Chapter 162: A Touch of Glamor
Bright sunlight filtered through elaborately carved stone lattice windows, spilling onto a plush bed where Ashlynn had slept the remainder of the night and much of the day away. The faint splashing of fountains could be heard outside the window along with the occasional bright high pitched notes of birdsong.
A sharp pain behind her eyes accompanied by the feeling like sand had been poured under her eyelids made it impossible for Ashlynn to remain asleep once she’d begun to wake, even though she wanted nothing more at the moment than to pull the soft blankets back over her head and shut out the world.
"Ashlynn," Heila said softly, forcing herself to omit the honorific ’my lady.’ So long as they weren’t in public, Ashlynn had asked to be treated more like a friend and Heila intended to do so, even if it felt uncomfortable to be so intimate with Lady Nyrielle’s Seneschal.
"I have something for you to drink," Heila said, climbing onto the bed with a chilled cup in one hand. "It should make you feel better."
"I used to mock Father’s knights when this happened to them," Ashlynn said, taking the cup in both hands and drinking eagerly. The drink turned out to be a sweet, chilled willow bark tea that carried the flavor of several other herbs which brightened the mind and soothed the body.
"Heila, please don’t let me drink like that ever again," Ashlynn said as she handed the empty cup back to Heila. Near her bedside, she found another cup with a large pitcher of chilled water. After drinking two full cups down and sitting still on the soft bed for several minutes she was finally beginning to feel human again.
"Did I make a fool of myself last night?" Ashlynn asked, raising an eyebrow at her diminutive friend. "I remember that I spoke quite a bit but I don’t remember what I said."
"No one thought you were a fool," Heila said with a light laugh. Gently, she pulled Ashlynn from bed and led her from the opulent bedroom to a private washroom. "You’ll feel better when you’ve had a chance to freshen up but you don’t need to worry about being presentable to the public. At Lady Nyrielle’s request, I’ve made some arrangements for you today before the sun sets."
"Oh?" Ashlynn said, pausing as she inhaled the rich scent of honeysuckle and sage that permeated the soap in the washroom. "What does she have in mind?"