Guten Tag! This one is probably more recognizable than last chapter's, any guesses? Here we go, Chapter 14, enjoy!
"Aravis," a tall, silvery figure stood before her. He placed a hand on her shoulder in greeting. She stood, momentarily distracted as her eyes followed the wisp of another figure disappearing from the misty realm.
"Father," she responded, placing her hand on his shoulder in turn, appearing as though she did not notice the figure so as not to raise suspicion. "How do you fare?"
"As well as one shall endure."
"May I beseech an answer from you?"
"What does it concern?"
"For what purpose have I been called forth? I do not recall an urgency for such a meeting reflected in my actions."
"You seem weary, what have you done?"
"Done? Nothing, my father, I have done nothing but look for another way to serve your realm and our mission."
"Do lie to me."
"I swear it, Father; I hide nothing from your sight, as though I would even be able to behold such a feat. You would find me out for certain with your keen eye."
"You would do well to remember that."
The mist suddenly swirled away, draining from her mind and disconnecting her with a small pop and a pull at her thoughts.
•
Melissa's eyelids fluttered open, revealing the dim lighting of her home. She realized she was lying down, and immediately moved to push herself up. The pain the met the movement made her cry out, more of surprise than anything else, and for a moment she could not remember where she was. A dull throbbing filled her head at the light and sudden movement, and she slowly brought her hand to her head, feeling a bump there.
"You're awake."
Melissa looked at the sound of that voice, and, sure enough, there stood Gwaine. She realized this was the second time that day she had seen him standing in her house like that. This time he held a bowl of water and walked over to her, dipping a rag in it.
"How long have I been out?"
"Three hours. You had a fever, so I'm guessing you got an infection of some kind."
Melissa groaned and rubbed her eyes, ignoring the aching she had grown used to. Whenever she fought she always looked worse than how she felt. For some reason, she had a high pain tolerance, but bruised and bled very easily. It had always been her most annoying trait, at least in her opinion, and she had come to hate how weak it made her look.
"I need to get up," she stated moving to do so when Gwaine pushed her back down with one hand.
"I don't think so."
Melissa glared at him and insisted. "I've been taking care of myself a lot longer than you have. After I get in a fight I need to keep moving. If I sit around and nurse my wounds too long, they just get worse."
Gwaine cocked his head and looked at her. "Nice try, but that's not what happens."
"Maybe not what normally happens, but it's what happens with me. It's like I have to remind my body I'm still alive." Melissa smiled wryly at her explanation and moved to stand again. This time Gwaine didn't stop her, but she fell back onto the pile of blankets she had been on. Gwaine caught her before she hit the ground, smiling and looking rather proud of himself.
"Got you this time."
"Is that why I have this annoying lump on my head?"
"Maybe. It's not my fault you leapt away from me. I didn't know I was that repulsive," Gwaine replied, mocking hurt.
"Well, we learn something new every day." Melissa smiled cheekily and Gwaine laughed. "Besides, I was fainting," Melissa paused to gag at the thought, "I can't exactly 'leap away from you'."
"You would have found a way to."
"Of course, the whole damsel and distress act doesn't suit me." They both laughed at that and Melissa noticed how relaxed she was. She could barely feel the soreness of her muscles or the stinging from her cuts. She had actually spoken to Gwaine for more than two seconds and hadn't glared at him. No, she had laughed with him instead. Maybe he wasn't so bad. No, what are you thinking! He's just like any of the customers from the taverns. She pushed herself up and away from him as she realized exactly how close they had been to each other. Gwaine looked a little confused and, hurt? It was quickly masked as he cleared his throat. Melissa desperately tried to think of something to say, but she still felt unusually weak, even for her. Suddenly she was struck with inspiration. The snake. When Arthur had called out and alerted the snake, she had been bit. Obviously it hadn't been anything too deep, or else she probably would be dead by now. The adrenaline she felt must have pushed the effects of the poison away in the moment, but now she could feel it. She needed to find her stash of narcer root. She had some of it hidden away for when her injuries were very bad, but since Gwaine was here she couldn't get to it. She needed to get him out.
"What are you still doing here anyway? The arrangement was a meal and a place to sleep for the night," Melissa snapped, "not to sit around all day."
Gwaine was taken aback by her tone. Usually he could read people fairly well; it was a trait one had to have when you lived on the run. Just moments ago she had seemed happy, relaxed. He had been sure he never would get to see that side of her. Now he felt as though he never would again. "What am I doing here? Waiting for you, taking care of you," he trailed off a bit as he listed why he had been here. Though he never wanted to admit it, he had been worried when he woke up and found that Melissa was gone, again. Hunith and Merlin had been worried as well when she wasn't back in time for breakfast and the pair had to leave for work. He had promised to wait here for her so they could go to work and not worry about her not being taken care of.
