Cynthia's Rooms

[Hot Champion_of_justice]

Lareth had been avoiding her room like the plague. He had no idea how he was supposed to approach her after that small spat. She had no right to leave his bed where he could make sure she was safe and getting the rest she needed....

He ran a hand through his hair as he looked down at the push tray Hal had shoved into him and told him to take it to Cynthia and apologize for being a spoiled child.

Lareth didn't like how he as being berated by Hal, but the man was like a second father and Lareth felt guilty for letting Hal down.

Lareth took a breath and knocked on her door.  

[Red Gypsy]

Hot Champion_of_justice

Cynthia frowned at the knock, knowing that Hal wouldn't have waited to enter after knocking but cleared her face of all that she'd been thinking about and simply called for the person to enter. She was surprised to see Lareth pushing the food cart inside and covered it by easing herself up against the pillows so that she could sit up to eat.

She couldn't help but look him over greedily, having missed the sight of him while she'd been in here. She considered apologizing for moving in here, but remembered that Hal had told her not to. She wasn't sure what to say, though, as he moved the cart beside the bed, noting that Hal had sent her favorites again.

This one was lunch instead of breakfast, letting her know what time of day it was. Simple finger sandwiches, rare roast beef, fresh vegetables; all things she preferred for a lighter meal at midday.

She looked away from him to her hands in her lap, wondering what she should say.  

[Hot Champion_of_justice]

He saw how she refused to look at him and he inwardly kicked himself. He had messed up more than he had thought. He pushed the cart next to her bed and thought of something to say.

"I brought you food. You should eat."

If he could face palm himself, he would have. That was rather lame.

"I also hear your doing better....that's good."  

[Red Gypsy]

Hot Champion_of_justice

Cynthia nodded as he put the lap tray over her and added a plate with a little of everything on it with a small glass of a light red wine, "I'm doing better, yes... I still hate being stuck healing like this... It's not easy for me... I'm immortal, I'm a sorceress, I'm not supposed to this weak..." she said softly then winced, "and now I'm complaining...," she cleared her throat and tried again, "Let's try to stick to something simple, something safe. Why don't you tell me more about the garden? I've only been able to see a small portion of it so far," she offered, hoping that the easier conversation would be better for them both.

She started eating with the sandwiches and tilted her head up at him, not realizing that the position showed two old scars across her neck. One was obviously from a knife, the other what looked to be an old rope burn. She hadn't lived an easy life and knew he hadn't really looked at the scars on her despite his attention to detail in bed. She had no problem telling him about her life but wasn't one to really do so unless asked.

So she kept things simple, just as Hal had suggested to her, and hoped that it would work.  

[Hot Champion_of_justice]

Lareth had noticed the scars a while back when the two of them were breaking his bed. He didn't say anything because well his mind was on other things and asking her about it would have killed the mood.

He watched her eat some before he looked outside to the garden.

"The garden? Oh.....well its a garden with flowers and different fruit trees. For the longest time, it was just an empty space, but when my father first became king he worked tirelessly to create a garden. Something to keep his mind sane when things got hectic.

It wasn't until my mother came into the picture, he worked hard to plant the 'Death Rose' to impress her. It is a rare rose even for our realm and it took many years before it actually bloomed.

When both my parents passed, the rose dried up and died.

Now days, the garden is still as beautiful as when my father had it."  

[Red Gypsy]

Hot Champion_of_justice

Cynthia gave a nod as she ate while he talked, finishing up the light meal and leaning back with the last of the wine in her glass, "I envy you the place. I know I've said that before, but it bears repeating. It's wonderful, Lareth, and you have every right to be proud of it. The closest I've ever come to having anything like it was early on in my life. I'd managed to build a small home and had started a vegetable and herb garden," she gave a soft smile as she remembered the place from so long ago.

But her smile faded after a moment and she shook her head, "I had to go on the move shortly after the vegetables started producing. After that, if I remember right... I went to the island shortly after Sebastet started it up and got to plant a few things there for her," she finished that with a shrug of one shoulder then set her glass down on the lap tray and tried to shift herself in the bed a bit.

Her stitches were healing but she was more than ready to get the blasted things out. They itched under the bandages. At least most of the bruising had faded.

"How's your friend the Drow king doing? I remember them from when they were in the Elven Realm but haven't had the chance to see any of them since they moved here," she moved on to what she hoped was another safe subject.  

[Hot Champion_of_justice]

He cleared her dishes and walked to the window looking down at the garden. His mind was whirling and thankfully with his back to her, she could not see his face as he thought.

"Ah yes. Sebastet wanted a garden and I remember her asking you to plant a few medicinal shrubs and plants. That and she had you do cooks private garden of herbs and spices."

He turned and looked to her.

"The drow seem to be settling in well enough. Along with the dwarves, they are rebuilding the city in the mountains. Last I knew, they were buying supplies for haul work and blasting rock. I haven't heard anything more than that. I do know they are alright though as traders still go and sell their wares over there."  

