The Bard And The Owl (A Raeda Fanfic)

Chapter Two

Raine awoke in an unfamiliar setting. While unconscious, they had been set down onto a very comfortable bed, but they wanted nothing more than to get out of it and find out what the hell was going on.

Their first instinct was to scream, and they couldn't stop themselves.

"GAH-- where am I?!" They panicked.

"Whoa," a voice said. "Easy there, calm down."

"What's going on-- Who are you--?"

"A very concerned stranger. Now please... Can you try to relax?"

Raine took a deep breath, sat upright, and fixed their glasses into position on their face.

Standing in front of them was a woman so tall she must have been at least six foot eight or something. She was significantly taller than Raine, that was for sure.

She had long, pale hair that was so thick it looked like it could hold all the secrets of the universe inside it. As she stepped forward, her fanged-toothed smile was visible. She looked at Raine with a piercing gaze, and the bard noticed that the woman had two different colored eyes, one golden and the other silvery-gray.

She wore a bold red dress, tight around the top but loose at the skirt. She was drop-dead gorgeous.

"There you go," the woman said. "Now... Let's start over."

"Okay," Raine sighed. "Where am I? What's going on?" They asked, more calmly this time.

"You're somewhere safe. Don't worry." The woman reassured them. "This is Latissa Castle. Also known as The Owl House, because it’s guarded by a house demon that looks like a tube with the face of an Owl."

"Huh? I--"

"Never heard of it? Ah, oh well, that's okay. It doesn't matter. It's a castle... And you're safe here." She explained. "Do you not remember what happened? You could have a concussion... Are you suffering a headache to any extent right now?" The woman came closer and reached out her hand, as if to place it on Raine's forehead, but held back, not wanting to invade their personal space.

"A little bit... But I remember vaguely...?"

"Okay, that's good. How much do you remember?"

"Mainly that I went into the dangerous part of the forest and got into some trouble, and you showed up... The rest is a blur."

"Are you just now realizing it was dangerous because you've inferred that fact, or did you already know?"

"Well, I kinda already knew--"

"You knew it was dangerous and you still went in there?"

"I just–"

"Anyway. Is that all you remember?"

"Just about..."

"Okay... Well, basically, I saved you, carried you back here, and the goal is to help you recover from the incident.

"Recover...? What happened--?" Raine said, perplexed. They glanced down at themselves, and upon seeing their injuries, they gasped. "Oh, Titan–"

"Whoa, I know it looks bad, but--" she tried to console Raine, as she'd noticed they had fear in their eyes. "Hey, breathe... I'm gonna help you. But I'll need you to try and focus on me, alright?"

Raine shakily nodded.

"Breathe in for four seconds. Breathe out for four. Then hold for three, and repeat. Ready? Breathe in, two, three, four..."

They followed along. They weren't sure why this stranger was helping them, but she seemed to be trustworthy?

"Out, two, three, four. Hold, two, three... Good. Let's do it again until you're not, like, hyperventilating."