Wings of Ambition Shackled by Fate

The two weeks passed by too slowly. Valeria read the books Katherine gave her, but she quickly grew bored reading all day. She realized that she was horrible at cooking; she almost burned down the cottage while trying to heat up the pre-cooked meals. It wasn't entirely her fault, someone could have warned her that she shouldn't use a wooden bowl to heat the food. The worst part was having to go out into the icy cold to use the bathroom, as there was no indoor facility in the cottage. She missed the luxuries of her home in Elsass and the comfort of the palace. At least her injuries were healing slowly. She was able to move more freely without too much pain, though the space to move around was limited.

Some days, she walked for an hour through the small cottage, dying of boredom. However, Valeria felt ungrateful for thinking like that. She wasn't with the king anymore and was in safety. A little boredom wouldn't hurt her. At last, her life seemed to be on an upward trajectory after the terrible months.

Just as she started to think more positively, Valeria got her period and suffered from horrible cramps. She didn't even have any cloth strips to put in her underwear. She had to improvise somehow and stuffed a towel inside her underwear. Since Asher and Elias were returning today, one week had passed, she could ask them for supplies, even if it would be the most embarrassing conversation of her life.

Normally, her maids supplied her with cloths for her undergarments, but she didn't even know how they got them. Did they just cut some cloth for her, or were they special somehow? She had no clue. She never took care of things like cooking, cleaning, or hygiene products, she always had servants to take care of everything. Valeria now understood how privileged she had been before.

As the sun went down, she at last heard a knock at the door. She ripped it open and glared up at the two men. "Took you both long enough. I thought you'd be back by morning," she nagged, annoyed.

Elias only petted her head as he walked inside, and Asher glowered down at her. "Don't open the door just like that. We could have been anyone!" She rolled her eyes. He was as annoying as ever.

"Who else would knock at my door? Now come inside, you're letting the cold in," she grumbled, stepping back to let them in. He strolled inside, hitting her shoulder as he passed. "It could have been the king or an assassin," he warned, frowning at her words.

"Oh yes, they would clearly first knock politely at my door," she grumbled under her breath. But Asher just continued with his nagging. "It looks horrible here. Did you never clean? The shelves are dusty, and the floor is dirty too. And what the fuck?! What's that huge burn mark over the fireplace?"

Valeria's face turned red with embarrassment as he pointed out how everything looked so dismal. "It isn't that bad! And there was only a small fire!" she protested, trying to defend herself.

She suddenly heard rustling behind her as Elias started mopping the floor. When she turned back to Asher, he already had a wet cloth in his hands and was wiping the dusty shelves. Some of the best knights of Lord Lohra were doing maid work for her. "Stop that! I can do it myself," she grumbled, feeling bad about all this.

"If you want to help, wipe the dust off the shelves while I bring water to do your laundry," Asher ordered, pressing the cloth into her hands before walking out to get the water. Luckily, her period cramps weren't so bad anymore, so she really could help. Before she knew it, they were working together, cleaning the cottage until it was perfectly tidy.

Valeria let herself fall exhaustedly onto the small couch in the living room which was her kitchen at the same time. It was all a little surreal, two mighty knights and the daughter of one of the most powerful Lords who was the wife of the king, cleaning a small cottage together.

"Okay, we've piled up your firewood, provisions, and drinking water. Is there anything else you need?" Asher asked as he plopped down on one of the wooden chairs; Elias sat on the other.

In that moment, Valeria remembered her period. "Oh… um… yes, there is something else," she stammered, which made Asher irritated and Elias look at her curiously. "Just spit it out now. We don't have the whole day," Asher demanded.

"I need cloth strips for my period," she blurted out as her face turned as red as a tomato. She couldn't believe she was talking to two men about something so private. But Valeria wasn't the only one who blushed; Asher's face was even redder than hers.

Elias only smirked as he pulled something out of his bag and walked over to Valeria, handing her a box with a reassuring smile. Inside the box were multiple cloth strips she could use for her undergarments. Elias had predicted that she might someday get her period. "T-thank you…" she mumbled, quickly rushing to her bedroom to hide the box under her bed.

When she returned from her bedroom, Asher had composed himself. He cleared his throat. "Okay, so now everything should be handled. We'll stay for the night and leave again tomorrow morning."

"Wait, there is one more thing." Valeria quickly pulled out a letter from her dress pocket. She fell even more in love with her best friend when she found out that the dresses Katherine sent had pockets. "Please give this to Katherine once you return to the Lohra estate," she said, handing it over. Asher only nodded as he put the letter securely away.

After that, Valeria returned to her bedroom, and the two knights slept on the ground in the small living room. Like every night, Valeria had trouble falling asleep, but this time she wasn't alone. After an hour of tossing and turning, she grabbed her pillow and blanket and walked to where the men lay. There was a small space between Asher and Elias where she lay down. She didn't know if they were awake, but she fell into a peaceful sleep at last, feeling safe between them. The men scooted closer to share their body heat with her. They would never say it so they won't hurt her pride, but they pitied the young lady.