{Ugh, my head. I feel like a piano fell on me. And that incessant beeping, what is that?}
I opened my eyes, and let out a whimper as the glaring light stung my sensitized eyes. I tried again after a few moments, gingerly opening them to let my eyes get used to the bright lights. Looking around me, I noticed first that I was in a hospital bed. Hmm, Princess Lunara must have brought me here after I fainted. I hope the night wasn't completely ruined. Eventually my wandering eyes found the source of the irritating bleeps, a monitor hooked up to me via cords and patches... A heart monitor? Really? I wasn't in that much danger, was I? The walls of the room I was in were a lime green, and I could see that the walls and tile floor were pristinely cleaned regularly. Almost everywhere I looked was shining and sparkly. Looking towards the door, I could make out a vague outline, and upon calling out the door opened slowly, admitting a sight for sore eyes.
Princess Lunara walked slowly in the room, keeping her eyes on me the entire time, concern etched into her features. Underlying the concern was fear, which was disguised well enough to most people, but I was good at reading expressions, as I had pretty perceptive vision. The fact that she was afraid chilled me to the bone, as I must have been really ill for her to be fearful. I fumbled with my words for a moment before finally asking what I wanted to know.
"What happened to me? Why are you so worried and scared?"
She seemed taken aback by my question, apparently not expecting me to see her fear, but she recovered quickly to answer me.
"The doctors are running blood tests right now. Rest assured, the doctors here in Soluna are the best and brightest of our world, they'll fix you up quickly, so you can return to your studies."
So, I wasn't banned from her lessons, which was an amazing relief to me. I smiled at her, but the merest motion hurt my head, causing me to wince. I looked down at myself, noticing that I was covered in hives and blisters. I averted my eyes from my ruined body, pulling my blanket up to cover my unsightly form from her divine eyes. She raised an eyebrow at me, before proceeding to speak.
"Due to short staff problems, I'm afraid I've been delegated to helping you recover. I have some knowledge of healing ability, so I'm more than qualified. As such, please remove your cover, it's time to heal you."
I balked at this development. Princess Lunara, healing me personally? That would fuel so many dreams. Doing my best to prevent an embarrassing blush from appearing on my cheeks, I shed my cover slowly, wincing at the widening of her eyes. She came over to my body, professionally surveying me before her horn started charging her magic. I felt her magic entering my body, causing a strange tingling in me. I could feel her presence entering me, which was different from most Celestial doctors. Looking at her, I could see her concentrating as she performed the task of bringing my fever down again. I could almost glimpse her thoughts, as I could feel her concern, her fear, and most surprisingly, her respect. She respected me? I could also glimpse a tinge of curiosity.
After awhile, I could feel her presence slip from me, which left a hole in me, a void. I could feel a strange depression settling in, which unsettled me, as it showed how strong my feelings were. I was unnerved, thinking that I could previously keep my feelings in check, but my control was wavering the most when I spent time with her. To avoid an awkward situation, I assured her that I would be fine, ushering her out of the room. It pained me that she seemed to have a hurt expression on her face, but I couldn't risk losing to my carnal urges.
After awhile, the resident doctor came into my room. Dr. Needlepoint was very professional, speaking to me in archaic doctor terms. The only thing I really understood was that I was allergic to rogberries, and that the wine I drank was also tainted with a few bacteriums. When I asked about Princess Lunara, he assured me that as the firstborn progeny of the Aeternam and Caeli, she was immune to most diseases that afflicted common folk. This information filled me with comfort, knowing that she would be OK. But it raised questions of her serving status. It would seem that her servants were less concerned with her guests' well-being.
I chatted with the doctor a few moments, and learned that I would be kept over a couple days. Just for stabilization, since I had been unconscious for a day. That news startled me, but he assured me it was only because of the allergic reaction coupled with the infection. He said I should be fine by tomorrow, and left me to sleep and recover.
After he left, I mused over the lack of staff security, eventually slipping into dreaming of Lunara and how I could better serve her...
Princess Lunara's POV and ramblings:
While healing Novalis earlier, I could sense a strange connection to his feelings and thoughts. While I knew he was attracted to me, as it was more obvious than the sun during the day, I could also feel his unwillingness to my presence. Did he find me repulsive in some way? Perhaps I was too gentle, and it made him feel a dichotomy between expectations and reality?
But then again, he aced the Academy and joined my tutelage. It was only a bit of a whim when I asked him if he liked stars, and I could sense he only said yes as a way to please me. He obviously enjoyed his photography pursuits a year ago, but he threw himself into becoming my student. And that had been after riding the parade float with me for most of that night. So I don't think he mistook my gentility that night for an unusual trait...
Hmm... I might be overthinking things. And for that record, why am I thinking so hard about this? Being attracted to me, or not, shouldn't matter, right? I'm Celestial, he's human. Could he even come to care about me like that? Or do humans no longer know the details of the war we once waged? Even if not... Human and Celestial pairings are very rare, and often frowned upon by both species.
But he's very gentle. Not once does he ever seem to cross any lines between us. He's infatuated with me to the point of obsession, his thoughts always focused upon me, or my domain of stars and moon. And yet he holds himself back so much. Is it because I'm Royalty? Does he believe himself unworthy? Preposterous. Creating a spell all his own is an incredible feat. And he even had powerful magic as a child. Permanently changing his eye color, even growing a Celestial-like magical horn. No mere, unremarkable human could ever do that.
I looked down at myself. Maybe I'm just too alien to be approached. My dark blue skin, freckled with spots of white. My dark blue wings, folded to my sides. The long tail and hair I possess, normally energized with magic, flowing like a nebula in space. Tonight I left it normal, flowing over my shoulders. Other Celestials, born of magic instead of procreation, view themselves as unworthy of my sister and I. And the humans probably view us as deities by this point, after so long ruling them. We control the very world they live in. So Novalis probably sees me as unreachable. But my heart is not stone. I want to experience love as well. I need to figure out how to approach Novalis for this. He's the only one so open with his desire for me. And I don't hate his appearance or personality. Well, except how he keeps pushing me away when I get close to him.