The commanding chief of Aelfrey's valiant warriors is notoriously known for his stern and brazen demeanor. Despite being disliked by many, Alvaro was still favorably adored by many fayes for his steadfast loyalty to the king and Aelfrey.
He achieved the highest rank possible for any warrior at a young age for putting an end to the coup d'état staged by the rebellious fayes living in the Aelfrey's wilderness. Thus, earning him the king's trust.
And so it did not come out unexpectedly when the king appointed him to be Gala's aide in learning Aelfrey's history and the ways of fayes.
The king agreed to Alvaro's suggestion that the girl live in the village. However, the queen objected. If Gala was deemed vital to ending the frost, then it's only appropriate that the kingdom treats her well.
Alvaro is currently accompanying the sobbing Gala to the guest room in the west tower of the palace, where she will stay until the mystery of her seeing their sacred spirit-faye is resolved.
His firm, calculated steps rattled throughout the hallway against the stoned marble floor. Alvaro had to pause several times to wait for the girl, whose short legs scurried with the aim of catching up on him, wiping her tear-streaked cheeks.
"Don't worry, the queen promised that she would send fayes to your house tonight to temporarily erase you from their memory." Alvaro's thick voice breaks the silence engulfing them both.
Gala turned to face the brooding man next to her, surprised that the seemingly ironclad man initiated the conversation.
Gala sighed, "As if that's comforting enough," she replied dryly. Another tear escaped her eye, which she quickly wiped away.
When they reached the fork, Alvaro led her to the bustling corridor on the left, which was full of fayes who were all busy with their work. Others were carrying piles of clean plates, others were folding linens, and still others were chatting with one another.
"Good morning, Sir," greeted a young, blonde faye, aggressively fluttering her obviously faked, colored long lashes. It was a bizarre thing to see, at least for Gala.
Alvaro simply nodded and continued walking alongside Gala, who was silently observing the fayes around her. The young faye wanted to protest, but the young warrior was already past her; the faye cast a jealous glance at Gala before turning its back on them.
'Must be his admirer.' Gala thought.
They weren't even halfway when a swarm of fayes rushed towards Alvaro, greeting him in pitchy tones. Everyone trying to deafen one another resulted in an uneasy, rowdy crowd. Gala could only use her palm to cover both of her ears. This clearly infuriated the young warrior, as his thick, grating voice thundered. "Silence!"
Everyone fell silent right then and there. The disgruntled expression on Alvaro's face implied that the young warrior did not approve of their rowdy behavior.
The young fayes scattered on the corridor's side, fearful of the young warrior's temper and clearly regretting their actions. "We apologise, young Sir," one of the fairies said, slightly bowing to the man, who was clearly irritated.
Gala, on the other hand, was trying hard not to smile as she watched the scene unfold in front of her and then clicked her tongue in disappointment when it ended so quickly.
But, she's more amused at the fact that Alvaro is capable of showing other emotions other than being nonchalant and still as cold as ice most of the time.
Gala studied Alvaro's imposing physique. He stood six feet tall or could have been taller than that. His brown tan skin glistened in a golden hue as the light reflected through the window glass. Gala realized that Alvaro embodied perfectly the characters from the books she read at home.
Her gaze zoomed to his chiseled face, framed by his hair as dark as night that flowed freely to his shoulders. His face was adorned with thick, lush brows. His lashes were considerably long for a man. His beguiling, iridescent hazel-brown eyes change color to dark brown whenever the light passes through. His pouty lips added more exquisiteness to the man's almost perfect physique.
And as though the man wasn't attractive enough, his huge, translucent, magnificent dark grey wings flailed proudly on his back. Gala could only guess that fayes are no different from humans; they are naturally drawn to physical characteristics rather than the character. 'We are all fools in love,' she thought, quoting a line from a book she had read.
They continued their stride as the chaos that erupted from the young fayes finally died down. Alvaro's expression is back to being passive.
The walk to her room was long and awfully dull. It drained Gala's upbeat personality. A certain light-blue-haired faye crossed Gala's mind. She bet the atmosphere would be much lighter as Deviro is friendlier than the man next to her.
"So, you were fairly well-known among the ladies of the kingdom?" Gala wondered out loud, trying to break the awkward silence between them.
The man was clearly taken aback at the sudden interaction. "The fayes are just naturally friendly," Alvaro replied anyway.
"You mean... the other fayes?" Gala asked further.
Alvaro paused and faced her. "What do you mean the other fayes?" he asked, clearly not getting the implications of Gala's answer.
Gala softly chuckled at Alvaro's oblivion. "I mean the other fayes because I don't think you're friendly at all," Gala stated candidly.
Alvaro fell silent for a moment, not expecting Gala's straightforwardness, but what else could he expect? Alvaro decided not to pursue the matter and began walking away.
Gala stared unblinking at the man's retreating form and shrugged her shoulders before running after him.
--
Alvaro pushed open a small wooden door, ushering Gala inside. "This will be your room. The fayes had filled the wardrobe with some winter clothes and undergarments that you could use. For now, you may rest. I'll be back in here to fetch you for lunch and so you can familiarize yourself with the way to the dining hall. Then, we will proceed to the kingdom's elderly fayes, where you will be under their direct care as they teach you our history and our ways."
Gala roamed her eyes around the room, which was far too large for her, but she assumed the queen had requested it for her. A queen-sized bed in the center of the room is draped in red velvet sheets, and a canopy of the same texture and color hangs above it.
She went for a dive to the bed right away. She suddenly felt the exhaustion from yesterday and realized that she hadn't slept properly at all.
As soon as her back touched the fluffy material, her eyes drooped and her vision turned hazy.
Gala snored, unable to fight the fatigue she was experiencing.
Alvaro examined the bathroom and ensured that all the necessary toiletries were available. He went to the tub, filled it with water, and began filling it with scented oils in case Gala wanted to bathe.
"I've prepared your bath just in case. Everything was already prepared." Alvaro said as he went out of the bathroom, only for him to find Gala snoring on her bed.
Alvaro took the blanket and covered Gala with it. He went towards the fireplace across the bed and lit it up to give the room some heat as the temperature of the frost still lingers inside the palace.
Alvaro sat up straight. "Looks like the bath can wait," he muttered as he walked to the door.