Her Sickness, His Cure

Chapter 2

Kyle's POV

Jerome's frozen body slowly rose up from the ground. He was trying so hard to take control but it was futile. As he rose higher and higher, I saw Tim standing behind him with his right hand raised.

I let out a breath of relief while my body sagged to the ground.

"Miss me human?" He casually asked.

That's when the other two vampires ran towards Tim. They only made it halfway before they knelt to the ground and let out tormented screams. The little brat was causing excruciating pain to their heads. Seconds later, I heard the sounds of bones cracking. This time, it was Jerome who was screaming his lungs out. Yes, Tim was breaking his bones without even touching him.

Minutes later, there were three dead vampires on the ground. Their body completely misshaped and destroyed due to their shattered bones. Including their skulls. I quickly looked away not wanting to throw up.

Tim rushed towards me to see if I was alright with no permanent damage.

"What took you so long?" I wheezed out. Seconds later I coughed up blood. Holding the right side of my jaw, I hoped it wasn't broken.

"Why the hell are you so far away from the carriage? I take my eyes of you for a few hours and this is what happens?" The little brat scolded me like a f*****g grown up. I mumbled a few words and slowly forced myself to get up.

"You can't walk. Get on top of your horse."

"They're not-" I was disrupted by a grunt. There trotting behind Tim was none other that Sorin. He quickly came to me and nudged my shoulder.

Before I could say anything, I was lifted off the ground.

"Whoa! Hey!" I panicked but Tim gently placed me on Sorin's back.

"We need to fix your face." He said while we all walked back.

"It's going to leave a mark Tim but I'll be fine. Thank you for saving my life. Again." That was all I could manage to say before I passed out.

~~~~~~~~

The next thing I knew, I was being shaken awake. I groaned and turned to my side but I was shaken even more.

"What?" I mumbled completely forgetting about my bruised jaw. I held the side of my face and sucked in the pain.

"Drink some water human." Tim handed me a black insulated water bottle.

Why was this so f*****g important now?!

I scolded him in my head and grabbed the water bottle. Then I realised there was no difference scolding him in my head. I did what he wanted me to do and gave him the bottle back.

"One sip isn't enough. Drink a little more." He said. I complied and gave him the bottle again. Then I lied back down.

About two hours later, I woke up and stretched myself. Tilting my head to the side, I realised that my face didn't hurt anymore. I quickly got out of the carriage and saw Tim feeding my horses.

"Morning human. We must leave as soon as they finish their breakfast."

"Okay. We'll just eat on the way then. You packed enough blood right?"

"Yeap, how are you feeling?"

"A lot better. I don't understand how..." Just then I touched my face and felt the bruise that was already healed. "What happened?! Was last night a dream?!"

"No. You almost got killed. I healed you by mixing my blood with the water I gave you earlier today." The little brat casually explained.

"You did what?" I whispered in disbelief.

I drank blood?! Ewwww!

"Sorry. I knew you wouldn't drink my blood so I had to mix it with water and give it to you while you were too drowsy to notice anything." He said sheepishly.

"Smart."

"Hey it wasn't too much blood so you still have the red marks on your face."

"Whatever. You still gave me blood." I scowled at the brat.

Without wasting any more time I put the reigns on the horses and readied the carriage so we could move.

"Straight towards Waitrose Woods right?"

"Yes. Do you need to rest? I can take over for a while." Tim suggested. I was tired but not completely worn out so I declined the offer.

"Waitrose Woods is beautiful but it's lonely so we have to look out for any signs of trouble." Tim warned me.

Trouble.

Jerome.

'We're not the only ones.' His words sent a chill down my spine.

"Hey I just remembered something those vampires said last night."

"What?"

"They said they weren't happy with the change Zenas was bringing to Red Kingdom and they also said they weren't alone. The main vampire said that there were hundreds of them. They sounded like they could bring a lot of trouble to our kingdom."

"Maybe it was just an empty threat. A lot of vampires don't like the change. A lot. But they'll be forced to accept it."

"It didn't sound like an empty threat you know. Maybe it's worth looking into."

"Alright. You should report last night's incident to the king. He should know what needs to be done."

"I just hope the three vampires were nothing but foolish bullies." I mumbled as I recalled what Jerome said. He sounded so wicked and deadly.

"Don't worry human. My brother will not let anything get out of hand. That's why he's taking things very slowly. Especially with the liberation of the humans. It's to avoid things like this. Last night must have been a harrowing experience for you."

He was right. I thought I was going to die. I saw no way out.

"You're right. We have to tell the king and trust that he can put an end to this." I finally admitted.

As time passed, we were passing through Waitrose Woods. It was a peaceful place surrounded my all kinds of greenery. I saw squirrels everywhere and many birds. Other than those nothing much. For that I was glad. We didn't need to fight off animals too.

Since the trail was a smooth with no obstacles, we decided not to stop. As the day went by, the weather slowly started to get cold. That's how I knew we were close to White Winter's Land.

I decided to stop before we went any further. It was only going to get colder from here on out so the horses will need all the strength they could get. I let them rest while Tim was on the lookout. After feeding them some fruits and giving them enough water, I allowed them to rest a little more.

"How long more until we get to the Black Waves?"

"About three hours since we're only passing through White Winter's Land. Not very far actually."

I nodded in understanding. Then readied my horses again.

Before we continued our journey I quickly grabbed my coat from inside the carriage. Tim had changed into a winter coat as well. Although, his was more of fashion than function. The little brat didn't need a coat.

"That's your coat?!"

"Yeah. Why?" I demanded.

"It looks so thin. I don't think it will keep you warm in the slightest." Tim raised a brow.

"The only coat I have. I'll be fine! Stop complaining about my clothes."

"You need to do some serious shopping with your salary."

"I do not." I grumbled. " I don't need to become like you."

"You really should. You're gonna freeze and when you're almost dead, you'll be grateful for all the extra coats I packed." He smirked at me.

"Grateful? They won't even fit me, you dimwit and I won't need any of your fancy coats because I'll be fine!"

