A soft knock at the door woke Saffron from her deep sleep. She looked around for a moment, gathering her senses as she remembered that she was in her new bed chamber. The prince was long gone, as was the bottle he had been clinging to last night. Before she could ask who it was, two unfamiliar maids entered her room, wheeling a rack of clothing.
"His highness has asked us to bring these clothes for you. He personally selected them himself," One maid said sharply, turning to leave immediately.
"Wait, could you tell me what I should be doing today?" Saffron asked quickly.
"The young master has instructed the servants not to speak to you," The other maid said harshly, slamming the door behind them.
Saffron sat in silence for a moment, wondering what on earth was going on. Was the Crown Prince going to make things as difficult as possible for her? She knew he was a jerk, but she had assumed that he would simply ignore her and nothing more. She got up to gingerly inspect the
"Saffron?"
Saffron's head turned towards the door, she was sure she had just heard Prince Blaze's voice. The door creaked open and Saffron heard a gasp.
"What happened?"
Saffron jumped as the door swung open and she hurried to cover herself with one of the dresses on the racks.
"Blaze, I'm not decent!" She yelled, picking up a small vase as if to throw it at him.
"Forget about that! What happened to your back?"
Saffron tried to look over her shoulder but she could not see. Her nightgown was still ripped, exposing her back from top to waist. Blaze's hand passed gently over her skin, yet Saffron still flinched as she felt a burning pain.
"Did Ash do this?!"
"I-I don't think so, he did touch my back last night but it didn't hurt," Saffron mumbled.
"I'm going to kick his ass-" Blaze began, his cheeks flushed pink.
"Stop. I don't want any fighting. If anything else happens, I'll go to the King."
Blaze looked at her for a moment, deep in thought.
"Fine, but if I see a single scratch on you again and you don't do something about it, I'm going to tell father myself."
"I am not worth sacrificing your relationship with your brother," Saffron scolded him, shaking her head, "Now get out while I change."
"Where are your maids?"
Saffron remained silent for a moment before grabbing a dress from the rack.
"I dismissed them. I want to spend some time alone."
Blaze looked suspiciously at her for a moment before shaking his head and leaving the room. Once he was gone, Saffron walked over to the mirror in the corner of the room and turned to look over her shoulder. Running along the length of her shoulder blade to her mid-back were two thin scorch marks. How could she possibly have been burned but not noticed until now? Had the Prince really done this, or had something else happened whilst she was asleep? Regardless of its cause, she would have to find some salve to put on it.
She returned to the clothes rail, carefully looking through everything. There were no silks or satin, not that she cared about expensive dresses. These were all made to look extravagant, but they were made with itchy material that was coarse on the inside.
"That bastard!" Saffron cursed softly.
It was clearly a slight against her. She picked one of the simpler dresses and slipped it on, grimacing at the sensation against her skin. She would not let him win. She may not have wings, but by birthright, she was of no lesser status than him. How dare he treat her this way?
This meant war.
She would not go to the King, that would allow him a chance to worm his way out of things. The cold prince had to have a heart somewhere in that body of his. As she glanced at her reflection in the mirror across the room, she made a vow to herself. She would make that man fall in love with her, and when he was ready to give his life for her, she would shatter his heart.
Saffron perched on the chaise longue, a smile etched into her face as she brushed her hair. Just the prospect of it felt good. She could prove she didn't need him either. She had always been served by only Nanny Pine at home, so she was more than capable of taking care of herself.
It took no time at all for Saffron to finish getting ready, complete with a full face of makeup. She regarded her work in the mirror. She had done quite a good job. It complimented her deep green dress very well.
Cursing under her breath, it occurred to Saffron that she should have asked Prince Blaze what was expected of her today. With no ideas, she decided to wander the halls of the palace. At the very least she would be able to begin familiarising herself with the layout.
The hallways were by no means empty, on the contrary, they were bustling with servants, but not a single one of them acknowledged Saffron's presence. They must all be under Prince Ash's thumb, Saffron thought bitterly. Her stomach growled softly and she remembered that she had not eaten breakfast. She was unsure if she had even been invited to eat with the others that morning. Perhaps the cold prince had delighted in not waking her and knowing she would miss it. What sordid excuse had he given? Her cheeks flushed hot with the potential lies he might have told. At that moment, she spotted a servant walking with empty trays. Perfect.
Saffron followed the servant silently through the palace. If she could just figure out where the kitchen was, she could make her own food. She certainly did not need a servant to make a simple meal. The servant disappeared into a door at the end of the hall. Saffron gently pushed the door ajar and peered into the room.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Saffron screamed and jumped at the hot breath on the back of her neck. She spun around defensively only to come face to face with a smug Prince Ash.
"This area is for servants only, though if you're adamant about going in there, perhaps you'd rather be a maid than a princess?"
Saffron returned his gaze firmly, unwavering.
"Your highness, if you sneak up on me like that I cannot be responsible for my actions. What if I should accidentally hit you?" Saffron asked.
"Then I should have my father punish you accordingly," Ash retorted.
"Does your highness have to defer everything to his father?"
"What, you'd rather me punish you personally?"
It was clear that the prince was trying to get a rise out of her. She would not let him have even an ounce of satisfaction. She reached up and grabbed his chin with her left hand.
"Gladly."
The Prince backed up immediately. He scowled furiously. It was obviously no fun when she fought back.
