Page 19 of A Dance of Water (Moon Song #2)

WOUND UP (LET DOWN)

LUELLA

N erves made Luella’s hands shake and her feet tap against the floor.

She was standing in the middle of her room after just having been awoken from her nap—the second one today. Her head was still fuzzy with sleep, and her eyelids threatened to droop with every passing moment left unattended.

It was the beginning of the Winter Solstice celebrations, and she was scared.

The others had been making themselves scarce. Luella had not even seen Az since they had shared a cup of hot chocolate under the watchful eye of Bastian.

The King?—

She shook her head dazedly.

Vale . The dragon shifter had been like a ghost in the halls of the castle of Serpentis.

She saw his importance reflected in the statues and paintings around, could feel the simmer of something grand and powerful as it swept throughout the wintry-decorated rooms, a whisper of chatter amid the servants. But no sight of the male himself.

Of her captors, Tharen, Graves, and Bastian had been the only ones she had seen the last few days.

And something about that made her stomach clench with worry.

As Luella waited for Ina and Osa to prepare her bath, she padded to the glass doors leading to the balcony.

The sun’s rays were blotted out by a thick mass of pure white clouds.

Like a soft blanket stretched out upon the sky.

Everything was white—the sky, the ground, the treetops…

And everything held a quiet sort of stillness, like the silence right before disaster.

It was as though the whole land was holding its breath.

She found herself holding her breath, as well, forced to don that same expectant quietude modeled after the thick blanket of white around her.

Snow.

Snow was everywhere. She wondered how far it reached.

She wondered of Solis. Was the barren land now coated in a combination of soft, crunchy snow and hard, unforgiving ice?

Was the top of her tower dusted in freshly fallen white powder?

Were the ruins she once enjoyed frolicking in now topped with snow, the flowers bending under the weight of the flakes?

Luella sighed, resting her palms on the cold glass. She tilted her head forward, nose nearly brushing the doors as she peered out. Her breath fogged the glass, and her fingertips danced across it, making the slightest of squeaking noises as she etched nonsensical shapes into the condensation.

Waves crashed, sea foam curling up and battering the rockface of the cliffs.

She breathed out. The waves ebbed. She breathed in.

The waves roared to life, unforgiving water crashing against the rock so fiercely she wondered if, in time, the rock would corrode and the very lands that the castle stood upon would crumble to dust and disintegrate under the force of the waves.

Her nose scrunched up as she watched. From the side of the castle her gilded cage was, she could not see the bustling town of Serpentis, only the jagged rocks and roaring waves. She wondered if the village was as icily decorated as the castle.

The reach of the Solstice had even touched her room.

A small statue the size of her hand rested on her bedside table, depicting a roaring dragon spewing, not flames, but ice.

The curtains on her windows had been changed to a soft blue, and tendrils of icy ribbon- like ornaments had been fixed to the walls, dripping down like icicles.

It was wondrous, and she wished she could have enjoyed it. The roil of anticipation and harrowing nerves within her was a distraction.

The memory of amber eyes and warm fingers against hers was an even grander distraction…

The snow fell in a flurry of white, growing heavier with each breath she took.

Az, Az, Az. All she could think of was him.

But not all.

Reddened eyes, gloved hands, glinting crowns, and shadowed hoods.

The call of their connection was a song of woe in her chest. A mourning cry, punishing her for her lack of acceptance.

She tamped it down, shoved it away in a box, and put an impenetrable lock on it. But that did not stop the tug on her soul.

So, she watched the waves to ground herself. Envisioning that she was the very gravitational pull that made them ebb and flow. Breaths syncing up with each crashing swell.

Luella blinked?—

Saw two lovers entwined on the bank of a glorious lake with a surface like glass.

Blinked again…

And heard echoes of giddy laughter, hands clasped as they ran in a forest with swaying treetops. Drinking wine merrily and curious touches on a blanket of grass.

The sound in her ears was like thunder, like the distant noise of the waves crashing.

A hand pressed against her shoulder.

And she was jolted from her hazed reverie, sounds coming back to her in a rush.

"Princess," someone said from behind her.

