The Fates

Celia's whole body shook badly from tierdness when they finally reached their destination.

She had lived her whole life without leaving the small, poor village that she had been born in. Celia had found beauty in simple things, things like the smell of a newly scrubbed floor or the colorful hollyhocks that grew alongside the brown walls of the cottage or watching the birds fly around outside from their kitchen window.

Looking around she could find nothing simple in what she saw. Once they were past the high, gray walls that surrounded and hid the entire estate her jaw had dropped at the sight.

A huge carefully planted garden encircled a grand house, she counted the levels of the windows and there seemed to be five levels. She had never seen a house such as this, when she was little her mother used to tell her a bedtime story about a castle and thought that that is what this house must be- a castle.

The stone walls almost seemed to reach up and into the sky and when she looked up, sure enough, she saw a bird fly around the highest point before landing on top of one of the towers.

Taurus came to a stop in front of the main entrance and Rhale dismounted just as the double doors flew open and an older man came almost sprinting down the stairs.

“Rhale! It’s been too long!” The man said and the two men embraced each other in a manly manner.

The older man's gray hair sat thinly upon his elongated head and his sunken eyes lit up when he smiled.

“What brings you here?” The older man said.

“I am afraid that I have a favor to ask. '' Rhale answered and turned around to look at her, the man beside him noticed her and his posture instantly changed, his back turned stiff as he watched her.

Celia wanted to melt right into Taurus at his stare and she let her hair fall in front of her face as he looked her up and down.

Why would Rhale take her to such a fine place? She didn’t belong in a place like this. Not even under normal circumstances but now that she was bloody, dirty and completely disheveled, she felt unworthy to even be on the grounds.

“Blessed be The Fates, let’s get her inside at once.” The older man said and her eyes widened, his voice did not sound angry that she was here but she could not quite place the tone.

Rhale came in front her and put his hands out, when she hesitated he gave her a small smile "Let me help you down"

Celia slowly moved her upper body to him and he carefully lifted her down and she hid a grimace at the pain she was feeling.

Her body hurt so badly that no matter how much she tried she could not take a proper step without wobbling and she soon found herself in the arms of Rhale again, being carried up the big stairs and inside the marvelous foyer.

“Welcome to my home, I am Lord Amos of Byrion. Prunella here will show you to a room.” Amos gestured to a plum, short woman that stood in front of a line of servers.

She pushed at Rhale's chest slightly, showing him that he needed to put her down so that she could properly introduce herself.

He ignored her completely and only held on to her more tightly. She desperately tried to wiggle herself out of his arms, it was embarrassing to be carried in such a way in front of others.

“This is Celia and as you can see she is hurt, I will come and speak with you when I have carried her to her room and made sure that she is cared for.” Rhale looked at her sternly as he said the word carried and she immediately stopped struggling, there was no use and she was only hurting herself more.

“But of course, Prunella please see to it that our guests are well tended to.”

“Yes my Lord” she curtseyed “If you will follow me”

The staircase seemed to go on forever but Rhale walked on like he wasn’t carrying another human being in his arms. As they entered the room that was supposed to be hers she thought that they must have made a mistake, perhaps Prunella had accidently taken them to Rhale’s room.

Celia belonged in the servers quarters, maybe Lord Amos would be kind enough to let her stay and work for her keep. She should only be so lucky as to work for a Lord.

Rhale marched right into the room and set her down on the lushes bed but she quickly raised herself up, not paying any attention to the paid she felt, she would not dirty the fine fabric on the bed.

“Sit down Celia, you must be in much pain.”

“I do not wish to dirty the bed”

“Please my Lady pay it no mind, we can simply wash it if it gets dirty. I will fetch water for a bath and find you some clean clothes immediately. You can find supplies for cleaning the wounds in the cabinet in the dressing room. ” Prunella curtseyed to them and left the room before Celia had a chance to correct her, she had been mistaken as a Lady. That at least explained the lavish room.

“There has been a mistake, I can not stay in a room such as this” she told Rhale as he walked into another room, she presumed it was the changing room.

“Why?” he came back carrying clean cloth and wound cleaner.