~~~~~~~~

I could no longer feel my fingers on the reigns. I lost any form of feel on my toes. My teeth were chattering continuously and I think I my brain was frozen.

"H....how long m...more?" I asked him.

"Huh? What was that human? I didn't hear you." He snickered at my misery.

"I h...hate you." Waves of ice cold air washed over me and penetrated every inch of my skin. I felt as if I was going to freeze. Gripping my coat with my cold numb fingers, I imagined what it was like it be warm.

Oh, where are you Sun? If only I had a bowl of soup.

"Stop wishing for things that are not going to come true anytime soon." The brat said pointedly.

"Stay t...the f**k o..out of my head." I couldn't even scold him properly as another shiver wrecked through my body. We were almost at the border of White Winter's Land, smoothly headed towards the Back Waves.

"Tell me human. Are you grateful that I packed five coats now?" I swiftly turned to look at him. To my surprise, he was holding up one of his thick coats.

"H..how did you g...get it?" I stupidly asked. Completely forgetting that he was a vampire who could move in a blink of an eye. The cold must have already turned my brain to ice and it was probably cracking away.

"Do you wish to have it or not?" He smugly asked, knowing full well I did not only want the coat but as a matter of fact, I needed it.

All I could do was give Tim a pathetic nod while his eyes shined with mirth. He thought my current situation was amusing.

Shakily, I grabbed the coat and wore it. While squinting my eyes, I felt its fabric. The coat was thick and long.

"T..this is my size." I raised a brow at Tim. Well, at least I tried to. My brows were frozen as well.

"It is. My instincts told me something like this was bound to happen. You also have the tendency to attract trouble to yourself."

That was so not true but I kept my mouth shut and snuggled into the coat he gave me. It was thicker than any coat I had ever felt. Gradually, my shivering became less and less.

"We're almost there human. Do you see the waters?"

"It's so dark." I squinted my eyes towards where Tim had pointed. It was just weird. From a far distance, it looked like a sea of ink. The colour was in contrast to the ice and snow we had been traveling in for the past couple of hours.

"That's why they call it the Black Waves. It's just.....black." Tim informed me.

"I didn't expect it to be this blackish." I muttered to myself.

"It won't be once you stand near the waters. Now it looks like tar but when you get close, it will look more like a transparent black glass."

"So the water is still black?"

"Yeah. But it is attractive in a way. You'll see."

Slowly the landscape began to change. From the vast snow lands to lands sheltered by beautiful trees. The closer we got to the lake, the bigger it seemed. It stretched far and wide. I've never been anywhere close to the ocean but from the pictures I have seen this is what I imagined the blue waters to look like.

I'll have to go to a beach one day.

Shaking those thoughts away, I concentrated on what laid before us. There were trees on either side of the lake. Both decorating and guarding the black water. I could only imagine what sort of creatures lived among the trees. I didn't want to find out.

"Are you nervous?" Tim suddenly asked not taking his eyes off the lake.

"No." I said firmly.

"Your heartbeat has spiked up to an impressive pace. I don't need to read your mind in order to pick up the tremor that's going through your entire body."

