Arcane Attraction

C H A P T E R 6 - Hera.

As I opened my eyes, blinking them slowly and consistently against the dark cloud of sleep that I had fallen into, one thing became painfully obvious as I started to see more than just the outlines of my surroundings.

I had no idea where I was.

The room was so strange, so unfamiliar to me, that I could almost be sure that this was the first time that I was in it. And what made the entire situation even stranger, was that I had just as little memory of how I had come to be laying in this bed. I hadn’t looked farther than the ceiling, not daring to drop my eyes to anything other than the gold detailing on the borders of the angel covered ceiling.

It reminded me of something that you would see in a renaissance painting, causing me to feel like I had woken up in a dream, to a fairy tale—woken up inside one of the stories that my mother had always told Hades and I when we had been struggling to sleep, stories of princesses and castles.

Castles.

It felt like my memory crashed back into in the same way that I would have crashed into earth, had I found myself falling out of the window of our apartment back home.

                “It’s lovely to hear that you’re awake, miss.”

My legs jerked, my neck and my back going numb as I shot upright, registering the voice that had so expertly broken the silence. It became obvious to me that I wasn’t alone, that there was someone else here with me. And yet, there was no one, other than me, in the room. But I wasn’t ready to eliminate the possibility that there was someone in one of the rooms just beyond this one, for the room had no door, nothing giving it any privacy—just an archway, through which I could see a set of lounge chairs.

But other than that, I couldn’t see anything else, and I wasn’t sure whether that was because there actually wasn’t’ anything else, or if it was just because of the brightness of the light that seemed to be shining through from there. It was too bright for it to be anything other than sunlight.

I found that it was nearly impossible to look at anything other than the archway, for I could feel in my gut that whoever it was who was with me, would make their appearance at any moment now. But the fact that I was expecting someone, didn’t make me any more prepared for when they did make their appearance. I nearly jumped out of my skin when a man stepped around the corner, straightening his blazer jacket as he did so.

His head was handing to the side in a very strange manner, and I wondered whether or not it had grown like that, or if it was because he was staring at me—something that I wouldn’t be able to hold against him, as I was staring at him in the exact same manner.

From an observational point of view, I guessed that he had to have been old enough to be the grandparent of a very young child, perhaps a toddler or a baby. His hair was blonde, tinged with grey, the silver strands glittering as they caught in the sunlight. I wouldn’t have guessed him to be so old, if it hadn’t been for the deep frown lines that marred his forehead, a sign that he had lived a life filled with long hours of frowning or concentration—wrinkles like those didn’t just appear overnight.

After his initial sentence, the one that had originally alerted me to his presence, neither of us said anything else. Both of us seemed to be too emersed in observing one another—him watching me with open curiosity, whereas I watched him with nothing other than caution, trying to figure out whether or not he was a possible threat to me.

                “I am the palace doctor, and you can address me as such. I am willing to treat you with respect if you are willing to give me the same curtsey. There will be no need for any unpleasantness, unless you give cause for it.”

I did my best to take his words at face value, telling myself that there was absolutely so reason for me to have reservations about trusting him. Surely, someone who was in the position of being the pack doctor, was worthy of being trusted.

I nodded once I was sure that he was looking at me, sure that he would see me acknowledging him, since the thought of actually having to speak to him already didn’t exactly appeal to me, yet. He must have realised that I wasn’t entirely comfortable in his presence, for his mouth thinned, his lips pulling into a single, impossibly thin line.

                “I’ll be the first to tell you that if you just accepted this position for the money, you’re not going to fare well with us. Your hostility won’t be welcomed by anyone, least of all—”

                “No, no, no, you misunderstand me.”

I was out of the bed in a matter of moments, holding my hands out towards him, hoping that he would stop talking, that he would stop talking. Thinking more clearly, I found that it was completely understandable that he would have misunderstood me, for him to think that my lack of communication was a sign that I didn’t accept the offer that he had just given me.

                “I had no intention to insult you, as you seem to think I have done. I apologise. I wasn’t aware that your thoughts would follow that particular route. I just wasn’t entirely comfortable. And it’s not because of the fact that you’re not a human, or anything of that sort. It’s simply because I have absolutely no idea how I got here—and as much as I want to believe what you’re saying and  trust you, I’m not sure if I should be so eager to take your words at face value.”

