The Fall

Chapter 4

My eyes struggle to open as I feel someone shaking my shoulder. I groan softly as I lift my hand to rub one of my eyes. I prop myself up on my elbow and look up at Nimue, who stares down at me.

"I told you not to get up," she scolds me.

"My brother needed comfort," I respond, covering my mouth with my hand as I let out a yawn.

"That is no excuse to ignore me," she grits out, wiping her hands on her apron. "I have brought you food to eat." She gestures to the plate she has left on the bedside table.

I nod my head, thanking her as I sit up. I inhale the scent of food, relishing in the warmth that wafts up.

"Your sister, Laney, has been messing with her wings for about an hour now. After you have eaten, please speak with her about it," Nimue informs me, heading over to a chair in her kitchen.

I nod again, carefully chewing the food offered to me. I close my eyes as it melts across my tongue, filling my mouth with a delicately sweet flavor. I have never eaten food like this before. I never really bothered to care about food, I only ever thought of it as a way to gain energy to continue.

"Wh-where are my lovers?" I hear my father's voice cry out, sounding heartbroken.

I turn in time to see him charging at Nimue, rage firing in his eyes. Without thinking, I jump from the bed and rush to stand between the two, arms outstretched to either side.

"Father!" I yell, hoping to turn his ire towards me, rather than the innocent bystander.

He skids to a halt in front of me, his chest heaving. "What happened to Serpentine and Drac?!" He roars, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

I meet his eyes, steeling my emotions and hardening my voice so it does not quiver.

"They are both dead. You watched as Grandmother killed them both and tossed us all out of Heaven," I tell him, trying not to feel intimidated by his rage.

He staggers a bit, caught off guard, before turning on me and screaming obscenities at me.

I flinch slightly, my eyes dodging away from him for a moment before staring him back in the eyes as he continues his tirade.

Nimue finally steps over, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Sir, you need to either be quiet or leave. There are multiple injured people here and I cannot have you screaming and disturbing their rest."

My father looks at her before clicking his jaw shut. He looks back at me, hatred filling his eyes.

I stare back at him, straightening my spine. "If you dare come at me again with your screaming, I will leave you to rot with their bodies."

He staggers backwards, stunned at my words I assume.

"Now lie back down on your bed. Do not think for a second that you can get up and wander, lest you wind up outside," I warn him. "I will not come look for you if you leave. You will be wandering endlessly for eternity if you do."

He blinks at me, before walking over to his bed and sitting down. A look of defeat washing over his face, making him look about a decent amount of years older.

I turn to Nimue, grasping both of her shoulders. "Are you alright?"

She nods, taking both my hands in her own. "You did not need to come to my aid," she tells me, guiding me to my own bed. "I could have handled him."

I shake my head. "No disrespect intended, Nimue, but I have seen how he is when enraged, as he is my father. I do not doubt your abilities to protect yourself, but I would rather face his ire in your stead than you suffer." I turn my eyes up to her.

She blinks at me, a bit surprised. "Well, that is a new one for me. No one has ever cared enough like this for little old me."

I smile softly at her. "Do not worry. I will try my best to keep his wrath at bay."