"Would you please stop it already! You know how I feel about you reading my mind. You said you wouldn't do it."

"Hey I can't ignore your crazy mind if your thoughts come blaring in. That happens a lot human. And about this, I just told you that I didn't have to get inside your head." When he uttered the last bit, the brat looked at me with a hint of concern.

"I just want this to go smoothly." I finally admitted.

"It will. You have me so stop worrying." He almost demanded my trust. Letting out a heavy breath he turned to me again. "Come on we're almost there. You can stop the carriage here."

We were about a hundred and twenty meters away from the water when I decided to stop the carriage. We were out in the open so I felt a little safer. Something about this forest caused my skin to prickle. It felt alive and I just knew we were being watched.

"Sorin, Selene, do not move. Just wait here till I get back." I strictly told them and climbed inside the carriage. Taking the letter out of my bag, I quickly got out and walked towards Tim.

"Ready human?"

"I guess so. Let's get this over with." I said before dreadfully walking towards the lake. After further observation, I understood why they called it the Black Waves. The waters were in constant movement. The soft waves seemed like they were dancing in perfect synchrony. It was a stunning sight. Tim was right, the waters did look like black glass but it wasn't so transparent.  One will not be able to see anything under the water.

Although, the Black Waves was beautiful and the water shined under the clear sky, something about it just screamed danger. The vast lake was dark and mysterious as it was attractive to the eye.

Just like the creatures that lived here.

As Tim and I stepped closer towards the lake, we heard a gurgling sound. Then nothing. We were enveloped in complete silence. Both the water and the forest were silent as the dead.

I bet we were being observed and inspected. By whom, I didn't want to know.

So we stayed still. We knew they were fully aware of our presence therefore we decided to let them reveal themselves to us instead of me calling out to them.

As the seconds slowly ticked by, the air around us shifted. It became cooler. The trees began to move due to an invisible breeze. We couldn't feel a thing but they swayed anyway. I couldn't help but nervously look around. Just then the water right before us began to move in a circular motion. The whirlpool was small and subtle at first and then it began to grow and expand. Next thing we knew, the current began to pick up it's space and not long after, there was a huge whirlpool.

"Is this supposed to be like a small welcome or something?" I whispered to the vampire beside me. He didn't seem at all interested in what was going on.

"Be quiet human."

"What is it that you want?"

"Oh s**t! Did you hear that?" I looked around feeling myself getting panicky. The voice sounded powerful and it freaked the s**t out of me.

I only stopped because Tim wacked my arm.

"Ouch!"

"Pull yourself together and tell them why we're here human." Tim scolded.

I did just that. Taking a deep breath, I stepped closer to the lake.

"We....um...we," I turned to Tim and caught him glaring at me with his lethal vampire eyes. I quickly cleared my throat and looked towards the water once again. I can't embarrass myself in front of the brat.

"We're here to see Tallulah. The leader of the nymph creatures." I boldly stated, making my voice deeper. I knew this bravery was only temporary.

The second I said her name, the whirlpool died down. I assumed everything was going to be calm again but I was wrong. The whirlpool became bigger and bigger almost creating a centre hole in the middle of the lake.

Moments later the hole looked more like an opening surrounded by water. What instantly caught my attention was the feminine, jewelled feet that immerged from the black waters.

The flawless, dark brown feet were adorned with many different types of anklets and rings. My gaze steadily trailed up along her toned legs. She wore a kind of dress that nobody wore anywhere else. Its design was new. Probably only the nymphs possess this type of clothing. Her blue dress had no sleeves. It only covered her breasts. Her midsection was bare except for a thin piece of bedazzled cloth that went down her stomach, connecting to her skirt. The skirt itself had a slit on the right side that went up to her upper thigh. Her simple crown glittered around her head and the jewel at the centre of the crown rested on her forehead. The creature's arms were decorated with more bangles. Her fingers adorned with special rings, each with a distinctive design. She also wore a thick necklace around her neck. It had traditional symbols on it. As I looked upon her face, my eyes widened.

She was out of this world, her features were also unique and new. Just like everything else about her. She was simply grand in her own way.

A different kind of beauty altogether.

Her dark skin glowed. She had big, dark eyes. Her nose was small but her light brown lips were full. The creature also had fins where her ears should be. I stared at them in awe. They had a peculiar color. Her fins starts off with the colour brown like her skin, then it gently fades into green so the ends of her fins were dark green with a hint of blue. They spread out like fans. They made her look even more domineering.

What surprised me even more was her neck. Particularly, whatever was on the either side of her neck.

There were tender slits that I could have easily missed.

