Heart of Darkness

Roxana stiffened as she met Alexander’s gaze. He and Lord Rayven stood up from their seats upon their arrival.

“Your Majesty. I am glad to see you here.” Angelica smiled.

He tore his gaze away from her and turned to greet Angelica with a genuine smile.

“I think I told you that Roxana is a student of mine. She was kind enough to keep me company.” Angelica explained.

“Welcome,” Lord Rayven said curtly and Alexander looked at her again. Roxana’s heart skipped a beat and she averted her gaze. It was odd to meet him outside the castle and dressed like this.

“I’ll show Roxana around for a while then maybe we can all have dinner together.” She looked at Alexander pleadingly.

“Alright.” He said.

“Good.” She smiled and then led Roxana away.

Angelica and Rayven’s home had an antique feeling, furnished with dark browns, reds, and black mixed with a little beige and gold to bring some light and shine.

“You have a beautiful place,” Roxana said.

“Thank you. You should have seen it when I first came. It looked like a haunted place. They called it the cursed castle.” She said. “My husband still likes the dark so I tried not to make it too light.”

She took her to what looked like a lady’s chamber. “Please sit.” she motioned for her to sit on the creamy white sofa. Roxana sat down. “Let’s see if I can find the paste or perhaps I need to make a new one.”

“I really don’t want to disturb you. It will fade away with time.”

Angelica continued her search, opening drawers and looking around. “Ah, here it is.” She took out a small box from a drawer and then came to give it to her. “Put it on at night, a little while before sleep so it doesn’t come off.”

Roxana nodded. “Thank you.”

As she sat down as well, her maid from the previous time walked in after a knock. She held a tray with tea. “Thank you, Sarah:” Angelica said as the servant placed it on the table. She poured them each a cup. Roxana thanked her as well.

“I don’t think I can stay for dinner,” Roxana spoke once they were alone again. “I have my night shift soon.”

“Oh,” Angelica waved dismissively with her hand. “The person you are supposed to guard is here.”

“I know. But I have supervisors who won’t be happy.”

“I am sure his Majesty will find a way.” She said confidently but all this only made Roxana nervous. She wasn’t sure what to do.

As they had their tea, Angelica was talkative. They talked about all kinds of things. She asked her about her travels and parents and Roxana told her the amount she was comfortable with. When she told her about her parents and that she was looking for them, Angelica looked sad.

“I hope you find them soon.” She said.

Angelica then told her how she lost her mother at a young age and raised her brother. She didn’t speak much about her father but she did tell her how he died.

“It’s strange, isn’t it? Since We seem close to the king?” She said with a smile.

Roxana nodded.

“It is complicated but His Majesty is a kind soul. He helped me and William a lot.” She told her.

Roxana nodded again, still not fully understanding their relationship. She decided not to care too much. Either way, she was a guard and her job was to be cautious of everyone.

As they continued to talk, Angelica offered to take care of her hair after Roxana complimented hers and asked what she did with it.

“Oh no. You don’t have to do that.”

“I would love to,” Angelica said and led her to the dresser. She sat her down. “Your hair is beautiful.” She told her as a reply to her complaining over her own hair.

“It is damaged,” Roxana said. “It has been in too much saltwater.”

“It just needs a little more care,” Angelica said and began to brush it gently. She put some oils in it, massaging it into her scalp, and then continued to brush. How did this get so intimate?

Roxana remembered her sister, and how they would take turns brushing each other’s hair, and then their mother would teach them how to braid it. She fought back the tears at the memory. She had not received a woman’s care for so long. The good people in her life were all men.

“Do you wish for a boy or a girl?” Roxana asked to stop the thoughts that would cause her to cry.

“It doesn’t matter,” Angelica said.

“Does your husband have a wish?”

“No. His wish is just to survive fatherhood.”

They both chuckled.

“Do you have any names in mind then?”

Angelica became thoughtful. “No. I tried to think of a few but none of them is appealing enough.”

Roxana nodded. “It is your first child. You must want to give it a special name. Both you and your brother have meaningful names. My mother also picked special names for me and my sister. She said names are more than just that.”

“They are. What does your name mean?”

“It means dawn. My mother said that the first time she saw me it was like seeing the first light in the sky after a dark night. It also means bright. She said my hair was like the bright sunlight.”

“Yes, indeed,” Angelica said thoughtfully. “Your hair makes you shine.”

Roxana smiled shyly. She wasn’t used to compliments from women. Not as a woman, anyway. “Thank you.”

“Can I tie your hair nicely?” She asked her.

Roxana nodded.

Angelica tied her hair in beautiful ribbons, after brushing them into soft, shiny waves. Roxana looked at herself in the mirror. If not for the dress and bruises, she almost looked like a lady. Then why did she feel sad?

“You look beautiful,” Angelica told her.

“You have magical hands.” Roxana complimented in return.

They smiled at each other. “Shall we go down for dinner?”

The smile faded away from her face and her heart skipped. She had forgotten about dinner and Alexander.