Fairy Rings

16. Grandmother

"That was a bit impressive." Ambrosia stood at her side, his hand on her back. "It's time I take my leave; the maids don't take kindly to me."

"Please stay. I don't even know them" Navaeha gave a nervous glance at them before letting Ambrosia take her shaky hand. Her body trembled now at his touch.

"As far as I know, those girls are pure evil and are nothing but trouble. I don't trust them. . . I trust that one, though." Ambrosia had seemed to help wash her worries away as her grandmother walked in with a bucket of hair utensils and gels. Her little figure seemed as if it were to snap if she walked anymore with the heavy box.

"You trust me for what?" It wasn't hard to notice the protective way Ambrosia was positioned next to her granddaughter; if anyone were to make a wrong move, he would lunge. "Oh, please, poor Mutt. Go wash your hands if you're helping with her hair; otherwise, sit at the door and watch for those pesky men that you sent away." Ambrosia's expression was a mild surprise as he cautiously glanced around the messy room. After a moment's hesitation, he took a seat in the chair, but not before giving a playful wink to Navaeha. Meanwhile, the girls busied themselves with the task of pulling a basin of water into the room and carefully positioning a chair over it. "What happened before I got in here?"

"The Dame and his men were a bit too rowdy for my taste." Steam rose from the tub while Navaeha slowly acclimated to her new room. She hadn't had the time to look earlier, but now, as she looked around, she saw that the walls were rounded. The blue on them smoothed up to cover the ceiling, and little clouds were painted in a gradient sunset. A few other things from her room caught her eye; it was a lava lamp in the corner on the bedrest with a few of her embarrassing posters hung next to it. Most of the candles in her bedroom were lined against the wall on built-in shelves cut out of the wall itself. "It does feel better now that I'm surrounded by women and my back does hurt a bit." She half admitted.

"My goodness, child! Your father wouldn't have ever let any of us go on the trip, that's work that men do best. Collecting and taking. Now, I could have sworn I saw you limping!" Her Grandmother cursed herself before lifting her blanket to see, "Did he do that to you?" Nevaeha's expression twisted in surprise as she processed the sudden accusation directed at Ambrosia. The speed with which the blame was assigned caught her off guard, and her face contorted in disbelief at the unexpected turn of events.

"No," She answered sharply, "I got it by falling off a roof."

The sweet lady rubbed her furrowed face, "Well. . . Why on earth did you do that?"

"I'll shorten it for you; it resulted from poor choices in an attempt to run."

"Oh, I guess I'd need more context. I'm just glad you're home." Her Grandmother gently placed a hand on her shoulder and assisted her in standing up from her cross-legged position before guiding her to the chair. "I hear you've got an exciting week planned for you. You get to see the town today. And it's going to be an enjoyable night tonight. We will have a feast, and your father is putting together a dance." Navaeha shifted in the chair, leaving her hair draped over the edge. "If you girls don't mind washing her hair, I'm going to go and take the bread out of the oven." She winced as a pair of rough hands suddenly grabbed onto her thick, knotted hair and yanked hard to begin separating it all into locks. The pain shot through her scalp, and she instinctively tried to pull away, but the grip was too firm. "I need a big, strong man to help a little old lady like myself." Panic ensued as she watched her only form of comfort walk out, close the door, and leave her alone with the cruel maids.

"Знаете" One of the blondes spoke up. It was hard for Navaeha to make out the thick accent, but it translated to You know. "Почему этой девушке нравится этот грязный болван?" Why does this girl like that dirty Mutt?

"Понятия не имею, интересно, видела ли она до сих пор, какой он детский. Этот людоед такой глупый." Another ran horrible soap through her hair. I have no idea; I wonder if she's seen how childish he is yet. That ogre is so stupid. Navaeha's eyes widened in surprise; her mouth slightly agape as the banter continued around her. She opened her mouth to say something, but before any words could escape, a finger was gently placed on her lips, silencing her. As she sat there, still in shock, a warm towel was draped over her face, enveloping her in a false and lying warmth.

"Помните, как он принёс Ульге цветы, а она заросла в ульях?" She didn't catch the last phrase. However, she could understand the word hives. Even with that, it pissed her off when the girls couldn't help but giggle at the man. "Не могу поверить, что ему удалось оголить принцессу. Как он вообще это сделал?" The condescending voice belonged to the one washing her hair, whom she could make out ideally even through the giggling. I can't believe he managed to woe the princess; how did he even do it?

