"Open your eyes, Amaya."
I groaned as I came to, the grogginess finally leaving my body and allowing me to open my eyes. I noticed Ms Angel in the room along with Doctor Helen. It was a bit inappropriate to find it funny that my mother would insist on a female doctor for me.
I tried sitting up despite my stiff body but the pain radiating from my chest each time my heart beat had me falling back to the bed. It took a while for me to finally remember how I ended up in this predicament, but when I did, I gasped and sharply sat up.
"That man had magic," I said as I recalled the events. "He did something to me with his magic. He cursed me!"
I was panicking, trying to leave the bed as more and more pain struck me, much worse than the last. I clutched my chest and hissed as Ms Angel and Doctor Helen tried to keep me in bed.
"You have to do something!"
My mother walked into the room with my sister, Aimee. Mother's face gave nothing away but Aimee looked concerned. She was the only one who could help me.
"Aimee! There was a man! He did something to me! We're not safe. Those Northerners have magic. They will hurt you!" I cried out for anyone to believe me.
"There was no magic, Amaya. You had an allergic reaction. It will be over soon if you cooperate with Helen," Mother firmly stated, leaving no room for protests.
Tears were now freely flowing from my eyes because of the pain and because no one would believe. "It's true, Mother. I know it is. It hurts so much. It hurts."
Mother disregarded my words and turned to the doctor and Ms Angel. "Make sure she gets better. We have to go and attend the guests."
"Mother- "
"I know you are not feeling well, Amaya, but please don't make a scene," Mother said with a sharp glare before she walked out.
Aimee gave me a warm smile before she followed after her, leaving me with my own thoughts. Ms Angel tried to make me feel better by telling me that I was just confused, and I would feel better soon.
"No," I said, shaking my head. "No!"
I was about to leap from the bed and run out like a madman when I felt something prickling into my skin. Feeling betrayed, I watched as Doctor Helen pulled out the needle and put aside the syringe.
"Get some rest, Amaya."
I didn't. Instead, I had restless sleep dreaming of a man with green eyes. At first, they were soft and warm and he had wrapped his arms around me, making me feel happy and safe. I buried my head in his neck and felt at peace. But when I looked at him again, his gaze was cold and hard. He began to pull away from me. He slipped away each time I reached for him. I felt as though someone had put their hand into my chest and squeezed the life out of my heart.
I woke up drenched in sweat. I clutched my chest and tried to get the pain to go away. It didn't. Something was wrong with me. There was something about that man that made me feel so much pain.
I had to tell someone, but maybe not whilst freaking out and sounding crazy. No one believed in magic. I was well aware of that fact. But maybe if I took some time to explain my situation as a calm and mature young woman, they would understand. If not, I would go for plan B, which was probably to act crazy and stupid and embarrass myself.
"Amaya, you're awake," Ms Angel said as she came into my room with a tray of food. "How are you feeling?"
"Better," I replied with a smile.
"Well, I can see that and I am very glad. You were running a fever and saying all kinds of things. Should I call Doctor Helen?" Ms Angel asked.
"That's okay. Is Mother around? I would really love to see her," I politely asked.
"She just had breakfast with the Northerners. I'll ask her to come by. Things are going so well, Amaya. We finally have hope," the bubbly, round woman said, gazing out the window.
Maybe if she was paying close attention, they would notice that I was acting out of the ordinary.
"That's wonderful news, Ms Angel," I said. "Did you just say breakfast?"
Ms Angel looked away from the window and sighed deeply. "You got really sick and had to be kept under for three full days. It was probably the water you used that got you so sick. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to send you to the kitchen..."
"Three days?!" I exclaimed.
"It's so sad. Your mother was so worried. We'll have to send you to another physician to be sure but at least you're feeling better. You are feeling better, right?" Ms Angel explained.
I felt numb at the news. "Um... Uh ... Yes, just a little pain."
"I'll get Helen. Just wait here. Cook made you some tarts. She knows how much you love them," Ms Angel said before she left.
Three days? What did this magic do to me? What could it do to others? Now that I thought about it, the Northerners have known about our problems for years. Why are they acting now? Are they planning something?
"Oh, you're awake, Amaya," Aimee said, walking in with a broad smile on her face.
Aimee is a true beauty. She had flowing golden blonde hair and glowing blue eyes. Her smile can cause a heart attack. Unfortunately, we don't share those features. My hair is a coppery, bronze brown and my eyes are dark chocolate brown. We have a few similar features and the same last name, but that's about it. However, I'm glad to have her as my sister. She has always been there for me and I know I can trust her.
"I need to tell you something, Aimee," I tell her as she comes to sit beside me on my bed.
"Sure. I was worried about you, we all were," she said, smoothening my hair.
My eyes darted around as I looked for the right words to say. "The Northerners, what have they been like?"
"They have been nice, in general. They were scary at first, well, they still are. They keep to themselves and they seem very mysterious," she replied. "Why is that the first thing you'd ask after you wake up?"
I shrugged, still needing more information. "I was just wondering. And what did they talk about with Father? Do you know?"
Aimee blushed, dropping her gaze. "I heard a few things. They could be rumours, though. Apparently, before Father reached out to them for help, they had been working on coming here to provide us with necessary resources. Some say there might be… an alliance."
"Alliance?" I asked as my heart dropped to my stomach.
"Between me and their leader, Mr Kennedy. But it's just a rumour," Aimee brushed it off.
