Ok. So I'm late with the update again, but if you're one of my followers then you should have received a message with the reason why. Well... one of the reasons at least.
So, as some of you may already know, this chapter is longer than all the others so far which meant that it took me a bit longer to write it.
Another reason is because I was a bit sick over the past few days which seriously hindered my ability to stay awake let alone write.
So...I apologise for the delay and here's the next chapter. Enjoy :)
Travis heaved a sigh of relief as he left the commanders office. Ever since the incident with the large influx of magic, the whole Citadel was in an uproar and he was finally getting a break after the sleepless nights and tiresome days of damage control.
Or not.
He let out a quiet, tired groan as he spotted a nurse coming his way.
'Is she awake yet?' he asked.
'Yes,' she answered. 'Doctor Evans wishes to speak to you before you go see her,' she answered with a small bow of her head.
'Very well,' he in turn replied and made his way out of the training facility, across the large field used for training purposes, passed the gate of the compound, and through the sturdy trees of the forest; dew covered leaves reflected the rays of sunshine, glimmering in the early hours of the morning.
He left the cover of the trees and walked along the flattened path to the guest house and entered from the back entrance; the same entrance Lady Delena and Sharika left through days before. He grabbed the handle and paused. Passing through the door would signify his new task as Lady Delena's' guard would begin. That would mean his private life would drop from barely there to almost non-existent as he would have to centre his actions around the activities of his charge. And if her recent actions were anything to go by, he would have his work cut out for him.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and walked across the main hall, passing the grand double staircase on his left and under the arched doorframe. He then stopped by the desk just passed the entrance to his right.
'Doctor Evans requested to see me,' he said to the brown haired Paulette.
'He's inside waiting,' she replied with a nod in the direction of the office door about two feet away her. He murmured a quiet 'thanks' and walked over to the door, knocked and waited for permission to enter. He heard the doctor telling him to come in only a second later.
Travis opened the door to find the brown haired doctor sitting behind his desk in the far left corner of the room, typing away at the keyboard of his laptop. Probably updating patient records or catching up with unfinished work.
'You asked to see me?' he said as he closed the door behind him and stood with his feet shoulder width apart and hands behind his back. The way soldiers stood when facing someone of higher rank.
'Uh huh. Take a seat,' the doctor replied while waving his hand in the direction of the chairs in front of him without looking up from the screen. Travis walked over and took a seat directly in front of the doctor.
Joshua finished writing up his medical record for Delena and looked up.
'You look tired,' he commented.
'I was busy,' answered Travis. 'Pardon the rudeness sir, but why did you ask to see me?'
'To speak about Lady Delena and to give you a warning,' Joshua said. 'I'm concerned because releasing her magic seemed to have some sort of strange effect on her.'
'What do you mean?' Travis asked, brows scrunched up in confusion.
'You'll know when you see her. But Travis, don't blame her for what happened. Sharika said it needed to be done.'
'And you believe her?' Travis asked in surprise. Joshua smiled.
'It was the first time she stood up for anyone ever since she got here so yes, I do believe her,' Joshua replied, nodding as he did so. 'Anyway, why don't we go and see the Lady?' Joshua got up from his seat and made his way to the door. With his hand on the handle he turned to Travis who was now standing behind him: 'before we leave - like I said before, I'm not sure what the release of her magic did; but regardless of your thoughts or feelings, be very cautious when around her. Do you understand?'
Travis felt a shiver rise up his spine but nodded anyway. He could see Doctor Joshua opening the door and turning away from him to walk down the corridor, but as he followed the man he couldn't seem to get rid of the alarm bells going off in his head, nor the sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach telling him he was in danger. Why did he have to be cautious? When he voiced out this thought, the doctor replied: 'because from what could see, it appears to have a mind of its own and seems to be very protective if its master.'
Travis didn't understand what he meant but he couldn't ask because the doctor had already reached the end of the corridor and opened the door on the far left - Lady Delena's room. He took a calming breath and followed after.
When he got to the door, Travis had to do a double-take when he saw her. What...? With wide eyes he stared at the woman sleeping on the hospital bed; head turned towards him and lips slightly parted, hand by her face with her fingers slightly curled, but dear goddess! What is that?