“I am not a Lady”

“No, you are much more than that. Sit down and let me tend to your wounds, you have some small cuts” Rhale put his hands on her shoulder and gently pushed her down on the bed “There are a lot of things I have to tell you Celia but I think it’s better to wait until you have rested.”

Celia let herself relax slightly, she had been through too much to try and have a debate with a god. Rhale slowly started to wash cuts on her face that she did not even know that she had, she must have gotten them when she was running away from the beasts in the forest.

“Where else are you hurt? Except your back.”

Was she hurt anywhere else? She didn’t know, probably everywhere. It was difficult to distinguish what was wariness and what wasn’t.

“I’m not much hurt anywhere else, I can do the rest. Thank you.”

“Yesterday I saw blood on your knee, please let me make sure that you are all right.”

How could she argue such kindness? She nodded her head and closed her eyes as she felt Rhale's hand pull up the tunic on her leg, his tunic was almost as long as a dress on her but now he pulled it up to rest just above her knee.

“It doesn’t look infected but let me clean it anyway to be sure.”

She closed her eyes tighter, she had never had a man this close to her, especially not in this state of undress. One of Rhale's thumbs rubbed soothing circles on the side of her knee but it didn’t feel soothing, instead she felt something else, a current of fire went through her body at his touch and she tried to will her heart to slow down.

“There, all done.” As he pulled the tunic down over her again there was a nock on the door “Come in”

Multiple servers entered with hot water and went to fill the tub, they all curtsy as they left, except for Prunella who stayed.

“I will tend to the Lady master Rhale, and I will show the Lady down for the evening meal when she is ready.”

“Thank you Prunella.” Rhale gave Celia one lingering look before he left “I’ll be downstairs if you need me.” He shut the door quietly behind him.

Now was her chance to right the mistake of them thinking that she was a Lady.

“Come my Lady, let me help you to your bath”

“Please, I am not a Lady”

“I am terribly sorry, we have never met someone as you before and I do not know how to address you”

“Someone like me?” had she never met a peasant before? Surely there could not be that much difference between them.

“Yes, an angel. I apologize, how should I address you?”

“You can call me Celia and I am not an angel” by The Fates where had she gotten that idea?

“But you are my Lady”

“Celia please. And no, I am human. Are the angels not dead?” she asked in confusion, as far as she had heard the angels had died even before she was born.

“But of course, Celia,” Prunella said with a kind smile “come, let me help you into the bath, it will make you feel better.”

Celia agreed and with a sigh lowered herself into the hot water and let it wash away all the dirt and grime from her body. Prunella helped her wash her hair and when she was done she held up a big sheet for her to dry herself in.

Prunella brought her a fine dark blue dress, much too fine for her station.

“I am undeserving of such a dress, do you perhaps have something less fine?” she asked quietly. They did not really believe her to be an angel, surly.

“This dress will suit you fine, '' Prunella said and started to help dress her. When Celia was dressed and her hair had been brushed Prunella put her in front of a floor to ceiling mirror.

She could hardly believe the woman staring back at her, she no longer looked like herself. The dark blue color complimented her light skin perfectly and her normally wild locks hung in soft ringlets at her waist.

“Thank you Prunella” If only her mother could have seen her like this, she thought and she could feel her eyes fill with tears. Celia had tried hard not to think about her just yet and now was not the time. Her mother had always said that one should never be a sobbing mess in front of others.

“Let me show you to the dining room, everything will be better with food in your belly and a good night's sleep”

She followed Prunella slowly down the stairs, her body still shaky and sore even though the bath had helped to loosen her up. Prunella seemed to notice and thankfully slowed down as well.

It also gave Celia a chance to look at everything, there were big statues before every new staircase and the finest velvet curtains hanging on the sides of the huge windows that covered the outer walls on every floor.

Ancient looking paintings adorned the walls all the way down the stairs.

It almost felt like forever before they reached the dinning hall and Celia was ready to sink down into a chair and never get up again. As they got closer they could hear Rhale and Amos having a loud discussion and both Prunella and Celia came to a stop in the doorway.

“We must know for certain!” Amos yelled at Rhale while he threw his hands in the air.

