Chapter 1

Her only comfort that she could ever find was that of her bed: plush, draped in fluffy blankets and pillows. It was nice to come home to it and let her pain slip away (though not entirely). But to wake up and move from it? A dreaded experience, but one she refused not to do.

If she didn't get up, Mera was convinced that she was weak. And she couldn't stand being seen as weak any longer. All her life she'd been trapped in bed rest. But to get up every morning? It showed strength. Made her proud of herself and who she'd grown to be.

But today wasn't one of those good days, where getting up was only an annoyance.

Mera woke to an agonizing pain, unable to will herself to move more than an inch, limbs shaking at every attempt.

'I could always call for Indus... no! I can't... I need to do this myself... prove I'm able to-' a snap which echoed through the room, broke her train of thought as pain shot through her veins.

"Another broken bone... just what I needed..." she mumbled, panting with a muttered "ow" as she moved to sit up properly, watching the glassy -1 disappear.

"Knock knock?" Came a rumbling voice from outside Mera's door.

"C-come in.." she stuttered.

Indus came into the room, a bright smile shone on his face. "Good morning, Lady Mera! I'm glad you're awake and well!"

"Not so loud, Indus." She grumbled in response.

He looked curiously at her but did lower his voice ever so slightly anyways. "Are you alright, my lady? Can I get you anything?"

"Pain meds. And water." She grumbled. 'He should know this by now, the dunce.'

The large man left the room and came back, gingerly handing the requested items to her.

"Might I suggest you stay here today, Lady Mera? You seem unwell."

"Indus! I thought I told you to stop calling me that! And besides, I'm not weak or unwell. I'm fine. I broke a bone. It's not as if it hasn't happened before."

"That's not what I-"

"Move it." Mera snapped, pushing herself from the cushy bed and onto her feet, falling forwards onto Indus' chest as her legs gave out. "Dammit..."

"As I said, Lady Mera. You don't appear to be well. Hey Lady Mera! It's like the first time you ate sand!" He laughed, putting a strong hand on her shoulder.

His attempt to steady her with his hand did not go as planned. "Ow..." she whimpered and shied away from Indus. A fractured -1 appeared next to her form before dissipating.

Now he was truly concerned. He's hurt her! Normally such a gentle touch wasn't that bad! Indus had always treated Mera like a baby kitten, careful with his every move. After all, how could he learn from her if she was broken?

"Get out of my way. I'm fine, Indus. Why don't you go back to laundry or dishes or whatever the hell you were doing..."

Mera pushed past him, careful not to bump into him on her way out.

"Lady Mera-"

"I said enough!" She growled, turning ferociously towards him, arm outstretched, crystalline shards breaking through the apartment's ground, their jagged edges pointing menacingly at Indus.

Though, as surprising as this was, it was far from what surprised Indus the most. Mera was strong and could easily take him on in any battle. But from a single use of her epithet, she'd already collapsed to the ground, whimpering in pain.

-3.

Carefully, the toned man navigated the shards and carefully hoisted Mera aloft by her nightshirt and cradled her prone form. Indus moved her back to her bed and covered her back up.

He may have been dumb, but even her paler than pale complexion dusted with scarlet was obvious to him. The way her breaths came in pants and temper was cut short. Her whimpers and weakness. The way her epithet's effect worsened with each movement she made.