My Hero?

"Ophelia, your hair is a mess! Here, sit!" The nurse all but forced Ophelia to sit on the cushion in front of the stuffed chair. Deeda roughly pulled a brush through the endless amount of brown hair, each time growing more and more gentle as the tangles smoothed themselves out. 

   "So, Dee--"

   "Ophelia, did I ever tell you the story of the girl cursed by a witch right here in this very forest?" The nurse asked, deliberately cutting Ophelia off. 

   "No ma'am." The princess mumbled. She likely had already been told that story, but Deeda would tell it to her again, whether she wanted her to or not. 

   The nurse chuckled. "Well, not long ago, there was a little girl who did not listen to her mother. She roamed off into the woods, all by herself. In that woods, she saw a woman, unlike any other she'd ever seen!"

   Ophelia wasn't listening. She knew the story off by heart. Though Deeda changed the title, the story was always exactly the same. 

   Instead, she began to wonder about her journey, with William. Where would the go? What would they see? What could go wrong? What if he was lying? Would she miss him once he was gone?

   Deeda continued to ramble on. "--was a witch! She caught the witch, using spells, you see. The girl, she gasped, and started to run, back to her mother, and--"

   Then, Alexander came into her mind. Was he really married? Did he stil love her? Was his wife, if he was married, prettier than her?

   "-- She couldn't get away fast enough. The witch was just too fast! Her thin, bony hand grabbed the girl--"

   What would she do if Alexander was married? Would she return to her cavern, and spend the rest of her days? Or would she have to muster up the courage to tell Deeda she'd run away for a few days?  

   "--The girl was trapped, inside the mind of the saddest little girl in the entire kingdom. The only way she could escape was--"

   Fig was curled up on the bed, listening closely to Deeda's story. 'You're actually listening to this story again?' Ophelia asked in her head, so Deeda would not hear her. 

   "I am trying to, but you think too loud! Now shut it and let me listen!"

   'Fine.'

***************************

   After what felt like months, it was finally time to retire for the night. Ophelia hastily pulled the trundle bed our from under the main bed, covered it with a thin stuffed mattress, a thick blanket under her, and another thinner one over top of her. Deeda always got to sleep in the good bed when she visited.

   The nurse showed no signs of suspicion of the young girl, who'd never moved so quick in her life, much less right before bed. It was usually 'Deeda! Ten more minutes!' or 'Deeda! One more story! Pretty please!' or the one that was more common lately; 'Deeda, I'm sixteen years old, a grown woman, I shouldn't have to go to bed as early as a child!'

   She simply suspected that Ophelia had some sort of realization, finally learning that she needed sleep more often. After all, what could the girl  be excited about that she would go to bed early?

   "G'night Deeda!" The princess chirped, pulling the blanket over her head. 'G'night Fig!'

   "Good night, my darling Ophelia."

   "Sweet dreams Princess! Seriously, I don't want to experiance another one your nightmares. Those were horrifying!"

   'Sorry Fig...'

   "No you're not."

   'No, I guess I'm not.' The princess thought, hoping Fig realized she was teasing. 

   ****************

   Night was even longer than the day. Ophelia, still haunted with her questions, tossed and turned all night. It was around 1 o'clock, seven hours after she had gone to bed, before she finally fell asleep, not quite peacefully, but still, she slept.  

   Deeda woke early to prepare breakfast. Quietly, she snuck around the cabin, at first cooking, and then, as the pancakes fried, she began doing her usual morning servalience of the room. 

   Fairy tale books filled the shelves, paints stacked on top of the cabnet, pillows littering the floor. Nothing out of the ordinary, just the way Deeda liked it. That meant the princess was still under her control, and still respected her. She smiled triumphantly, and returned to the kitchen, flipping the pancake. 

   "What are you cooking?" Ophelia asked, sneaking up behind Deeda as she yawned. "It smells good."

   "Your favourite."

   "Pancakes?"

   "Of course!" Deeda said brightly. She pulled her wispy blonde hair into a tight bun, and the set table for three people. Herself, the princess and the squirel. "Two?"       

    "Yes please." The princess sat at the table, staring down at the two hot pancakes that had been set down in front of her. "Thank you."

   "So, you understand that I'll be gone for two weeks again, don't you?" Deeda asked. 

   Ophelia nodded, nervously tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear.  "Yes ma'am. Two weeks isn't as bad as I thought."

   "Good girl. And you know the rules?"

   Again, the princess nodded. "No leaving the cavern, no letting anyone in the cavern, no eating the berries on the trees, and no lighting fires anywhere other than the stove. 

   "Good girl." The nurse smiled proudly. She'd trained her well. She took one last bite of her pancake and stood up. "Now, I should be off. There are some things back in Sanbura that I need to attend to."

   "Yes Ma'am. Be careful." 

   "Of course my dear. Farewell."

   "Goodbye." The princess mumbled, trying to make herself sound as sad as possible. Slowly, torturingly slowly, the woman made her way to the exit. 

   A sigh of relief escaped Ophelia's lips once the woman was put of sight. 

   And then came the waiting. One hour, than two, three, four five, and then--

   "Princess! Are you ready to go?"