Chapter 26 Makeover

Isla
THOUGH I WON'T BE MEETING with the King till tomorrow (says Namir) I'll undergo a cleansing and makeover today. I stare at him blankly as he said the words. This most be a joke.
Namir led me through various passages and corridors and a dozen flights of stairs to this room. I can hardly remember the way here. He gestures for me to sit on a human-sized cushion, the soft cushion sinks under my weight. I feel like I'm sitting on a cloud. I let my fleeting glance run around the four corners of the room; it is quite big, bigger than our hut back at home, it has a dresser, a cupboard, a ceramic bathtub in the middle of the room, drums of water, a stool with dozens of colourful vials on it.
The room is bathed in soft red. The walls are covered by flowing silk red curtains and the room is lit by a single chandelier with red aromatic candles. I've never seen a place so pretty. It's like a salon for a princess.
Namir nods to the guard, dismissing him. The stoic guard bows low before disappearing. I'm now alone with him.
My heart begins to thump hard and fast in the cavity of my chest, being alone with Namir has made me feel very uneasy and a bit frantic. Namir's brown orbs lands on me and a small smile stretches across his lips. I don't know why a lowly commoner like me is going to be made over in order to meet with the King. I'm sure this is a dream but no matter how many times I pinch myself, I don't wake up.
"Isla." His warm charismatic voice makes me turn to him,"do you want water or hibiscus tea?" And as if on cue, a middle-aged woman clad in an apron over an A-line dress walks into the room bearing a silver tray which holds two jars and two silver cups, she places it on the dresser. I have never seen this much silver in one place. I gulp. I do need water badly but I'm supposed to drink from the cups.
"Isla?" Namir raises a brow at me. When I turn my face away and don't respond, he turns to the woman,"she'll take the hibiscus tea—"
"No." The words are out before I can stop them. Two pairs of eyes turn to me expectantly. I bite my lip,"I'll like some water please in a regular cup if you don't mind."
"You don't like the cups?" Namir asks gently. How can I not like the cups? They seem to be real silver, they are too precious to drink from.
"I do. But—" But the woman is already pouring out water from one of the jugs and into one of the silver cups. The woman places the silver cup on a small sliver saucer I hadn't notice was on the tray and walks over to me, offering me the water. She gives me a warm smile that reaches her eyes and I'm shocked by the kindness of these people.
The cold silver cup sends tingles through my lips and the taste of the cold water on my tongue is stimulating. I can't seem to have enough as I greedily gulp down all the water to the very last drop. The woman kindly pours me a second cup and I gulp it down too.
I sigh in satisfaction and relief, and Namir, seeing that I'm sated nods to the woman, dismissing her. She curtseys lowly and exits the room.
"How are you feeling?" Namir asks, his eyes are searching mine, he'll spot a lie before the snap of a finger.
"Terrible," I say. "Every part of me hurts." The arrow wound on my arm has turned to a dirt yellow colour, it is healing this fast because of the healing herb.
He nods in understanding. "The mob can be really merciless. Tell me, were you born with the... Powers?" He asks me.
"Yes," I reply. "But I only learnt how to use in when I was six. My first demonstration was with air." I don't know why I'm telling him this but there is something about him that makes me want to trust him wholeheartedly. "I made a dust devil, I imagined it in my head after witnessing one. I made it in our hut." I glance at him and I see that he is paying rapt attention to me. "My parents were shocked and I never did it purposefully again. Except times I'll be alone and want to entertain myself."
Namir is silent, just staring. I look away shyly not wanting to hold his gaze. I busy myself by staring at the assorted vials on the stool.
"There was a storm in Kintil on the day of the raid. It was so powerful it consumed the fire, were you responsible for it?" He already knows the answer to the question and I respond without looking at me.
"Yes." There is a note of pride in my voice and I don't try to hide it.
"And the earthquake?" He doesn't miss a beat. How much does this man know?
"Yes," I nod.
His expression is unreadable. "Are you hungry?" His sudden change of discussion into a mundane topic is surprisingly.
"Very," I say and just then, a tall elegant woman marches into the room with a train of maids at her tail.
"You'll be served dinner immediately after the make over." He bows and begins to leave the room.
I don't want him to leave. I want to run after him and grab on to him like a dying woman would hold on to her last breath.
The towering woman gives me the once-over, her face twists into a grimace like the very sight of me gives her pain. She is clad in an emerald green dress made out of the smoothest velvet I've ever seen, the neckline of the dress is wrapped around her neck and the sleeves are puffed.
"I'm duchess Alira of Altsas. And I'm here on the King's orders to clean you up and make you presentable to him when he asks for your presence." She doesn't wait for me to say a thing before barking,"strip her off that rag, it reeks!"
I don't think I like this Duchess. She acts too smug, proud and haughty.
A maid walks to me and gestures for me to stand up. I get stand up to my feet and the maid drags the dress above my head revealing my stained underwear.
