Prophet of the Gods

Chapter 6: First Day

Gen woke up the next morning to her daily temporary blindness. She felt around for the nightstand and accidentally hit her palm on the hard edge. She hissed in pain and squeezed her hand. Stupid pill side effects.

It took her a minute to stand up fully but she was still swaying on her feet. Everything felt dizzy despite not being able to see around her. She was slowly getting more and more frustrated with the pill.

It did the job that was true.

Gen hadn't had any nightmares for her brief time at the palace. It was a good solution. But the morning madness it created was less than pleasant.

She blinked, starting to see little spots of color appear in her vision. In a minute, she could see the vague forms of objects and furniture in her room. The definition and shapes didn't return until a few more minutes later, followed by color.

She sighed.

She showered and changed into clothes, trying to ignore the memory of Councilor Ulysses informing her that she needed to expand her wardrobe to fit in with the palace standards. He advised visiting the palace tailor and set up an appointment for her later that week. The nerve. She was folding away her nightgown when a knock came at the door.

Gen opened it, and gasped. She was expecting the same butler who always brought her breakfast, but instead it was Dell. "Morning Genevieve!"

"Dell! It's great to see you and please, call me Gen," she said, no longer feeling hesitant about revealing her family nick name. "What're you doing here?"

He raised the tray in his hands- her breakfast, "I found out you were having breakfast delivered to you in the mornings and figured I could be the one to bring it to you from now on. I hope you're okay with that."

"Oh, of course I am," she said, remembering to smile this time. She felt awkward standing in the doorframe so she gestured inside, "Come in."

He did, and plopped down on the armchair. He placed the tray on the table- it was the same pastries and fruit that she always had. Gen was more comfortable with a simpler breakfast especially with the grandeur of lunch and dinner. She grabbed a pastry and took a large bite out of it, "This is so good."

"Nina is a master at baking pastries," said Dell, wearing that proud look that he has reserved specially for the red head.

"She is," agreed Gen, taking another bite. "The king returned from his hunting trip early," she said lightly. "I officially start my duties after lunch according to Councilor Ulysses."

Dell gave her a sympathetic look, "Good luck with that, King Alastair is a terrible person. I'm sure saying that is treason or something, but he is."

Gen nodded, "He gives outrageous taxes."

"He has no idea what's going on outside the palace," said Dell nodding, "Or he does, and doesn't give a damn."

"I hear he's terrible to his employees too," said Gen, taking a smaller bite of the pastry.

Dell didn't deny it, "You'll be fine. Hopefully."

Gen bit her lip.

"Sorry, that wasn't reassuring but I have no idea how he'll act to you," said Dell. "Maybe he'll respect you more because your his Prophet."

Gen shrugged. Hopefully.

They talked about lighter subjects from then on until Gen was finished with her breakfast and Dell needed to return to the kitchens to prepare lunch.

She spent the rest of the morning reading through some of the textbooks Doctor Lona gave her. She didn't know if her lessons would be continuing now that King Alastair had returned. She hoped they would, one lesson was not enough to satisfy her want. The books she poured over had titles like: The History of Prophets, The Gift of the Gods, A Journey Through Prophets, and Prophethood 101. The latter seemed like a good beginner book and though she wouldn't call herself a beginner, it was better to start with the basics and work your way up.