Arranged

by Spears, Jessica

  * * * *

  A roar of rage ripped its way from Qwinn's throat. Red covered his vision as he raced through the halls. Servants jumped out of his way. He took the steps four at a time until he reached her room. His jaw hurt from gritting his teeth. He threw open her door, nearly knocking over the servant, who was carrying a bowl of water and a rag.

  She quickly excused herself. As he walked rest of the way into the room, he found Jabr by the bed where Alison lay unconscious, with a large purple bump on her left temple. His anger peeked and he picked up one of the few candles, throwing it at the wall, sending part of the room into darkness.

  "What happened?" Qwinn snarled, pacing angrily, like a caged animal. "Tell me!" he yelled.

  Jabr didn't flinch nor did Alison wake up, which made him even angrier.

  "She tried to escape," Jabr said.

  He roared. "That's a lie!"

  "She ran from me and fell down the stairs."

  Qwinn growled dangerously. "Do not lie to me," he stepped forward, menacingly.

  "That is what happened," Jabr said, his demeanor remaining calm.

  Qwinn balled his fists at his side. "She said she wouldn't run." Finally, his eyes fell upon Alison. She looked so beat up. Her eye was black and swelling, the rest of her was hidden beneath the blankets, but he was sure her limbs looked just as beat up as her face. Her eyes moved beneath her eyelids as if she were dreaming and beads of sweat began to form on her brow. Though he wanted to move to her side, he refrained. He was still too angry and he didn't want to handle her too roughly.

  "I believe she has broken her leg," Jabr said.

  Qwinn worked his jaw. "You may leave," he said softly. He needed to get a hold of his anger.

  Jabr nodded, pausing at the door. "I should have kept a better eye on her. Forgive me."

  Qwinn nodded and Jabr closed the door. The room suddenly became so quiet that all Qwinn could hear was the sound of her breathing. It calmed him slightly to at least hear her breathing normally.

  He should have never left her alone. She had probably been so scared. He frowned and fought off the thoughts. He couldn't afford to keep softening toward her. It would only end badly. He needed advice and there was only one person to ask…

  Adalia opened her door and her eyes grew wide with surprise, followed quickly by her smile. "Qwinn, what a pleasant surprise. Come in."

  She ushered her brother into her large room. She had her huge bed pushed to one side and a pile of lounging pillows surrounding a table on the other side of her room. Flowers of all kinds hung from vines along her walls. She loved nature. If she had it her way, she would live in the forest.

  She lay against one of the pillows and patted the one beside her. "What can I help you with?"

  Qwinn chuckled slightly. "You know me so well," he stated as he sunk into the comfortable pillows.

  She smiled kindly "Of course I do. You are my other half. What is on your mind?"

  Qwinn ran his fingers through his dreadlocks and sighed.

  "Is it the girl?" she guessed, turning her full attention to him.

  He nodded, opening up, knowing he could trust his sister. "She tried to run."

  "That is to be expected," her sister answered calmly.

  Qwinn frowned. "She promised me she wouldn't."

  Adalia pondered this. "Qwinn, she does not know what is happening. Give her time. This is a big change for her. I would have tried to run too…That is not all that is bother you. Tell me, what else happened?"

  "She fell down the stairs and broke her leg. She looks horrible."

  Adalia sighed. "They are so fragile…have you healed her yet?"

  Qwinn looked uncomfortable and Adalia nearly pounced on him. "How many times have I told you not to be ashamed of your healing powers?"

  "It is not the norm for a man to have the ability."

  "Ahanu has blessed you with the gift. Healers are greatly needed."

  Qwinn shook his head. "You do not understand…"

  She pursed her lips. "If I were hurt, who would you want to heal me? Someone else?" Qwinn didn't answer. "Would you want another person to heal Alison? Maybe Ahanu gave you the ability for this reason."

  The thought of another person touching Alison made him grit his teeth. She smiled slightly at how bothered he was at her words. "Now, you still haven't answered me; have you healed her?"

