They let me sleep in. Bless their souls. I only got an extra couple of hours but that was enough to heal the ache in my muscles. It was still there, just a bit less. Those darned shoes.
"It's time to get up, Amaya," Midas said, the sound of shuffling in the background as I sank deeper into the duvet.
"Go away," I grumbled, barely able to move my mouth with how sleepy I was.
There was a moment of silence that followed. It confused me because I knew he would not let it go that easily. I opened one eye and found him towering over me at the edge of the bed, arms crossed over his chest. It startled me to find him there. I quickly closed my eyes and pretended I had not seen him there.
I squealed when I became airborne, panicking as I tried to find something to hold on to. Midas ignored me and placed me on the tub in the bathroom as I pouted angrily at him.
"Madam Kiso always complained about how hard it is to wake you up every day. Do you have to be so difficult?" He complained as he tested the water in the tub. "Clean yourself up and meet me for breakfast. We have somewhere we need to be."
I fell asleep in the warm water as it soothed my aching muscles and woke up when it had turned cold. I took my time brushing my teeth, getting rid of the little bit of sleep I still had. I was always terrible in the morning.
I found Midas sipping on some coffee, the smell wafting around the room. He simply glanced at me when I walked out of the bathroom with my skin pruned. I grabbed a cupcake from the coffee table and gobbled it up as I fell back to the bed.
"Get dressed, Amaya," he sternly reprimanded me like a child. "We are already late. I don't have to drag you around. You're an adult now."
I rolled my eyes but went ahead with it anyway. My clothes were on the bed, a lengthy but simple and elegant white lace gown along with some pearls and short one-inch heeled matching pumps. I went to get dressed in the bathroom and came out five minutes later. I was mesmerised by the pearls around my neck that I did not see where I was going. I tripped on the robe I had dropped on the floor and fell backwards, my lower back hitting the ottoman at the end of the bed and my leg twisting awkwardly.
Midas's face was an array of emotions. The first was confusion, probably as to how I ended up tangled in my own limbs. Then there was worry and concern, and even more confusion.
"I don't even want to know," he sighed, gently placing me on the bed. "Were you walking with your eyes closed?"
I was fighting against my tears so it was very hard not to want to kill him. He looked like he was trying not to laugh in my face for my clumsiness. He helped massage my ankle which was very sore whilst I tended to my poor back, groaning in pain. He took a step back to look at me, then decided to get something from the bedside cabinet.
"This isn't my room," I finally realised when I looked around.
The dark theme had escaped my inattentive mind. There were some dark green and blue accessories, but it was simple. The bed had white and grey covers which matched the soft grey curtains. A black leather couch was paired with a dark brown hardwood coffee table and green rug. There was nothing else except for some pictures of landscapes, which was boring.
"That fall woke you up, huh?" he teased me, not hiding his smile anymore.
I didn't say anything to him. I had nothing to say actually. I just glared at him as he placed a patch around my ankle and urged me out of the room I protested with the little strength I had, which was nothing compared to the strength he had. I even tried emotional blackmail using my limp but he would not budge.
"Read this and memorise it," Madeline instructed as she shoved some papers into my hands.
"Good morning to you too," I droned as I flipped through the papers she had given me. "What is this?"
"Your speech this afternoon," she replied.
"What's happening this afternoon?" I inquired, counting the number of pages before me.
"You didn't tell her?" Madeline asked, the question directed at Midas.
"I didn't get the chance," he grumbled. "She's too much to handle."
I scoffed, angry at the information I had just received and everything that had happened. "And who's blame for that? Thanks to you, I was up all night. Now my whole body is sore and I can't even walk right. I don't know if I'll able to bend to pick up anything because-"
"Stop talking, Amaya," Midas forced out through gritted teeth, his cheeks dusted with pink.
I frowned, surprised at how we had stopped walking or the crowd of men and women in neat suits who had begun to follow us. Madam Kiso was among them, along with a pepper-haired man in a crisp grey suit. I looked at Midas, wondering what had wound him up. Madeline wasn't any better. She did not have a scowl on her face like Midas did but she looked constipated, with her cheeks puffed out, eyes bulging out of their sockets and lips pouted, veins sticking out of her neck.
Did I say something wrong?
