°•Crypt of The Eternal•°

~Chapter Sixteen: Recovery~

Chills ran up my spine as she whispered those wicked words into my ear. I'm so glad Mother came and saved me. As well as Ollie. I thought, as the women exited the room. Mother looked at me with confused and angry eyes. "Are you alright?" She utters softly, looking deep into my tear-filled eyes. "What happened to you? Were those–...." She pauses for a moment, before starting again. "Were those maids about to do what I think they were about to do?...?" She mutters, having a hard time saying such a thing.
I nod slowly. "I… I think so…" I whisper hoarsely, still fighting the knot in my throat. I swallow a mouthful of saliva, trying to push it down. "Thank you, Mom…. Thank you for being there for me… For coming…" She furrows her brow.
"Of course, Honey, I'll always be here for you. I'm so glad you're safe and that I got here quick enough to help you." She mumbled, as she quickly pulled me in for a tight hug. I press my sloppy face into her shoulder, and cry. She pressed her head into my shoulder as well, and I felt a few hot tears moistened my clothing.
After a while of crying and hugging, we sat down on my fluffy bedding. "Can you tell me what happened now?" Mother asked, intent on listening to the full story. I nod, and begin.
"Those were the same women from before… They did disgusting and terrible things to me… They hurt me… They touched me… I feel disgusted… I want to tear my own skin off… It's like I don't care if it hurts to peel every piece of my skin from my body; they've hurt me worse… When I got taken away by them a few years ago, I pushed all of what happened into the back of my mind and tried to completely forget everything. But when I saw them again smelling my clothing when I was gone… I felt disgusted and scared. That same feeling that I felt when I was with them before. When they turned around and I saw them, I panicked and froze. There wasn't anything that I could do, and all of the memories of them came back.. I felt so overwhelmed with everything that I couldn't get myself to do anything but sit there. When I finally got myself to do something, I chose to scream as loud as I possibly could."
Mother sat in silence for a long while before answering; thinking of the words she wanted to say. "I wish I had come sooner… I'm so sorry my son… Thank you for trusting me and telling me all of this…"
“It’s alright, I’m just glad you came..” Mother then wiped away my tears with her thumb, and cradled my face in her soft hand. She then pulled me in for another long hug, and let out a sigh.
"No one else will know about this situation, alright?" I nod as a reply. "Now then, let's get a little snack; or at least some tea. I'm not sure about yours, but my throat and face feels swollen from all of the crying. We must stay strong; we are the Grieves after all." She let out a soft chuckle before standing from the edge of my bed. She opened the door to see Oliver toppling over.
Was he leaning on the door the entire time? He bolts up from the floor, and acts as if nothing happened. "Is there anything I can help you with, your majesty?" His reserved yet youthful voice with his somewhat thick English accent was very pleasant and smooth. It was a bit difficult to explain his voice, but I felt like I could have him talk to me for hours on end without getting tired of it. It wouldn't even have to make any sense; just as long as he spoke or made sound.
Mother glared down at him sharply. "Yes, there is something you can do for me, Oliver. Keep your mouth shut about what you just overheard, you hear me? Otherwise you'll seriously regret traveling all this way to work for Charles. You will regret being born by the time I'm done with you if you spread this." He gulped, and his shoulders stiffened. He nodded quietly, and had a nervous grin on his face. "Good. Now, go fetch Charles and I some tea." He scurried off, desperately trying to get to the kitchen. I heard him trip at least four times while running down the long hallways.
"You need some self healing time, Charles. Try spending time with Oliver. Make sure his hands are full. In the meantime, I'll be taking care of a couple of things…" Mother chimed, as she made her way out of my room. She shut my door gently, and I let myself fall onto my bed with a loud FLOP. I feel drained. I don't want to move. I just want to curl up in a ball and cry some more, but my eyes are too swollen and angry for more crying. "I need some self healing time?" What does that even mean? I have a feeling Ollie is going to spend a bit more time with me. That's alright though, I'll have him read to me or tell me stories of his homeland. I'm tired, but I can't go to sleep.
My thoughts were interrupted by knocking at my bedroom door. My will to move was at an absolute zero, so I decided to clear my throat and shout. "Come in!" Oliver entered the room with two cups, some small plates, and a teapot on a metal tray.
"Oh, is the queen not going to be joining you?" He looked confused, furrowing his brow and looking around my room.
I shake my head. "No, but instead of Mother joining me, you may." I say, leaning up and patting my hand on a spot on the cushioned mattress beside me. He smiles warmly, and plops himself next to me. He places a small tea bag with herbs inside the cups. He then pours steaming water carefully into each of the cups, making sure not to spill a single drop. Ollie drops two sugar cubes into my cup, and hands it to me.
“Make sure you are careful, I do not want you getting burned.” I smile, and nod my head. He gets his own cup of tea situated quickly, and we both take a long drink. I let out a squeal after swallowing a big mouthful of steaming tea, and hiss in pain. “Did I not just tell you to be careful?!” He shouts, lowering his glass from his lips. He quickly grabbed the tea from my hands, and began blowing into it, trying to cool it off. My heart felt like it was pounding out of my chest, and my face turned red again. Was it because of the anxiety levels I have at the moment? Probably… I decided to brush off that feeling, and calm myself down.
“There, it’s cooled down for you. If you manage to still burn yourself on this, I’m going to be generally impressed.” He mumbles, as he hands the tea back to me.
“Thanks, Ollie.”
“Didn’t I ask you to please stop calling me that ridiculous nickname, Sire?” He huffed.
I shrug, making eye contact with him. “You can’t stop me. Plus, I’ve already gotten used to it, Ollie.” I grin playfully and he sighs.