"Вы действительно хотите знать?" Navaeha chimed in. Do you want to know? The girl's giggling stopped, as did the hair washing. "No, continue. I didn't mean for you to stop talking s**t about Ambrosia and me. Please, show me that the ogre was right about you." Taking the rag off her face, she stopped when she saw Ambrosia and her grandmother at the door.

"My goodness, that's no way to talk about the Mutt. He's a good soldier." Her Grandmother didn't waste any time getting her back into the chair and shoeing the Russian witches away, "Why would you say such an awful thing? I would expect that from your father, not my sweet granddaughter." Ambrosia closed the doors after the girls had left and made his way to them while rolling his sleeves and warming up his hands.

"It's alright. Ulga, and those two usually call me an Ogre; at least, that's one of the words I can understand."

"I wasn't calling him an Ogre to be mean; I was doing it to make a point that what they said was uncalled for." Her Grandmother's smile returned as Ambrosia washed his hands in the soapy basin.

"Well, then, I'm sorry for assuming poorly of you. That's very sweet to stick up for him. Not many people are very nice to this poor Mutt. Oh, start here. You're going to massage the oils into her hair. It will be good for you to know this; maybe wash day will go faster if you learn." Strong yet gentle hands ran through Navaeha's hair, pulling slightly at the tangles.

"I'm not opposed to helping out. I'd like to, however, stick to my assigned job of keeping this young lady safe." As Ambrosia's hands moved through Navaeha's hair, she couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment wash over her. The gentle pressure of his fingers on her scalp was soothing as she closed her eyes, letting out a soft sigh. A stray thought crossed her mind - if he wanted to, he could wash my hair for me instead of those brusque witches. The idea made her bite her lower lip in anticipation. After a while, Navaeha's grandmother watched as Ambrosia finished and washed his hands. Then, she grabbed a large pitcher of water, ready to continue with the task at hand.

"Are you two on a first-name basis?" Her grandmother asked while she poured the water over her head. Even she had heard the sly rumors the Dame and his men brought back.

"Oh yes, I like to be on a first-name basis with everyone." Navaeha mindlessly commented, she was confused when her grandmother gasped and began getting upset before she remembered. Ambrosia couldn't help but laugh, his face covered by an oily hand.

"She's a w***e? This is no laughing matter!" Her grandmother had to sit on the bed, her hand hiding her shocked lips. "I need to tell your father."

"No! She's just not used to our customs, I promise; she's not a whore." Ambrosia comforted her, "We're on a first-name basis because she prefers it to Mutt; she knows the Dame's name and-"

"Two names? More than two names? Oh, my goodness!" His explanation had yet to help.

"No, no. Hold on. Navaeha has not had s*x with anyone, and she's not going to have s*x with anyone. She's not a w***e; she just has preferences to know everyone's name and their titles in case she needs to grab their attention more efficiently." That made her grandmother relax, although she didn't sound very trusting.

"As long as you're not tramping around here like those town lizards, I'm fine. Please explain first next time; you almost gave me a heart attack! I'm too old for those." Navaeha couldn't help but laugh a bit.

"I'm sorry. I'll be more mindful next time," she hoped her smile convinced her grandmother that they were being truthful; there was no way she could even think of going through all those men. It was disgusting. Revolting thoughts raced through her mind while Ambrosia helped dry and braid her hair. Most men looked around her age, but more than a few of them looked as old as her father, if not older. . . many of them uglier too. Only when her grandmother was finally finished did Navaeha stop thinking about such horrible things.

"It's perfect; I'll grab your father to ensure it's alright." As soon as she walked out of the room, the once lively ambiance faded, and the doors she had previously opened were now firmly shut. Ambrosia commanded all her attention, standing tall and imposing, although he already had it. Leaning over her chair, he squished her cheeks together, causing her to smile up at him.

"So, what happens now?" Navaeha blushed, her eyes meeting his in a warm embrace.

"What happens now is I get to tell you how beautiful you look." His words echoed through her as he sat there marveling at her, his thumb slightly brushing over her lips making her quiver. "You are more beautiful than a sunset, my little lady."