Arcane Attraction

C H A P T E R 8 - Hera,

I crumpled up the bloodied tissue paper, balling it up in my hand before I lifted my eyes, looking away from its’ red-stained surface, my attention moving to the mirror above the basin. I was currently leaning over it, my hands pushed against the edge of it as a way of stabilising myself. I couldn’t help but shake my head, taking a somewhat unplanned step backwards. The more time I just spent standing here, the more I became aware of how I was feeling, became aware of how drained I was—and I knew that it wasn’t to blame on the jetlag from my trip. It felt much more severe than that…

It felt like it had taken forever for me to get rid of all of the blood that had run down my face, for it had felt like every time that I had moved my head just a fraction farther than before, I would see a new smear of blood that I would then start cleaning. But thankfully, it seemed like I had now managed to get everything clean—at least I hoped that I had.

I turned around and walked out of the unnecessarily large bathroom, thinking for what must have been the millionth time, that they could have used the space in a much better manner. Or perhaps they had nothing else to fill the space with.

I froze when I realised that I wasn’t alone, for standing in the centre of the room that I had classified as the living room, was a woman whom I had never seen before in my life. But there was something distinctly familiar about her, but it wasn’t her appearance. No. It was something else. Something in the way that she was standing, in the way she seemed to be focused on me.

                “And here I had just started to think that perhaps you had escaped while you had been left unattended.”

I couldn’t stop myself from frowning, my head tilting to the side as I searched my memory, desperately trying to figure out who this woman was.

                “And who might you be?”

                “I’m Queen Aurora Stone.”

I closed my mouth in an instant, realising that I had crossed an unspoken line, but in my defence, I had absolutely no idea who she was. But I guess that it didn’t make much difference. It was what it was and there was nothing I could do about it now.

                “I would like to apologise if I had disrespected you in any way since your arrival, your highness. I would also like to apologise for not showing up to our earlier meeting without any explanation—”

                “You shouldn’t be apologising to me for circumstances that were beyond your control. It gives me the impression that you’re begging for approval.”

I abruptly closed my mouth and stopped talking, not entirely understanding what it was that was that she was expecting me to say, or what it was that she was expecting me to do. I didn’t understand anything about this place and what it’s people wanted.

When I spoke, it seemed to be a problem, and even when I didn’t, it was a problem.

                “I understand that you were informed of the fact that you would be provided with accommodation upon your arrival? Something that would suit your needs?”

                “Yes, your highness.”

                “There is absolutely no need for you to address me as your highness, unless we are in public. I grant you permission to address me as Aurora.”

Once more, I found that I didn’t know what to say. I had been expecting her to fault her title left and right, to be wearing an intricate ball gown, with a crown and everything. But here she was, wearing casual-formal attire, a style very similar to what I was wearing.

                “Would you be comfortable staying in the palace, or would you prefer to reside on your own?”

                “I would prefer to be on my own, please and thank you.”

I didn’t hesitate, answering her in an instant. There was n appeal to me to live in this place, for the chances were quite high that I wouldn’t even be able to find my way out of here in the mornings. A life where I was compelled to stay inside. No. I needed my freedom.

                “I didn’t think that you would find the palace to be unsatisfactory.”

I could hear in her voice that she was confused, clearly not understanding what could be so displeasing about her palace that I didn’t want to stay in it.

                “Personally, I have never had to navigate such a large environment, and I do not believe that I will fare well if I start doing it now.”

                “A rather strange argument, but one that I will accept. Would you be comfortable living on palace grounds? Or would that be a problem too?”

I wouldn’t even have dared to deny that I was baffled by her questions. It was because I had no idea how I was supposed to answer her, whether there was a guideline as to what I could ask for, and that this was a test that I was failing miserably. I had been expecting her to have everything planned out, not that I would be given a choice as to where I could stay. If they had had their minds made up about everything, then I wouldn’t be dwelling so much on their consequences.

                “Other than being on my own, I have no farther objections, or specifications. You, as my employer, should be able to guess that the building should be able to function as both a home, as well as an office.”

I watched the Queen carefully as she made her way around the couch, her footsteps soft and soundless, despite the fact that the floors were tiled. She sat down in the centre of the lounge seat, the energy around her buzzing with confidence and belonging. Thinking about it, I guessed that that was what one should have been expecting from a Queen.

                “There happens to be a cottage in the gardens that I believe will be more than suitable for your needs. I should warn you by telling you that it’s very isolated. And isolation often welcomes danger. I’m well aware of the fact that there are humans that still harbour some hostile feelings towards us, and as much as it pains me to say it, there will be wolves who will show that exact same hostility to you.”

As strange as it seemed, I didn’t find it odd or out of the ordinary. It was only natural that there were people here, who still carried very similar—if not the exact same—grudges as ordinary humans do. They had all shared very similar life-experiences, had suffered through the same pain—but I had never cared about any of it, being foolish enough to think that it wouldn’t affect me.

Oh, how wrong I had been…

“I’m sure that I’ll be capable of handling myself.”

There was a period of time that followed, that passed, time in which she did nothing other than stare at me, the glimmer in her eyes losing some of its’ shine. I didn’t need her to speak for me to know that I had said something wrong. I just couldn’t figure out what.

                “I’ve always found arrogance to be the downfall of the individuals who possess it, Hera. You should keep that in mind whenever you’re in my company. You may sport the name of a Goddess, but that does not give you the right to act like one.”

As I worked through her words, I had no idea how to act, how to react, or what I should even say to her. I hadn’t believed that anyone would be able to insult me in such a manner, but she had just put the cherry on the cake. I couldn’t stop myself from clenching my jaw, finding that it was the only way for me to control myself, to stop myself from saying something that I was bound to regret.

                “I trust that you’ve received my invitation to dinner. I will make sure that someone brings you the appropriate attire to wear, and that they will assist you in preparing, as it is a formal event. But until then, you will be required to remain here, in the safety of the palace, where you will be easily found if I am looking for you. As soon as I’ve planned your living arrangements, you will be informed of them.”