He just stood there, stupefied to the core, as the doctor walked over to her and gently shook her shoulder in an attempt to wake her up; but all she did was swat his hand away and turned over so that her whole body was facing him. She then let out a groan almost immediately after and turned back over on her back. A few seconds passed and she opened her eyes with an irritated huff.
'So uncomfortable,' she grumbled. 'How are people supposed to recover when they can't get any decent sleep?'
Joshua let out an amused chuckle and went over to partially close the blinds on the windows, casting the room in light shadows.
'How are you feeling?' he asked.
'Like I got run over by a bulldozer before some rabid dog decided to use my head as a chew toy,' she replied, grabbing hold of her head as she spoke. 'Thanks for dimming the light Doc. Now could you tell Travy to come in and stop staring at me like I'm some unknown creature? He looks stupid.'
Travis shook himself out of his shock and walked into the room while the doctor was looking at him with an amused smirk. He stood by the now closed door and leaned back against the wall, watching as the green eyed man interacted with his patient. He had to admit he was a bit confused. Before they entered the room, the doctor made it seem like the woman was dangerous; but if that was true, then why was he so carefree around her? It just didn't make sense.
Travis studied the woman who was now chatting with the doctor and couldn't help but wonder how such a small thing could hold so much power. The amount she released that night was enough to make even those outside of the Citadel know something was off. But strangely enough, something told him that wasn't the full extent of her power. It was almost as if--
'Is something wrong?'
He jumped in surprise when he realised a pair of blue-green eyes were starring directly at him. He quickly straightened and then lowered his head in a respectful bow.
'Forgive me My Lady, I did not mean to offend.'
'I didn't say you did,' Delena answered, her eyes piercing into him, 'I asked if something was wrong for you to be staring at me like that.'
Travis kept his head low, not sure how to answer, instinct telling him to tread cautiously.
'Well?' Delena pushed. Travis stiffened as he felt the slight rise of power.
'Nothing is wrong My Lady. The doctor said that the release of your magic had a strange effect on you and I was merely curious about your condition.'
'I bet he did,' Delena muttered. 'I swear, he is incredibly big-mouthed for a doctor. Anyway, I thank you for your concern, but as you can see there is no need for you to worry. Contrary to what the doctor may have told you, I'm quite fine.'
He released a breath he didn't realise he was holding. He lifted his head to see the dual coloured eyes - eyes which appeared to glow - were still on him...watching...observing...and it unnerved him. His hands were trembling slightly and shivers of ice were travelling down his spine as she watched him, his heart pounding against his ribcage and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He tried to swallow but found a lump had grown in his throat. His found it difficult to breathe as his airways constricted and his mouth went dry. He was paralysed, his mind refusing to function as the only thought he could manage was to get out of there. Fast.
For the first time in years, Travis found himself afraid.
A knock on the door beside him broke the spell he was under. He let out a shaky breath and rubbed his sweaty hands against his pants, trying calm his erratic heart and gather his thoughts. The knock sounded again.
'Won't you get that?'
Hs head snapped to Delena and saw those eyes still on him; and while the glow may have died down and she looked to be nothing more than curious of his behaviour, he still found himself moving to open the door, instinct telling him to obey.
His nerves calmed when he saw the pale blonde on the other side of the door. He didn't know why but at this point he didn't particularly care. She seemed to have some sort of calming effect, and not just on him he realised as he noticed the way the doctor's hands weren't as stiff when doing his thing.
'Who is it?' he heard from behind him. Travis moved to the side as he opened the door wider to allow the petite eleven girl to enter the room. The grey-eyed blonde gave him a little bow and moved in to the room. He then watched as the two women interacted and decided that now was the best time to leave if he was going to escape from the Lady's presence. He caught the doctor's attention and gave him a slight nod. Then, turning to Delena he said: 'Why don't we leave the two of you to chat while we take care of all the formalities?' Travis gave a smile and, with a slight bow, left the room with the doctor right behind him.
# # #
It was well past sundown by the time Travis returned to the infirmary. All the details have been finalised and that meant he was officially Lady Delena's guard. And that meant he would now be in her presence from the minute she wakes up to the second she goes to sleep.
