CHAPTER ONE

A calloused hand gently caressed Morrigan’s wounded hands. His warm hands emit warmth to Morrigan’s ice-cold hands that had been soaked to her own blood for the whole night. A young man gazed at Morrigan, trying to find her eyes. “My Queen, what happened?” He inquired. Morrigan’s chestnut-colored eyes bore to the young man with ginger hair kneeling in front of her. Their gaze meeting and the dead expression in Morrigan’s eyes slowly lit up with life. 

“Colfre,” she called out in a small voice. Her voice is still hoarse from all the screams she did last night. She’d been in a daze for the whole night, unable to close her eyes and rest her fragile body. “I’m here, my queen.” Colfre’s hands gently squished her hand, gentle enough to not hurt her further from all the cuts she had, and enough to make Morrigan feel the assurance that someone is beside her. 

“They’re back. They are mocking me.” Morrigan’s eyes started to brim with tears, fear evident in her voice and her lips quivered with fear. Colfre noticed how her hands started to shake, afraid that the young queen would further hurt herself; he immediately patted the back of the queen’s hand. When caressing the back of the young queen’s hand didn't calm her down, he brought Morrigan’s hand to his lips and planted a kiss on the back of her hand. 

Morrigan’s attention shifted to the warmth of his lips touching the back of her hand. Colfre’s hazel eyes bore to her, his eyes turning to a crescent shape as he smiled and gave his queen the assurance she needed at this moment. “My queen, they are gone. No one is mocking you, and if they dare to they cannot hurt you anymore.” He continues to caress the hands of the queen by circling his thumbs to her daint knuckles, trying to calm her down before he disinfects her wounds. “How are you so sure that they are gone?” Morrigan asked. Colfre chuckled softly as he started to clean her wounds. Colfre looked up at her and flashed her with a sweet smile that immediately made Morrigan feel her cheeks turning pink. “Didn’t you kill them, my queen?” Morrigan silently nodded her head. Still flustered by the smile Colfre flashed earlier she shyly answered. “I do.” 

“Then there’s nothing to be scared of, my queen. They’re gone. They can't hurt you.” Colfre reached for a fresh bandage on his side with disinfectant and inspected the wounds; he cleansed the wounds on the soft and delicate hands of the young queen. 

“You probably heard me last night,” Morrigan said in a low-toned voice. “Were you scared?” Colfre’s hazel eyes bore to her. “I trained to protect you, my queen. If I get easily scared with you throwing things around and breaking glasses then I will question if I’m worthy of being your royal guard.” 

Morrigan had a vivid memory of what happened last night, from the nightmare that woke her up till the time she rocked herself to calm with her gown and hands all bloodied. She can remember it all, how these voices brought her to a delirious state. Voices of those who turned her into who she is right now. She shook in fear every time she remembered those voices. Those haunting voices haunt her every time. The fear her nightmare brought her as she keeps on dreaming about the day her family was murdered, and those voices that were mocking her. All she could do was curl up in one corner of the room hugging herself as the whole place was flooded with the blood of her beloved family. That incident took away everything from her. Her dignity, her youth, and even her innocence. All were gone because of that fateful night and no one knows about it except her and her trusted aide, Colfre. 

She watched him disinfect her wounds silently and gently wrapping each wound with a fresh, clean cloth. She winced when he reached out for her right hand which had deeper wounds than her left hand. “You won’t be able to do archery in this state, my queen. Look at your right hand, the cuts are a lot deeper than your left hand, this will take longer to heal.” Colfre said. Morrigan didn’t say anything but watched Colfre inspect her wounds and reach for the antiseptics beside him. “This will hurt, my queen, please hold it in.” Morrigan nodded and curled her left hand into a fist. She knows that when Colfre says it will hurt he means it. 

