7
Chapter 1.
Her head hurt. Her whole body ached, but her head felt like it had a thousand shards of glass sticking into it. Which she assumed was entirely possible, given the last thing she remembered was the shattering of the big window of the showroom. She groaned, then slipped back into the blessed darkness.
"I still don't understand why she was brought here," the nurse assigned to the injured young woman whispered.
"She would have died if she hadn't been," the tall, thin man examining the patient commented. "She still might."
She was able to open her eyes this time; slowly, warily. Her head still throbbed, but it was bearable now.
She'd been expecting a hospital room. If this room was in a hospital, it was not Mercy General, or any other she'd ever set eyes on. The bed where she lay was a huge four-poster affair of mahogany, hung with pale blue velvets. More blue velvet hung at the windows, and graced the chairs. The room looked like some luxury suite in a five-star hotel.
"Ah, now there is a welcome sight," a man's gentle voice caught her attention, and she turned her head ever so slightly to see the speaker. "You had us very worried, young woman."
"Sorry," she blinked.
"Well, I suppose we can't really blame you," the man smiled. "Shall we start with an easy question? What is your name?"
"Megan, Megan Lewis," Megan attempted to sit up, and found a nurse in attendance, as well as the man she assumed was a doctor. The nurse arranged the pillows behind her, so she could be comfortable.
"And do you remember what happened?"
Did she? Megan closed her eyes briefly, and images roared through her mind. She and Jolene had been talking about Jolene's plans for the nursery when they'd heard the truck hit the parking rail out front. It hadn't stopped.
"I was at work," Megan whispered. "Jolene and I were at work, and a truck crashed through the showroom window." She opened her eyes and stared at the man at her side. "Jolene, is she alright? Her and the baby?"
"I'm afraid I cannot tell you, child. I do not know," he replied sadly. "I know only that you were brought to me, nearly dead."
"Where am I? This isn't Mercy General," Megan ran one hand over the blue velvet coverlet.
"No, it isn't," the man acknowledged. "I am Dinal, Healer to the Court of Par Valon…"
"I am either still out of it, or I am dead, and the gods have a real sense of humour," Megan decided.
"Why do you say that?" the nurse asked.
"Par Valon is one of the Fey kingdoms, all of which are supposedly set well away from the human realm," Megan replied. "And there isn't any way I should have been able to get there."
"I am surprised you even recognize the name," Dinal said.
"I am studying for my Master's Degree in Folklore and Mythology," Megan informed him.
"Ah, that explains a great deal," Dinal exchanged a look with the nurse. "To every legend, every myth, there is a kernel of truth, Lady Megan."
"I am not 'Lady' anything. Just Megan, or Miss Lewis," Megan stated, frowning. "Where am I?"
"I told you, Par Valon," Dinal repeated gently. "Specifically, the Royal Palace. Prince Mikkal brought you here, and placed you in my care."
"I am losing my mind," Megan sank back against the pillows, her face pale. "Tommy's been warning me for years I was likely to go off the deep end, spending all my time digging into old stories…"
"You are not losing your mind," Dinal said firmly. "Although I can understand why you might think so. It is a good deal to take in. The Fey realm is very real, but very, very few humans, especially adults, ever wander into it."
"Then why am I so lucky?" Megan demanded.
"Prince Mikkal has been attracted to you for some time now. When you were hurt, and he knew human medics could not help you, he brought you here," Dinal explained.
"So I should be dead," Megan said calmly.
"By human standards, yes," Dinal nodded.
"I am human, Healer Dinal," Megan commented, closing her eyes. "I should be dead, and I am not. You tell me it is because this Prince Mikkal brought me here to your care. Who gave him the right to make that choice for me?"
"Pardon, my lady?"
"You did your job. You were given a dying patient and you saved a life. You are a Healer, that is what you do," Megan's voice was calm, controlled. Too controlled for Dinal's taste. "Who gave this Prince Mikkal the right to take me from my world and bring me here?"
"Prince Mikkal is used to doing what he wishes to," the nurse admitted.
"Why me?"
"That, you would be best served asking him," Dinal motioned to nurse to keep her mouth shut. "I do know the Prince seems fond of you."
"I have no idea why he should be. To the best of my knowledge, I've never set eyes on him." Megan's tone worried Dinal. It was flat and emotionless. "I'd like to be left alone, please."
"I do understand it's a lot to take it, Lady Megan…"
"Don't call me that!" Megan snapped, with a brief flash of fire in her grey eyes. "I am just a human girl, stolen away without so much as a warning. I am no lady of the Fey. Please leave me alone."
"I'll have some food brought in. You must be hungry," Dinal motioned for the nurse to also leave the room. Megan made no reply.
"She doesn't seem to appreciate what you've done for her," the nurse commented once in the hallway. "It seems a waste of our time and your Talent…"
"Do not judge her harshly, Midea," Dinal shook his head. "She has been taken from all she knows. Put yourself in her place. Depression isn't surprising. We will have to keep an eye on her."
"Healer, is there news?" Mikkal himself came striding down the hall toward them. He was a pale youth with a mop of unruly curls falling over his eyes. The tight pants, high boots and blue coat might have looked better if he were slender, not rail thin. As it was, he looked like an affected fop, which Dinal very privately considered him to be.
"She is awake, Your Highness," Dinal nodded.
"Excellent!"
"But she needs time," Dinal cautioned.
"Time for what?" Mikkal demanded. "She has been here two weeks already. I have seen her, Dinal. There is no scaring…"
"On the outside," Dinal admitted. "Please, Your Highness. Keep in mind she is in a place she did not think she could step foot in, and everything she knew and loved before is gone."
"You're looking for trouble, Dinal. You'll see," Mikkal said confidently. "Once we get her out of this chamber, show her the wonders of Par Valon, she'll be fine. What woman doesn't dream of being a princess?" He headed for the door. Dinal stopped him.
"Please, Prince Mikkal. Give her a bit longer," the Healer requested. "She is trying to adjust to the changes, and she needs time alone to think."
"I will send a maid up with a tray for her," Midea wanted to be well away before Mikkal did see his little human awake. She rather had the idea Megan Lewis was not going to be happy with the young prince.
"She hasn't eaten yet?" Mikkal asked, as Midea hurried off.
"No, not yet," Dinal said. "She just woke, Your Highness."
"Then I will leave her to eat in peace, and visit her this afternoon," Mikkal decided. "And see to it she has some decent clothing." He turned on his heel and strolled off. Dinal released the breath it hadn't been aware he'd been holding.