  "No." He didn't add the fact that he had been too angry and was afraid to touch her. He didn't need to add his issues to his sister's shoulders. She already knew he had a temper. Almost everyone did, and it had only gotten worse over the past few years. Now, with Alison in the palace, his world was turning upside down.

  "Good," Adalia said, bringing him back to their conversation. "Don't."

  "Excuse me?" he asked in surprise.

  "Well, heal the worst of it, but don't heal her completely."

  "Are you mad?" he asked.

  Adalia sat up, a twinkle in her eye. He knew that look well; she had a plan. She paused dramatically. "Imagine Qwinn, if you don't heal her completely, someone will need to take care of her. That someone could be you."

  He would never admit that he might like this idea. "You want me to do servant's work?"

  "No. I want you to create a situation where she has no choice but to grow her trust in you."

  He was silent for a moment. His sister had always been crafty, now he could use that to his advantage. "Perhaps," was all he told her. Still she smiled, knowing he would do as she suggested.

  "When will you let me meet this girl?" she asked, laying back into the pillows.

  Qwinn shook his head.

  "If you won't introduce her to me, I'll just have to sneak into her room and meet her myself."

  "You will not!" he blurted angrily.

  She giggled, knowing her brother would react that way. "You're not going to keep her cooped away I hope?"

  Qwinn glared at her, not finding the teasing amusing. "It is none of your business what I do."

  Now Adalia frowned. "Qwinn, you cannot hide her from our people. They will not trust her!"

  "Some of them would rather kill her!"

  "They know the punishment that would befall them if they did. Besides, no one harmed mother."

  Qwinn stilled at the mention of their mother. She had withstood much criticism and hardship because of her love for their father. However, only after Qwinn and his sister had been born and an heir promised the throne, did the people accept her. Qwinn would rather skip the hardship altogether. Alison didn't deserve to be hated by his people. It wasn't her choice that they had been banished to the underground. Yet, he too, still blamed every human for what had happened to his people. Maybe he still had a lot to learn as well.

  "I must go," he said, standing.

  Adalia stood quickly too. "Qwinn, I didn't mean−"

  "It's not that. I just wish to be alone."

  She placed her graceful hand on his shoulder. "I am here, should you need me."

  Qwinn nodded curtly and left. In the hall, he ordered for a bowl of hot water and herbal teas to be brought to Alison's room. Instead of heading straight there, he returned to his room and took a dip in his pools. He scrubbed himself of the stress from the day.

  When he was done, he pulled the hair out of his face and changed into fresh clothes. He rubbed oil from the Linus tree into his skin. It smelled wild and rich. When he was satisfied, he made his way to Alison's room. He knew he could only dodge his responsibilities for so long before Jabr came looking for him. Until then, he decided to enjoy his time.

  He heard rustling inside of Alison's room. For a moment, he thought she had woken up. He opened the door and let himself in. To his surprise, Alison wasn't awake. Instead, one of his servants was bustling around her room, setting things up. She froze as he entered and bowed her head.

  "Continue," he said softly, deciding to stand in the corner and watch. She nodded and took the bowl of water and a cloth, setting it by the bed. She wrung out the cloth and gent
ly dabbed it across Alison's now feverish forehead. It disturbed Qwinn to see his wife-to-be sweating from a fever.

  His people rarely got sick, and even then, there were healers that could help. Adalia had told him not to heal her completely. However, it pained him to watch her like this. He restrained himself as he watched the servant continue to dab the cloth over her face. Alison relaxed back into the pillows.

  "You should summon a healer," she said softly.

  "Thank you for your concern. I will take care of her."

  She looked at Qwinn in surprise then quickly wiped her face clean of the emotion as she studied him. "If her fever gets worse, have her drink Linus tea. Her leg is broken sir. You should summon a healer to at least heal her leg."

  He nodded. He planned to take care of her leg himself. The servant placed the rag back into the bowl and bowed, excusing herself.