The Duchess feigns covering her eyes. "Get those disgusting pieces of rags off her!" Another maid who is a head shorter than me conjures a pair of scissors and cuts my bandeau and knickers, they fall off like dried leaves do from a tree.
"Arg! We'll need to remove that bush from her!" The Duchess shrieks pointing to my vulva. I cover it up with one palm and hide my nipples with the other. I've never felt so ashamed in my life.
The screaming, shrieking Duchess gives me no room to say a word, I can't even protest.
"Lie down on the cushion," a plump maid tells me gently. I open my mouth to protest but she gives me a look that makes me shut up. Not a bad one, but a soft one that tells me it will be much better if I do as I'm told.
I gulp and let her push me gently unto the cushion. About six maids gather around me, all of them bearing bowls and rolls of fabric. I want to shriek and run away, these women plan on removing my body hair and I can bet that sugar wax is what is in the bowls.
"This might hurt a little," the plump maid whispers to me. I know it is going to hurt alot. The pain is the reason I don't ever care for removing body hair, I've grown to love my hairy arms and legs.
Hot molten liquid spreads on my armpits, legs, belly, thighs and mon pubis and the maid place the pieces of fabric on my skin and simultaneously, they rip it off my skin taking my hair with them. The feeling makes me shriek, my skin feels raw and I'm sure I'm bleeding. I cannot not be bleeding.
The pain makes me writhe and tears wall up my eyes.
"Turn her over," the Duchess commands.
"No, no. Please..." But my pleads fall on deaf ears. Two maids pull me over and make me lie on my stomach, the process is repeated and I yelp, jumping up from the cushion and a few maids find it hard to stifle their laughs.
"Don't worry, dear," the Duchess says in the most sarcastic voice I've heard. "It will be over quickly. She nods towards a maid who walks to me and pulls me by the hand.
She lies me on the cushion and asks me to part my legs. Blood runs up my neck and my pulse quickens. I've never been this exposed to a stranger.
She spreads the hot molten all over my female part making sure to cover everything, I suppress the yelp and grab a fistful of cushion as I flinch in pain.
She goes the same to the crack of my buttocks and I find it hard to meet her gaze afterwards.
"It's time for the bath," the Duchess says and three maids begin to fill the ceramic tub with water from the drum. The plump maid helps me into the tub and the water isn't icy cold like I expected but very warm. I sink into the water with a sigh and the maids begin scrubbing me down.
I try to get used to six pairs of hands scrubbing me and washing my hair aggressively at the same time. The water soon changes from being colourless to being dark brown. I shudder at the sight of it. A maid pushes a basin under the tub and releases a wooden plug, I watch as the water swirls into the drain and disappears with a groan. The water almost spills over the rims of the basin and the maid who put it under the tub takes it out of the room to dispose of it I presume.
The tub is filled with another helping of water and two vials of sweet-smelling liquid are emptied into it. The maids rinse my body with the water and then, help me out of the gigantic ceramic tub.
A large fluffy white towel is wrapped around me, I've never felt more cleaner in my life.
"How do you feel, dear?" The Duchess asks, there's no emotion in her voice but I prefer it to her sarcasm or her shrieking.
"Very clean, thank you."
"Good," she locks eyes with a maid behind me and I'm gently led to another body cushion. The towel is stripped off me and I'm naked once again. I shiver and rub my arms but they don't seem to notice.
The maid chooses two vials and smiles at me. "Lie down, this is only going to take a while."
I obey and lie down on the cushion. It is soft as the other one and I sigh, it is so soft I can just fall asleep any second. When was the last time I had any good sleep anyways?
The maid begins to massage the oils from the vial into my skin with her soft child-like hands. The feeling is totally soothing and I can feel all the tension and pain melt away.
"Um, Lady Alira?" I can't believe I actually recalled her name. "Wh-Why does His Majesty want to see me?" Where did that come from? I don't know what I've done that the King would want to meet with me. If they truly considered me a witch, I should be be burning from a stake by now but I'm currently receiving treatment befitting of a princess.
"You will understand in time," she replies then turns to the maid who is massaging me,"cover up those scars with henna, I don't want to see them."
Two hours and a half later, the maid has my body covered in black and red henna; the designs are totally abstract though I see some petals and teardrops being featured. My nails and fingertips are completely covered and on my arms are legs are twisting vines. My palms and sole of my feet bear web-like patterns.
My hair has been generously oiled with a Shea butter and coconut oil mixture, combed and braided into two fat braids at the sides of my head and being held together with ribbons. The maid and Duchess can't stop talking about how full and long my hair is.
I'm clad in a breezy lace dress by the time the maids are done cleaning up the room so all that is left is just the body cushions.
"We'll leave you to yourself for the night. We'll come for you tomorrow," the Duchess says as she leaves without giving me a backward glance.
Suddenly feeling so alone and exhausted, I traipse to the closest cushion and make to throw myself upon it. Just then, a maid bearing a tray holding several plates walks in. The aroma entices me and my tummy growls.