There was noise, like a weary songbird, echoing from the world outside my head. I could barely breathe through the heavy feeling in my chest. Opening my eyes wasn’t an option due to the pounding headache I had, let alone sitting up.   

I could feel something shift beside me; a warm presence and a scattered scent. Ignoring the painful protest of my headache, I squinted against a bright light, blinking several times to clear my eyes of sleep.   

“You’ve been asleep several days now.”  

I groaned, recalling the blade in my ribs and the massive amount of magic I had used to heal it. The voice that greeted me resonated with familiarity, his accent... soft.   

“Would you like me to help you sit up?”  

I managed to nod weakly, the small movement making my head spin. His hands found my waist on one side and my shoulder on the other, guiding me upwards slowly. As the pain dulled and the stars cleared from my vision, I blinked up at Endymion.  

“Wh-where are we?”   

He shook his head, disheveled curls falling into his eyes, “I’ll show you when you are well enough to walk.”  

“Just tell me.”  

I could hear the irritation in my own voice, but Endymion merely smiled, shifting next to me.   

“I-I don’t think you’ll like it very much.”  

“At this point, I don’t care,” I snapped at him, scooting away best I could while biting back bitter pain, “Why are you so close to me?!”  

He blushed lightly, furrowing his brow, “I was exhausted a-after carrying you all the way back to town. This is my room, and I couldn’t risk getting another room and leaving you all alone! That would have raised a lot of questions. And I was so tired, I-I didn’t want to sleep on the couch or something...”  

He trailed off as I stared at him.   

“So we aren’t in your house,” Endymion squinted in suspicion as I spoke and sat up more, “why didn’t you just leave me in the marsh?”  

He opened his mouth to respond, but his answer was laced with hesitation.   

“I was worried you would die, and no one would find you in the rubble...I couldn’t stand the thought of having that on my conscience.”  

Endymion’s answer sounded distant and empty of emotion. We sat in silence for a moment, the sound of bird song accompanying the awkward buzz. 

I jumped as his accent broke the silence, “Can I see your wound?”  

He moved swiftly out of the large bed, helping me to the edge with a touch that bordered on affectionate, and I winced, lifting my tunic to reveal the fading scar. Endymion sucked breath through his teeth, his fingers moving absently to examine the healed gash.   

“It’s healed perfectly...” Endymion’s breath left a tingling feeling on the skin of my ribs, “The scar’s disappearing too, like it was never there!”  

“If you wanted to be so close to me, you should have just said so instead of making excuses about a bed.”  

He fell back quickly, a flush creeping up his neck and cheeks.  

“I-I-I wanted no such thing!”  

My loud laughter escaped before I could stop it, Endymion’s eye growing ever wider as I clutched my sides and wiped a tear away, inhaling deeply to clam myself.  

“Twas but a joke, my lord-”   

There was a knock at the door, saving Endymion from further embarrassment. A small voice called from the other side.  

“My lord,” her voice was echoey like a choir of children singing, “the king has arrived...may he enter?”  

I swung to face Endymion, fury in my eyes. He swallowed hard, raising a shaking finger to his lips. As violent as my anger was, I couldn’t risk getting caught. Shoving the anchored anger down, I nodded to Endymion, praying internally to any god that would listen to a poor woman like me as I drew a circle of patience on my chest.   

The door slammed open suddenly, the heavy smell of sweet and salty air wafted towards us, announcing the presence of a rather tall man. He was very handsome to say the least, soft features contrasting his piercing gold eyes. He was draped in regal robes, colors blended to complement his fair complexion.   

“I see you have brought a woman home from your ‘vacation’,” the king ginned, swiftly crossing the large chambers to where I sat vulnerable, “...what a curious thing...”  

His approach slowed and he met my steady gaze. Endymion stood and offered a small bow to his king. It took me a hesitant second to gather my pride and shove it out the window.   

Lowering my head, I muttered a polite, “Your highness,” before keeping my eyes averted.   

“My, my, Eddy,” the king’s fingers flitted across my jaw, tilting my face to the sun’s delicate rays, “You’ve caught yourself a pretty one.”  

Fighting the urge to lunge at the king and rip his angelic face off, I shot a glare at Endymion, surprised to find his eyes already on me. His mouth twitched in annoyance, and he looked away quickly, blushing.   

“She’s just a friend of mine,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “I happened to run into her whilst on my vacation.”

Gods, for a man so easily embarassed, he sure was a good liar.