"That is how they breathe under the water human." Tim softly whispered to me.

The woman like creature who I can only assume be Tallulah stepped out of the water with grace and authority. Once her feet kissed the sand, four others came up behind her. They looked very different from one another but anyone would know they were one and the same.

They looked like advisors. All of them were male. And they too had gills on either side of their necks. Three of the males were shirtless. One of them wore a dark blue west and a cloth wrapped around his legs like a trousers. They all had similar trousers.

"My, my. A pure blood prince in the Black Waves. To what do I owe you this pleasure?" Her voice held a melody that reflected the dancing waves. It was gentle, and demanding at the same time. She gave Tim a sly smirk and slowly walked towards us.

"We came here with a letter, Your Majesty." I gave her a low bow. There was a short stretch of silence before I heard a scoff. Then soft laughter which came from the waters. I ignored it at the moment. Raising a brow, I looked up at Tallulah.

"I am the nymph leader and protector, Tallulah. I'm not a queen." She stared me down. She was a whole head taller than me. Beautiful yet intimidating.

"I see you've caught the attention of my siblings." She casually looked to the lake. Sitting on the rocks were a trio of female nymphs giggling at me. One of them waved at me, calling me over. They had the same features as Tallulah but their fins were much smaller.

They were all extremely attractive but I remembered what Zenas said. There was no way I was going anywhere near the water.

That didn't mean I couldn't wave back. So that was what I did. Their giggles turned into soft laughter which brought a wide smile to my face. I could almost sense the little brat rolling his eyes.

"Do you prefer the company of my siblings instead?"

"Huh?" I blinked and swiftly turned to Tallulah.

"Wh...what? I mean no." I smiled sheepishly and handed her the letter. She c****d her head to the side and observed me from head to toe. Her fish like eyes scanned every inch of my body until I began to squirm under her penetrating gaze.

"How odd?" She mused.

"What is?" Tim asked her directly.

"A mere human and a pure blood vampire prince, travelling together like the best of friends."

"Perhaps that is exactly what we are." Tim put her curiosity to rest.

"Well, no wonder I'm receiving this letter from King Zenas Everett Isoldrian. Looking at the two of you, I finally understand." She blinked at the two of us. I was even more confused now.

What the hell was Zenas hiding?!

I knew Tim was thinking the same thing as me but he kept his cool exterior.

"I only hope it's not terrible news, my Lady." She looked to the ground and smiled. As if the the contents of that letter were the exact opposite of what I had just said.

"Zenas is a good king. And that might be one of his many shortcomings. Being good is just not enough in the world we live in." She looked directly into my eyes as she spoke. Then she slowly looked at Tim.

"You have a long journey back. You should leave. Unless you," She pointed at me and stepped closer to me. "Would like to spend some time with my siblings." Tallulah said invitingly. I gulped and stared up at her.

"Um....no thank you. I mean no disrespect to you or your sisters, they are very pretty b..but we have to be somewhere else." I said quickly. The little brat simply scoffed at me and grabbed my wrist.