"We're late," Midas gritted out and began walking again, leaving the palace to the convoy of black cars parked out front.
I followed him as soon as everyone else did. We got into the same car and drove out. I was then informed that I had to say something today when I would be presented to the capital. I had a lot of questions but I had a feeling the answers would only overwhelm me. I also realised that there was no way I could memorise a five-page script this early in the day with everything going on. I was too distracted.
At first glance, I had decided that the Northland is the most beautiful place I ever set foot on. I had only been able to look out the window and I wandered around the indoor garden. But I never got to see its true beauty. It was breathtaking. There were mountain ranges for as far as my eyes could see, all with tall, dark green trees and icy-white peaks.
Jewel House was built on and within a mountain. It was a fortress and its location made it easy to see an oncoming attack. I marvelled at its magnificence as we drove down the mountain, the fine road hidden by trees.
Back home, we never went on drives like this. It was always dangerous to travel because of the rebels. Fuel was always hard to come by. But for the few times, I managed to sneak out, the rough, dusty roads could not compare to the smooth tarmac here. All you could see in the Southside were tin houses as well as homeless and sick people along the way. It was rare to find untouched forests and this was the first time in my life seen so many trees.
"Do I have to say all this?" I complained, flipping through the pages.
"Yes."
I sighed, leaning against the window. The rest of the ride was silent, with only Midas saying a few things or asking questions to the man sitting in the front passenger seat. Upon close inspection, I realised that he was the nice guy from the wedding. I would have to talk to him later. I wonder who he is.
We did not get to the city, unfortunately. We were on the outskirts in an open field with neat rows of white chairs arranged in front of a temporary stage. Crowds of people filled the area and began finding their seats as our cars arrived. There were a lot of eyes watching us. I was fascinated by the new people. Most of them were large, like most Northerners. I felt nervous having to talk to at least one thousand people.
We sat in the front rows. The sun was barely warming me up. One thing that was so different about the Northlands was the weather. The Southside was always warm in the winter and hot in any other season. But it was cold and colder here. Jewel House had a heating system constantly running, which was why I never noticed how cold it was. However, soft, white furs draped over my shoulders kept me warm enough, as well as the white dress that went up to half my calves, the sleeves hidden within the furs. The boots were my favourite. They were also white, with fur at the top and little jewels on the matte end around my feet.
A man began to speak. He was a middle-aged man whose voice sounded loud, clear and authoritative. His blonde hair was blown by the sharp wind, and his blue eyes stared straight ahead. He called Midas to the stage. He said a few words that I did not bother to listen to. I was too busy looking at people. It was still weird to me how all these people were wolf thingies. Madeline had called them werewolves. They look normal to me, except for the excessive body size.
"Amaya!" Madeline whispered harshly as she gave me a hard nudge with her elbow.
I wondered what the violence was about but found people staring at me, including Midas. Did I miss something? Madeline rolled her eyes when I looked at her. I probably looked dumb. So this is what you get for not paying attention.
"Go up there and deliver your speech!" she said, urging me on with the subtle wave of her hands.
It finally clicked a second later as I began gathering my papers and walking to the stage, trying to be calm as I climbed up the few steps to Midas. He was holding out his hand which I took with a smile, and he surprised me by kissing the back of my hand. After giving my hand a small squeeze, he left the stage to his seat.
I reached the podium and placed the papers in my hands, almost missing the first page. I smiled at the crowd before I introduced myself. Thankfully, there was a microphone and large speakers that amplified my small voice. I tried to keep my voice even, calm and confident. I had barely begun when I looked up from my script to see something bright and red flying towards me. My mouth kept moving but my eyes were fixed on the object. I thought I was imagining it until it hit my forehead. My head tipped back at the impact, the object falling to my feet, leaving some liquid trailing down the side of my face.
It was a tomato, a bit of an overripe one. More vegetables came flying at me. They were probably rotten because the smell was killing me. I tried to escape by stepping back but I stepped on some cabbage, twisted my bad ankle and fell on my bum. With the excessive pain in my back and ankle, I could not stand up. Getting hit by vegetables also kind of hurts too. Tears stung my eyes from helplessness as all I could do was shield my face with my arms. I was finally shielded by a couple of bodies. They were the men in black suits who had followed us from Jewel House. I was grateful for their arrival. Madeline followed soon after and offered to get me out. On trying to get up, I yelled out in pain.