The king’s curious hand lingered on my face, his sharp eyes tracking mine, “Where are you from...umm...”  

I bowed my head once more, “Asajj, dearest majesty.”  

“Where are you from, lovely Asajj?”  

“The southernmost peninsula, in the grand city of Nuatimere.” Not exactly a lie. 

The king blinked before releasing me and chuckled to himself, turning to Endymion, who stood silent.  

“I’ve heard rumors of the great port city, although I am yet to visit it...”  

He trailed off beckoning the small girl from the doorway. She rushed forward, her blue eyes catching my intrigued gaze. The king patted the girl’s shoulder, and winked at her, the two of them sharing a knowing look that made me wish I could have just jumped out the window with my pride.

“Ma’am, if you would please come with me, I can situate you in more appropriate chambers.”  

I nodded, rising to stand and follow the girl. Turning back once more, I locked eyes with Endymion, who looked... frightened.  

“Don’t be such a worry wart,” I grinned at him and his eyes crinkled around the corners, as if on the verge of a smile.  

The king smirked and elbowed Endymion, who started blushing violently as the girl tugged at my hand, leading me out of the lord’s chambers.  

“Both the king and the High Advisor seem to like ya, ma’am.”  

“Really?”  

Without warning, her grip on my hand tightened and she pulled me sharply to the left and down a narrow hallway.  

“W-where are we--”  

She stopped suddenly, spinning around to face me with blazing eyes. I blinked in confusion as she breathed heavily through gritted teeth.  

“Ya--yar eyes... ya’re like me...” she was vibrating, shaking so badly her teeth chattered, “but ya’re so, so beautiful, ma’am, like a goddess really...”  

My fear magic started flowing uncontrollably, small at first but it started to grow as her grip on me tightened.  

“I don’t understand! Let go!” she squeezed tighter and tighter until her knuckles turned white, and my fingertips went numb, “I said, LET GO.”  

The overwhelming power that had been sitting so patiently at the surface of my skin broke free, wrapping itself around her mind until her arm fell limp to her side and her face went blank. 

“I want you to hear my words, young Fay,” she nodded, still caught in my trance, “You do not know me...You do not know what I am.” 

I bent low and gingerly held her small face in my slender fingers, “I am just a woman. Just a friend of lord Endymion’s, yes? A guest of the King’s. Do you understand?” 

Her mouth had fallen open slightly and her eyes started to refocus as she returned to reality. I plastered a confused smile on my face and smoothed down my still-floating hair.  

The girl finally gasped and turned, swiveling her head in shock, “What--?” 

“Are you ok?” I asked innocently, “You seemed to go blank for a moment...” 

She looked up at me, blinking several times before clearing her throat and taking my hand once more. 

“I apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused you, ma’am.” 

It didn’t take long for her to locate the room in which I was to stay. Before entering, however, she handed me a key and looked into my eyes as if searching for something that only she could see. I shifted uncomfortably then lowered my voice. 

“Should I go in?” 

She jumped, startled, and shoved the key into my hands, “Lock ya doors at night and don’t let anyone in ‘til the mornin’...” she hesitated, her pink lips forming a thing line, “The High Advisor of’en has night terrors.” 

The girl hurried away, leaving me to stare at the large set of beautiful doors.  

“...Night terrors...” I mumbled to myself before I pushed the key into the lock and pushed open the doors, “How odd.” 

Closing the doors behind me and locking them once more, I scanned the room taking in the airy space with its many windows and beautiful decor. The walls were bare except for the occasional unlit flambeau and a few vibrant tapestries that ran from the high ceiling to the floor. I counted in my head and smiled to myself. Two windows by the bed (which sat on a rather large elevated platform that also occupied a case of books); two windows in what looked to be a bathroom; one very large window by the elegant desk area; and finally, a rather grand set of glass French double doors that lead to a lovely personal balcony.  

I breathed deeply, turning slowly to take in the impossible room. And as long as I was a guest of the King’s, which was rather odd to think about, this room was all mine.

The bathroom convinced me to stay, at least for the time being. I decided to freshen up, something that I wouldn’t have normally done until later in the evening, but after all the excitement of the last days, I felt rather... dirty. So, I bathed myself in a pale, porcelain tub, fitted with cascading showers and a small waterfall. It could have easily fit five other people, so when I stretched out and sighed, I felt as though I were a child again, floating in the seas of my home island.