18 A dizzy spell

Arell fought Ares for control. He wasn't sure why Ares even wanted control. Nothing about this situation with Arinja hinted towards a fierce battle of any kind. He wasn't even arguing with her at the moment! Everything was perfectly fine.

'Like hell it is.' Ares' impossibly deep voice scoffed arrogantly in his mind. 'Give me control!'

Arell turned away from Ari, not wanting to give away anything from his angry expressions.

'You're not needed now Ares. Leave me!' Arell attempted to persuade the aggravated god.

He heard a low growl in response and a long pause before the god finally spat, 'This time, vessel. Just this time…' as Ares' overwhelming feelings slowly faded back into the depths of Arell's soul. He wasn't sure why Ares was so fired up, but he hoped that, despite the clear warning, Ares wouldn't surprise him like that again. Ever.

Arell felt a delicate hand on his arm and Ari's hushed, sultry voice cautiously asked, "Is everything alright?"

Knowing that his eyes were probably still changing back to green, he kept them closed and pretended to rub his temple with a pained expression. "Yes, I apologize. I suddenly felt dizzy. I must've soaked in the hot spring for too long."

~*~~~*~

Ari bit her lip. She could've sworn she saw that red glint in his eyes once more earlier, as they reflected the warm glow of the candles dancing in the otherwise dark prayer room. She considered that he might be angry with her for something, but she didn't think that she did anything to be angry for. That time, at least. She proceeded to pry him carefully.

"I can ask for some water. Would you like to sit down?" She tried to peer around to see his face, as he kept his back turned from her. His eyes were still tightly shut and his face slightly scrunched, but he nodded slowly. She really wanted to make sure he was okay, but considering he had already mentioned her alternate identity as a physician just before, thought that might not be the best idea. Instead, she slowly walked while leading him over to the chaise lounge in the living area. While he sat down clutching his head with one hand, Ari quickly rushed to the double doors of their quarters to find Vida and Ronan standing just outside. They looked a little taken aback to see Ari's head poking out of the doorway but Ari brushed their reactions off.

"Ronan, could you please ask a maid to bring some water? Arell is feeling a bit dizzy."

Ronan, a tall young man with burnt orange colored hair, light blue eyes, and a seemingly slender body, furrowed his eyebrows. Although he seemed confused, he still nodded and replied, "Right away, Highness," without question.

Before he was able to take a step, Ari added, "Oh, also some chamomile tea, please."

This time, Ronan's expression was clearly bewildered. "I shall… ask for it, Your Highness," he stated hesitantly.

At his expression, Ari sighed. "If they don't have any, hot water and tea cups will do just fine." She thought that chamomile would grow fairly well in Otha, but maybe it wasn't as common as she assumed it to be.

Ronan nodded quickly as he hurried away and Ari left the door cracked open for the arrival of the drinks. She sat beside Arell on the chaise lounge, trying to evaluate his condition without actually touching him. His eyes were still shut, though not squeezed tightly anymore. He had subsided to rubbing small circles on his forehead as well, leaning back against the lounge with one of his ankles resting on the other knee. She desperately wanted to make sure he was okay. He was a bit pale, probably dehydrated. But if he had a fever as well, it could get to be much worse than a simple dizzy spell. She was stuck in these thoughts for several anxiously silent minutes.

She bit her lip and decided to risk it. "Can I check if you have a fever?" she asked softly. She watched his face closely as his eyebrows furrowed, but he nodded anyway. She scooted closer to him and leaned forward, gently taking the wrist of the hand he was using to rub his forehead. She tried to place her fingers inconspicuously on the precise spot to feel his pulse as she lifted herself onto her knees to place her forehead on his for a more accurate temperature. She closed her eyes to listen to his pulse for a few moments.

As the sound of a throat clearing came from the front doors, Ari jumped in shock and opened her eyes to stare right into Arell's widened green ones. Both of their cheeks reddened at the same time and Ari swiftly sat back down with her back stiff, staring into a random corner of the room. Ronan stood in the foyer carrying a golden tray and desperately fighting to keep a knowing smirk off of his face. Vida peered out from around him, her eyebrow raised and her mouth in its usual partial frown. Ari felt like she had been caught doing something indecent, although she definitely wasn't.

Ari cleared her throat as well. "Th-Thank you, Ronan. You may leave it on the table." She tried to keep her chin held high, even if she wanted terribly to hide her flushed face with her hands.

Ronan purposefully avoided looking at the royals while he placed the tray of drinks on top of the small dining table. He turned on his heel and smiled like an old, wily fox. His hair color only further aided his foxlike expression. "If anyone wishes to bother you, I'll inform them that you are both feeling unwell tonight. Let me know if there's anything else I may help with," he said and then bowed at the hip. His tone was borderline mocking. It reminded Ari very much of her best friend, whose eyebrow was still lifted as she stood at the door. Ronan exited the room, having to drag a narrow-eyed Vida out behind him and shutting the double doors with the same wily smile.

After several awkward moments of neither Ari nor Arell gathering the courage to look at each other, Ari stood up and shuffled over to the dining table. As expected, there was merely a teapot of hot water instead of tea. Ari sighed again, then poured Arell a glass of regular water from the pitcher on the tray. She brought him the glass and stood in front of him as he held it tightly in his hands.

After a second, he glanced up at her just standing there watching him fiercely. "Is something wrong?" he asked tentatively.

Ari shook her head, pointing to the water glass. "I want to see you drink some."

Realization made him relax and he took a few large gulps before looking back up to Ari. She nodded back in satisfaction, then made her way into her closet. She opened the chest that she knew was packed with her plants and herbs, gently shifting them around to find a small pouch of dried chamomile flowers and her small, metal strainer spoon. She put a few of the flowers into the spoon and closed it, then went to another chest filled with things she bought from the bazaar in Algeva. She pulled out a jar of honey, knowing it would taste much better than the sugar that the kitchen staff put on the tray. She rushed back to the dining room, her long robe floating behind her as she glided through. She immediately placed the spoon infuser into the pot of hot water and placed the lid on as best as she could with the spoon protruding in an attempt to keep the heat inside for as long as possible.

When Ari turned around to refill Arell's water cup, he was staring at her with the most confused expression. She laughed softly as she handed him another full glass of water. "The kitchen didn't have chamomile tea so I'm making it myself," she explained. Then, she hesitated. She went over and poured a cup of her tea, stirring in a tiny bit of honey and milk before bringing it back to her fiancé. As he sipped it, his eyebrows went from their furrowed confusion to a raised, surprised look. She continued gingerly, "Chamomile has calming effects. Earlier you seemed…" She bit her lip, thinking of a nice way to put it. "Discontented? Anyway, it'll also help you sleep comfortably." She didn't want to outright say that he might have trouble keeping his emotions in check. Because, well, then he would probably just get angry.

Arell finished the tea quickly, then put both of his cups back on the dining table. He turned back to Ari, his eyes closed and his lips forming a solemn expression. "That was by far the best tea I've ever had. But I don't think I'll be sleeping comfortably tonight." When he opened those forest green eyes, they were narrowed arrogantly with an evil glint in them to accompany that sexy half-grin.