Sioggard - The Runaway Luna

3.

There was something very strange.

Unpleasant.

Lost between dream and unconsciousness, Arabella tried to investigate the cause of the discomfort she perceived.

Struggling to win the battle of her senses she called her mind back to the present and then remembered.

The ceremony.

Jonathan, Ilyan, Liliana.

And then she had felt weak.

She must have passed out.

The last coherent memory she had was of herself falling into the void and Theor reaching out to support her.

An unpleasant image that Arabella forced away from her mind as she opened her eyes with a restrained sigh.

And then understood.

The strong feeling of uneasiness that had awakened her.

She had never liked the infirmary, the high ceilings of the room, the bare stone walls, filled with the smell of disease.

Arabella was lying in one of the beds in the row near the entrance, covered in a wool quilt that itched badly against her bare arms.

She was still wearing her blue tulle dress, but someone had taken off her shoes and loosened her hair which fell heavily over her shoulders as she sat up on the bed, holding back a yawn and rubbing her eyes to try and get used to the pitch dark that enveloped the infirmary.

She didn't really felt tired, on the contrary she was fine, rested.

As if she had just awakened from a long sleep.

Pushing aside the rough wool blanket, Arabella looked around for her sandals, hesitant to touch the cold floor with bare feet.

"Are you awake?"

Jumping in fear, Arabella whirled around, following the sound.

“Gabriel?” asked she, thinking she recognized her brother's voice. “Why is it so dark in here? I can't see anything..” moaned Arabella annoyed.

"So as not to disturb your rest." Gabriel informed her as he turned on the lights. “Better?” He asked her as he moved forward while she averted his gaze, feeling blinded by the sudden brightness.

"My rest?" asked confused Arabella, what did he mean?

"How are you feeling?" inquired Gabriel solicitously, without bothering to give her any more explanations.

“Good?” Arabella replied in a slightly confused tone, surprised by the concern she caught in her brother's eyes.

She had never felt particularly attached to any of them and was surprised to find Gabriel at her bedside, watching over her instead of hanging on to Natasha Brestwood, as he had done every moment of every day since they had become Mates.

"The doctors are on their way." informed her Gabriel, causing Arabella to frown.

“Doctors?” repeated she in exasperation. “I just passed out for a few moments, I don't understand the need to alert the whole castle..” added harshly, bending down to put on her sandals when she managed to track them under the bed. "And in any case.."

"You were unconscious for three days Arabella." Replied Gabriel, cutting her off.

“What?” asked she in surprise, freezing in the act of tying the strap of her right sandal. “Three days?” repeated confused Arabella.

No wonder she felt so rested if she had slept for three days without interruption.

"You made us worry a lot." Gabriel informed her, studying her with thoughtful eyes.

"And why on earth?" snorted derisively Arabella.

“We are a family, we care for each other.” answered her brother, stiffly. "Even if you've never felt part of it .."

"A family." Repeated Arabella, deeply sarcastic, but didn't add anything else hearing the noises outside the infirmary door.

They arrived en masse, noisily, making her hold back a weary sigh.

The doctors, her father, Celestia, Logan…even Dragan that must have came from the Black Crow.

They all looked very worried indeed.

Gentle on their part, considered Arabella feeling tired even before the doctors had surrounded her, asking her how she was, how she felt, if she adverted any strange pulsation.

“Does annoyance count?” replied Arabella, trying to escape their attentive care.

"Arabella!" resumed her father who, standing at the foot of the bed, gave her a look that was very familiar to her.

"Yes, I'm sorry." Answered she, forcing herself to smile. "I just don't like having my personal space invaded." tried to justify herself "You're taking my breath away." She then added dryly, when the three doctors who were bustling around her just nodded, without understanding the 'implication.

"I'm sorry princess but we have to make sure you are fine." apologized one of the three, he looked quite young to be a doctor even if he looked like one.

“If you must.” Arabella surrendered, catching her father's brow furrow again.

"How are you feeling?" asked the doctor who billed himself as Dr. Martrell.

"Rested." replied sincerely she.

“Do you remember what happened?”

"I passed out..or at least I think." Commented Arabella, leafing through her memories but none new ones emerged so she just shrugged.

“Can you tell me how you felt before you passed out?” Dr. Martrell inquired as one of his colleagues was taking her blood pressure and the third was jotting something down on some papers.

“Weak…and tired.”

“Could you elaborate?” Dr. Martrell asked, making her frown. "I mean for how long did you felt weak before passing out and do you remember if maybe the tiredness was due to something or..someone?" inquired the doctor, hesitantly, as delicately as possible, not to offend her.

He must have heard the voices on her account.

"I was quite irritated when it happened if that's what you want to know but the tiredness and weakness came on later, all of a sudden, catching me by surprise." Retorted Arabella, trying to remember the sequence of events. “I was about to go upstairs when I felt powerless. Then I passed out, I don't remember anything else."

