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CHAPTER 5
My muscles ached as I limped down the hall to Mendex’s quarters. Thankfully, he was staying on the sixth floor of the castle, which harbored those of us with Artis blood, as well as lords and ladies.There were close to a hundred bedrooms in the castle, which were more than accommodating to guests, court members, and guards. Even the servants had their own living quarters on the lower levels.
I ended up skipping lunch due to my intense training session with Miles and only had enough time to grab a quick snack from the stash in the drawer of my bedside table. I worried Mendex could hear my stomach growling on the other side of his door.
I had changed out of my fighting leathers and into a simple blush gown that clung to the curves of my body.
Knock, knock, knock.
I felt a little nervous to be alone in a room with Mendex. I always found it rather ironic that I could be so strong and confident when I played assassin, that I could intimidate men of all statures, but when I was just Rhia, the nightmare I faced when I was seventeen years old still lingered in the back of my mind, always keeping my senses alert around men.
When Mendex opened the door he was still dressed as a guard, with black leathers similar to my own, a short sword strapped to his back, and boots that gave him a few extra inches, though he didn’t need the heels. He was taller than most people I knew. His hair was frost-white, styled to perfection, with the sides cropped short and only a small bit of length on the top. It was combed back with gel, probably to keep it away from his gray eyes. He was built similarly to Miles, with broad shoulders and lean muscles that only a royal guard could attain.
Although I hated wearing them, I wish I had worn heels, just to give me some sort of chance to get close to eye level with him.
His gray eyes met mine and I shivered slightly at the cool gaze.
He smiled warmly. “Are you the healer that’s been assigned to me?”
I nodded. “Yes, my name is Rhiannon. May I come in? We can discuss what this treatment will entail.”
“Please.” He opened the door wider, gesturing for me to enter his room.
His quarters were smaller than mine. A four-poster bed sat in the middle of the room with an attached sitting area to the right and a bathing room across the floor on the left. His nightstand was stacked with papers, and his bed had a variety of different weapons piled upon it—swords, crossbows, daggers, axes—which was an unnecessarily large amount for any one person to need, but I guess if you’re the prince’s personal guard, one might feel the need for all of it.
“Please, excuse the mess,” he said, leading me into the sitting area where there were clothes and boxes scattered across the room. “I am still in the process of unpacking my things and settling in.”
“It’s not a problem.” I took a seat on the velvet settee beside the fireplace, thankful to give my feet another break. “Well, let’s get right to it then. First and foremost, I will need to know everything regarding your health and medical history. Treatments will stay between you, myself, and the High Healer.” And Amica, I thought, but he didn’t need to know that. “To respect your privacy, my treatments with you are closed unless you decide for them to no longer be.”
He took a seat beside me on the sofa. “I appreciate that, thank you. I will be sharing any and all injuries with the prince and king as I feel it is only right, given my position.”
I nodded, suddenly aware of how close he sat to me. As I truly looked upon his features, I began to notice how young he actually looked. For a royal guard, especially one assigned to protect a prince, he looked very young. Perhaps only a couple years older than me, if that.
“How old are you?” I asked. “It’s important for me to know your age; it helps in the healing process and will tell me how I need to approach our sessions.” That was a complete lie, but I let curiosity get the best of me.
“I’m twenty-two.”
My eyebrows raised slightly. “You are very young for a personal guard.”
“That is true, but the prince wanted someone he trusted and someone he could relate to. Someone who could befriend him.”
I highly doubted that. I assumed the real reasoning had to do with the prince’s knowledge that immaturity comes with young age, and that he’d be able to get away with a lot more if he had a younger guard who wasn’t as skilled. Someone who he could take down if need be. Someone who he could take down, if need be. However, it had been eight years, so I could be wrong.
“And has he befriended you?” I asked.
He chuckled slightly, running his hand through his hair nervously. “If friendship includes flat-out ignoring my presence, avoiding me at all costs, and disregarding my position to serve him, I’d say we are best friends.”
I laughed. “That sounds about right.”
Mendex’s eyes glistened with amusement.
“I won’t lie, I was really hoping that I didn’t get assigned to the prince. My best friend Amica is his healer, and I’m already worried for her,” I said lightly, a smile still coating my tone. “I have a feeling that Bennett would have refused my help and fought me if I tried to heal him. I definitely lucked out.”
“So did I,” he said quickly, a small grin settling on his lips.
At that quick comment, I realized that I was not with a friend, but a patient. I quietly scolded myself for my non-professionalism and straightened my posture. To avoid the direction it seemed this conversation was heading, I stated, “Let’s go over all of the details of what these sessions will be and what I need to know. Feel free to ask me any questions.”
I went over everything Sana required me to say when working with a new patient. I explained how my Artis blood worked, why and where I needed to place my hands for the healing process, and promised I would never use my Golden blood to cause him any harm. I told him he could reach me at any time, and I would come to aid him. I just hoped he would never call for me when I was out on an assignment from Pater.
