Harper sat beside Maerva, trying to learn the craft of healing. With nothing better to do, she had decided to at least make herself useful. Her hands hovered adoringly over the various herbs, the tools, as she read the text Maerva had assigned to her.
"Pay attention to your book, 𝘔𝘪𝘫𝘶." Maerva slightly slapped her hand as she went back to sorting out the salves.
Harper pouted but went back to her book, obligingly. A slight smile spread across her lips.
It was the first time she had this, someone who was willing just...sit with her. The dark thought of being shoved aside again nudged her, but she forcefully pushed it down.
The medicinal texts that Maerva had provided her after she literally begged for them were beyond enlightening. Instead of only considering the entire human body as a group of organs and systems and buochemical process that together worked to keep the body functioning, they texts referred to an additional component.
They talked about something called a 'Teh', a consciousness that together bound the various functions of the body, and how any slight damage and wear and tear could sometimes lead to fatal injuries physically.
It was a higher form of power that flowed through the physical and connected with the universe. Sounded like a soul.
"I am sure you have heard about the Teh. It is one of the first things parents teach their children, with the Wolfmen Dynasty being our Rulers. But-" Maerva turned the page to one about the Skeletal System."- We'll start here."
"Wolfmen Dynasty. Hmmm" She tried to study, but Harper's mind was already transported to yesterday...
The day before, with Prince Sorien-
"𝘉𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 '𝘕𝘪 𝘓𝘶𝘯𝘢 𝘓𝘪𝘯' 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯?"
The Prince's face pales unexpectedly, as he rushed to the woman in his room, towering over her as his eyes blazed.
"Where did you hear that." There was no infliction in the statement, nor did he raise his tone. It was not a statement, but a demand.
Harper swallowed as she froze in her place. With the way the Prince changed his personality, she was going to have a whisplash soon.
She forced her breath to even out as her hands clutched the gown she was wearing nervously.
"W-what do you-Nowh." She mumbled the rest as she clutched her bag strap in her fingers.
She looked down, pretending to adjust her glasses but the man moved closer in her space, backing her up.
Her heart beat in staccato in her chest as the wall met her back.
"Where did you hear that." He repeated.
He was so close that she was unable to do anything but look at him, and his eyes made her think that it would be unwise to do anything other than meet them. And so she did.
But it made it all the harder for her to think the answer.
She stammered, "I...I..."
Her breaths came unevenly, as her fingers tried finding a purchase behind her to ground her to the moment.
No. No. There is no danger. Calm down. But she didn't know that, not really. And her body seemed to recognise the same.
Sorien looked at her uncomprehending for a second, before he seemed to understand her, as he sighed, lowering his head. He took a few steps backs, running his hands through his brown hair, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."
Harper only looked on, staying in place. She kept watching him, just in case.
He sighed again, backing away until he was at the far end of the room, and sat down in a low chair, slowly. His hands remained in front of him.
"I'm sorry. Please, sit."
She removed herself from the wall as she took small steps to the chair at the end. Her eyes surreptitiously scanned the exit as she sat down near to it.
Harper knew- in a fight between herself asd the muscular and taller prince who was likely to win.
She kept her stern gaze on him, watching his move. Damn these Princes!
Sorien however kept very still as he asked her this time, slowly and in a stable volume, "Now, can you tell me where you heard that?"
"Why does it matter" She answered promptly. Her head raised high. It seemed her flight and fight response have, after being given time switched to fight.
Sorien didn't rise to the bait though. He looked at her evenly as he continued. "It matters because..."
He looked around, hoping to find the answers that evaded him as Harper watched him carefully. He sighed again and fixed his striking blue gaze on her as he replied.
"It matters because...the language is a lost one."
The woman's eye widened, "What?"
"It was banned. After the dynasty changed," He averted his gaze, before returning back to her, "They changed many things."
"Who did."
He hesitated, "The kings and queens before me." He looked down at his hands.
She sucked in a breath at the realisation, "Your ancestors."
His head snapped up to her, as she was once again captivated by his ocean-blue eyes.
Like the deep, clear ocean with sunlight filtering through...
Harper harshly shook her head as she looked back at him to find him looking at her oddly.
What was the question again?
"So, where did you hear it?"
Despite her earnest expression, there was something that warned harper against telling him. She shrugged as nonchalantly as she could.
"Oh, I must have heard it somewhere."
"No one knows it."
"Then I must have heard it wrong."
Her eyes challenged him. He evenly met her gaze, before nodding.
"Alright." He waited, and continued, "It was used by the previous rulers. The ones before...before"
Before his ancestors had murdered them.
She now realised why his eyes were familiar. She had seen another man with them, in front of a throne in a dream that felt too far away.
She nodded along, as she prepared to get up. She had sat here too long.
"And...Harper."
She paused. And so did he. When he didn't continue, she spread her lips in a polite smile again to elevate the awkward moment.
"Harper, I want you to know."
He raised himself as she did, and took a step forward before stopping, still far away.
"I would never hurt you."
Her heart skipped a beat.
She looked at him across the room, standing still and strong, but understanding. A warmth spread through her, as her shoulders involuntarily relaxed.
Her grip on her bag slackened.
She looked at him, there in all his sincerity as she breathed freely.
Harper said nothing, as she gave another half-nod, the smile genuine.
And left the room quietly.