Angelica couldn't sleep, and she had no tears left.
For the first time in her life, she could see what she had done.
At that moment, she regretted drinking the blood.
Ignorance was bliss.
She took a deep breath and stood up.
She needed some fresh air.
To her surprise, the door wasn't locked.
When she made her way above deck, the wind blowing helped her mind calm slightly.
All she could see was the skeleton on deck and the stars in the sky.
She made her way to the railing.
With ease, she jumped on the railing and started pacing.
She had a choice to make while she had control of her mind.
What made her smile was the fact that this dangerous activity didn't bring her joy anymore.
She froze when she heard an unfamiliar voice.
"Are you well, Miss?"
She spun around and saw the skeleton standing in front of her.
She jumped off the railing.
"I didn't know skeletons could speak."
Femur bowed slightly.
"My name is Femur, I am your pilot, and as long as you are on my ship, a friend."
She scoffed at him.
"What if I get off the ship?"
He bowed slightly deeper.
"I shall no longer be the pilot."
That was so unexpected that she had a short burst of laughter.
She leaned against the railing.
"That was pretty funny. Why is a charmer like you working here?"
Femur stood up straight.
"I see many interesting places, and I meet interesting people."
She smiled for a second, but pulled back.
"You think I'm interesting?"
Femur held out his bony hand.
"Please follow me. Let us go inside, and I shall brew some tea."
She wanted to reject the offer, but realised she had no reason to.
She placed a hand in his, and he led her below deck.
He took her to the small office she was in with Aleksandar.
She anxiously waited.
What if it were another conversation with Aleksandar?
She couldn't take another battle like that.
That anxiety was replaced by relief when Femur returned with the teapot and one cup.
Without thinking, she spoke.
"Why is there only one cup?"
She felt embarrassed.
"I can not handle tea, it goes right through me."
Again, she had a short-lived smile for the silly skeleton.
"Thank you for the tea."
Femur sat down across from her.
"You are welcome, Miss. If you wish, you may enjoy this tea in silence or conversation."
She took a sip and decided to ask a question.
"Why are you being so nice? Do you know what I did?"
Femur nodded.
"I know who you were. I know you were known as the Blood Fiend."
When Femur named that moniker, it felt as if she was punched in the stomach.
She put the tea down and stood up, ready to leave.
Femur stood up with her.
"Wait, Miss. I did not mean to offend. I just wanted to start this conversation from a place of honesty."
She felt a tear roll down her cheek.
"Do you want to know the worst part? Before he gave me the blood, I was sure everyone deserved what they got. Now, I realise I was the creature in someone's nightmare."
Her immense strength failed her in that moment as she fell onto her seat.
Femur waited as she composed herself, and didn't speak until she took another sip of tea.
"Miss, none of us are without sin in the Blood Rose. I wasn't a good man in life, and a choice I made caused the death of my beloved. I then decided to become an undead as punishment."
She couldn't believe what Femur was saying.
The sadness in his voice was proof of his honesty.
"What happened?"
Femur hung his head slightly.
"We had a falling out over something trivial. I then decided not to join her on a mission. She died without me there. She always enjoyed helping others, so now I am a skeleton who does the same, in her honour."
She had never heard anything like that.
That level of selflessness was a foreign concept to her.
"Is that what this is? Do you want to help me? Why?"
Femur nodded.
"Yes. Yes, I do. Why not?"
Femur took out a watch from his pocket.
"Could you please return to your room? We will land in four hours, and please try to get some sleep."
She stood up, and Femur escorted her to her room.
Before he left, he spoke.
"Have faith in one thing, you have one friend in the Blood Rose."
This short statement gave her the ability to relax enough to get some sleep.
The next morning, she was woken up by a knock.
When she opened the door, she was greeted by Aleksandar.
"Good morning, Angelica. Did you sleep well?"
She couldn't meet his eyes as she nodded.
She heard his voice over her.
"Very good. I was worried about you."
There was no malice in his voice.
In surprise, she looked up and saw a soft smile.
If he had yelled or whipped her, she would have understood him.
He stepped out of the way.
"Allow me to escort you to your new room. After you have washed up, I would like to discuss your employment."
When he mentioned 'washed up', she ran her fingers over her hair.
The normally slicked-back hair was dishevelled, and her makeup was probably very badly smeared.
She felt even more self-conscious.
She followed Aleksandar above deck.
She tried to steel herself for the noise of the docks.
There seemed to be no more steel in her blood.
To her surprise, it was quiet and also still dark.
They were not at the docks; they were on the roof of a castle.
"I would never subject you to the crowd when you are not ready."
As they were ready to disembark, she looked back at Femur.
He must have seen the panic in her eyes, because he bowed and clanked his way after her.
"Femur shall be your liaison. If there is anything you need, or if there are any problems, please do not hesitate to ask him."
When she learned that she wouldn't lose her only friend, she uttered one phrase.
"Thank you."
The rest of the walk through the painting-laden walls was in silence.
They stopped in front of a door, and Aleksandar pulled out a key.
"This is your room. You may do with it as you wish."
As she took the key, she asked a question that had bothered her since their meeting.
"Why are you doing this?"
Aleksandar smiled.
"Your freedom was stolen. I wish to help you reclaim it."
He bowed and walked away.
She put the key in and opened the door.
Her room was spacious, with a large bed across from a massive window.
As she looked through, she could see quite a bit of the floating island.
She heard a soft knocking. Femur was still standing outside the open door.
The idea of her space being respected was foreign to her.
"Come in."
He entered her room and walked to the closet.
He opened it and spoke.
"There are clothes for you here, but they will not fit properly. I shall send some seamstresses to take your measurements so they can be adjusted."
She nodded, and he opened the second door.
"Here is your personal bathroom."
The bathroom was massive, and what gave her a big smile was the large bathtub.
It was so large that she could lie down all the way.
Femur pulled a cellphone out of his pocket.
"If you ever need me, be it business or just to have a chat."
He handed it to her and bowed.
"I shall take my leave."