[Red Gypsy]

Hot Champion_of_justice

Cynthia smiled at that news and shifted in the bed again, doing her best not to scratch at the bandages, "That's good to hear. They deserve to be prospering. I know they've had a hard time of it. But I can still remember dancing under the stars with one of the children. He was such a sweet boy," she said softly, her eyes going soft as she remembered that night.

That night reminded her of the family she'd always wanted but never had the chance to have. She shook her head to clear it and tried to find something else to talk about but drew a blank. So far, she'd been the only one asking questions and wondered what else she could bring up that would be safe for them to talk about.

She hated the awkwardness between them now, but had no idea how to correct it...  

[Hot Champion_of_justice]

Lareth could see she was struggling to make conversation. It was awkward between them and he wondered how long it would taken them to get past it.

"It's stuffy in here. Lets go for a stroll in the garden. Flowers are blooming and are in bloom as it is spring."

He went and chose a dress for her out of her closet and helped her dress before he helped her into the nearby wheel chair.

Then the two of them were off heading to the garden.  

[Hot Champion_of_justice]

Lareth helped Cynthia to her room and helped her wash up for bed, before he helped her pick out an outfit for tomorrow. Once that was all done, he put the dresses away and helped her into bed. Once tucked in, he kissed her cheek, wished her a goodnight, and left her room to go to his own room.  

[Red Gypsy]

Hot Champion_of_justice

Cynthia wished he'd have stayed with her, at least to hold her as she slept. She'd missed having him next to her, having his arms around her. But she eventually fell asleep, though it wasn't exactly a restful sleep. When she woke up, however, she couldn't remember any of the dreams that had kept her from resting completely.

She eased herself to the side of the bed and made her way into the bathroom to clean herself up then went back into the bedroom. She knew she was going to have to have help to get dressed, the specialized corset would take someone else to lace it up. Hal'd had it made for her for this occasion, infused with healing herbs that would enable to to move better yet still help her heal.

She still looked like she'd just come from her own deathbed; pale with dark circles under her eyes, a few bandages that would still be seen even when she was dressed. She knew her steps would be slow during the funeral, there was no helping that since she was still physically weak from what Goh had done to her.

He hadn't just tortured her, after all, he'd also siphoned off a great deal of her energy and power. It was taking time for that to restore itself. She was a great deal better now than she'd been when Lareth had brought her back, but she was still a few weeks from being completely healed.

When she heard a knock on the door, she assumed it was Hal coming to help her get into the corset he'd designed for her and get dressed...  

[Hot Champion_of_justice]

No, it wasn't Hal but a female maid who came in.

"My apologies madam. Since Master Lareth and Hal have yet to return, I was given instructions to take care of you. Is there anything I can do for you at this moment madam?"

She was young but something seemed slightly off about her.  

[Red Gypsy]

Hot Champion_of_justice

Cynthia didn't trust the off-feeling about the woman, especially since she knew full well that no one but Hal and Lareth were able to get through the protections of the room. So she gave a small smile to the girl and shook her head as she sat on the bed wearing a silk robe.

"Thank you, but no. I don't need anything right now. Hal left his orders for me that I'm not to do anything until either he or Lareth gets here," she said softly, her smile widening a bit after that, "I think Hal is trying to spoil me while I heal up. He's such a dear friend to me that I hate to be a burden on him like this. But even I know better than to argue when he issues his orders," she gave a soft laugh at that, deliberately keeping her voice softer than usual and appearing even weaker than she actually was.  

[Hot Champion_of_justice]

She smiled back and curtsied.
"I understand. You are the mistress here and I can understand their caution. We wouldn't want the King's favorite to be hurt in any more than she has been."

She gave a sinister smirk and the room was sealed.

"Now, from what I heard....I am to not trust you. So how you are acting is a farce on how well you have healed. But I am a woman of fairness....you can either stand and face your end, or I can do it the lame way and kill you with no resistance.

What is your decision?"  

[Red Gypsy]

Hot Champion_of_justice

Cynthia raised one eyebrow at the woman's change in demeanor and gave a soft chuckle as the room was sealed, "I rather thought that was what you were after... But you should know that it's not all an act... I knew something like this was going to happen but Lareth put such faith in his people, saying that no one would hurt me as his mistress..." she said softly, shaking her head slightly without taking her soft green eyes away from the woman.

"As for my decision... I think I'll take option three..." she said simply and silently threw two green orbs of power at the woman. When she reacted to them, Cynthia released a spell that instantly bound the woman in pure power and gagged her for good measure.

She got up and knelt at the woman's side to look her in the face, "I could have easily killed you, you know... But I am a woman of my word... So you get to live and deal with Lareth over this..." she told her softly then pulled the cords from the curtains and set about adding a physical binding to her magical one, flashing a grin at the woman, "I never got to tell Lareth that I learned alot about rope-binding..." she teased her then set the cords around the woman in a way that would ensure that she couldn't move without strangling herself.

After that, she got herself back to sitting on the bed, panting softly against the pain she was in. She knew that Lareth would easily be able to unseal the room. She only hoped he got here before her energy ran out and the magical binding unraveled...