“It is too dangerous.” Rhale replied with a calmer voice.

Both men stopped speaking when they realized that they were not alone.

Celia had a strange feeling that the disagreement had been about her.

But they welcomed her to the table, Rhale pulled out a chair for her next to himself.

She had never seen so much food in her life yet she had to force herself to eat every bite. Thoughts of her mother came creeping in no matter how much she tried to push the thoughts aside and the tension in the room was not helping the matter.

“Celia”

“Don’t” Rhale almost growled at Amos “let her rest first” which led to Amos glare daggers at Rhale. Celia had enough of the both of them at the moment.

“If this argument is about me I much rather know why then be kept in the dark '' it was now Celia’s turn to glare at Rhale as she saw that he was about to protest.

“Well that settles it then. Do you know what you are, Celia? Or rather what you might be?”

“I’m not following.”

“You have angel blood in you” The angel thing again, they couldn’t really believe that she was an angel.

“I’m not an angel, I am human”

“I told you that she didn’t know” Rhale said to Amos

“Well, we must get her to understand that she is one then.” Amos turned to face her “Every creature have a specific scent to them and for us who met the Angels while they were still alive know it well, there is no doubt what blood runs through your veins”

“I was born by my mother, a human and as far as I have heard the angels were a lot different from me. They were strong and had a lot of power, I don’t. I’m sorry but I am not what you think I am. I am Celia, just Celia.” She was getting more and more tired by the second, her mind needed rest and she so badly wanted to go into a room and close a door behind her so that she could let herself fall apart.

“Well just Celia, we will have to test your theory.”

“Enough, this can wait until another day” Rhale’s tone of voice left no room for argument “Let me help you to your room.”

“I can make it on my own. Thank you so much for dinner my Lord, you are most gracious”

Celia tried to mimic Rhale’s distant tone but it still came out sounding meek, all she wanted right now was to be left alone. She left the two men sitting at the table and hurried as fast as she could up the stairs, which in truth wasn’t very fast at all. She had seldom been so thankful as when she finally closed the door behind her.

She instantly sank to the floor and let herself weep, her body shook with the effort to keep her sobs quiet.

She let herself feel it all, the terror that she had felt when the monsters had run right into the village, the panic when her mother had stepped in front of her and told her to run, the horror of seeing the beast tear into her mother. Her kind, sweet, beautiful mother. She had sacrificed herself for Celia, giving Celia the chance to run away.

Celia also let herself feel shame at having done so. She cried for the loss of the only home she knew and she cried for the uncertainty of the future. She cried harder and her body shook more as images of everything flashed before her eyes.

“Celia, can I come in?” Rhale’s voice carried through the door.

“Go away, please” the words were barely understandable and she put her arms around herself to stop herself from falling apart further.

“It’s okay Celia” she felt Rhale’s big arms envelope around her “cry all you want, I got you” she let herself fall into his embrace and he held her until she fell asleep.

Celia woke up to something heavy laying on top of her. When she opened her eyes she had to squint due to the morning sun that illuminated the room.

Dust particles were dancing in the rays of light and she just laid there for a while, watching their movements. Her eyes felt puffy, reminding her that she had cried last night. She tried to move but something stopped her and she looked down on herself, an arm was draped across her and she recalled that Rhale had comforted her.

Shame filled her at the thought of him seeing her like that, what would he think of her now? Rhale’s strong arm pulled her closer to him, her back against his chest and she marveled at how safe she felt laying in his arms.

Rhale must have fallen asleep too, just as she had. But no matter how safe and warm she felt in his arms she now needed to somehow manage to escape it without waking him up, she would be too embarrassed to face him first thing in the morning.

She needed to apologize to him for her behavior, she felt herself blush as she remembered how she had buried her face in his chest and let her tears stain his shirt.

“Stop thinking so much” she jumped at his voice, escaping was apparently not an opinion.

“Do you read minds?” Now that would be extremely mortifying.

“No but I can read you." Rhale said and pulled her closer still “go back to sleep Celia, let us rest a little longer.”

She felt his breathing even out and she closed her eyes again and let herself drift off once more.