Enchained WATTPAD VERSION [Inter-Universal Protectors: Book 4]

23

Aurora screamed as she was woken by a bucket of cold water being poured over her head. She scrambled out of bed, falling face-down on the carpet. She looked up with a growl at Hathor, holding a bucket and laughing. Aurora looked over her now-soaked clothes and sighed.

"Sorry," Hathor said, still laughing. "Nothing else was working. It was your cousin's idea."

Aurora turned her attention to the door. "ARTHUR I WILL FUCKING END YOU!" His own laugh echoed into her room. She sighed, leaning against the bedframe. "Alright, why am I being woken up?"

"Breakfast." Hathor put down the bucket. "You've been out for over a day. Mortals gotta eat and drink."

"Uh-huh. And why are you waking me up?"

She grinned. "I'm your new teacher."

* * * * * * * *

After a big breakfast--scrambled phoenix eggs (no comment on the animal but they were good), bacon (at least it tasted like bacon), two pieces of toast (perfectly toasted), a few vegies (strangely delicious) and two hot chocolates (the best ever)--and a long digestion period, Hathor led Aurora, Arthur and Lydia to the Palace Training Room. 

The three stood at the centre of one of the rings as Hathor pulled out the practice weapons from a cupboard. There were many wooden staffs, swords, batons, even some blunt arrows and bows to practice shooting with. 

She turned to the group. "We're gonna start with the basics. Hand-to-hand combat then move our way up to these babies--" She knocked on the cupboard-- "before finally starting on magic. Now, we've lost three of nine days so this is going to be pretty intense." 

Aurora grimaced. "Now when you say 'intense'--"

"Don't worry. I'm not as bad as my mother." Hathor pulled some bandages from the cupboard and held them up to the three. "So, who wants to go first?"

* * * * * * * *

Arthur wanted to go first. Hathor showed him how to properly bandage his hands and feet, Aurora and Lydia watching for their turns, so he was less likely to be injured in practice. She walked him through basic defense and attack. Since they had to move fast, once Hathor determined he had the general gist of things, she let him practice on the dummies before moving to Lydia, then Aurora. 

They worked on this for a few hours, stopped for a water and snack break, and moved onto weapons. This time, Aurora went first, once again going for the practice staff. She'd always wanted to use either that or batons but, for now, this was the best place to start. As Lydia and Arthur sparred in the second ring, Hathor walked Aurora through the steps of using a staff.

Hathor had a far gentler touch than Amneris. She was willing to walk through the steps, provide an example and go over steps several times until Aurora was confident. Aurora improved a lot within the first hour they worked. It helped having someone who only tried to beat her into the ground once they were sure she could handle it. Of course, that would be nothing like upcoming fights but it was a nice change. 

The four stepped for lunch. Maddie, Imogene, Sky, Isaiah and Troy showed up with food and drink, having decided to come help Hathor in teaching. "One person can only split between three for so long," they'd said. And so, the three ended up with five more teachers. 

Troy and Sky worked on hand-to-hand. Maddie and Hathor worked with weapons. Imogene and Isaiah went between the two as necessary as the "students" weren't ready to move on to magic training. That would come either tomorrow or the day after. 

They stopped an hour before dinner. Aurora, Arthur and Lydia were exhausted, beaten, covered in cuts, hungry and just wanted to eat! Hathor made sure they visited Kayla in the Hospital Wing before offering to have food delivered to their rooms. They gratefully accepted. 

* * * * * * * *

Freshly showered, bandaged and clothed, Aurora collapsed onto the lounge in the shared area of their room with a moan. "Everything hurts!" 

"You're telling me!" Arthur fell next to her. "I think I need another bath."

"This pain thing is so strange," Lydia said. "It has been . . . so long." She frowned. "Not sure I like it very much."

A knock at the door. All three groaned.

"I'll get it," Arthur said, convincing his body to move. "Back in a sec."

Aurora and Lydia watched him go. He came back moments later with a silver trolley. Three trays were filled with a variety of foods, a few drink options and several remedies for the pain--complements of Kayla--with instructions on how to use them. 

"Oh, thank fuck!" Aurora cried.

Arthur handed her one of the trays. She pulled the metal lid off and inhaled the scent of spices. It was incredible. Tonight's meal was some sort of meat and pasta with garlic bread. Well, it looked and tasted like garlic bread. There was really no way to tell and after the phoenix eggs incident, no one dared ask. 

While Aurora and Arthur wolfed down their food as fast as they could, Lydia was far slower. Food was still strange to her. She hadn't needed it in ten thousand years and now . . . One of the downsides of being Human again, even if it was apparently temporary. 

"Not hungry?" Arthur asked when he stopped to breathe.

Lydia shrugged. "Feels strange."

"You'll get used to it," Aurora said with a reassuring smile. "Just start slow and we'll work you back up to proper meals."

She sighed, looking down at the full plate. "I hope you're right."