"Aimee, what I'm about to tell you, I need you to know that I'm not making it up, I promise," I started. "There is something about them. One of them, he said some weird things to me. Then when he touched me, I passed out. I know you probably think it's crazy but it happened."
Aimee stared at the floor before she looked at me with hard eyes as I held my breath. "I believe you."
I was ready to launch an explanation but I let out the breath I was holding. "You do?"
"Don't you want me to?" she teased with a grin. "You're right. There is something that isn't right about the Northerners, but you can't say this to anyone, promise?"
"But shouldn't we warn Mother or Father?" I asked.
She sighed. "We should, but they won't believe it. Mother would be furious if she hears the word magic and Father, well, he really needs this to work out no matter what."
"So, what do we do?"
"I want you to do nothing. Just tell me anything out of the ordinary but do nothing. Let me handle all of this, okay? Trust me," she assured me. "We'll be fine, I promise."
Relieved, I rested back against my pillows. I felt so much lighter now that I had spoken to someone who actually believed me. However, there was one last that bothered me.
"What about the man who did this to me? We still don't know what he did," I said.
Aimee thought it over. "There's a dinner for everyone today. If you're better, you can show me and I'll find out what I can."
After Aimee filled me in on what had happened the last three days, Ms Angel finally came with Mother and Doctor Helen. Mother seemed pleased with my recovery, even though she did not say much. I lied to Doctor Helen about how I felt, deciding to only tell her the barest details.
I insisted on going out for dinner after promising my mother that I would not make a scene. Well, I would not make the scene she was expecting, just go about my normal business. Knowing that I would meet the man behind my pain brought some sense of relief and the pain was tolerable. But as rumours of giant Northerners reached my ears, I became nervous.
"Lin, are you alright?" I heard Miranda ask Lin as I enjoyed some desserts Cook Hope made for me.
Lin had been quieter than usual but the poor thing preferred the company of the loud and boisterous Miranda, so that was her own fault. Cook, Fernandez the baker, and I were watching each other curiously, the latter keeping a close eye on me. I was waiting for the perfect distraction to get a swipe of the eight-tier cake that was waiting to be brought to the dining hall. Just when something crashed, which so happened to be Lin who was distracted, I took off and dug my fingers into the cake and ran away, but not before Cook screeched my name. That never got old.
I could not run far enough. Over exertion made my chest constrict painfully. It was quite a shame because I used to be athletic enough to run away from Miranda and her goons. They could probably catch me with how slow I was. I put myself to work on licking my fingers clean but froze when I saw a man watching me, his eyebrow cocked. My breath hitched as I noticed that he was a Northerner. I childishly hid my icing covered fingers behind me and continued walking.
"Excuse me, miss. I'm lost. Can you direct me to where the kitchen is?" he asked after stopping me.
I frowned. "The kitchen?"
"Yes, well, I have something specific to inform the chef about my diet," he explained, crossing his arms behind his back casually.
I turned back around the way I came and pointed down the passage. "Just go straight down and take a left. You can just follow the smell of food."
When I turned to him, I found him staring deeply at my face. Was there icing smudged over my cheeks? He must be finding it very hard not to laugh. But then again, was it safe to leave him wandering around our home? What if he left more magic?
"Thank you, Miss…"
"Amaya."
"Right, Amaya. Thank you for your help. I suppose I'll see you around," he said before walking towards the kitchen.
I watched him as he walked away. He was a large man. He easily towered over me as he spoke to me. I kind of felt afraid of him and even my hands shook. I could only imagine being in a room full of people like him. With a deep breath, I went to find my sister.
I had managed to tidy myself up before approaching the dining hall. I was nervous and my skin tingled. I'm not sure if it was uncomfortable or not. My jaw dropped as I took in Aimee wearing a deep red gown that swept the floor with matching red lipstick. Her hair was braided to one side, with black and red roses in it. I looked down at myself and grimaced. I looked like I was going to eat dinner, which is what everyone should have done. How come I didn't get the memo to dress up? The world is cruel. Here I am with a soft lavender dress that just passed my knees. There was even some soot, icing and oil on it. This is embarrassing.
At least the large men and women across the room distracted me enough not to feel embarrassed. I hid behind Aimee, who took my hand and gave it a light squeeze.
"Is he here?" she asked and I remembered what we had discussed.
I focused my attention on finding a pair of green eyes around the room. However, the giants all looked the same. Feeling unsure, I closed my eyes and shook my head. He wasn't here. Why did that hurt so much?
"I can't- "
The breath was knocked straight out of my lungs as I opened my eyes to find the green eyes looking straight at me. As I spent the day, I tried to imagine what I would do if I saw him again. I planned on doing something stupid that would make my mother drag me out by my hair. I wanted to cuss him out, insult him and call him out but here I was, on the verge of fainting from lack of oxygen.
"Amaya?" Aimee asked as she shook me out of my daze. "Have you seen him?"
It took me a moment to register what she just said. "Yes. That's... That's him."
Aimee followed my line of sight and hesitated. "Are you sure?"
I was back in a daze again. He wasn't looking at me anymore, his attention on the people he was talking to him. Was I bewitched? Why couldn't I look away? What had he done to me?
"Amaya!"
"Yes," I finally responded. "It's him. I'm sure."
Aimee pursed her lips as she watched him. "Amaya, that's Midas Kennedy, the man I'm supposed to marry."