"I understand." Nodded Dr. Martrell, smiling at her.

“Is there something wrong with me?” inquired Arabella, staring into his eyes.

Not that she was really worried, she felt fine.

But even if she knew nothing about medicine Arabella could well understand that it was not normal to pass out and then sleep without waking up for three days.

"All your parameters are normal and we have not revealed any abnormalities during your rest." Replied Dr. Martrell, reassuring her. "And yet, now that the princess has woken up, I would like her to follow us to the hospital for more in-depth checks." The doctor added, turning to her father. “Two or three days should be sufficient to undergo the tests necessary to establish ..”

"Two or three days?" interrupted Arabella eagerly. "I'm perfectly fine, nothing hurts and you said it yourself that my parameters are normal!" commented she, rather dryly. “I really don't see the reason to…”

"You'll go." Established however her father, nipping her protest in the bud.

And in an icy tone, making her understand that she had no way to change his mind.

"I'll accompany you." Decided Dragan, catching her off guard.

"I'll go pack you a bag." Celestia added before she had a chance to respond to Dragan.

"I’ll inform Theor." Commented Logan.

"It would be better to organize the escort." Agreed Gabriel as he followed the rest of her siblings out of the infirmary with no way for her to stop them.

"With your permission, Alpha Roderick, I will inform the hospital of our arrival so that they can make the necessary preparations." Commented Dr. Martrell, ready to take his leave in turn.

In fact, he and his colleagues greeted and then quickly dwelt, leaving her alone with her father.

Holding back a sigh of frustration, Arabella finished tying her sandals and then got up to rearrange the bed.

“What did he tell you?” asked her father, breaking the tense silence when they were alone. “Was he unpleasant?”

“Who?” retorted Arabella, confused and surprised by his gloomy and troubled air.

Her father had never looked at her kindly because everything Arabella did ended up annoying him, one way or another.

Ever since she'd learned to take care of herself, Arabella had indeed avoided running into him or her siblings and Celestia more than necessary.

They were little more than strangers.

She and her family.

And Gabriel had been right when he had accused her of never having felt an integral part of it.

It was the truth.

Never, not once since she could remember, had her father asked her about anything other than her scandalous behavior.

Arabella knew well what caused her parent's cold and severe attitude toward her and she had never cared.

Not since she'd realized she could do without his affection, anyway.

Her mother.

Arabella resembled her mother like a drop of water, and it had been difficult for her father to watch her grow up as Arabella was her spitting image.

Especially after the shameful way in which her mother had abandoned them both, to follow her own selfish needs.

Both her father and her brothers had always expected the worst of her, simply because Arabella was her mother's daughter, and she had never bothered to prove otherwise.

Because she hated her sheltered life in the pack, as a rebellious and spoiled princess of the Black Moon.

To all, Arabella was nothing but a shadow of her mother and a failed copy of Celestia, inferior to her sister in every way.

No one had ever bothered to get to know her real self, least of all her father, and on the other hand Arabella had never made an effort to change things.

Because she had grown up wanting to leave.

Abandon the pack and finally live her life.

Alone and in peace.

"The Vaughns' boy." Her father explained, abruptly, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"What.."

“Has he been unpleasant towards you?” her father asked again, and Arabella found herself holding back a sigh.

She had an idea that her father thought her fainting had something to do with her somber mood on the night of the ceremony, which she tended to rule out.

In fact, Arabella didn't tell him anything about the nonsense that Jonathon had fed her, even if at first it had annoyed her and not a little.

For his father, the de Lorgne name and reputation came first, and if she told him that Jonathon had questioned her legitimacy, it would not end well.

"No." In fact, she replied placidly, trying to drive away the memories that crowded into her head, disturbing her.

“What about Wayward?” her father asked, again catching her off guard.

“Ilyan?” replied Arabella with a sigh. “He just asked Me to dance and was a perfect gentleman.” assured him tersely, without going into too much detail.

“Alpha Roderick.”

Thankfully, the timely arrival of Theor and his father Landon prevented her father from investigating further, sparing Arabella the trouble of convincing him that no one was responsible for her state of health.

Grateful for the interruption though, Arabella still didn't failed to hold back an annoyed sigh at Theor's appearance, and couldn't help but give him an irritably resigned look.

“Princess Arabella, how are you feeling?” Beta Landon inquired kindly, smiling at her.

"Fine, thanks." she murmured quietly.

"I'm glad, you made us worry quite a bit." Commented the man, making her suppress a grimace.

"We are ready to go." Interjected Theor, inappropriate as usual.

"Can I at least go up and take a bath and change first?" asked Arabella, feeling somewhat untidy.

"Theor will take you upstairs." Her father granted her and with no other choice but to obey, in spite of herself, Arabella gave him and Beta Landon a dismissive nod and then without worrying about Theor she took the exit, thinking irritably about the next few days.