Moira woke to a tense atmosphere the following morning, having been woken up by two of the four men still healing her, their palms glowing bright streaks of white and green into her. Looking to her left, she saw Jalla fast asleep snoring loudly in an arm chair and Vyvian standing beside Jalla, staring down at Moira with wide eyes. Moira sat up, feeling no pain at all, her face felt smooth and the bruises were gone.
"Thank you, er-" She did not know the healers' names, the were both tall and fair with pale white hair, white eyelashes; one with a handsome square jaw, and the other man was the man from before, with a soft, pointed face.
The square jawed man speaks in a soft, deep voice. "Lady Moira, I am your Auxilitor and Medical Curador, Gared Vinnestra and my assistant, Kellian Lorin," who smiled and bowed at being addressed. "-it is my unfortunate pleasure to meet you. I wish it could have been under better circumstances.
"Are you at all feeling any pain, or experiencing any discomfort? No prickling pains, or head fuzziness."
"No... maybe a bit fuzziness." Moira said with a far off voice, thinking about the trouble she must be in, then looking back to Auxilitor Gared, "But how? You said my leg was-"
"Broken, yes, as well as four ribs your ankle and two toes." Gared continued, looking as if he were reading off a piece of parchment. "Just a few hours of healing and you were fixed up, humans are quite susceptible to magic, you heal a lot quicker than we do, but also can be harmed worse than we ever could."
Moira laughed lightly. "Unfortunately, humans can't learn magic... the good we could do."
"-Or bad. Humans are very susceptible to magic, and can also be consumed by it."
The cabin door suddenly opened, the Queen Mother quickly entered as everyone bowed and Jalla shuffled in her chair, now wide awake, gripping the sides of the chair anxiously. Moira thought that Jalla was maybe faking sleep. The Auxilitor and his assistant left the room immediately with bowed heads as Vyvian ushers Jalla up to leave with her.
"No. She needs to hear this." Olvina proclaimed sternly, her accent as thick as ever, as Vyvian gave a quick bow and followed after the two; Jalla sitting slowly back down, not making eye contact with Olvina's fierce brown eyes. They sat in silence for a moment, they heard the others leave and as the carriage door closed, Olvina spoke with precise, slow words.
"Lady Moira, as the Representative of the Athaaric's and Odiovitae, I speak on behalf of my entire family and kingdom, and since we are, quite literally, on route to your new home, I am your family." At this Moira scoffed, The Representative paused for a second and continued. "Because I take family and oaths seriously, I would love for a moment if I could speak freely.
"I am not quite sure you fully understand the requirements of you being under our protection. In order for you to be protected, you have to be alive. You are the first pure blood human to step foot in this part of the country very in a long time. Creatures and mutants, other races not categorized, well beyond our strength, who yearn for the taste of young blood, such as yourself. They rampage through these forests, destroying villages, and killing people. Your safety is not only our duty, we have taken a vow as a kingdom, as a family, to see to it that you are not harmed in any way, it's about honoring our alliance. Whether you like it or not, you are a pillar in this alliance. You are not a sheep being traded to the shepherd, you are the Heir of the Domes betrothed to the son of King Soren of Odiovitae, your children will be born leaders and rulers of countries. You cannot be running off without a guard or Vyvian by your side in abandoned ruins where you could be killed, and almost were.
"I am aware that you are young, excited to see the new world around you, a chance to break away from the path that has been set out for you. I remember traveling across the Serpant Sea to Boot Island to be married to my great oaf of a husband. I remember running off in every harbor, scavenging every port for adventure, trading with every merchant I could to feel a sense of freedom. I want to say I understand, but emotions held by those who still feel them are so complex and often misunderstood, one cannot say one understands another." Olvina circles around to the right side of Moira's bed, her eyes soft and sympathetic.
"I am also aware of your feelings toward us. 'Unhumans' as your uncle calls us, I see how you were raised and applaud you for your tolerance. It is rare to see such a beautiful mind not encumbered by the hate between races. And in the line of tolerance, we have none for your uncle, King Rejan. You'll have to understand, we were very hesitant to accept his request for marriage. We thought it was a great joke, he would want to join lines. After years of animosity, we found it odd, but took up his terms for cooperation and it was he who struck the deal with us, it was he who wanted you off in Odiovitae. King Rejan, who signed the deal, was also the one who withheld you for an entire year from us, from my grandson, from an entire kingdom, enraged from being kept away from their new royal family member." On the verge of tears, Moira sniffles, trying desperately to look as if she had to sneeze, Jalla's face completely drained of color, her mouth open as the breath seems to be taken out of her.
"I will do anything in my power to change your thoughts on us, but you must listen for when I say, you must trust me, trust us, Vyvian has hundreds of years of experience in raising proper Odiovitian women, in teaching you what you need to be taught. Otherwise, you will be mistaken in thinking you can take on the world by yourself, for the both of you; sorely mistaken. We vampires may live off the blood of others, but there are older, more ancient races, that hunt for the fun of it. I hope, for your sake, that we do not have this conversation again."
The Representative approaches Moira, grasping her hand gently, giving a soft kiss and leaves, the door slamming shut behind her, making Moira and Jalla jump. Moira looked at Jalla, who was stricken with worry, then laid back down with a cushioned thud.