"I don't need to be taken care of."
"Really, because I'm not so sure of that. You passed out only moments after walking in here."
"Only because I was bitten by a snake!"
"So you did fight a griffin."
Melissa was a little surprised by how quickly he had deduced that, but had a glare in place before he could suspect anything. "What's it to you?" she snarled.
"I've only been keeping you from burning up with fever since you swooned." Gwaine knew he was mentioning that word only because it irritated her, but at the moment, he didn't really care. He just wished he could understand how she could be so warm and friendly to him one moment, and then sharp and cold the next.
"I did not swoon!"
He smirked at her response. "Seemed like it to me."
"You are insufferable."
"Hey, don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful," he responded with a wink, knowing nothing else would infuriate her more.
She slapped him when he said that, even surprising Gwaine. "Get out!" she shouted, pretty much hysterical by this point. She knew she was overreacting, but she wanted nothing more than for him to leave so she could get to the narcer root and stop the poison of the snake from spreading. She could feel it pulsing through her veins and, though it had been a small dose, she knew it could prove far more dangerous for her. "I never want to see you again!" She pushed him out the door and slammed it shut, exhausting her already small frame with the effort.
As soon as he was gone, Melissa gathered herself as best she could to look for her pouch in the ashes of the hearth. She opened it quickly; eager for sweet relief, but nothing met her expectant eyes. She felt around the small pouch, but there was nothing there. Dumping it upside down and shaking it rather frantically, she let out a frustrated huff as she threw the bag down, and ran to the back door. The poison was leaving a ragged fire in her now, and each movement burned, but she kept moving. She kept mentally encouraging herself. She was stronger than this; she had always been strong enough before.
Heading back into the forest, she saw the small stream she had been looking for. Dropping to her knees, Melissa began tearing at the soft mud around her, throwing herself into her search for the yellow flowers that would mark her success. At last, she discovered her prize, the bright yellow on top marred with mud from the intensity of her search. Quickly rinsing the root of mud in the water, she began chewing it with silent satisfaction. The coolness that flooded through her distinguished the fire, causing her to moan with the pleasure it brought as she fell onto her back. Melissa knew she would have to get up and inspect her wounds, but all she wanted was to rest, to not fight, if only for a moment. Her eyes closed, she tried to imagine a world where things would be taken care of, where starvation and threats were not looming behind every corner. A world with no secrets. She felt herself drift into sleep, but as the curls of silver mist began to ensnare her, Melissa jerked up. She didn't need that, not now.
Rolling over so she was now facing the stream, she looked at her fluid reflection. She knew her body would not be too badly hurt, only her arms and face had been touched. She smiled at herself for this accomplishment. The griffin had not stepped on her or thrown her against a tree, keeping her ribs intact. Her face, however, sported a cut along her right cheekbone and various scratches from tree limbs she had ducked through. Any blood that she imagined would have been dried on her skin from the wounds had been washed off, and she traced a few of the larger scrapes, reflecting on Gwaine. He hadn't deserved her temper, but he confused her. She wasn't used to be taking care of her. She wasn't used to people not asking questions. Her mother and brother obviously loved her. They always strove to take care of her, but they only knew half of the things she did to keep their family from starving, especially during the winter. She knew that her mother would be horrified if she knew the true story of her daughter's life, and Merlin, he would probably just be upset that she never let him help. But he couldn't, that's what he didn't understand. He wasn't raised to deal with her world like she had been. And even if he could, she wouldn't want him to.
That was where Gwaine confused her. He seemed to be cut from a similar cloth as her, as much as it pained Melissa to think it. If he found out the truth about her, she didn't know how he'd react. He'd probably just, not react. And that scared her. Nothing scared Melissa; she had trained herself not to be. But he did. That sort of acceptance, the understanding that life is rough. Someone who had to have been through something if he could be sweet enough to tend to her scrapes, but still misled enough to be in those taverns in the first place.
Blinking, waking her from her thoughts, she stared back into the eyes peering at her from the stream. She drank in her own dark eyes, realizing she had never really looked into them. They didn't strike her as anything special, but she supposed they did have a certain quality about them; they didn't look beaten, like so many of the village women's. No, she thought, reprimanding herself as she glared at her phantom like face in the water. You are not to think of him again. You kicked him out and he's gone and good riddance. He would have been nothing but trouble anyway. And with that Melissa tore herself away from the forest for the second time that day and ran back to her home, content that she had resolved to never bother with Gwaine again, no matter how charming those brown eyes could be.
Hello! So, questions, comments, concerns? This was my first Gwaine/Melissa centric chapter, I hope you all enjoyed. Don't worry, she certainly won't make things easy for him, and this story won't only be about them. We have a long way to go and a lot more characters to meet, so I hope you enjoy the ride! I'm having so much fun with this and I'd love to know if you are too!