"Yes we shall make a move now. Thank you for seeing us Lady Tallulah. Farewell." He said and dragged me back to the carriage.

~~~~~~~~~

"You can at least pretend to be brave you know." Tim grumbled as we continued eastward from the Black Waters.

"Why are you having an attitude with me? You'd have to be blind to not see how intimidating she was." I bit back.

"Intimidating?" The little brat scoffed. "You should have seen the way you looked at her. You were in awe of her mere presence and I knew you'd jump in the water if it weren't for my brother's warning." He countered back.

"How dare you assume such things?! I would never...!"

"Never?" Tim raised a brow and looked at me knowingly.

"Get out of my head!"

"I wasn't even in there. You're beyond what they call an open book."

"Am not! You just know me too well."

"Do you enjoy attracting trouble to yourself? Do you have any idea what would have happened if you walked towards the nymphs?"

"They would have been nicer to me compared to you?" I asked genuinely.

"You would have been their slave! Or a s*x slave to the rest of Tallulah's nymph creatures."

"Hey! I wasn't going to go! Yes I found Tallulah to be extremely attractive but I wasn't going to run to her sisters! Why are we even having this stupid conversation? I wasn't going to take a single step towards them! In case you didn't know, I value my life a lot!" The stupid brat looked at me for a very long time and gave me a curt nod.

I grumbled a few words and got back to driving the carriage. At least Sorin and Selene never openly insulted me and assumed stuff about me.

The vampire jerk was being more of a jerk.

"Are you having an attitude because you're hungry? Go drink some blood or whatever." I sternly said.

"I'm not hungry human."

"Sleepy then?"

"What? No. I'm not a child."

Whatever you say.

I smiled inwardly as we traveled towards the Crystal Blue Falls.

This time I was thankful that the ice was slowly melting away from my vision. We were finally headed towards warmer lands. I wasn't just grateful for the weather but also the breathtaking greenery. The landscape on the way to the waterfall was truly magnificent with mighty mountains and graceful hills. I instantly relaxed and enjoyed our ride.

"We're close to King Epaphroditus' castle right?"

"Yes his castle is about two hours away northwards from where we are now. We'll be heading further east in twenty minutes or so. And we should be able to see the falls in less than an hour human."

"I can't wait to get there." Tim nodded in agreement. We were both excited.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

We passed a few estates on the way. Two of those were beautiful wine estates. The vineyards stretched far and wide and it made me wish to visit them someday.

"I'm so glad I disobeyed Zenas and came along." Tim mumbled from beside me.

"Yeah, I saw more of the world today than the past twenty years of my life." I said in awe. Even Sorin and Selene were having a good time. Their energetic trotting said it all.

As I leaned back and took in the splendid view before me, I noticed the two mountains to my right. The Sun was high up in the sky and it shed it's light on those mountains, making the view even more magical. As I looked closer there was mist coming from between the two mountains.

"Hey is that?"

"The waterfall? Yes it is human! It's amazing isn't it?!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The closer we got to the mountains, the grander our view turned out to be. I knew we were openly gaping at the view before us and we had not even seen the entire waterfall yet. We were still going around the mountains.

As we came closer and closer, I saw strings of water seeping through the rocks right below the mountain.

However, nothing could compare to sight of the entire Crystal Blue Falls. As we slowly came before the falls, it looked nothing less than an artistic painting. I couldn't believe the whole thing was real. Only then did I understood its name. The water was literally crystal blue. The pool below shimmered under the rays of the sun and they seemed to be sparkling with joy. The fall itself was almost a 150 feet drop. It was so tall I couldn't see the tip because the Sun was in my eye.

What surprised me more was what Tim had told me earlier. That the Crystal Blue Falls was no where close to the Core of Life.

Height wise.

How could anything be taller than this?!

"I wish I had a phone with me. Your face is so silly right now!" The brat blurted out and laughed.

"Can you blame me?! Look at this place!"

"Spectacular, I know." He agreed

The mist that came from the falling water created small rainbows.

"I wish I could live here." I sighed. "It's so mesmerizing. I have run out words for this place. Gosh." I murmured to myself.

"Well, since you don't live here, I suggest you make full use of the time we get to spend in this place. Come on." Tim just jumped out of the carriage and rushed towards on of the smaller pools in a blur.

I shook my head and stopped my carriage at a distance. "Alright then you know the rules. No running off. There's plenty of grass and nature for you two to enjoy so.....enjoy." I said to my horses before losing the reigns on them. Sorin have me a sloppy lick across my face while Selene nudged my shoulder before walking away.

I guess that was thank you.

"Human! What's taking you so long?!" I looked over to the little brat only to find him already in the water. Close to where the water fell directly.

"Be careful." I shouted over the sound of water gushing. The brat simply shook his head and continued to swim in nothing but his shorts without a care in the world.

Rolling my eyes, I continued to admire the sight before me. I saw that there were layers of pools which looked like stairs from a far distance. Only with clear water falling over them.  Rocks littered here and there in the water but it wasn't messy. The rocks made the waterfall even more beautiful.

I enjoyed watching the water twist and turn as it flowed through the rocks.

In time, I too, took off my clothes and wore the pair of shorts Tim had brought for me for this very purpose. Walking up the rocks at the side of the waterfalls, I jumped into the highest pool. The water was freezing but it was worth it. I welcomed it's coolness. The loud sound of heavy water hitting the pool only relaxed my mind.

After swimming near the main waterfall for a while I came down to the second layer, where it was a little quieter and the waters were more calm.

Minutes later, I was peacefully sitting against the rocks where the water fell, allowing its coolness to wash over me. I didn't want to leave but I knew it was time to go soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

All in all we had a splendid time at the Crystal Blue Falls.

Well except for the part I almost died.

"I can't believe you! I can't leave you alone for more than half an hour!" Tim yelled from beside me. We were already on our way back.

Okay maybe I deserved the scolding this time. But hey it wasn't exactly my fault! I didn't ask for my foot to get stuck between rocks! Under the gushing waterfall!

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That's all for now! It was a longer chapter and I'm so disappointed that the meximum number of words is no more than 5000