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“You were hurt. You were bleeding and hitting everyone in sight.”She moved closer to Valda, her hands hovering. She didn’t have another reason to touch her, and yet she ached to just feel her skin again. To ease her worries and calm her.

Valda moved one hand to touch the wraps over her eyes but lost her balance. If it wasn’t for Maris, she would’ve toppled over.

“Take the bandages off,” Valda said softly at first.

“I don’t think I—”

“Take the fucking bandages off!” Valda bellowed.

Maris exhaled loud enough for Valda to hear. She wanted the princess to know that her screaming was getting on her nerves. Maybe other maids enjoyed the screaming and foul mood, but she didn’t, and she wasn’t going to put up with it. “Fine. What do I know about basic first aid?”

“Do as you are told…”

“I won’t,” she mumbled to herself.

This time Maris was a bit rough. She moved her hands to the side of Valda’s head and tugged on the wraps. Was she weak? Injured? Not Maris’ fault.

The princess groaned in annoyance and Maris ignored it. Maybe she wanted to hurt Valda just enough to stop her from screaming. Maris pulled on the last wrap and placed it on the nearby night table and waited then for the next command.

Valda groaned and slowly began to open her eyes. To Maris’s horror, the princess’ eyes were completely white. There was no sign of honey-colored iris or dark pupils. Around the eyes, bruises contrasted dramatically with her skin. It was as if she had been punched repeatedly.

Valda swallowed hard, her jaw slackening. She took deep gasps of air as realization slowly fell on her. One hand touched the bed underneath her, then she moved to her side, feeling the night table.

“Where…” She gasped. “I…” She touched her face again. “What’s going on!?”

The cat came back. Its perky ears moved from side to side, its eyes wide. Then, as if sensing something was about to happen, it crawled under the large bed.

That wasn’t good…

“Am I blind?”

Maris tensed. Her hands rolled up into fists by her side. How was she supposed to answer that?

Valda slid down the headrest until she was lying on the bed once again. “I am blind.” That was more a statement than a question. “I am blind,” she repeated as she faced the tall ceiling.

“Your Highness?”

“What time is it?”

Maris frowned. What kind of question was that? What did it matter? “It must be midnight, probably. I am not sure.”

“Gods, no…” Valda whimpered, closing her eyes, and grabbing the sheets tightly. “No, no, no!”

“Why do you need to—”

Suddenly, the room was filled with a deafening roar. The wind rushed in, howling, and tearing at everything in its path. The doors to the balcony cracked from their hinges. The curtains were ripped from their moorings, swirling around the princess like a twister.

Maris stumbled back, her eyes wide with fear as the wind picked up the furniture and hurled it across the room. The bed groaned and shuddered, its posts twisting like the limbs of a tortured tree. The walls shook in the onslaught.

It was Valda. All of this was Valda. The princess’s rage fueled the wind, making it stronger and more destructive with each passing moment.

Maris ducked behind a nearby wardrobe, the wooden doors rattling in their frames as the wind battered them relentlessly. She could barely hear herself think over the roar, but she could sense the princess’s agony and despair.

As the storm raged on, Maris knew she had to do something to help the princess. She cautiously crept out from her hiding place, her heart pounding in her chest. With a deep breath, she stepped forward, her voice strong and resolute.

“Princess!” she called out, her words nearly lost in the wind. “Stop!”

At first, there was no response. The wind continued to rage, the debris flying around the room.