Heat

I Am The Fire // Halestorm

Chapter 9

"Lord Nicandros!"

Mrs. Naimer's voice causes us both to startle and look away. As soon as we do, the spell which took us captive when his eyes met mine is broken. Whatever that sensation was, it's gone and I couldn't be more thankful. My irritation has returned where it belongs: directed at the pompous Lord standing just beside me.

"My good woman, how nice to see you, again." His voice is low and cautious. I can't tell if he's worried about my presence at this introduction, or if he's seen through Mrs. Naimer's phony personality. I hold my laugh inside, as hard as that is to do. It takes a phony to spot a phony. I have to bite my cheek to remain serious standing among these three with the thoughts I am having.

"This is very long overdue, if I do say so myself. I should have brought you here that first night you arrived! I don't know what has kept me from this occasion!" Mrs. Naimer is fanning herself, no doubt from the relative heat of the storefront. She would never survive back in the kitchen.

Ellete is still behind the counter, visibly nervous with excitement at the man now standing in our shop. Her eyes are focused solely on him, her cheeks stained a blush color giving her a fragile appearance.  Nicandros looks at none of us, his gaze darts around the shop and lands on nothing for more than a few seconds. Is he nervous as well?

"Well, I should like to get the formalities out of the way so the two of you can have a chat. Lord Nicandros, I have the great pleasure to introduce Miss Ellete, daughter to Clarus the baker." Mrs. Naimer gestures to Ellete, then gives her the sweetest, most approving motherly smile I've seen anyone give another person. And my heart skips looking at it, at what Ellete has missed most of her life. At what I've missed most of mine. Even though the look Mrs. Naimer is giving Ellete has nothing to do with pride in the girl standing before her. The wife of our town mayor is an opportunist to the greatest degree. And this situation is becoming her biggest opportunity.

"My dear, Ellete, you are quite honored to make the acquaintance of the most respected, Lord Nicandros." With her introductions complete, Mrs. Naimer literally steps back and out of the way, clasping her still gloved hands in front of her and beaming at the two she hopes will now begin a passionate love story, one she will humbly take credit for.

I feel sick.

Lord Nicandros looks at Ellete, finally taking her in. I watch him out of the corner of my eye, trying not to catch his attention. He smiles at her. I swallow my gasp. It's a smile I have not yet seen on his face and it changes everything about his countainance. He's lighter, where the brooding Lord had appeared heavy and somber.. I wonder if it is genuine or just another of his false persona making its way to the surface. I glance over to Ellete, catching her as she's blushing deeper than before. It's all I can do to keep from rolling my eyes at their display.

"Lovely to meet you, Ellete. You are quite becoming in your blue gown." The smooth compliment floats across the counter. I can pinpoint the moment it reaches her ears. Ellete shudders, as though a chill has taken over her entire body. Something about her reaction is familiar. I've been in this moment before, the words affecting me in the same way. However, in my experience, the Lord's words were brash, and I felt a chill of hatred instead of affection.

Ellete flutters her eyelids, "It is a great honor to meet you." Her voice is barely a whisper, as though she's lost all of her strength and ability to speak. "I'm so glad you've come to visit our shop. Can I offer you anything?"

"The honor is all mine, Miss Ellete." Nicandros cuts his eyes to me. "I've heard the baguettes are delicious, if you please." Ellete smiles widely and reaches for the nearest baguette while I stand idly by, watching the scene unfold. He speaks once again, providing the answer for my unspoken question.

"And who else do we have gracing our presence?" Nicandros has finally turned his attention my way.

My mouth runs dry. So, he is also planning to forget our little encounter. Fine by me. I don't bother waiting for Mrs. Naimer to introduce me, knowing her words would be littered with thinly veiled insults.

Reaching out to shake his hand, very un-lady like according to Mrs. Naimer, I let him off of the hook. "Daralis, the baker's other daughter." Nicandros slips his fingers between mine and grips them gently. Intending to avoid his last attempt to kiss my knuckles, I pump my hand up and down once then withdraw from his grasp. What I did not expect was for him to run his fingers along the palm of my hand, trailing after me, while I withdrew. A wake of heat and tingles remain. I pull my hands behind my back, rubbing and scratching away the unpleasant feeling left in my fingers. Time to make my exit. I cannot stand being in his presence a moment longer.

"I must be getting back to the kitchen." My retreat is not smooth, to say the least. It's so abrupt even Mrs. Naimer appears to object rather than look relieved.

"But you aren't due back until the evening," Ellete comments, looking confused. The Lord appears smug as he watches me scurry away like a frightened mouse. I must admit, his presence has rattled me more than I expected.

"It won't hurt to get an early start," I remark casually as I leave the storefront and enter the kitchen. No further objections are spoken. I can hear the three of them resume their pleasantries without me to interfere.

I lean against the kitchen wall, noticing Father is not here. This is the first time I've questioned the wisdom of my actions, ever. I do not tend to make quick or rash decisions, and always go with my instincts. Was this time any different? Hadn't I had the immediate need to be present to protect Ellete from the obnoxious Lord? And yet, he was polite to her where he had been horrible to me.

I try to make out the conversation happening in the next room, straining my ears to hear anything clearly. But the walls are too thick, their voices too muted for me to be able to understand any of it. Pushing off the wall, I busy myself with tidying up after Father's baking. He tends to move through the kitchen like a tornado with destruction following. An apt comparison to the appearance of Lord Nicandros in our town.

I wonder at the amount of destruction he will cause.

This might be one of my favorite parts. There are a few that I've reworked so many times that they still give me headaches. But this one just seemed to flow. What did you think? Are there any lingering questions or confusions? Please let me know! And once again, thank you so much for reading!

This song has just the right amount of intensity to describe Daralis. She's hard, tough and kind of surrounded by a brick wall. No one can get in. Except for Drue, but he's gone now. I discovered Halestorm the same way I discovered Simply Three, by listening to Lindsey Stirling, who is just amazing. She collaborated with the lead singer of Halestorm for one of her pieces, Shatter Me, that I used in another playlist. ANYWAY, enjoy!

https://youtu.be/8hkmuTvkp_s

See you tomorrow for more!