Zaffera's Pov
I'm frozen on the spot. It's never happened before. Punches are thrown left and right and I'm just stood here observing my nearly wedded husband get beaten up.
I'm scared. I geniunly believed that Ginn was wounded and away for the time being. He should be residing in his Kingdom, recovering far away from The Door. But then... Who is this man?"
I feel a heavy weight being thrown against my lower torso. It hurts. As I fight my eyelids to stay open I can tell Fenyang's face looks more and more blurred at each blink untill my eyes go entirely black.
Upon my next concious thought I'm laying on a bed. Raising my head and lowering my chin I look down at my torso.
"Sorry." says he at the blood stained bandages noticing my movement. I lie back down and look up at the ceiling. There's so much screaming out there my eardrums cannot handle much more if it.
"Here." as though he reads my mind Fenyang hands me some soft earplugs.
"What..?" I'm too weak to finish my question, feeling disoriented. I feel like I'm about to black out again. I notice Fenyang squeeze a towel in a bowl of water and then gently lay it on my forehead. In that moment a man steps in the room.
"How is she?" he asks. He is of medium height wearing a navy blue attire which complements his pale skin and darker hair. He's holding his hands in his pockets and it looks as though he's pushing his body weight on the back of his heels as as he's chest is fartherst away, leaning back. Fenyang looks at me, possibly awaiting a response to avoid putting words in my mouth but instead I weakly utter 'who is he? ' ignoring the question prompted.
"Oh right." he steps forward unveiling his left hand out of hiding and inching it closer to me. "Neil, nice to meet you."
I can't say the same. I recognise that the 'nice to meet you' is nothing but a mere formality given the circumstances since I'm here injured by his hand. His name is nothing but a label attached to a face. Yet the more I look at him the more I notice similarities between him and an old mate. I must be really sick because his furrowed blue eyes remind me a lot of Ginn's.
"He is Ginn's half brother." concludes my suspiciouns Fenyang.
I attempt to push my body up once again, not failing at it this time.
"I see." I speak dryly. "What brings you here?"
"It's a long story. You look tired and I'm not going to discuss it at the moment."
"Tired is a euphemisms. My midriff is completely sore and struggling to keep my bodily fluids at bay because of you." My character comes back in. I drop my gaze to Fenyang, "why is he freely going around Palace?"
"He's sort of an ally."
"Let's not get too carried away. We share a common enemy being Ginn but that's where it ends. And about your injury I apologise prefusly, it wasn't my fault completely though. The door opened a vortex and books were being flung around everywhere. You where just on the wrong place at the wrong time."
I mentally roll my eyes and lay back down as that position was tiring. Not too early to establish that I'm not much of a fan of Neil.
°°°
A few hours later and I'm back on my feet. The bandages make me wearing my usual rouge corset nearly impossible so instead I'm wearing an old black t-shirt of mine.
It's odd to go around Palace and notice all the decorations we have rushed to put up being taken down. I suppose that's where all the noise I heard earlier came from.
"I'm sorry." appears a hand on my shoulder.
"You apologise too much." I force a light hearted tone to ease the mood as I turn around to look at Fenyang's low expression. "It means a lot though."
My stomach is then next to make an entramce growling loudly enough for the both of us to hear.
"There's wedding food awaiting for us maybe that will appease that monster inside you at the moment."
I nod frentically at the thought of food. I require sustenance.
As I'm indulging on the delicious food before me I notice a long eye staring back at me.
"What?" I exclaim mid chew firing a glance his way.
"Slow down or you'll hurt your wound." he giggles. Here I notice that he hasn't been smiling much, not geniunly anyways, as it's refreshing to see little wrinkles corner the side of his eyes. "Tell me why you look really cute even when shoving food down your throat."
"Genetics." I speak without thinking, only to drown in embarrassment when his words click in my mind. Was that a compliment? I feel heat about my cheeks and I'm so thankful for my darkskin as he can't see any of this happening reveling my cards. I'm not used to compliments.
Fenyang clears his throat loudly and turns his head so I can't see his face. "Yeah." he says afterwards.
"When are you and Neil planning on explaining what happened?" I ask changing the subject.
He looks around himself and then inches closer to mounth 'later' with a breathy voice.
When later finally comes we are sat in the meeting's room.
"A bit formal but it will do." says Neil taking a seat by a rounded corner of the table. He dusts off his blazer by pinching either side of the open vest per hand and pulling it forward in a swift movement. For some reason everything about him irks me.
"It's private so you get a chance to explain yourself." I speak montone.
"I suppose. I've hated Ginn for as long as I can remember because Father preferred him in all things and I was but a shadow. When some advisor, shall we say, of mine reported of his interest on the door I wanted to get there before him...beat him for once. This is the short version." He says leaning back on his seat.
"And the long one? I asks curiously.
"Well... It all started about 10 years ago..." He commences taking his hands out of his pockets and unto the table.
Safe to say that I'm intrigued.