"I will have a servant bring you something."
"How will I know you didn't poison it?" Saffron asked.
"Do you really believe I am so stupid as to kill my own bride the day after our wedding?"
Saffron opened her mouth to answer but the prince placed his hand over her lips instead.
"Go and sit in the garden, I will have the food brought out to you."
As he turned to leave, Saffron caught his arm quickly to stop him.
"Do I have anything I must do today?" Saffron asked.
"Today is usually reserved for brides to... recover," Ash replied with a smirk, "As per tradition, tomorrow we will visit your home kingdom and pay respects to your father. Spend your day preparing for that."
Saffron released his arm silently and watched as he disappeared down the corridor. Just talking to him made her blood boil, but at least she had gotten two useful things out of him: Food and information.
It took Saffron a while to find one of the exits that led to the garden. Once she finally did, she spotted a maid standing beside a pavilion. There was a small stone table and benches, with a tray sitting atop the table. Saffron hurried over and took a seat.
"Thank you," She said to the servant, but she received no reply.
Saffron lifted the cover on the tray only to find a simple bowl of porridge. Although she had been used to plain foods, irritation swelled inside her. This was yet another slight by the Crown Prince. Saffron swallowed her anger and put on her biggest smile. She ate every last spoonful of the porridge, talking endlessly about how good it tasted. She had no doubt that this servant would relay the information back to Ash. She took delight in knowing he would be furious his little ploy did not work.
After she had finished her food, Saffron spent a while roaming the gardens. It was beautiful outside. Her mind wandered as she walked, wondering how she should prepare for their return trip. She had not even asked how long their trip would be. She hoped it would be a simple courtesy visit, but given that he has asked her to prepare, she worried that it could last a couple of days or more. The last thing she wanted to deal with was her sister, but it seemed unavoidable. Perhaps Prince Ash would understand her more after he saw her home kingdom. She shook the thought from her head. She didn't care if he did or not. He was a jerk.
When her legs began to ache and the skies had turned dark, Saffron decided to return to their room. Finding her way back was not an easy feat, but she managed it eventually. When she entered the bedroom, she found two packed cases sitting on the bed. It looked like their trip would take a few days after all. Saffron clicked open the case on her side and glanced through its contents. Her face flushed furiously when she realised that all of her nightclothes were sheer, slinky lingerie. The prince was clearly trying to embarrass her. Saffron held up one of the pieces against herself in the mirror and smirked. She had nothing to be embarrassed about. Perhaps he wanted her to cry and beg him for something more suitable to wear. Saffron suspected he had something hidden in his case, but she did not care. If he had given her these to wear, then she would wear them.
Saffron packed the case back up and moved it to the chaise lounge. She noticed that a second wardrobe had been moved into the room, but her clothes were still hung on the rack they had arrived on. She rolled her eyes. Did the prince think that having to do it herself would bother her?
Saffron spent the rest of the evening putting away and sorting the clothes into a system she could use easily. It would make getting herself ready in the morning a much quicker task.
It was getting late. Saffron yawned and stretched out her back. She washed her makeup off in the basin and changed into one of the nightgowns in her wardrobe. It was a simple maroon dress that was just long enough to sweep the floor as she walked. She had toyed with the idea of wearing one of the items from the case to shock the prince, but she did not want to tip him off that she was aware. It would be much more satisfying to see him squirm in the Fae Kingdom. Saffron slipped into bed, yawning softly. She fell asleep quickly.
Movement woke Saffron. She propped herself up, eyes scanning the room to see what was going on. To her surprise, Prince Ash had sat down on the bed beside her. As she turned her head to get a better look, she realised he was looking at her.
"You can sleep on the floor if you'd prefer," the prince snorted, unbuttoning his shirt.
"Not with my back," Saffron replied, rolling her eyes.
"You have a bad back at your age?"
Saffron shot him a glare in the dim light.
"No. It's whatever you did last night," She snapped back at him.
"I didn't do anything to you last night."
Saffron turned her back to him, pulled her hair over her shoulder and slipped off her sleeves, letting the nightdress fall down around her waist. There was a strange silence in the room. Saffron felt cold fingers touch the wounds on her back and she shivered at the sensation.
"I didn't do this."
Saffron remained silent. If he hadn't, who had? He was the only one who had touched her back. She heard the rattle of a drawer opening and the pop of a cork. An icy cold sensation on her skin made her squeak and arch her back. Large worked to rub some kind of medicine into her.
"There."
She heard the prince replace the cork and shut the bottle back in the drawer, before making his way to the hand basin to wash it from his hands. She regarded him in the dim light for a moment. He had never shown her an ounce of kindness. Did he have some ulterior motive? The prince glanced at her from the corner of his eye for a second before turning his head away and clearing his throat. Saffron quickly yanked the nightgown back up over her chest and slipped her arms through the straps again. She was thankful that it was dark in the room.
The prince sat back on his side of the bed and finished removing his clothing. Saffron wondered where his nightclothes were before she realised that he would be simply sleeping in his underwear. Saffron slowly lay back down on her side. She felt the bed move as Ash lay down beside her. She felt incredibly aware of his presence. She had never shared her bed with someone else. Her eyes ached with exhaustion. As her fatigue overcame her, Saffron drifted off to sleep. As homesick as she way, she was far more anxious to return to the place where even her own people shunned her.