Winter Vixen

Punishment and Possibilities

Nix had been woken up by heavy thudding on their door early in the morning. She bolted upright and saw her mother walking out of her tiny room in a hurry.

“Who is it?” her mother called, wrapping a tattered grey shawl around her shoulders, her ears perked forward in hopes to hear who it was outside their door.

“King Regus wants Nix to come to the throne room, immediately.” Nix recognized a guard’s voice. The guards never associated with the slaves, but it still made her eyes roll when they ignored her mother’s question.

“She’ll be right there,” her mother answered, and quickly pulled out a simple dress for Nix to put on. “You must hurry, he doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” Nix rubbed her eyes and stood, holding her arms up so her mother could slip the undergarments on before lacing the actual dress. It was simple and a light shade of green, the perfect summer dress. But Nix was never allowed outside anymore, kept away from prying eyes. Nix never felt like a prize, just a prisoner.

“I’ll return shortly,” Nix told her mother, walking out the door in a hurry. At least, I hope I do. No one knew what mood the King would be in, and she had a sneaking suspicion that she was in a lot of trouble for last night. Leave it to the mad King to punish her for someone else wanting to dance with her. He asked me to dance, she thought as she rounded the last corner before coming to giant double oak doors. They were intricately carved, two wolves sitting and staring at everyone that stood before them. Their eyes were set with rubies, to give them a more menacing look. The border around the door was set with gold, and if Nix didn’t hate this place, she might have appreciated it more.

The guards that stood on either side of these giant doors were dressed in their soft green uniforms, their yellow accent cords and tassels shining against the soft color. Their breeches were creamy white, and their boots were the finest brown leather. The two wolves held their spears to block the entrance, but once she approached close enough, they raised them and let her through the opening doors. They used to trip her out of amusement, until the King snapped at them for it. The only small victory Nix had, simply because the King did not want bruises on her porcelain skin.

Nix walked up towards the King and Queen on their throne, more nervous now than before. She had not noticed yet that Nouren’s parents were there as well, seated off to the side. Nix did notice though that Queen Flora looked sad. She didn’t take that as a good sign. She bowed before them, and remained bowed until spoken to.

“I’ve called you in here, Nix, to discuss why you felt you could dance with King Torren’s son.” Nix kept herself lowered, afraid of what her punishment might be. If too severe, it would be her mother that suffered. She had to be careful. “Speak!” he barked at her, and she rose to meet his angry glare.

“I offer my most sincere, and deepest apologies, your Majesty. I had been asked to dance, and I was afraid of angering your guests. I had only wanted to help make a good impression.” She kept her head lowered in submission, and she prayed that was a good enough answer. Nix’s hair was hanging around her face like a protective curtain, the light from the windows illuminating it like a halo around her. King Regus thought about her answer for a moment, tapping his clawed hand against the golden armrest of his throne.

“I understand, you were approached by a Prince. However, it will not happen again. You have my permission to turn down any advances from royalty without punishment.” His fierce golden eyes burned into Nix, and it took everything she had to not fidget from discomfort. She was also very surprised how lenient he was being with her right now. The last time she had gotten in trouble was because a drunken noble came onto her, and it was her mother who had to scrub the entire dining hall. While the nobility ate their meals, and being denied her own. It took everything for Nix to stay calm when it was her mother who was punished for someone else’s stupidity.

“I thank you, your Majesty,” Nix responded, bowing once more. It was that moment when she finally noticed King Torren and Queen Casandra sitting off to the side, and Nix couldn’t have felt more embarrassed. She did notice that Queen Flora had a look of relief over her face before composing herself once more.

“Do not forget, little Nix, you are mine. You are dismissed.” The King waved his hand in dismissal and she had to fight from running out of the throne room. She felt both relief and terror swirling inside of her stomach; if she was off the hook so easily, then would Nouren be the one punished? No one ever got away from punishment; someone was going to pay for King Regus’s aggravation. By the time Nix reached her room, fearful tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She was so caught up in her thoughts about what could possibly happen to Nouren that she didn’t see her mother.

