That wonderful smell was in the air again. The trees were filled with beautiful pink budding flowers of cherry blossoms. The air smelled fresher, and cleaner. The land looked prettier, in fresh, bright greens and pinks. Deer, rabbits, birds, and other creatures were frolicking among the plants. Everything seemed better. Nothing hurt anymore. It had been such a long time.
Dressed in green refinery with a golden tiara adorning her head, Josephine drank in the wonderful smell. She basked in it. It was a wonderful relief from the smell of iron that had stunk up the castle for the past several days. That still stunk up the castle.
Josephine gave a mournful sigh and turned back toward the castle, leaving the beauty and wonderful smell behind. She knew she had to return. It was never any easier to turn her back on the beauty and freedom that lay outside. She had to, though. If she did not… Things would be far worse. She was lucky she was able to have some relief occasionally. Not all who were like her were so lucky.
Josephine reached the drawbridge of the castle quicker than she would have liked. She crossed into the courtyard and was careful where she stepped. The only sound heard was the heels of her shoes against the stones. She knew better than to step on any of the bodies. So many littered the floor. All still looked fresh and smelled of blood despite looking drained of any.
She entered the castle and carefully avoided the occasional bodies draped over furniture or lying on the floor. She took the stairs to the east wing and made her way to the only room in the castle with a closed door. She knocked, heard a muffled sound, and opened the door. On the other side, a maid was pouring dark liquid into a large tub. Josephine approached to see that the liquid was dark red and smelled of iron.
The maid sets the empty, bloodstained, bucket down and turned to Josephine with a mournful gaze. “The bath is ready, my lady.”
Josephine nodded, watching the blood in the tub settle. “How long do you think it will last, this time?” she asked.
“I do not know, my lady,” the maid replied. “It lasted eleven years the last time we did this.”
“The longer, the better, then,” Josephine muttered.
The maid timidly nodded. “I’m afraid so.”
Josephine sighed, lifted the tiara from her head, and passed it to the maid who carefully took it into her hands. The maid set the tiara down close by and returned to help Josephine out of her gown.
“Do you think this curse will ever be lifted?” Josephine asked quietly as the maid unfastened the ties of her dress.
“I hope so, my lady,” the maid admitted. “I dearly hope so.”
Josephine nodded in agreement as she stepped out of the dress. She then turned to her maid who was gathering the dress into her arms.
“You remember what to do,” Josephine told her. “Touch no one and nothing anyone else has touched until I get out. Doing so will only lead to you falling to the same fate. You’re lucky you’ve survived this long without succumbing. I don’t know how I could bear this without you, Coleen.”
Coleen nodded with a mournful smile. “I know, my lady. It has been hard but I will continue to serve you as I have. You have my word that I won’t succumb like the others.”
Josephine gave her a grateful smile and turned back toward the tub. She stepped in and lowered herself into the blood. Laying down, she lowered her head under. As the last bubbles from her breath disappeared from the surface, Coleen turned to put away the dress and tiara as the sound of a bustling community wafted from outside the closed door and few open windows in the room.
Task complete, Coleen approached the nearest window and looked outside. The bodies that had littered the courtyard were gone. In their place were living people moving about and going about their days. Coleen gave the sight a sad smile and turned back to the tub of blood.
“Once again, you were successful, my lady,” she told the tub. “I shall prepare a tub for your return, but I do not think it would be so soon. Your people have just woken, after all. I will be here, ready and waiting until they rest again, and you have returned.”
With that, Coleen walked toward the door and locked it, then sat on the floor with her back against the door and watched the tub until her eyes slipped closed.