CHAPTER FIVE

-ARABELLA-

*FLASHBACK*

(Ten years earlier)

“Where are we going?”, Arabella asked her father as he pulled her roughly towards the town square. “The king has an announcement to make and has ordered all the townsfolk to attend”, he replied gruffly, tightening his hold on her wrist and quickening his steps. Arabella remembered seeing the king once or twice before; he had always seemed grouchy and displeased.

When they arrived, the town square was crowded and the hum of conversation filled the air. Arabella noticed a large wooden stage had been erected by the fountain and at least twenty men surrounded it, their eyes focussed on the ever-growing crowd. Arabella’s father came to a stop when they were but a few feet away from the stage and finally released her now throbbing wrist from his grasp. Arabella looked around nervously and spotted her new friend Finnigan standing nearby. She smiled when he gave her a small wave. Finnigan had been teaching Arabella how to spell her name after she accidentally wandered into the library a few days ago. Arabella was happy to have finally made a friend in the small town where outsiders were seen as unwelcome, even if she had lived there since she was a baby.

Arabella turned to look at the stage as a voice called everyone to attention. The king looked ghastly compared to his usual appearance and Arabella noticed his sullen cheeks and the light sheen of sweat that covered his forehead; he looked sick. “Ladies and gentlemen of Redwood, I have gathered you here today to announce my resignation as king of the Lycans. My son-,” he gestured towards a young boy, no older than fifteen, that was standing silently beside him, “ will be taking over my position in the next few days and I hope that you will all show him the same respect and loyalty that you have given me over the past forty years.”

A loud crackling cough left his mouth then and he stumbled forward, as if he was about to fall. The young boy, his son, caught him and helped him from the stage. Arabella found herself engrossed in the behaviour that the boy had shown his father. She could see the love there, even though the king had never shown an ounce of emotion during his past speeches, he undoubtedly loved his son. She wondered what it would feel like to have a father who took care of her the way a father should; what it would feel like to be truly loved by a parent.

A group of men started yelling out profanities at the king and his men, some even bent down to pick up stones to throw at them. Arabella’s father grasped her arm once again and pulled her away from the town square. A thought crossed her mind that maybe he was pulling her to safety, to make sure that she didn’t get caught in the middle of whatever protest was happening, but Arabella’s fantasy was obliterated when they stopped in front of the local tavern. “Stay here until I come out”, her father ordered before going inside. Arabella found a bench to sit on and waited patiently for her father to emerge from the tavern, but she knew that it was likely he had already forgotten about her; being forced to sit and wait while her father completed his daily ritual of spending hours on end in the tavern, had become a normal part of Arabella’s life.

Two hours passed and Arabella was still waiting for her father to come out so that she could go home and warm her ice-like fingers in front of the fire. Her teeth had been chattering together since the sun went down which was over an hour ago. Wrapping her arms around her legs, she tried to conserve as much body heat as she could so as to not completely freeze. A warm piece of fabric was suddenly draped around her shoulders and she quickly straightened herself in fear that it was her father. Her eyes grew wide at the boy that was stood beside her, his hair a bright crimson that closely resembled the glowing embers of a roaring inferno. Before she could say a word, the boy smiled kindly at her and then turned around and walked away. Arabella watched as he climbed into a wagon carrying some of the king’s guards. She pulled the jacket tightly around her shoulders and sighed as some of the chill left her body, “Thank you”, she whispered quietly.

*END FLASHBACK*

-ARABELLA-

“Arabella, wake up,” a husky voice whispered into my ear, making me jump awake. My hand flew to my chest as my heart rate accelerated. The mysterious man from earlier was leaning over me, his amber eyes seemed to glow with excitement. “What’s going on?”, I squeaked, my voice catching in my dried throat. I looked towards the small window and saw the sun slowly rising over the horizon. “What time is it?”, I asked returning my gaze to his face. His lips pulled up into a breathtaking smile as he pulled a small chair towards the bed and took a seat, making himself comfortable. He reached out and intertwined his fingers with mine, “It’s dawn, my favourite time of day. And no, there’s nothing wrong, actually it’s the complete opposite, everything is terrific,” he said confidently, his smile growing.

“I don’t understand,” I whispered, looking down at our hands and trying to memorise the feeling of his skin against mine. “I went and paid a visit to the tavern in Redwood,” he said, then paused to gauge my reaction. “And,” I pushed, waiting for him to continue. “And, I just happened to meet a man that was bragging of how he attacked a young woman not too long ago.” My heart was beating anxiously in my chest and I felt my palms break out in a sweat, “What happened?”, I asked although I felt like hiding away under a rock somewhere. The last thing I wanted was for this glorious, god-like man that had occupied a large portion of my mind, to find out exactly what had befallen me before he so kindly took me in. I couldn’t imagine any man wanting a woman who had been defiled and ruined the way I had been.

“I taught him a lesson. I dare say he won’t be touching another woman ever again,” he stated, shrugging his shoulders. “Who are you?” I asked quickly. It felt wrong that this person had opened his home to me and unknowingly defended me against my attacker, yet I still didn’t know his name. “I’m Royce, the master of this household,” he said, smiling. My mind reeled at his name and I felt like I should somehow recognise it. “Thank you, Royce. I wish there was some way I could repay you for your hospitality.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m just grateful that you’re safe,” he chuckled.

Royce stayed with me until the sun was shining brightly in the sky and then left, saying he had some things to attend to but promised he would be back by the time lunch came around. My heart sank when the door closed behind him and a heavy feeling of loneliness began to creep in. I picked the book up that Percy has given to me yesterday and tried to force myself into getting lost in its pages, but no matter how many times I tried to focus on the words written on the page, all I saw was a scramble of letters that I couldn’t decipher. I read the same page over and over again until I slammed it closed and threw it back onto the nightstand. I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest, slumping back against the pillow, why was my mind being so difficult to deal with today? And why can’t I get Royce out of my head?