She didn't sleep much but stayed on bed the entire day and drank gallons of tea and coffee. Zeroun didn't allow her to work on deck, despite her insisting she wanted to be useful. The crew could feel her absence as well.
"But I'm fine" she complained to him. She wasn't fine obviously, she just wanted her mind distracted from the facts.
"Merrick's orders" Zeroun said while standing by her side.
"He's been treating like I'm about to break in any moment" she rolled her eyes.
"I don't treat you like that" Merrick was leaning on the door frame with a side smile "I haven't for the entirety of the trip" he approached her.
"Seriously I'm tired of you acting like an empath" he chuckled "Please let me be useful Merrick" she gave him puppy eyes. Arline appreciated Merrick caring for her mental state but he wasn't exactly known for being empathetic with his soldiers or sailors, and she wanted to be treated the exact same way, even if it costed her some tears.
"Oh don't put those eyes" he sounded annoyed but was having fun "No Arline, I won't give in, you can go on deck but not do work" That was the last word and it was the definitive one. She sighed in frustration and sat on the floor "You need to think about it. It's the only way you'll eventually stop feeling guilt" he said sitting behind her in one of the armchairs.
She didn't respond nor looked at him. He just stared at her, at how her hair fell on her back and how her waves formed little tangles on its ends.
"How are you feeling?" he asked trying to get out of his trance.
"I'm good" she simply replied.
"Good, now say it without lying" Merrick had to give her points for acting tough, but the only thing she was getting was hiding her real feelings and getting into a spiral of numbness that would make her a killing machine. That was what Merrick wanted to avoid.
She turned around and looked at him for a second. She couldn't understand why he would care that much for her feelings after doing something so common for him as killing.
"Turn around" he said to her.
"Why?" She narrowed her eyes.
"I'll detangle your hair darling" he was very soft-spoken. She melted with how he whispered the last word, and turned around slowly.
"Why do you want for everything to be perfect?" she tilted her head a little, letting him gently stroke her hair with the brush, paying extra care to not pull it.
"I don't" he fought back.
"Yes you do"
"No I don't"
"Then what is this?" she took her head all the way back, letting it rest on his lap.
"I don't need to make you look perfect Arline" he caressed her throat gently, looking at her very closely "You already are, despite what you think of yourself" that comment took her by surprise, on a bad way. Those thoughts about herself were exclusive to her own brain, she had never said out loud, not even to Larsin.
She looked front again and said nothing. He continued to play with her hair and ended up braiding the sides, making each one meet in the middle and tied it tightly with a black velvet ribbon.
"Perfect" he said "Just like you" Merrick caressed her cheek softly and then left the room, without saying anything else. He was a player, just like his brother.
⎯
Arline decided to spend the rest of her day on deck, looking at the water and the Sun. With Merrick always keeping an eye on her and being overly cautious, because the Prince couldn't shake the feeling it was partially his fault that Arline did what she did.
YOU ARE READING
The Guardians of Deities
FantasyA girl gets dragged into a fantastic world filled with dragons, mermaids and lot of dangers in which she doesn't know, holds a privileged position. Two princes will try to get her on their teams for their own benefits, until one of starts caring mor...