I took a moment to catch my breath, to gauge his reaction—his face remained blank, even though he looked quite angry, because of those wrinkles on his face.

                “My survival instincts are different when they’re compared to yours, and trusting a stranger on sight, goes against everything that I was raised to believe in.”

His shoulders sagged, the change in his demeaner as visible as ever. I had never thought that I would be able to see the change in him, seeing the way the hostility left his body. I had no way of telling whether he believed me or not, but what I did know, was that the emotion that now shone in his eyes wasn’t anything remotely close to being negative—something that I was thankful for.

                “If I may be so bold as to offer you a word of advice? I’m not sure what things were like where you’re from, but here, silence is a show of disrespect—it’s important for you to remember that. You picked a terrible career to start off your life here. The palace is almost constantly filled with high-ranking individuals, like Alphas and Betas—all of whom command the same level of respect. One wrong word from you—or even the lack thereof—could land you in serious trouble.”

I nodded again, the action coming so naturally that it took me a moment to realise that I was doing it, and I started speaking immediately afterwards. I didn’t want to offend him again, so soon.

                “Thank you for your advice. I’ll make sure to keep it in mind during my time here.”

                “I would hope that you do.”

I wasn’t even surprised when silence settled between us, again, and all that I could do, was stand there, remaining acutely aware of the rumpled state of the bed that I had been sleeping with him, as well as the dishevelled state of my attire. I felt somewhat ashamed to be standing in front of him like this—it was unnatural. Something that wouldn’t have been acceptable back home, regardless of whether or not he was a doctor.

                “I only stayed here with the intention of making sure that your condition didn’t deteriorate.”

                “Deteriorate? I wasn’t aware that I had been at risk?”

He smiled, but even from this distance, I could see that it wasn’t a genuine one—it didn’t even reach his eyes. It was a familiar sight to me, for I had seen it so many times during my career, that I had lost count. It served no purpose, other than to be polite, than to set whoever it was directed at, at ease.

                “One of our Alphas had just finished his meeting with the Queen, and you were arriving for yours. You collided with the door and suffered from a nosebleed. Your body couldn’t handle the amount of blood-loss, and you passed out before I had been called upon.”

                “That does make sense. I’m a heavy bleeder. Fainting when I see my own blood is also quite common.”

                “Well, I don’t think that you should make a habit out of it. I don’t find the thought of seeing you every other day to be appealing.”

                “Well, I can’t make any promises, but I’ll do my best not to.”

Once more, there was just silence that passed between the two of us, and I couldn’t help but feel like there was something strange going on here, something that he wasn’t telling me. I was appreciative of the fact that he had been kind enough to wait here with me, to make sure that I was alright—it was probably his job to do so—but that didn’t explain why he was still standing here, making me feel oddly uncomfortable, as I was under the impression that there was nothing else for him to say to me.

                “I had an appointment with the Queen. She was actually supposed to explain to me what my duties and responsibilities would be.”

                “Queen Aurora was kind enough to grace us with her presence earlier, while you were still unconscious. She had actually been lucky enough to witness your accident. She has requested that you be so kind as to join her for dinner tonight, as a show of apology for your unsatisfactory welcoming.”

                “Dinner with a Queen?”

                “I believe that you mean thee Queen, for she happens to be the only Queen that the world knows at present—and I believe that it will remain so, until she has named an heir. The royal bloodline will continue, stronger than ever, once she does so. You, as her guest and employee, are obligated to accept her invitation.”

I nodded, finding that I wasn’t at all surprised that he had said something like that. Of course, I guessed that I would be obligated to accept her invitation—and I also guessed that she wasn’t in the habit of having her invitations declined. And as a foreigner in her kingdom, I wasn’t about to test the waters.

                “Well then, since I am obligated to accept, how could I decline?”

                “It pleases me to see that you have the common sense to do what is expected of you. It has been a while since we’ve seen a human with that quality. But now, I will leave you to your own devices, as I have some of my own errands to run. You are expected to remain in these chambers, where the Queen will know where to find you, should she choose to call on you again. If she does, she will explain what her expectations and intentions are in regards to dinner in a much more detailed manner than I can.”

I nodded once, hoping that he would see it for what it was—a greeting of sorts.

                “Thank you for your time. I’m sure that I’ll see you around somewhere.”

                “Don’t count on it, Miss. Unless you find yourself fainting again.”