Chapter 135

Chapter 135
Raven;

The first thing I felt was pain. 

A sharp ache at the back of my head and a burning sensation in my lower belly, as though I had been struck by something…or someone.

My eyes furrowed in confusion as I glanced at the white marble floor and the tall windows draped with silk curtains.

The smell of lavender and the faint sound of piano coming from somewhere nearby.

Belgravia.

The palace in Belgravia!

I sat up too quickly and almost fell back. I was wearing a plain gray dress that was patched up at the knees.

My heart slammed hard agsinst my chest.

“No,” I whispered. “This isn’t right.” 

How could I be in Belgravia when moments ago I had been in Grok and….

My head totally went blank and I couldn’t think about anything. I knew that something had happened, but I didn’t remember what it was.

The door creaked open.

“Raven!” a very familiar voice yelled and I turned around.

Princess Ellie stood there was draped in a silver dress, her hair pinned high, her chin tilted as if the world was hers. She looked… younger. No, not younger,just the same as the first day I had ever served her.

“You useless thing,” she hissed and threw a shoe at me. “How dare you fall asleep in my room!”

I gasped as I stared around. The white sheets were scattered around on the ground. I was indeed in her room and…I gasped and spranged up from the bed.

I had fallen asleep while arranging her bed.

She narrowed her eyes at me. “Why are you staring at me like that? Did you forget your place?”

I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out.

Princess Ellie crossed the room in two long strides and like a flash, her palms connected with my face. Hard.

I was still confused as to what was going on. I remembered writing the examination and forced to marry Liam, the king of Grok…

Had everything been a dream?

Now, fetch my slippers. Do you want me to walk barefoot like a beggar?” Ellie spoke  again, snapping me from my string of thoughts.

I swallowed hard and forced myself to move. The old, familiar fear crept up my chest. I got down and picked up her footwear from beside the bed, and knelt to place them at her feet.

She looked down at me with a smirk. “That’s more like it. You’d be nothing without me, Raven. Don’t ever forget that.”

Her words were oddly familiar, like I’d heard them before…a long time ago.

Was everything really a dream?  Liam. The council. Joanna. Being queen of Grok.

Was it all a dream?

It felt too real, too vivid to be a dream.

The day dragged on lije I remembered it to be. I followed princess Ellie through the palace halls, carrying her fan, pouring her water, brushing her hair while she complained.

“You pull too hard,” she snapped. “Are you trying to pull my hair from my scalp?” 

“I’m sorry, your highness,” I murmured.

“You always say that. Sorry won’t take you far if you’re so silent.”

She reached back and snatched the comb from my fingers before tossing it across the room. I flinched as it clattered against the wall.

Her eyes sparkled with amusement upon seeing ny display of fear.“Pathetic.”

With every insult she gave me, I got worried, not because of how I felt, but because of the familiarity of it. It seemed like I had lived this life in the past.

What if Liam never happened? What if my brain had just conjured everything up as a way to escape Princess Ellie’s cruelty.

When Ellie finally dismissed me for the evening, I stumbled into the small servants’ quarters. My hands shook as I sat on the small mattress.

I buried my face on my palm, my body shaking. “No,” I whispered to myself. “This had to be a dream!”

Later that night, I caught snippets of conversations from the other maids.

“Did you hear?” one said, leaning close. “The king of Grok is coming.”

What!

Another maid gasped. “Truly? Here? The barbarian?”

“They say he’s coming to meet with our king. Some talk of trade… others whisper it’s about alliances. Maybe even a marriage.”

“To princess Ellie.”

Everyone laughed, believing that it was a huge punishment that befitted her.

I sat frozen, staring into the bowl of food in front of me.

My fingers tightened around the wooden spoon until my knuckles went white.

If Liam truly existed, then maybe… maybe the rest hadn’t been just a dream. But how did I get back to Grok?

I couldn’t remember the events that brought me back here. I only remembered a feast with the rest of the council in Grok, but nothing else after that.

I stood up, ignoring the curious stares of the other maids. I glanced up at the stars, wondering if this was a dream.

I pinched my arm and let out a yelp. This was real, not a dream.

An image came to my head and I gasped. It was the temple crumbling in my nightmares, and the voice telling me to choose.

The kingdom or the child. 

The next morning, princess Ellie replied my greeting  

with her usual sneer.

“Raven, fix my hair. Today is important.”

“Why, your highness?” I asked softly, gathering the pins. I normally wouldn’t ask, but the didn’t know when the words tumbled out.

To my surprise, She smirked and answered. “The healers’ examinations begin today. New recruits for the palace. I’ll get to watch them beg for approval.”

I worked in silence, her words echoing in my mind. The healers’ examination.

The reason I had gone to Grok.

Ellie tapped her nails impatiently against the vanity. “Don’t make me late, Raven. Or you’ll regret it.”

I met her eyes in the mirror. For once, I didn’t flinch at her threat.

She noticed. Her lips curled. “What’s that look for?”

“Nothing, your highness,” I said calmly. “Just thinking.”

“Well, don’t. Servants aren’t meant to think. They’re meant to obey.”

Had it really all been a dream? The little monent of happiness I shared with Liam.