~Chapter 3~

Two other girls joined Charlize and Willow in the room. One drew a bath while the other helped the princess out of her tight dress.

"Princess Willow," Charlize said kindly, "we are here to assist you with whatever you may need." Charlize had a slender frame with long red hair tied back behind her. She reminded Willow of her mother and her presence comforted her.

"Thank you, for now I would like to bathe alone and rest for a while," Willow responded. Her helpers dipped their heads and left the room. Removing her undergarments, the princess climbed into the warm bath with a deep sigh. The water felt nice against her tired body and for the moment, her fears drifted away.

This place was nice, despite the arrogant manners of King Harold, she thought to herself. But that was no different from her old home. Maybe men with power were just that way. Or perhaps all men. No matter, she would play the part of the sweet, innocent princess as her mother had taught her.

Willow often wished she could have strength like a man so that her voice would be heard. Her real voice. Not the one that she presented that said what men wanted to hear.

The warm, soothing water overtook her senses and Willow fell asleep in the bath. When she woke up, she wasn't sure how much time had passed but the water was getting cold. She stood up and stepped through an archway into her bedroom. She gasped as she saw that James was sitting on her bed.

"What are you doing in here?" She yelled, and threw her arms about her naked body. He stood up and wrapped a silk robe around her, but left her front exposed.

"I'm sorry to surprise you," he said smoothly, "I just wanted to see if you look as good naked as you do dressed." He brushed her breasts lightly with his fingertips.

"You didn't seem too impressed by me earlier," Willow retorted, pulling the robe closed and stepping backwards. James smiled wickedly at her actions.

"Well, I wasn't sure that such a small woman would be able to bare my children. I am satisfied now that you can."

Willow stood in shock as he turned and strode out of the room, leaving her alone once more. How could he treat her like that? Like her body was his to take as he pleased. She prayed that his brothers were not so cruel, but feared they had probably all learned such behavior from their father.

After awhile, there was a knock on the door and Charlize entered the room. Seeing the princess in only a robe, she hurried to help her dress and informed her that dinner would be served soon.

The dress she selected was a pale shade of green that matched Willow's eyes. It had a flowing skirt and fit tightly on top, with a corset squeezing the princess' chest. Her breasts were pushed up, creating even more cleavage than before.

Sitting at a vanity, Willow stared at her reflection in the mirror as Charlize styled her blonde hair in an elegant updo. She looked beautiful, her lips painted a lovely rose-pink, but it felt wrong. As if she were being made to look pretty for the men to ogle. She supposed that's exactly what was happening and let out a sigh.

"You look wonderful, Princess," Charlize said upon hearing the sigh, "the princes will not be able to keep their eyes off you, I'm sure of it."

Willow put on a fake smile. Her kind servant had no idea that that was precisely the issue.