I clicked into my other body and found myself in my usual chair in the palace office. I stretched my neck and stood up, walking outside. The palace buzzed with commotion. Servants were cleaning, dusting, laying out chairs, and painting the walls in bright white. I walked into a courtyard with blue tile flooring, a bubbling water fountain, and a cool breeze, when a man approached me. It was [[Arthur]], my butler, who greeted me with a cup of camomile tea and a smile. "Welcome back sir! How is everything?" "Thank you Arthur. Everything's fine. And the palace?" I took the cup from his hands and sipped it gently, the tea still too hot to drink. "Well, sir", and he gestured toward the bustling activity, "we're almost done with renovations. We weren't sure when you'd return. But everything should be ready shortly. Would you like to go to your chambers?" "Not now [[Arthur]], I'd rather like to see [[Website/Limerence/Charlotte]]." "Of course sir, right away." He guided me up the sandstone stairs, and I traced my hands over the inlaid indigo wall tiles and cast iron railing as we made our way to [[Website/Limerence/Charlotte]]'s room. [[Arthur]] signaled to the red door and stepped aside. I had not seen [[Website/Limerence/Charlotte]] in weeks, my anticipation growing, until one day, it muted, just a subtle gnaw at the pit of my stomach. Now the anticipation returned in full force, clawing at me. I passed through a bead curtain into a softly glowing room where incense smoke played with light from the windows and turned it into ghostly rays. I scanned the room for her but only saw shadowy couches, draped with velvet. The walls were burdened with small paintings, mirrors, ornaments, and shelves with a sparkling array of trinkets. I brushed my hand on the leaves of the large potted plants, moving around the room, finding no order to the chaos. Her white sliding bathroom door was partly opened, steam flowing out. I could hear the shower running. Of course she would be in the shower. I imagined her reading on her chaise longue, cross legged - just until she heard word of my arrival, after which she would've disrobed and stepped into the shower, knowing it would tantalize me. I knocked. No reply. Perhaps an invitation? So I slowly slid the door open. She was facing away, absorbed in the falling water, humming to herself. I knocked on the wall. She jumped, and quickly turned her head, spotting me from her periphery, her eyes cutting. "What are you doing here? Go wait outside. And close the door!" In my palace, I was the king, giving orders, but here, in her room, I was under her spell. There was something thrilling about being told what to do. I did as instructed and closed the door. I spent my time opening her armoires, feeling the soft silks and creamy cottons of her clothes. She had an overwhelming array of dresses, shirts, and shoes, many which told a story of a time we had been together. I uncorked one of her perfumes, the smell of elderflower and jasmine mingling in my nostrils. Elderflower drew me in, jasmine repelled me, but when she wore it, it reacted with her skin to become intoxicating. I heard the shower shut off so I corked the perfume bottle quietly and lowered myself onto a comfortable chair. I was studying my fingernails when I saw her peering out from the doorway. "When was the last time we went to [[Paradise Falls]]?" She asked playfully, as she slid the door all the way open, and walked into the room, drying her hair with a towel, another wrapped around her torso. I inspected her, working to stay focused on her question. "Paradise Falls? It's been... a while. Last year, I think." I admitted. "I was thinking about getting out," she suggested, "and maybe doing something special with you for my..." She was cut off by a small knock on her door. Arthur called my name gently. Charlotte scoffed at me. "Ah no! You're busy!" "Sorry," I apologized. "[[Weston]] is driving me to town." "Driving! You're driving a car? When you come to see me?" Anger was radiating from her eyes, until she exhaled, and her face went cold. "Take care of it. And next time you visit you better not be in the middle of anything." She walked back into the vapory mists of the bathroom and shut the door loudly. I looked down at my pager. The driver, [[Weston]], wanted to alert me of something. It better be important. "Dog on the road. I'm parked." [[Website/Limerence/The Dog]]