She turned, following the hand on her shoulder to find Osa standing behind her, thin lips pressed tightly together and brow drawn low as she stared down at Luella. Ina was behind the fire-tempered maid, hands wringing before her .

Luella swallowed. "Yes."

Osa gestured to the open door leading to her bathing chambers, steam wafted from within, and the faint hint of lavender and vanilla brushed against her skin like a welcoming embrace. "We’ve prepared your bath. We must hurry to ready you in time for the Solstice."

"Very well…" Luella nodded, overcome by fear and the sight of the pure snow.

She was led into the bathing chambers by Osa, Ina trailing after her with a meek sort of worry. Luella met the lithe maid’s brown eyes, and the female arched a delicate brow as she watched Luella with lingering questions.

Luella gave a simple dip of her head in reply; though, she was unsure if she was truly okay… or not.

The bathing pool was filled with warm water, and the tiny cart next to it held a few candles, their flames flickering amber, a relief from the blue flames that had been enchanted for the Winter Solstice decorations.

The transformation of the castle was pretty, yes, but it was untouchable like cool marble.

She found herself missing its prior warmth.

Ina gently urged Luella to drop her robe away from her body. She was still shy and nervous about baring herself in front of them, so she did so slowly and carefully, keeping an arm banded over her chest and her legs crossed tightly in front of her as she stood nude, awaiting their next commands.

Osa, uncaring of Luella’s hesitations, placed her hands on her shoulders and pushed her none too gently forward to stumble into the bathing pool. She sat gracelessly, and the water lapped against the edge of the pool from the rough movements.

"You’re chilled," the red-haired maid commented. "Would you like me to warm your bath?" She waved a hand, and red flames burst to life on the tips of her fingers. She held her palm over the surface of the water as she waited for an answer.

Luella shook her head, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

She didn’t feel cold. Already, her skin was beaded with perspiration from the warmth enveloping the snugness of the room.

Osa and Ina shared a look but grew silent as they went about their routine of washing her.

Hands carded through her hair, fingers pressed on her neck to force her head to tilt back as the soap was washed from it with a warm cup filled with water.

A rough cloth was lathered with a luxurious foam that had a rich and sweet smell and then scrubbed on her skin, making her pale flesh pinken under their ministrations.

Luella felt herself grow drowsy from the soft clinking of their products as they rested them on the cart, the sound of the bubbles as they popped and fizzed over her skin and the surface of the water, and the relaxing scents that filled the room.

It was sometime later that she was gently shaken awake, her skin clean and smelling sweet and fresh.

Warmed from the inside out. The water trickled from her body as she stood, too sleepy to care for her nudity, as Ina wrapped a fluffy towel around her shoulders and helped her step from the bathing pool, settling her into her chair before the vanity.

Her white hair appeared a deep silver from the heaviness of the water clinging to it. Osa warmed a brush with her fire-tinged palms, then set about drying the strands and styling them into silken, white tumbles of waves and perfectly coiffed curls that framed her pale, soft face.

The glass doors to her balcony rattled from the frigid wind that beat against it.

Luella tugged the towel closer to her, sudden shivers wracking her body.

"This weather has been unpredictable. We typically don’t see snow until a few weeks after the Solstice…" Osa spoke softly to Ina, ignoring Luella entirely.

She blinked her bleary eyes open, watching as the maids flit around her in the mirror before settling on the reflection of herself.

Her cheeks were rosy, and her hair was a fall of white around her, just like snow.

It was without hair ornaments, flowing free.

Her slim shoulders were wrapped in the white, fluffy towel, and goosebumps trailed over her exposed arms, even though her temperature oscillated from hot to ice-nipped.

Luella breathed deeply before saying, "What exactly is the Solstice? "

Osa caught her gaze in the mirror. "The King did not tell you?"

She shook her head, confused and concerned.

"I am not surprised." She huffed a laugh, scales glittering on her cheeks as her head tipped back with acidic mirth. "You’re in for a treat."

Luella’s blue eyes grew wide as she stared at the maid’s reflection in the mirror.

Ina was smoothing her small hands over the ends of Luella’s locks, and the female gave a soft smile when she looked toward her. She did not speak, of course, but her soft brown eyes held understanding sorrow.

Luella’s throat tightened. What was going to happen to her?