"She's hurt," Madeline noted. "We have to carry her out."
"I got her," someone said.
I looked up and realised it was the nice guy from the wedding. He took off his leather jacket and placed it around my shoulders for a purpose unknown to me. I just soaked in the kindness and let him carry me in his arms. Any movement set off a jolt of pain that had me whimpering but I braced through the pain. A car had been brought close to the stage and I was gently placed inside the back passenger seat, Madeline going around to sit next to me. Nice Guy took the front seat before the car zoomed out, not before I looked out the window. People were running and among them, wolves. Some of the beasts attacked the running people. Fruit baskets were littered among fallen chairs as people had left them in a hurry.
What was going on?
I felt panic springing up in my chest. The pain I felt became insignificant as worry came on so strong that I almost could not breathe.
"What about Midas?" I asked as we drove away.
There was a similar car driving in front of us, and another close behind us. However, I knew Midas was not in any of those cars. My hands trembled and my breathing picked up.
"He's going to be fine. He is handling the situation," Madeline assured, a frown on her face as she looked ahead.
I remembered that Madeline was Midas's sister. She would worry for him too. That calmed me down a little but it still ate at my mind. I chewed on my bottom lip, tapping the leather seat. It still didn't feel right and I ended up out of breath.
"Amaya?" Madeline asked after I pulled my legs up to my chest and closed my eyes as an ominous sensation crept into my chest. "There's something wrong with her. Amaya, what's going on?"
I couldn't answer her question because I honestly had no idea. I could not explain why I was suddenly acting like this. I just knew that the more we put distance between Midas and me, the more I would feel like someone was squeezing my heart and lungs.
"Stop the car!"
My arms flayed about as I was moved out of the car to the cool grass beside the road, even though I was still sticky with vegetable goo. I was saying something but other voices were speaking over me. I was frustrated and helpless as I struggled to breathe, my lungs refusing to work properly. I could hear Madeline's soft voice speaking to me and I tried to concentrate on that. It wasn't until I felt the tickling of fur and brushing of hot air against my skin that I caught my breath. I almost jumped when a large wolf rubbed against me. It was quiet, looking over me before snapping its jaws at the nice guy who was crouching next to me. He stood up with his hands in the air, chuckling at the action before disappearing to the car.
"She was having a panic attack," Madeline said after I watched the other men in black shuffle away.
I realised that Madeline was not speaking to me, but to the wolf. A part of me scolded myself for not running from the animal with sharp teeth but another part of me, the irrational one, wanted me to stay. I sat still, watching its dark grey fur ripple as it moved around me, brushing its fur against me. Madeline was quiet as she watched while I pondered over the fact that this was a werewolf. That meant it was also a person. I had a hard time wrapping my head around that.
I swatted the wolf away with a groan when its tongue ran over my cheek, leaving a slobbery mess on my face. It didn't stop no matter how hard I tried to push it away. It was probably insignificant because my tiny hands stood no chance against the huge animal. After it was done, I swiped my face in an attempt to clean and dry it.
"Stupid wolf," I grumbled as I got on my feet, disappointed by how the wolf was taller than me.
The wolf turned away from me slightly and growled lowly at Madeline. She rolled her eyes and stood up from where she was sitting on the grass. As she started talking to the wolf, which is very strange because it only stared at her and growled a couple of times, I tried to figure out who it was as a person. Its eyes constantly flicked to me and the dark green irises reminded me of only one person.
Midas.
I was ushered back into the car under the watchful gaze of the grey wolf as it now sat on its haunches. I had a hard time trying to refer to it as Midas, a person. A person who is a wolf. How does that even work?
As we drove away I realised that I was feeling better now. It puzzled me but Madeline and the nice guy were now focusing on the road as if I was not dying a few minutes ago. Was it a panic attack? I never had one of those before. Why did it happen now? Why was it not happening again? What made it stop?
I sighed as I sunk back into the seat, resting my head against the window as I saw the trees flashing by. I squinted my eyes to look at the shadows between the trees. Something was there. I could not see clearly but I could make out a grey form moving at the same speed as the car, all the way to the palace.