“Nix? Honey is everything alright?” she asked, but Nix just sat on her bed in small shock. “Honey, talk to me please,” she pleaded, sitting next to her.

“He wasn’t even that mad at me. I thought for sure you were in for some awful punishment,” Nix choked out, the tears spilling out. Her mind was racing a million miles. “Nouren didn’t mean anything by it, he was just being courteous.” Her words were coming out in a rush. “He doesn’t even understand. The King can’t punish the prince for dancing with me!” Tears of panic came rushing down her face, and the words turned into sobs. Nix couldn’t live with herself if she would be the reason Nouren got into trouble with the King. Her mother held her, finally understanding what was going on within her racing mind.

“Hush, my love. Prince Nouren will be okay, the King wouldn’t punish royalty. The very ones he’s making an alliance with no less.” She stroked Nix’s hair, over her ear and down her back. She brushed her hair with her fingers, and repeated the process until Nix’s hiccups finally subsided and her breathing returned to normal. “It will all be okay.”

“I hope so. He doesn’t deserve to be punished.” Nix wiped the tears and snot from her face with a small rag that her mother had given her. “I don’t even understand why I’m so worried about him!” Nix threw her hands up in exasperation. “He’s royalty! We’re nothing to them, and here I am sniveling like an infant.” Her mother shook her head, and a small smile escaped her lips.

“I could see it from the moment he walked over to you. It’s rare, but I believe it’s the pull of mates.” Her mothers statement made Nix look at her mother in disbelief.

“Mother, that’s a tale for the wolves and you know it,” she snorted. “We have no goddess, and if we did, she turned her back on us forever ago. We would not have been slaves,” Nix muttered angrily. The wolves in all kingdoms believed in their precious moon goddess, and it made her sick to her stomach that it had been forced on the foxes. They believed in nature, that the sun rose and set in its own time, that the rain came when it was time. The moon did as she pleased, the sun did as he pleased, and mother nature was the mediator. There was more than one in their religion, but the wolves quickly threw that out for them and gave them their moon goddess. As if she were the one and only; that she could do it all. It didn’t make sense to Nix, there was no balance.

“It may be, but I could see the way he looked at you. You were both so happy when you danced together.”

“And it’s going to end up with someone getting hurt!” Nix snapped, standing up and pacing the floor of their tiny home. “It was just the festivities,” she tried to convince herself and her mother. “It was nothing more than the drinks and the mood of the evening. There was nothing else.”

It can not be anything else. It is forbidden. Nix was now on the Kings radar, as well as Nouren. They would never be alone again; all eyes would be glued to them until the King and his court believed there was nothing going on between them. Her silvery white hair fell around her as she put her head in her hands. Nix wanted nothing more than to go back to being unseen. She couldn’t even go outside for fresh air and it frustrated her to no end. The King was blindly paranoid someone would see her and want her for themselves. At least that how it came across to her, she had no idea what other reason it could be to keep her locked up at all times.

“I have something that might help calm your nerves,” her mother said softly, and hurried over to the small kitchen area. Their little room within the castle was just a living space and a bedroom. Nix insisted her mother take the tiny room, while her bed was in their living room area. Nix sat back down on her bed while her mother opened a secret door in the back of a cabinet, and pulled out something Nix didn’t expect to see.

“How did you get your hands on that?” Nix asked in disbelief. Her mother had a small bag of coffee grounds, something slaves did not have access to. It was a delicacy of sorts in their kingdom, and only nobility and royals had the ability to obtain it with their mountain of wealth.

“Never mind how, would you like a cup?” her mother asked her with a sparkle in her chocolate eyes.

“Of course! Oh, thank you so much,” Nix gushed, leaping up and hugging the woman with gusto. “I won’t ask how, but thank gods you have it.” Coffee was a delightful drink that helped Nix relax and collect her thoughts. Every once in a blue moon her mother would find a way to get some, and Nix had a suspicion that it was the Queen herself sneaking it to them.

Nix held the worn ceramic mug in her hands, careful to avoid the chips in the rim of it. The heat of the coffee and the smell of it made Nix close her eyes in contentment, and she let out a soft sigh. Then, there was a brisk knock at their door.