CHAPTER FOUR

-ARABELLA-

My eyes fluttered open and were immediately drawn to a tall, gangly man, his hair as red as a raging inferno. “Who are you?”, I managed to ask, my voice sounding hoarse and dry. His ocean blue eyes fell on me and a small smile pulled at the side of his lips, “It’s good to see you awake, Miss. The healer was unsure if his remedy would bring you out of your slumber.”

“And how long have I been asleep for?”, I asked cautiously, my eyes assessing this strange man with the fiery hair sitting messily atop his head. I had never seen anyone with hair such a brilliant shade of crimson, I doubt anybody in my town had either; everyone was so plain there. “Two days, Miss”, he answered carefully, entwining his long slender fingers, “Is there anything I can fetch for you? Water and a bite to eat perhaps?”

Although I was unsure of my whereabouts and alone in a room with a complete stranger, I felt an odd comfort with him, like I’d seen him somewhere before and knew I could trust him. “I would appreciate that very much…”, I said, raising my eyebrows at him, waiting for him to inform me of his name. “Percy, Miss”, he finished, slightly bowing his head. “Thank you, Percy”, I smiled. His answering smile was mesmerizing, more so than his odd hair. His teeth were impeccably white; something that I had not seen in Redwood.

I sat silently as I waited for his return, looking over my body at the layers of bruises that marked my skin. Memories of the attack replayed in my mind, making my stomach churn and twist with disgust. Even though I didn’t feel any love for Gideon, I still felt the sting of his betrayal. He had asked me fervently to be wed to him and each time I turned him down as gently as possible, afraid to hurt him; But in the end it was him that hurt me, that took the one part of me that I was able to hold on to through everything my father had put me through; he took my purity.

Tears began flowing from my eyes as I thought of what I had lost. How could any man ever love me now that I was stained, tarnished beyond repair? Percy came through the door, supporting a large silver tray with an array of bowls and cups, talking a mile a minute, “I didn’t know what you preferred so I had the kitchen staff make…”, he started but paused when he saw the tears rolling down my cheeks, “Is everything alright, Miss? Should I fetch the healer?”

“No”, I croaked, my voice wobbling with the unshed tears, “I’m fine, Percy, really.” He placed the tray down gently on the night stand and sat down on the edge of the bed, grasping my hand supportively with his. “I don’t expect you to tell me what happened to you, Miss, but I want you to know that I am here for whatever you may need”, he said quietly, tucking a piece of stray hair behind my ear. The gesture should have made me flinch, but yet again I got the feeling that I could trust this man with anything. “I will leave you to eat and come back to see you later”, he said before leaving the room.

Some of the foods on the tray looked strange and I wasn’t sure that I wanted to eat them, so I settled for the beef stew and buttered bread, they seemed the safest option. After eating I laid down, feeling the familiar sensation of my body needing rest. I didn’t know that being unconscious for two days could make someone feel so tired, but it had definitely taken its toll on me. I closed my eyes and let my body drift off into a somewhat calm slumber.

My eyes shot open as a loud metallic crashing rung through the room. I sat up and faced a shocked Percy, who was standing frozen with his back to me. He was clearly trying to take my food tray away silently, but one of the cups had tipped and fallen to the floor. A smile crawled across my face as he turned his head towards me, a look of horror and apology on his face. “I’m so sorry, Miss”, he whispered, his eyebrows pulling down and inward. A small giggle escaped my lips at his expression and before long I was in a fit of stomach shaking laughter.

Percy broke into a laugh too, bending down to collect the fallen cup. When I could breathe again, I smiled at him, “I’m not cold-blooded, Percy. You don’t need to tip-toe around like I’m going to bite your head off for making noise.” He smiled back but it felt forced, “Still, I apologise for waking you, Miss, I know you must be tired.” “Not at all, I feel perfectly refreshed. The food was wonderful, thank you”, I said, “Do you think I could possibly get a book to read? It’s incredibly dull staring at the walls in here.”

Percy smiled politely, “I’d be happy to fetch one for you, Miss. What genre do you prefer?” I was shocked by his question, the library in town only had a small assortment of books, all of which I had already read and committed to memory. “Surprise me”, I replied with a grin, “Thank you, Percy.”

Percy returned a short time later with the book, handing it to me before leaving to attend to ‘his master’; as he put it. My interest was piqued and I wondered when I would have the pleasure of meeting the person who had given me shelter. I looked down at the book, the title read ‘The wonderful wizard of oz’. This wasn’t a book that I’d had the luxury to read yet, so I opened it without hesitation. Immediately, my mind got caught up in the story and I felt a pang of familiarity with Dorothy. She was whisked away from her family, only to end up somewhere completely unfamiliar, though she trusted those she met.

I was completely enthralled in the book when an incredible looking man stumbled into the room. His amber eyes froze on mine and my breath caught in my throat. His straight jawline tensed as he stared, making my heart quicken; I could feel its pulse all the way to my fingertips. He stood there for a good while, not saying anything and eventually I was able to form a coherent question, “Are you alright?” His head moved up and down slowly, but he still didn’t speak. “Would you like to take a seat?”, I asked, trying to get him to move. I was worried he was having some kind of breakdown.

It took only three steps for him to reach the chair nearest to my bed, and in those three steps my whole perspective of the world changed. Before he had even taken the first step, my mind had memorised the way that his chest rose as he inhaled, his shirt stretching over his perfectly sculpted muscles. By the second step I had seen a whole scenario where my body writhed underneath his as he made love to me, and by the third step, I had imagined the family we would have; me holding a baby in my arms as he kissed me passionately.

I lowered my eyes at his penetrating stare, afraid that he would see the desire flash through them, “What is your name?”, he asked quietly, his voice barely a whisper. I forced my eyes to meet with his as he shifted uncomfortably in the chair. “Arabella”, I answered just as quietly.

“Is there anyone you would like me to send for?”, he asked. I didn’t have to think for long to find the answer. The only person I had any connection to was my father, and I knew that the only reason he would notice my absence was when he ran out of food to eat. “No, that’s quite alright. My father is the only family I have, and I dare say that he wouldn’t care if he never saw me again.” I watched as something built behind his deep golden eyes. They seemed to dance with flecks of black as his mind ventured elsewhere. I jumped when he stood abruptly and brought his eyes back to mine, “I... I need to go, but I will come and visit later, if that’s alright with you”, he said, but his voice held a hint of kindness. I smiled at him, looking forward to seeing him again, “I think I would like that.”

I watched him as he left, a feeling of emptiness overtaking me as the door swung closed with a hollow thud. I blinked a few times, wondering if the connection I was feeling was real. I had no idea of his name or if he was the one that Percy called master, but I knew that this man was nothing like any other I had ever met.