  Alone with Alison, he studied her sleeping form. She was still glistening with sweat from the fever. He slowly approached her bed, making sure he was clear on his plan. He sat on the side of her bed and studied her injuries this time.

  A large bump had swelled on her left temple. It was beginning to take on a dark purple shade. There was a slight bruise and scuff on her chin. He gently traced her leg through the blanket until he found the break. He could feel the separated bones and sighed. "So delicate," he sighed softly. He closed his eyes and a vision of her broken leg came into his mind. He felt the warming of his magic move through him as the bones moved.

  Alison groaned, but didn't wake up. He continued. He shifted her bones through the inflamed tissue until they matched up again and fused them back together until there was only a tiny crack left. Next, he moved to her forehead and placed a hand over her bump. Again, his magic warmed him as her bump began to disappear, as the blood vessels re-connected, as the cells healed and as the inflammation disappeared.

  He left only a bruise and slightly lessened her fever. He checked her once again for injury, satisfied with his work. Suddenly, her eyes popped open and she sat up with a gasp, swinging her arm up in defense. Her fist connected with his jaw, knocking him back for a moment as she continued to swing. He responded quickly, grabbing her wrists and stopping her.

  She fought against his grip and screamed.

  "Alison, calm down!" he said loudly.

  She stopped struggling, as she tried to catch her breath. Her fever-clouded green eyes fixed on him and after a moment, they cleared slightly.

  She relaxed, her arms going limp and he dropped her hands. "What…happened?" she asked, groaning as she grabbed her head, suddenly realizing how much pain she was in. She slowly sank back into the pillows.

  "You ran," he said, the familiar anger rising in him once again. She stopped groaning and cracked her eyes open, glancing at him. He could see the fear even though only half of her eyes were seen.

  Everything came back to Alison, even though her head felt as if she'd been trampled on. She'd ran away from the short man, falling down some stairs and blacking out. She didn't remember how she'd gotten back to her room. But if they were going to kill her, why did they bring her back here?

  Maybe they need me whole? She thought morbidly. Maybe they only eat the healthy sacrifices. A shudder forced its way through her. He was still looking at her with anger in his eyes. Perhaps he was angry that she ran or the fact that she'd broken her promise to him? It wasn't in her nature to break her promises, her father had taught her better. However, considering the circumstances−

  "Why did you run?" he asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

  As she'd seen him do many times, she didn't answer. The anger grew in his eyes; she stood her ground. She wouldn't let him intimidate her…anymore than he already had.

  "Why did you run?" he asked again.

  Alison sucked in a deep breath, trying to strengthen her resolve and ignore the shaking of her legs. "Why did you leave me?"

  He blinked in surprise that she would talk back to him. Her cheeks burned; however, she didn't drop her gaze. She was going against all her manner training that she'd received since the day she moved in with her uncle Jackson. He had insisted that a woman needed to do as she was told.

  The silence between them was tense, and the longer she didn't answer, the stronger her resolve became. Though I am his prisoner, that does not mean that I need to give him control over me. She decided that from now on she wouldn't act the victim. That she would be strong and find a way out before it was too late.

  "I had other things to see to," he finally answered.

  Alison was surprised he'd answered her at all. He moved to the bedside table, reaching for small cups. She wondered if he would press her about running away.

  Instead, he poured steaming liquid from what looked to be a teacup and handed her a cup. "Drink," he ordered.

  She eyed the cup wearily. "What is it?"

  He placed the cup in her hand. "Drink," he repeated.

  She sniffed the liquid and grimaced. "What is it?" she asked again.

  He sighed; it was obvious that his patience was running thin. "It will make you feel better. Now, drink," he insisted, helping her guide the cup to her mouth.

  She held her breath and sipped the tea, surprised to find that it wasn't as horrible as it smelled. She took a bigger sip. It was sweet, yet tart. For a tea, it wasn't the worst.

