Meeting

Andraya swayed wearily; it was taking everything she had to remain standing. The sun blazed in a cloudless sky, and the heat rising from the sand was unbearable. Right in front of her was the border between the human and paranormal territories. While the human region was a barren desert, the paranormal territory was a lush forest with massive trees. The only thing stopping her from reaching the coolness of the forest was the shimmering barrier that prevented unauthorized entry, as she wasn't a paranormal she wasn't authorized.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and forced herself to make the final step; she'd heard stories of what happened to people who touched the barrier. It was not a pretty death, but neither was dying from dehydration and sun poisoning. There was a small resistance, and then pop sounded, and the coolness of the forest spread over her. If she'd had enough water in her system to cry, she'd have collapsed sobbing in relief.

Opening her eyes and rested a hand on a massive oak, she'd have croaked a thank you, but her throat was too dry to make words. She'd read that even the trees in the paranormal cities could have a consciousness, so she tried her best to convey her thanks. The sound of water sent her stumbling deeper into the forest. Andraya tripped and couldn't help the silent sob as her body failed her, and she couldn't get back on her feet. She dragged herself the last bit to narrow stream and collapsed on the damp bank.

Andraya stuck her face into the water and drank, she was too tired to drink quickly, which saved her from throwing up. The stream wasn't deep, so she rolled herself into it to try the cool the burning pain of the sunburn and blisters and gasped soundlessly at the cold before blacking out in shock.

Lord Niklaus was the de facto ruler of Ravis, but he hadn't had anything to do with the territory in decades. He was tired; as a progenitor, he had been born along with the world, and all paranormals were the result of a progenitor breeding with something. Progenitors had no shape, they could assume the form of anything, but he was past the stage of taking forms and creating new species. He'd retreated into his home and left the city council to handle the running of things.

He raised his head as the barrier between the human territories and his forest chimed. It was a welcoming, happy sound, odd as the barrier was designed to emit an alarm not to make a welcoming chiming sound. Niklaus let his awareness stretch and found the intruder. His lip curled in a snarl, and he vanished from the library, appearing next to one of the smaller streams flowing through his land and froze.

He'd expected a paranormal, an intruder, he had not expected to find a human woman in dire need. Her skin was so red and blistered he almost winced in sympathy. It was apparent she'd traversed the desert with little or no protection. She had nothing with her, no pack, canteen, he was surprised she was still alive though barely. The forest whispered to him of how her energy had been desperate and grateful.

Niklaus picked her up and, for a split second, contemplated dumping her on the ground and letting the forest have her. He didn't want her fouling the water downstream if she died, but looking down at her face, a swollen blistery red mess he changed his mind and carried her swiftly towards the house. The barrier had welcomed her into the city, specifically his forest, it wasn't wise, even for one such as himself, to ignore magic's gifts.

Entering the gardens, he mentally sent demands to his staff. He didn't want to teleport with a human in such bad shape. He had no idea what it would do to her. When he arrived at the edge of the large patio, the center set of french doors flew open, and Mrs. Williams, his housekeeper, was standing in the doorway.

"The maids are preparing the rooms next to yours as requested; they should be done momentarily. I have the healer on the way; he should be arriving in the next few minutes." She didn't question why he was bringing an unaligned human into the house or the city. Her family had served him for so long even he wasn't entirely sure when they'd taken over keeping his estate and life in order.

He headed up the stairs, Mrs. Williams on his heels, the rooms next to his were spacious and had been unused for a long time. Still, the maids had made significant inroads in just the short time since he'd made his request. Niklaus handed his burden off to the maids and his housekeeper to be bathed and put to bed. In short order, the human woman had been washed, dressed in a soft cotton nightgown, and tucked into bed. The doctor's examination had revealed nothing more than extreme exposure, dehydration, exhaustion, and she needed several good meals.

A comfortable chair and small table had been moved to allow him to sit comfortably by the side of the bed as he dug through her clothing for clues to her identity. He found an ID card listing her as a resident of a human town a fair distance away. It was her age that caught his attention. Paranormals didn't reach their majority until they were 25, allowing them time to mature into their powers before sending them off to be adults with all the associated responsibilities. Andraya, as he'd come to learn her name, was 21. A human adult, but she would still be considered a child by their standards, that gave him an idea.

A few hours later, he signed his name on the line of a stack of papers and handed them over to his solicitor before looking back down at the human woman who was now a legal member of Ravis, as his adopted daughter. Niklaus wasn't sure what had possessed him to adopt her, but he'd learned ages ago to follow his gut, and his gut was telling him that this little, frail, human child belonged with him.

Andraya felt like she was floating on a gentle sea; it was so comfortable, soothing, and cool that she had no desire to move. Her limbs and body were heavy, but she noticed that she no longer hurt and no longer felt the tight feeling on her skin. She took in a deep breath, her fingers moving against fabric? She forced her eyes open and looked around. Her eyes took in the large room, the IV pole with a bag half full, the drip steady down the tube to where the needle rested in her arm. A heavy expensive-looking chair and table sat next to the bed, neatly holding a small computer and several leather-bound books.

Her eyes jerked to the door as it opened, and a tall, long-haired distinguished-looking man walked in. He stopped when he noticed she was awake. Their eyes met, held, and then he smiled.

"It's good to see you are finally awake...daughter"