A shiver travelled down his spine. No matter how hard he tried he just couldn't forget what happened this morning. As soon as he left Delena's infirmary room he went straight for a run. He kept at it for hours, running circles around the perimeter as he tried to clear his head. But that was an impossible task because no matter how long he ran for, he couldn't forget those eyes - the glowing orbs that kept following him wherever he went. And he was now bound to their owner until he was relieved of his duty.
He took a deep breath. There was no doubt in his mind that when the doctor warned him to be careful around her, this was what he meant. He may not have been entirely sure of what exactly happened but he did understand one thing. She has power and she could kill him if she wished it.
Travis took a deep breath and schooled his expression before he knocked on Delena's room in the infirmary. Silence. He frowned and tried again. Nothing. Odd, he thought. Maybe she's asleep? Didn't Paulette say she was still awake though? An unsettling feeling began to grow in the pit of his stomach. He thought for only a second before he opened the door and barged in to the room only to stop dead the second he did so.
There on the bed was Lady Delena, safe and sound, looking ready to skin the object of her anger alive; and the victim appeared to be the green-eyed doctor who was currently trying his best to stand his ground.
'Say it again,' Delena uttered. 'I dare you.'
The doctor swallowed before he said: 'I cannot allow you to leave this room until I am certain you have recovered.'
'Cut the crap,' Delena snorted. 'You and I both know that's just an excuse to stop me from going outside.' The doctor swallowed under her intense glare. 'Fine,' she said after a few seconds of silence. 'I'll play along. But on my terms. You want me to rest? Ok, I can do that. In my own bed in my own room. I'll stay there for however long it takes for you to decide that I've "recovered". Happy?'
Travis let out a quiet chuckle when he witnessed Lady Delena doing the one thing even the Elynthian royal family rarely did. It was even more unusual to see anyone non-Elynthian defy the doctor's orders. But it sure was amusing.
He shifted his eyes only to freeze when he noticed the two pairs of eyes trained on him.
'Travy,' said Delena, 'are you ok?'
Travis was taken aback. 'Yes?' he answered, although he sounded more uncertain than anything.
'Awesome!' said Delena, face lighting up at his answer. 'Now, come here. There's no reason for you to stay in the doorway.' She smiled when he did as she asked and shot him an irritated look when he stayed by the door.
'Travis...what part of "come here" don't you understand?' she asked and motioned with her hand to come closer. He did as she asked and ended up standing right by her bed. Lady Delena nodded her head in satisfaction and leaned around him to look at the door. He furrowed his eyebrows at the odd action, but she merely looked up at him and revealed a smirk.
'Door's open!' she called out, her smirk widening at his confused expression. He heard the soft click of the door and instinctively stood in front of the blue-green eyed woman; feet shoulder width apart, hands on his sword and muscles relaxed, ready for an attack. He relaxed when he saw who it was.
Travis moved back to where he stood before, removing his hands from his sword as he did so. He then watched quietly as the elven girl who just entered the room walked over to the foot of the infirmary bed and bowed.
'Everything is ready Miss,' she said.
'Awesome. So...what did Mr Beta say?'
'That you are not allowed out of this building until further notice--'
'What?'
'And in return, he has assigned you a new room--'
'How is that going to change anything?' Delena exclaimed.
'Because it has access to a private rooftop garden where you can do as you please until this matter is resolved.' Sharika answered.
Travis was watching Delena for any signs of danger. He could feel the slight rise in temperature accompanied by the increase of power coming off of her but chose to remain still. The change wasn't drastic and it appeared that she had control over it so there was no need to interfere. Yet.
He was surprised, as was everyone else, when she let out a deep sigh and her shoulders slumped.
'Ok,' she said. 'I'll do it. On the condition that I can release my magic up there without reservation.'
Sharika let out a smile and nodded. 'As long it's not large scale like in the forest then it's fine,' she said.
Delena shook her head and motioned for him to come over, holding out her arms when he did so. He furrowed his eyebrows in uncertainty, not sure of what to do next, while Sharika and Doctor Joshua could be heard snickering in the background. He ignored them and kept his eyes on Lady Delena who dropped her hands with a groan.