Colfre gently patted the cloth that he soaked with antiseptics on Morrigan’s hand, Morrigan winced and tried to pry her hands from Colfre’s hold but Colfre held her wrist in place. “Don’t move,” his baritone voice ordered. Yet Morrigan is quite stubborn, especially the sharp pain the antiseptics brought to her lingers and tingles up until every nerve ending she has. She tried to hold still but it’s too painful for her to handle. She bit her lips and muffled her whimpers. “If you know that it hurts so much why dare hold a broken shard of glass?” Colfre inquired as he continued to clean her wounds. This time gently dabbing the sides of her wounds. Morrigan’s hands already feel numb and she couldn't feel the sharp twinge of pain the antiseptic brings her. 

“I’m already numb last night and my mind was hazy.” Colfre didn’t say anything after her reply, instead, he picked up a clean cloth and started to wrap Morrigan’s hand with it, from her wrist to her palm. When he tucked it he reached for a fresh peach satin nightdress and handed it to Morrigan. “You didn’t have a chance to get to sleep, change your clothes, and rest.” He placed the fresh change of clothes beside Morrigan and stood up. He put his right hand on his chest and bowed to her, but before he turned his heel away from her she reached for his hand. 

His eyes bore to her and the first thing  Colfre noticed was the fear in her beautiful eyes. “Can you not leave me till I fall asleep?” she pleaded. Her hands tightened around his hand and Colfre couldn’t help but sigh. “My queen, you have to change your clothes, it will be improper for a young man and woman to stay in the same room with you changing your clothes. I will be outside, I’ll wait for you to change your clothes then call me after.” 

Morrigan thought about it, although she’s pretty comfortable around him, and that there will be a divider for her to hide her body as she changes her clothes, what he said makes sense and after all, there is no such relationship between them. She nodded timidly and let go of his hand. Colfre bowed again and went out of her room, she was again alone in her vastly grandiose room. Red curtains heavily draped her windows and even the door towards her balcony, gold trimmings glistening every time the light of day touch it, decorative swords and knights displayed in one corner of her room, and the old frame of her vanity mirror now gone even the shards that were there last night. 

She let her bare feet touch the cold marble floor, Colfre cleaned all her wounds, from the deep cut on her hands to the cuts on her feet. It doesn’t hurt anymore, she thought. She went behind her divider and let her wrapper slide down her silky white shoulder. Morrigan’s skin is as white as porcelain, however, when her wrapper slid down completely off her shoulder and fell down the marble floor, her arms still have those fading scars. Scars that were usually covered by her long inner clothes. She untied her loose nightgown and let it slide down her body. Her raven hair seemed like a dark waterfall draping on her milky white skin, some of the silver streaks glistened when light touches it. She pulled the sleeves of her peach nightgown over her shoulder and tied it in front and made sure it secured her body. 

“Colfre? You may come in,” she called. Colfre went into her room in a few minutes followed by a maid who picked up Morrigan’s blood-stained dress from the floor. Colfre walked towards her and she gracefully walked towards her bed with her hair dancing along with her graceful strides. She sat on one side and Colfre stood by the foot of her bed. They stared at each other in silence, no one dared to start a conversation till someone knocked on the door. 

“Come in,” Colfre ordered. Morrigan stared at him with full curiosity. “I asked for a servant to make you a calming drink of camomile tea. I remember that every time you can’t fall asleep you will ask me if I could order someone to make it.” Morrigan nodded in silence and let the maid put the tea down her bedside. She picked the cup of tea and drank the warm content of it, calming her nerves down. When she finished her cup of tea, Colfre walked towards her and took the cup of tea from her hands. He put it back to her bedside and helped Morrigan tuck herself to sleep. “My queen, you better rest now, you’ve been awake for a whole night and it might be detrimental to your health,” Colfre said, Morrigan nodded and covered herself with her quilt.

Colfre picked up the cup of tea from her bedside and walked towards the door as he ordered the servants to go ahead of their work and instructed the guards to guard Morrigan’s room. Before he closed the doors to her chambers Colfre’s eyes bore to Morrigan’s body which is now like a cocoon covered by her quilt. Colfre said something inaudible before the doors in Morrigan’s chamber shut down and he walked down the vast hall of the castle away from his queen’s room.