of the rest.

It was an agreement that kept the two women happy and at ease with each other.

Though Lily, Summer discovered over the past three days, had taken a personal interest in making sure Summer was impeccable at all times. She was also quite chatty.

"My lady! You're up early!" Lily glided into the room.

The girl couldn't be older than seventeen. With brown hair always gathered in a bun at the nape of her neck, pale skin with freckles across her nose and cheeks and large brown eyes framed with thick lashes, Lily was always dressed in a clean dark blue dress with a crisp white apron. Summer had noticed other girls with the same attire on her way to her room three days ago. It was a maid's uniform in the castle, Lily had explained.

"It's Summer, Lily." Summer groaned. "I'm not a lady."

Lily giggled. A light, merry sound. "Nonsense, my lady! Any friend of Lady Ida is a perfect lady herself."

Lily put the change of clothes she brought on the marble counter and turned her back to give Summer privacy.

"How did you sleep, My Lady? You look much better already. The swelling had gone down considerably."

Summer touched her face. She could finally do it without wincing. Seeing her reflection in the mirror had made her wonder how Lily hadn't run the other way at the first sight of her. "I feel sore, but much better than before, that's for sure."

Summer climbed into the tub after discarding her clothes. Not in her wildest dreams had she thought she'd have a daily bath with hot water and heavenly smelling soap. Her skin, though still discolored and scarred, felt impossibly smooth. Even the usually wild waves of her hair were more tame.

Summer ran her hand over the sudsy surface of the water. Her skin shimmered under the sunlight streaming in through the windows. It

"A little bit of care and you'll be one of the beauties in the castle, I can tell you that."

Summer bit back a laugh. "One of the castle beauties? I was going for the most beautiful woman in the capital. I bet you none of them has as many various colors in her face as I do." Blue, green and yellow was certainly a wide variety.

Another merry giggle. "Well, you do have lovely eyes, my lady. I've never seen such pretty color. I think you have potential."

Summer leaned back and closed her eyes, enjoying the hot water against her skin. Lily's voice carried to her ears as she spoke about all the acclaimed beauties in the royal court and their virtues. The girl sure could talk.

"What about Ida?" Summer asked when Lily paused for her input. "She's one of the prettiest women I've ever seen."

Ida had an inner grace and elegance no one could imitate. Her features were a mesh between feminine delicacy and bold charm. Her dark eyes were wide and tilted up in the corners, framed by thick lashes, the striking dark brown of her skin literally glowed whenever the light hit it just right. The black, tight curls cut close to her head only added to her charms.

"Of course! I personally think Lady Ida is stunning," Lily said, her head nodding until the bun at her nape bounced, "I was so surprised when I first saw her that my tongue was tied. The other maids teased me for an entire month after that."

Lily paused, her silence thoughtful. "I do think what some people think of her is very nasty, however."

Summer opened her eyes. "What do some people think of her?"

Lily glanced over her shoulder at Summer, looking surprised at the change of her tone. "Well, she's a very strong woman. The very first one who actually made it to the royal guards' rank. So many other women look down on her because of that."

"Because she's strong?" Summer asked.

Summer had lived most of her life almost removed from society. What she knew about it was what little she'd been able to observe in the first fifteen years of her life when she still lived at the orphanage and what Rose related to her.

She was, of course, aware of the notion that some people thought all women were delicate, wilting creatures whose only calling in life was to stay in a gilded cage and look in a mirror all day.

She was also aware that the south of the kingdom had slightly different values compared to the north, both areas influenced by the cultures of the neighboring kingdoms.

Boyd's lessons about culture and society were her least favorite, but he had insisted on them. She recalled some of it now.

The Flatlands in the south did not place restrictions on women's roles in society. They were nurses and teachers and merchants and warriors. Society there, Boyd had said, placed women on a high pedestal. Old women were often the heads of their families.

The Flatlands and Springwood Kingdom had been allies for centuries. Their people intermarried and their cultures influenced one another, especially in the borders.

The North was almost the opposite of the Flatlands. Their social values were quite restrictive to women.

And the capital was closer to the north than it was to the south. Which meant its people would tend to favor the North's views on women.

"Because she's stronger than most women," Lily confirmed. "Well, I think they're jealous of her. Who wouldn't love to be able to hold a sword and ride a horse the way she does. She's absolutely phenomenal."

"Mhm."

"There aren't many women in the military, you see. So she's very special. Also, there are some individuals- who I shall not name- who think of her as less because of the color of her skin. Which is absolute horse dung, let me tell you that! She's absolutely beautiful. And if anyone tells me she's not, I will- I will-" She stomped her foot, her hands in tiny fists, "Well! I will not listen to them!"

Summer grinned and scrubbed her head. She liked Lily. The girl was a little spitfire.

"I do think his highness is a very grand man for having her as part of his guard, though."

Summer frowned.

What she knew about the royal guards, like everything else, was what Boyd told her.

The royal guards were usually formed by a member of the royal family. They were a group of highly trained individuals who were directly under that Royal's orders. Their tasks varied, ranging from actually protecting the Royal they were under to performing missions outside the kingdom. She'd always assumed Ida, Al and Leon were part of the guards who performed particular missions. She never wondered who they were under, though.

"His highness?" Summer asked. They must be under the orders of the prince, the king's only brother.

Lily's shoulders stiffened. Suddenly, she whirled around with a towel. "Well, I think you've had enough of a bath this morning my lady." She hurried over to her, avoiding her eyes. "Look at that! The water is getting cold."

"It's still hot-"

"I'll put the towel right here since I know you hate me hovering. I will have breakfast ready for you in the room, my lady, hurry along!"

Summer watched with amused confusion as Lily scurried away like a scared squirrel.

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Short chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. 

Vote and comment. I appreciate it.

And Happy Eid!

Much love <3 <3 <3

M.B.