  As she drank, she couldn't help but realize that he was staring at her. She lowered her eyes and finished off the drink. Her head ached horribly. With little strength left, she laid her head back down. Her eyes were suddenly heavy. He set the cup back on the table and turned her eyes back to his. She couldn't help but notice the worry in them. She wondered why her captor would worry about a lowly human such as herself? However, she didn't have time to think it over, because the tea was warming her to the bone and pulling her toward sleep.

  Qwinn watched her for a moment longer before pushing himself up from the bed. The Linus tea would help her sleep for a few hours. He let himself out of the room and decided to take a walk. He needed to figure out what to do with her. She was becoming more daring every time he spoke to her. It worried and excited him at the same time. No one ever spoke back to him, unless it was his sister. It was true that she didn't know that he was King over all Vidar; however, he doubted that the status change would matter much in her treatment toward him. He had still kidnapped her.

  Jabr found him in the hallway with a grim look on his face. "The Torin have stolen another girl."

  All thoughts of Alison disappeared and anger took its place. "When?"

  "An hour ago. She was working in the forest, gathering berries−"

  "Why was she alone?" Qwinn growled.

  "She wasn't, the man she was with is wounded. He is under the care of the healer."

  Qwinn walked quickly down the hall, his mind working just as fast. The girl was taken an hour ago. If news had gotten to him sooner, he would have been able to do something. However, by now the monster that abducted her was well on his way to his land. Once the Torin warrior reached his territory, it was extremely dangerous.

  "Send soldiers. Tell them not to cross into Torin land. Search for the girl and kill the beast if they are found."

  Jabr nodded and hurried off down the hall.

  The Torin had been growing braver. They had stolen two women in the last three months. They used the women to breed and as soon as the child was born, they got rid of the woman. Qwinn grit his teeth at the thought of the carcasses he had found in his land. The Torin mocked him. A war was stirring. Qwinn was training his men harder than ever before. However, sending only a few soldiers into Torin territory was suicide.

  He would have to double the soldiers patrolling the forests. He didn't like the thought of his men in the Black Forest. The wild creatures that inhabited the forest were just as dangerous as the Torin.

  "Two Torin attacks in two days…" Qwinn had thought that without their king, they would have been thrown into chaos. Perhaps they were all acting on impulse, whi
ch was both good and bad news. The fact that the Torin were without their leader meant they would be easily picked off because headstrong warriors would travel out of the camp on their own. However, it also meant they would be dangerous. They had no orders; they would slaughter anyone in their way.

  Qwinn made his way to the training quarters and his men came to attention. "I am doubling the force in the forest. Stay in no less than groups of four. The Torin are taunting us."

  "We will crush 'em!" someone growled.

  "Those monsters will learn never to enter our territory again!"

  The men hooted in agreement.

  "I have faith in you. However, always keep in mind the perils of the Black Forest. Be constantly on your guard."

  They each nodded. Qwinn dismissed them. Once the training room had been mostly emptied, Qwinn left, not wanting his men to see how tired he suddenly was.

  Truth be told, now was a horrible time for the Torin to be acting up. He had just gotten a hold of Alison.

  Immediately, he shook his head. He was King. He shouldn't be letting a girl, human nonetheless, take priority in his mind or of his time. He knew the council would be meeting with in the hour. However, he needed a drink before then.

  * * * *

  Alison felt heavy, as if she were lying in mud and had to strain to lift her hand. The tea had knocked her out, for how long she didn't know. Her captor was right about one thing, her head felt better, only it was so heavy.

  She didn't have the strength to even lift her head. After much struggling, she managed to open her eyes. Her room was mostly dark, as usual. Her eyes looked around wildly, knowing that anything could come out of the dark.

  After a moment, she managed to turn her head to the side and her heart started at the sight of a person. At closer inspection, she realized it was someone's back, her captor. He was leaning his arms on his knees with his head drooped between his shoulders. He looked so dejected and stressed.

  She sniffled slightly, alerting him that she was awake though she didn't know why she'd bothered. He immediately turned his head, his black eyes finding hers. "How do you feel?"

  "Alright," she lied.