Queen EmelineThe door opens, but I don’t bother lifting my head to see who it is because I have no friends here.
“I have been told you are to bathe,” says the voice of a woman I do not know.
She cuts through the restraints but ensures she holds on to me as she clearly has been instructed to. She leads me outside, where the sun has gone into hiding, making way for the moon. We walk toward the lake, where she then gestures I’m to bathe in here.
Some fresh herbs grow along the bank, which I bend down to pluck as I will use them to help freshen up. Without shame, I disrobe and step into the water, skimming the surface with my fingertips. It feels lovely to wash away the filth of the past few days.
My shoulder is still very tender, but I won’t let that stop me because whoever ordered this w
