Queen's Obsession

Chapter 23

I managed to write this chapter in forty five minutes.

*Suzanna's P.O.V*

When I came to, I immediately noticed the feeling of something soft and fuzzy around my tongue. I huffed as I moved my hand to pull the thing out of my mouth. A soft hand grabbed my own to stop me.

"You have gauze around your tongue to stop the bleeding, leave it there," Pandora instructed firmly. My eyes opened as I turned my head to look at her. She seemed quite concerned or at least that's what I read the look on her face as.

"So I guess I didn't escape?" I asked, my words coming out slightly slurred from the gauze in my mouth.

"No darling, you came quite close though," Pandora sounded amused. "Now I know not to turn my back on you so don't think the second time will be quite so easy," she informed me.

"I'll keep that in mind as I plot my next escape," I muttered as I looked around the room, realizing I was in the infirmary. "Why do I keep ending up here?" I huffed as my head rested on the pillow behind me.

"You've only been here once before, when you suffered that heat stroke," Pandora sounded confused.

"Actually she came in about a month ago with a stab wound to the hand," one of the healers chimed in. I glared at the man in betrayal, a small frown on my lips.

"How on earth did you get stabbed?" Pandora asked, her eyes widening slightly as she looked at me.

"Apparently I can't juggle knives. Also, what happened to patient privacy?" I asked as I looked at the man who shrugged. I was quite tired of the feeling of the gauze in my mouth so I sneakily removed it when Pandora wasn't looking.

"I was gone for ten minutes, how did this happen?" Queen Seraphina's voice sounded sharp and annoyed. I quickly averted my gaze when she entered the infirmary, keeping my eyes focused on the ceiling.

"You were gone for ten minutes when she ran, it's been thirty since she's ended up here," Pandora said. "Also she's the one that ran, blame her," she huffed.

"Hey, you said I couldn't escape and I proved that I almost could," I defended myself. "Why does my face hurt so much? Is it because that guard slapped me?" I asked, the last few minutes before I passed out kind of blurry.

"What?" Pandora and Queen Seraphina spoke at the same time and I flushed when I realized that they hadn't known about that.

"I'm going to shut up now, my tongue hurts and it's starting to bleed," I muttered as I felt the familiar copper taste make an appearance again. One of the healers in the room handed me a piece of gauze which I pressed to my tongue.

"Orion said she tripped, a guard hit my daughter?" Queen Seraphina asked Pandora, her voice tinged with anger.

"She did trip, over a guard's leg. I didn't know he hit her though, Orion didn't tell me that," Pandora defended herself.

"I didn't tell you what?" Captain Orion asked as the door opened. I watched in amusement as the two women turned to glare at him and he audibly gulped. "Bad time?" he asked as I scooted to the edge of the bed, swinging my legs off of the side of the bed.

"A guard hit my niece?" Pandora asked, her voice dangerously low. I swung my legs back and forth as I watched in slight amusement.

"Not your niece," I muttered to correct her but everyone seemed to ignore me. I huffed at that, a small pout on my lips as I bounced my legs.

"I didn't know whether to tell the two of you apart or together, I've been a bit busy running all around this castle," Captain Orion said as he entered the room farther, the door still open. He glanced at me and I suddenly became very aware of the fact that everyone was now staring at me.

I shifted uncomfortably before I did something that I may regret later. I didn't have my shoes on but I decided to risk it anyway and I managed to get off the bed with ease. Before anyone could react, I bolted.

I ducked under Captain Orion's open arms, my bare feet scraping on the stone floor as I ran. I turned the corner, squeaking when I ran into someone. I crashed to the floor for the second time that day, muttering an apology as I pushed myself up quickly.

"What's happened to your face?" the woman asked as she helped me up. She was an older woman with a heart shaped face. Her eyes were a dark hazel color that seemed familiar and she wore a dark red dress that reminded me of something Queen Seraphina would wear.

"A guard tripped me," I answered, still wondering why she seemed so familar.

"You have got to stop running off," Captain Orion rounded the corner, freezing when he saw the woman. "This is awkward," he muttered.

"Why?" I asked curiously as I looked between the two.

"Suzanna, meet my mother-in-law also known as the Queen's mother," Captain Orion.

"Also known as Draya since he forgot to give you my name," Draya snorted as she rolled her eyes. Now I knew why she was familiar and now I was terrified. "And you must be my new grandchild," she seemed quite pleased.

"Orion, did you catch her?" Pandora sounded concerned as she rounded the corner. "Oh damn," she muttered when she saw Draya.

"That's no way to greet your mother," Draya stated as her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Nice to see you, now why are you here?" Pandora asked.

"I thought I taught you manners but apparently I was wrong," Draya huffed as she sighed. "I heard I got a new grandchild and I come here to find out that she's injured by one of your husband's incompetent staff," she said.

"Sera called her her daughter yesterday, how did you already hear about that?" Pandora asked, ignoring the older woman's other words.

"I have people all around this castle, now who did it?" Draya asked.

"No, you're not killing him. He's been dealt with," Pandora said and only then did I realize that Draya had a sword attached to her hip.

"Is every woman in this family murder happy?" I asked, squeaking when everyone's attention turned to me. "I'll shut up now," I muttered as I side stepped around Pandora, going to seek out the safety of Queen Seraphina who I could hear coming down the hall.

Also I wasn't very clear in my last question but I meant any ideas that y'all want to suggest for future chapters?