"Do you think, I would marry a lowborn like you?!" The voice echoed inside the hall of the mighty chamber, and Arya faced the sharpness of the words.
"No!" Arya jolted awake, sweating through his face. He looked left and right and saw his room; his breathing was heavy, and his heart pounded.
"I am alive?" His hands touched each part of his body, confirming his legs, arms, face, and hair were all still intact. He slapped himself near his ear to see if the pain was there, but it wasn't.
Arya took a second to realize that he was alive and in perfect condition; no harm or injuries had come his way. What happened before the bear fell on him, he needed to find out.
"Seraphina?! Reva? Where is she?"Memories of his past actions came to him in a second—what had he done to save himself?. Arya rushed away, messing up his bed sheets and ignoring his slippers.
He rushed out of his room and ran down the stairs. "Please survive, please survive..." The mumble ran through his mouth. Then he reached the dining table and looked at it, while creeping with fear.
"Arya! Are you okay?" Seraphina jumped up from her seat and hugged Arya tightly as he stood.
"Seraphina! I am glad you are okay." Arya hugged her back tightly, with a relieved smile.
"I was so scared! I thought you might go away from me." She hugged him tighter, and tears started falling from her face. Arya patted her back to comfort her. "You and I are safe right now; that is important."
Arya enjoyed a special moment, even though he had known Seraphina for only a night. It felt like she was important and to be protected. "You dropped Reva." This made his memories more painful. He looked at the dining table with a guilty expression.
Mercy was sitting there, eating his boiled broccoli and looking at the two with a happy smile. Waving a hello at Arya. "Seraphina, it's alright. Let's eat lunch together." Seraphina and Arya let go of each other with a smile and sat at the dining table.
Seraphina was eating the raw red meat of some mysterious animal, using her sharp knife and hands. Meanwhile, Arya chose to take a bite from the plate of salad on the table, trying to strike up a conversation.
"Arya, say thank you to Mercy. He came and saved us all." Seraphina smiled before biting down a huge chunk of meat.
Arya looked at Mercy with a sad expression and an ache in his heart. His throat felt drier than ever. "No need for a thank you. You and Reva both work with me; it is my duty to save the two of you."
Arya looked in surprise when Mercy answered his question without him even asking. He took a sigh of relief, knowing Reva was safe. Arya had more questions about her, but he kept them to himself.
"Thank you for saving us. I mean it. How did you even find out we were being attacked?" Arya's appreciation came mixed with questions.
Mercy put down his fork and looked at Arya. "Seraphina and I share a special link, a spell of snow lords. Whenever one of us sleeps or faints, the other one knows about it. So, whenever Seraphina fainted, I knew you were in danger."
Arya leaned back on his chair with the response, another spell he had never seen in all the books he had ever read. He couldn't ask any more questions about that.
"How is Reva? She was poisoned by the rats, and it was doing horrible stuff to her. Is she okay?"
"Don't worry. I got her the anti-venom; River has them lined up for every case. He gave her some good medical herbs, and the effects have reverted faster than expected, but currently, she doesn't want to meet anybody."
"Reverted?" That word struck Arya. "Poison wounds can be reverted? I thought those things could only be healed slowly through time. What nature of herbs are you using?" Arya leaned closer to Mercy's face.
"Calm down, Arya. The Forest of the Forbidden has many more things than you can think of. That place has a lot more mysteries than before. You need to rest just like Reva. Go to your room and take it easy." Mercy kept his hands on Arya's shoulders.
Arya couldn't say anymore. He tried to, but Seraphina's nodding made him more tame than he expected. "You are right. I need rest. A lot has been going on the past week. I need things to slow down." Arya relaxed his shoulders and let go.
?! At that moment, Mercy tightened his grip on Arya's shoulder. He turned his eyes to look at green eyes staring at him. Mercy got up from his seat and leaned closer to Arya.
"Things won't slow down for a second, Arya. Be prepared; tomorrow you have a day with River and Anastasia." His whispers were cold and delivered the message. His guard couldn't be down at any moment. Mercy released Arya's shoulder and set him free.
Arya looked at Seraphina, who was eating with full enthusiasm ahead of him. "I told you, Mercy can bring everything back. Even if everything is gone, he will bring them back. He even brought Reva's hair back, although not all." Seraphina shied a bit.
"Is Reva hiding because of this? Is she bald now?" Arya asked with worry. Bald wouldn't really look good on Reva.
"Aye, you don't say things like that about a girl. What if I shave your hair off? Would you like that?" Seraphina took offense and began lecturing Arya. He wondered how her personality changes when she is angry.
"There are always proper ways of how to behave with someone. If you act like this, no lady will ever marry you, meaning you will never have kids. So, don't act like this again."
Arya bowed his head to the table. "If your grace wants, I am ready to take any punishment for my terrible actions. Still, I beg your pardon, please forgive a fly such as me." A peasant once spoke like that in the royal court because he had cheated on his wife and then killed her.
"I forgive your sins for you, but remember my forgiveness is not always on your head, just like the sun's light." Seraphina became a queen regent when she was angry. Her wording and keeping style were like no 10-year-old.
"You are very forgiving, your highness." Arya picked his bowed head up with a smile. Seraphina was far kinder than Lord Mathers, who had crucified the man in front of his mistress.
"Seraphina—"
"Call me, Sera. Mercy says my name is too long, and he can't say it loud properly."
"So, Sera. When did you learn royal speech? You perform as a perfect queen in a drama at the Festival of the Roses. I am sure you will win the prize." Her wording and style were very sharp, just as a ruler should be.
"I learned it from a book Mercy gave me... I can't remember the name, but it is full of royalty and warrior things. I learned that from there. Anastasia also says I can be a great performer." Sera jumped with joy and slid away her plate of meat.
"Arya, if you are a friend, can you please complete one of my requests?"
"Don't ask me to bring you to the Festival of the Roses. Uro and Dynasty's warlord will be coming there, and I am exiled with a bounty on my head. Not the most favorable odds."
"Come on! Reva says he hates going to festivals. River doesn't leave Anastasia, and she will be recognized too. Can't any of you just work it out for me?" Sera definitely didn't understand the pressure on Arya's head. Afterall, who could hurt her, if Mercy was her protector?
"Can't Mercy do anything? You didn't ask him?"
"He is the last one to take me anywhere. I had to chase him for hours to even go out with you and Reva. After the bear incident, do you think he will let me go?"
Arya nodded in agreement and got up from his seat. "We still have two months to go. I will check out if there is anything I can do to fix this. Until then, keep practicing, my lady."
The two smiled at each other, and a promise was put in place.
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