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Jaz was very surprised to be rushed out of her bed in the middle of the night because the princess had a broken ankle.
“Your Highness, may I ask how you did this? It would help me heal it faster.” She clarified.
“...I tripped.” This was the first time she’d been so up close with her and she was terrifying to be beside. Or maybe that was because of her guard whose sword was very sharp and glinted threateningly in the light. How could glinting seem threatening? She didn’t know, but it was.
“Would you mind telling me exactly how?” The princess rolled her eyes and Jaz felt very close to having that blade slit her throat.
“I- uh… I fell off the roof.”
She blinked. What on earth was the princess doing up there? It wasn’t her business though. Not if she wanted to live past this appointment.
“May I take a look?” Her leg was already propped up so it just took a nod for Jaz to examine the swollen ankle. “Well, you’ve definitely twisted it. It’s not serious though. Just keep it elevated, the swelling should go down in it’s own time and… try not to fall off of roofs in the future.”
“Can’t you heal this right now? You follow the path of Sekhmet, don’t you?” She wasn’t pleased. Jaz gulped.
“I could do that, but in the case of injuries such as this, it’s more beneficial to the body to let it heal on its own. We’ve found that when it’s been healed with magic, the ankle might fail or break more easily in the future and we don’t want to risk that of course.”
“Right. Well, you must accompany me for that time then!”
“What- I mean, pardon?”
“If I am to rest, then you have to keep me company. You will still be paid and when I am well, you can return to your job.”
“Of course, your highness.” She didn’t have a choice so it was more to be genial. Better than execution though.
She didn’t have much to bring so she just accompanied the princess to wherever she was going, even though she had to walk and the princess was carried on a litter. She’d seen her run around most of the time, evading servants and chastising family members so it was unnerving to see her so regal.
They reached a lounge, except ten times as grand as Jaz had ever seen it and a guard moved Sadie from the litter to a couch. Jaz grabbed a cushion and placed it under her swollen foot, extremely obviously even though she was acutely aware of all the rules she was breaking. The princess patted her hand though and she felt at ease.
“The healer is permitted to touch me,” she announced to her entourage who bowed and left the room when she waved her hand.
The second they left, she completely transformed. Far less a princess and more of a young girl having fun.
“Okay, since I can’t roof run anymore, I want some company. So you’re going to do that.”
“Your Highness-” Jaz began but the princess cut her off.
“When they aren’t here, call me Sadie.”
“Your name?” What was going on? Had the world turned inside out? Had Nut and Geb reunited? There was no way a lowly healer had just been given permission to call the princess by her name. It was too late for this. She needed some sleep.
“Not my actual name, and not my secret name, Gods, but it’s something I like to be called.”
“Of course, Your- Sadie.”
“Your Sadie? I like the sound of that.”
She blushed and carried on down the hallway, offering her arm to the princess. She’d never been through his part of the palace before, her patients preferring to come to her with the exception of that old man, the retired general, who had been unable to walk because of gout. That had not been a fun healing session.
Eventually they made it to the princess’ chambers - a whole apartment with it’s own household . She had her own servants, guards, maids inside the palace.
Why wouldn’t she though? Jaz shook herself. Her brother was the Pharaoh, she was one of the most important people in the kingdom.
Sadie turned to her, “Since this wasn’t exactly planned… we don’t have a room for you.”
Jaz bit her tongue in an effort not to protest that the Pharaoh didn’t have a spare room for when his sister was determined to kidnap another person into her household. What, was she going to have to sleep on the floor like a dog?
“-so we can share my bed.”
Jaz blinked a few hundred times before she processed what Sadie was saying. “I’m sorry, so sorry, Y- Sadie, I must’ve misheard you.”
“I said we could share my bed.” She suddenly grew shy, an emotion most likely foreign to her. “Only if you want to though, it’s completely fine if you don’t. There’s lots of space though-”
“That sounds good.” Jaz smiled at her, trying to reassure her. She felt a yawn incoming and said, “I don’t suppose, we can sleep now?”
“Come on, I’ll show you.” Sadie limped down the hallway to a room, a far reach from the cell that Jaz slept in, with gold everywhere and flowing fabric curtains. In the centre was the bed, a frame covered in blankets and pillows.
“You’ll need to keep your foot elevated when you’re asleep so if we just,” she picked up a pillow and put it down where Sadie’s foot would go.
She laid down next to Sadie, unrelaxed, held stiff as a board, their shoulders just brushing as the princess’ breath got deeper and deeper and once she was sure she was asleep, she just looked at her, hair covered to keep it from being ruined and every part of her crisp makeup which Jaz had seen her wear whenever she left her room, washed away, revealing her light brown skin.
She let herself relax, untensing her muscles and fell into deep sleep beside her princess.