M.J. Watts
ARTEMIS
It was too early to be up. I don’t know how all the warriors do this every morning.
It was currently 6:30. The sun wasn’t even up yet, but here I was, heating up the coffee machine to make a fresh pot and desperately looking for Tylenol.
I didn’t really need to be up so early, but I woke up to a huge headache that prevented me from returning to sleep. After tossing in bed for a few hours, I finally admitted defeat and went to the kitchen.
I figured I could be useful and make breakfast for everyone. I did this most mornings unless I wasn’t feeling well, which happened more than I was comfortable with.
On those days, the pack warriors had to deal with cold cereal. They never complained, but I knew they missed having some hot food to wake them up.
I was popping some bread slices in our toaster while simultaneously stirring a pan of scrambled eggs when our new guest walked in. Upon seeing him, I immediately adjusted myself to face my left side toward him.
At first, I didn’t acknowledge him. I was still embarrassed about running into him last night. Goddess only knows what he thought of that.
Ignoring him would only last so long as he walked over and sat at the breakfast bar near where I was cooking. There was food spread all over the counters.
Warriors need their strength and because of that, they eat—a lot. I also liked to give them a variety of things to eat.
After a few minutes, I realized I needed to speak to the guest, or my behavior could be taken as being rude. I didn't want him to think badly of the pack because of me.
“Good morning, sir,” I mumbled quietly while looking at him sideways.
“Good morning, Artemis,” he called back pleasantly. I felt weird not knowing his name, but it seemed strange to ask for it now.
We both sat in the kitchen awkwardly for a few minutes before some of the warriors entered, bustling about. I was grateful for their interruption.
The three warriors—Teddy, Russell, and Pat—went around piling their own plate high while talking amongst themselves, until Russell saw the guest and promptly hit the other two to address him.
“Lord Edmon,” Russell greeted. “Good to see you this morning. I’m Russell, this is Teddy and Pat.” He pointed to each person as he said their name. “We’ll be some of the warriors at training today.”
“It’s good to meet you boys,” our guest, Lord Edmon, replied. I wondered what type of lord he was. Was it the same type of lord you read in medieval books? I had heard he was from the capital but never knew what he was there for.
Russell made small talk with Lord Edmon a little more. That was something I was never good at. While they were talking, Teddy walked up to me.
“Hey, Artie, is there any coffee?” Teddy was a caffeine addict.
I gestured with my head toward the coffee machine before replying. “Sorry, Teddy. It’s acting up on me again.”
I could never figure out that fancy machine. Whatever happened to normal coffee makers?
“No worries, Artie. I’ll fix it.”
I turned back to the eggs, stirring them before plating them. I turned to find Pat buttering the toast that had popped up. With all that done, I finally turned to Lord Edmon to help him.
“My lord, feel free to help yourself to anything. Can I get you anything to drink? Coffee? Tea?” Lord Edmon looked at me critically. Was there something wrong?
“Actually, I wouldn’t mind a cup of tea. Any Earl Grey?” My nerves spiked. I didn’t want to disappoint him, but our tea selection was limited to the mostly herbal teas that I grew during the summer.
“Lady Grey, okay?” I mumbled hesitantly. “Or, I have an Earl Grey and lavender blend.”
“Sure. Sounds great.”
I turned toward the kitchen cabinets, reaching for the tea tin I kept and a large mug. While the tea steeped, I grabbed the cream from the fridge and the honey from the cabinet. I liked tea way more than I liked coffee.
After discarding the used tea bag, I poured some cream and honey, stirring the tea with the same spoon I used for the honey, and set it in front of Lord Edmon. The lord stared at the tea sitting in front of him, eyeing it carefully.
“Did I do something wrong?” I asked. Maybe he hates lavender tea. Lord Edmon looked up at me, then shook his head before grabbing the mug and taking a sip.
“Mmmhmm…wow. This is really good!”
“Glad you like it, my lord.” It was just tea, but I was glad it pleased him. I tried to divert my attention away from him by cleaning up various items around the kitchen. I detested a messy kitchen.
“Don’t worry about the dishes, Artie,” Russell called out. “We can clean up when we get back. You should go and rest before Dalton gives us extra drills for overworking you.”
“I don’t mind,” I called back. “I don’t think I can relax knowing I have a messy kitchen waiting.”
Before I got too far into cleaning up, Dalton walked in. He stood just in the doorway, looking at everyone. Dalton was fair but strict with the warriors. Now, he wore a stern look on his face. The others better watch out.
I turned to try and defend the three warriors but Dalton’s focus seemed to be pointed at Lord Edmon. Lord Edmon, on the other hand, seemed to be ignorant of the negative vibes being sent his way.
After a moment, Dalton looked at me and when we made eye contact, he walked closer to me.
“Everything all right, Artie?” I just nodded my head at him, grabbed a rag, and started wiping things down. I didn’t want to draw any attention.
Dalton didn’t like that answer, though. He walked right up to me, grabbing the rag from me to force me to look at him.
“Are you sure?” He spoke quieter this time, but he was making a point. He wanted an honest answer.
“Everything is fine,” I managed to squeak out. Dalton’s eyes searched mine and I looked toward Lord Edmon, who was making me uneasy.
He wasn’t doing anything wrong. I was just more intimidated by him than anything else. Dalton felt the underlying message and acted.
“My lord,” he said, turning to the guest, “the warriors are assembling outside for our training. Perhaps you would like to join us?”
Lord Edmon narrowed his eyes at Dalton, took one last sip to finish the contents of his mug, and set it on the counter before rising from his seat.
“Thank you for the tea, Artie. I’ll see you around.” It wasn’t until Lord Edmon left that I was able to finally relax. That man made me nervous.
“Did he say anything to you?” Dalton was looking at me with concern again. I didn’t want him to leave making false conclusions.
“Not much. I offered him some tea. He seemed to like it. Russell talked to him some.” Lord Edmon hadn’t done anything; it was just his whole dominating way of being that made me nervous. I’m not even sure he was conscious of it.
“I don’t want you alone with him, okay? If you run into him, find either Dad or me, okay?”
I nodded my head. “Sure, Dalton,” I mumbled.
“Don't worry. You're safe.” He then turned to the three other guys in the room, barking orders at them.
“All right, you three. Time’s up. Let’s get outside and get started. Move!” All three warriors dropped what they had in their hands and shuffled out, calling out their thanks to me as they left. I smiled as they exited.
“Artie?” Dalton said.
“Hmmm?”
“Why is the Tylenol out?” Shoot! He wasn't supposed to see that. I looked at him with wide eyes not wanting to answer him. It would only worry him, and I didn’t want to bother him more than I already had.
“Artie…” Dalton growled out my name as he reached over me to grab the pills. He narrowed his eyes at me, waiting for an answer.
“I may or may not have woken up with a headache this morning.”
“Artie!” Dalton was exasperated.
“It’s not that bad.” I tried defending myself. I couldn't control when I got them, but they always seemed to put Dalton in an overbearing protective mode.
“I knew you overdid it yesterday. You need to go lie down and rest. No more extra work today.”
“I really am fine, Dalton. I can manage."
“I’m not risking it. Now, go lie down. I’ll have someone bring something down to you later." He handed me the pills and pointed his gaze toward the door.
I grabbed the bottle from him and turned to follow his command. Hopefully, Russell, Teddy, and Pat would follow through with the cleaning up.