4 The Princess' Room

The young servant girl who gasped upon seeing the tiger was now escorting Hope to her room. When the girl opened a set of large doors, the beast mistress thought it was a mistake. That couldn't be her room. Sure, she was expecting to receive sleeping quarters after that show she had to put up for the perky lord, but not this.

Whoever decorated this room took it straight from a fairytale princess story. Half of the space was one step higher, like a stage where the bed rested in the middle. Massive marble columns surrounded this upper side of the room, which seemed to keep the ceiling from collapsing over the enormous four-poster bed. Silk veils descended from the support above the bed and were tied to the sides. Should these things around the bed protect you against mosquitoes?

Hope was feeling lonely without her beloved pets, so she decided to make new friends even though she wasn't exceptionally good at that. "What is your name?" she asked the young maid.

"Ayala, my lady."

Hope sighed, jumped on the magnificent bed, and stuffed her legs beneath her. "Please, cut short that bullcrap. I am not a lady, and I will never be. Tell me, Ayala, do you have a similar room here in the castle?" Hope questioned, trying to understand how things worked around here.

The girl blushed hearing that kind of words and such an unbelievable question. "No, my lady, my room doesn't even compare with this one. It is much smaller, with a single-person bed and grey decor," Ayala faltered as she became unsure if that was the correct answer.

"Perfect," Hope replied. "Let's switch rooms!"

"No, my lady, that simply can not be! It is not permitted. A lady can not sleep in that kind of room." Ayala mumbled. "Please, don't insist, or else the lord will have my heart for breakfast." Hope stared at the young servant for a few moments. Was she talking seriously about the lord eating hearts?

"I don't want to get in trouble. Have a good night, and I will be waking you up in the morning." Ayala rushed out of the room before Hope could say anything else.

The bed was too large and too fluffy. When Hope laid down trying to close her eyes, a feeling of drowning started to creep into her mind. Hope could shatter any anxiety when cuddling with one of her pets. At this particular moment, she was all alone.

Hope dragged the least soft blanket she could find and threw it onto the floor. Then she laid down on it, rolling herself inside. Sitting on the floor in a blanket was somewhat better; Hope was still alone but at least could sleep for a bit. The desired relaxing dream came soon, and she was once again strolling through the woods with the wind guiding her footsteps.

-----

It was a moonless night. Hope was running through the woods, being chased by something terrifying. When she fell and stumbled, she thought that would be her end. A circle of fire surrounded her, and the flames rose so high that she could barely see the top of the trees.

A shadow approached her through the fire. Whatever it was, it was huge. Suddenly, a colossal head, more extensive than her whole body, went through the flames and stopped in front of her. He had sharp teeth like all carnivores, but much more prominent, red and black scales covered his forehead and started towards the rest of his body, and his eyes sparkled red.

She knew those eyes; they were just like Drake's, and it gave her the same feeling of curiosity and desire. Hope reached out to touch him. She was not afraid. The only thing she wanted was to be one with that magnificent being ...

-----

A voice was calling her. "Hope, my lady. It would be best if you wake up now, or the master will get angry. Please, my lady."

Hope opened her eyes. "Ayala, now I am angry. Couldn't you wait for a few more minutes, so I could touch him?" The unspoken question on Ayala's face was priceless. That made Hope chuckle while getting out of her cocoon. "So, what is waiting for me today?" she yawned, watching the mattress, which now she found as enticing as a siren singing for the lost mariners.

"First, I will help you get dressed. Then you will have meetings with the clothier and the beautician. After lunch, there is a manners class and an appointment with the book study teacher."

Hope stormed out of the room while Ayala was shouting. "Milady, please don't go until I help you dress properly."

But Hope was unstoppable now. She slammed the doors from the main hall and found Drake on his throne. "What do you think you are doing?" she yelled, venting her anger.

His eyes shone menacingly. "I should be asking that question."

"I don't want to be treated like a lady or take pointless classes. That wasn't what we agreed. If you really want to teach me things, we can do running, climbing, or stuff like that," declared Hope while reassuring herself that she was not going to take a no as a proper answer.

Drake spoke calmly, but his murderous gaze made her shiver. "Thank you for the suggestions. Now I will take all those out of the list. I don't want you to do what you want, but only what pleases me. We agreed to try and tame one another. Today you do what I want; tomorrow, I will do what you want, and so on."

Hope opened her mouth to contest this, but Drake spoke first. "Oh, and this is not negotiable. If you dare to make another sound, I will take your head and place it at your feet," he snarled, wanting to see Hope running away in fear. But she didn't flinch. Hope knew Drake wasn't joking, but somehow, that was what made him intriguing.