'Travy, do you have any younger siblings?'
'No,' he answered, puzzled at the question. 'I have two older brothers but no younger siblings.'
'How about cousins?'
'Yes-'
'Then you should know what I want you to do.'
'Um...'
'Travy,' she groaned. 'When your younger cousin - or cousins - hold out their arms, what do they want you to do?'
Travis blinked. 'To pick them up, usually.'
'To pick them up.' Delena repeated. 'Then what do you think I want?'
Travis's eyes widened when he realised what Delena wanted.
'I can't - I'm not - I don't think - I mean - I can't -' his cheeks reddened as he stumbled over his words when trying to make out his response. At this point, Joshua was howling with laughter while Sharika had head bowed as she bit her lip in an attempt to hide hers, but it wasn't working very well since they could all see her quivering shoulders. Delena just sighed.
'Travy,' she said, 'Doctor Joshua orders were to rest. How can I do that if I have to walk all those ridiculous stairs up to my room on the top floor?'
'Uh...'
'I can't and that means you'll have to carry me. Do you understand?'
He was still in shock but could feel himself nodding. Delena smiled at him and, yet again, held out her hands towards him. He just stood there, looking at her, but she didn't seem to mind. In fact, she just quietly sat there with her arms extended as if she was prepared to wait however long it took for him to respond. When he realised this, he shook his head violently, managing to clear his head of the shock only to end up swallowing hard when he realised that he would be carrying a half-naked woman from one end of the building to the other. Well, it's not like he hasn't done it before granted other women were either too drunk to walk straight or passed out.
'Travis, I could wait all night for you to make up your mind but my arms are starting to hurt.'
Travis let out a shaky breath and moved to take her into his arms. He wasn't sure how to go about is seeing as how a lot of her skin would be exposed, but he decided to ignore that for now and bent forwards so that he could grab her. Hooking one arm under her legs and the other around her back, he lifted her into the air while her arms wrapped themselves around his neck. He stepped back from the bed and turned to the maid who was already standing in front of him with a blanket in her arms, almost as if sensing what was going through his mind.
Sharika wrapped the blanked around Lady Delena - covering her from neck to toe - and stepped back was she was done. He nodded to her in thanks and turned to the door which was being opened by the blonde. As he waited for the elf to follow him out after speaking with the doctor and lead him to Delena's room, he glanced down at the Lady who, to his surprise, was already asleep. He let out a small chuckle and shook his head. Only her.
His head snapped up when he heard the click of the door and saw both figures leaving the room. Joshua raised a hand in farewell (to which they both bowed in response) and walked down the corridor and out of the infirmary. Sharika soon followed after and led to the main hall, up the left staircase, through the first curved doorway and down the corridor. They then went up another set of stairs and then another until they finally reached the upper level of the guesthouse.
He continued to follow the elf as she led him through the short corridor and to the first door on the right. He walked through the dark brown door she opened and waited for her to pass him. When she did, he watched as she walked straight to the bed and pulled down the covers so that he could lay her down. She then walked over to him and removed the blanked from around Delena and placed it, neatly folded, on the ottoman by the vanity table. He lowered the sleeping woman onto the bed and stood back as Sharika covered her with the covers. Once all was done and he curtains were closed, the two left the Lady's side and made their way for the door.
Travis was just about to close the door when the hair at the back of his neck stood up. He stopped in his tracks, hand on his sword, and surveyed his surroundings.
'Is something wrong?' Sharika asked when she noticed this.
He examined the room once again and answered with a 'no' as nothing seemed to be out of order. Whatever it was, it was gone now.
He glanced one last time around the room before walking out and closing the door behind him.
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So...what do you guys think of this chapter? Good, bad, so-so?
Who's point of view would you like to read from next? Or maybe which questions would you like answered ^,^
Anyway, this chapter took me longer to write which means that the next one may also be uploaded a bit later than usual - maybe around Thursday or Friday UK time if I won't be able to finish it by Wednesday. I also have a load of homework due for this week which may result in the update being even later but I will try to keep to that timing.
Caelena