Sun Sick Part I
"Mister, mister, are you ok?", Mallory shook the handsome young man on the side of the road that seems to have been sun sick and collapsed, she has been trying to wake him up for some time but without success, so she pulled him under a tree (with difficulty) to try to cool him down. She also tied his long blond hair to cool off his neck. He seems to be a traveler as he wore some strange clothing that looks a bit fancy for this town.
Luckily, a villager with his wagon came passing by and helped Mallory to bring the young man in her home, which was also the only clinic in that village.
Mallory first wiped the man with a cold cloth, then she applied some cooling medicine to his exposed skin. Hopefully, he would wake soon.
The young man finally woke when the sun has set, slowly he took in his surroundings, there was a petite young woman checking on people who seemed to be sick, when she glanced at him, she gave her a big smile.
She approached him and took the cool cloth on his forehead and dipped it in a bucket beside him, after wringing it dry, she placed it back to his forehead. "You're finally awake mister, you got lucky that I was on my way home when I saw you, you were quite sun sick".
"Iā¦thank you, miss?", the young man purposely hang those words so the girl can fill in the gaps.
"Mallory, I'm this village's only doctor", then she gave him another big smile.
"I'm Michael", the young man introduced himself out of courtesy. "I should really head back, I'll be a lot better if I go home,'' he continued. He slowly sat up on the bed and tried to stand but he was unable to steady himself and almost fell if it weren't for Mallory's helping hand.
Mallory suggested to wait for a few more minutes but Michael stood again and headed to the door on wobbly feet. Mallory got annoyed so she followed him, ready to help when needed, she was curious too on where he was gonna go.
However, Mallory suddenly panicked when Michael sat on the edge of the well just behind her house. When she grabbed Michael's arm to stop him, it was too late. He had already jumped and she was dragged along.
When Mallory came to, she was in a luxurious four post bed with black satin sheets and Michael was sitting crossed leg on a chair beside her.
"You shouldn't have done that" was his first words to her.
"Where am I?", Mallory asked while looking around the room. The room itself is brightly lit with a fireplace, marble walls and floors, and a bookcase at the corner. It's quite simple but also elegant, in a way. She moved to sit at the edge of the bed to face him.
"You're in hell", Michael nonchalantly answered. Mallory gawked at him for a second and she took another look at the room, it didn't look like hell to her.
She skeptically raised one of her eyebrows and looked at Michael, "And you are?"
"Michael"
"No, I mean what are you?", Mallory rephrased her question so Michael can better answer it.
"Ah! I'm the prince of hell", he answered again casually as if its the normal thing for him. Then he took a cup from the bedside table and started drinking its contents.
Mallory, on the other hand, tilted her head in wonder. "So, are you an idiot?"
Michael spluttered his drink from her question, then Mallory continued to clarify, "I mean you were sun sick when I found you. What kind of a prince of hell gets sick from the sun, isn't that kind of your thing?".
Michael gently put down his cup back in the bedside table. "How rude. As you can see around you, this place is a lot cooler than what you may believe, I haven't been on the surface for so long that my body didn't adjust very well from the heat."
Mallory was still tilting her head as if analyzing the man in front of her. "For how long have you not been in the surface".
Michael tapped on his cheek to think of his answer, "Give or take a thousand years or so.''
Mallory nodded and looked around her and realized that she doesn't have her bag with her so she opted to ask Michael about it, which he answered by pulling the bag from beside the table. Mallory took it and opened it right away and took out a small tin container that she popped open, then she dabbed a little of the ointment onto her hand and started to reach out to Michael's face, but he grabbed her hand to stop her.
"What are you doing?", Michael asked looking at her hand.
"You don't look like you've recovered enough, this is just some cooling medicine for your skin." Mallory looked determined to apply the medicine and that she would not let him argue, so Michael lets go of her and let her do what she wants. She gave him a smile before applying the medicine on his neck and forehead. Her gentle hand felt nice on his skin. When she was finished, he unknowingly leaned towards Mallory to try to follow her hand but caught himself right away. The girl was oblivious as she was focused on closing her container, then she put it on the bedside table.
"If your skin is still red, apply that every 2 hrs at least", she tapped the container, then continued, "Now if you don't mind, could you tell me how to get back home?"
Michael was stunned, it seems like she was just there like a doctor to his patient even though she is the one in the bed. Her reaction when he said he is the prince of hell was not what he expected, he might have expected her to scream or run, but never in his immortal life would he ever think this lithe of a girl would call him an idiot and now she's asking how to go home, as if it did not register to her that this is hell. Michael suddenly burst into laughter.
Mallory raised a brow at Michael, confused why he was laughing, "What's so funny?"
Michael stopped laughing and gave Mallory a smile, "You're not what I expected, honestly,'' He snickered then gestured to follow him.
Mallory promptly followed him then tapped at his arm, "Can I still go back here? I still need to check your progress".
Michael was surprised again at her question. "You are something else Mallory, I'm a demon, yet you treat me like one of your patients".
"You are my patient", Mallory replied with a shrug.
"Is that all I am to you?", Michael whispered that Mallory barely heard it. So she asked what he said, but he just shook his head and lead Mallory to the fire place, with wave his hand the fire was put out and expanded twice its size that it would fit her.
Michael took Mallory's hand to help her into the fire place and assured her that it will not be hot. "When you go back to the surface you will be back on the top of the well", then he took off one of his rings and handed it to her. "If you want to go back here, wear that ring and go back down the well, you will go straight here in my room."
As soon as she stood in the fireplace, she reminded Michael "Every 2 hours". Michael just smiled and nodded at her and with another wave of his hand she disappeared and the fire place was back to how it was.
Mallory was back on the surface with a smile on her lips she went back to her house to treat her other patients.
Michael lay on his bed with that silly smile still plastered on face, still laughing at what just happened.
Notes:
This fic is based on a Manga I'm currently reading "Colette wa Shinu Koto ni Shita", its about a human doctor who attends to Hades when he got sick because he became allergic to the sun.
