The Light Of Apollo's Love

Chapter 4

Myrrh awoke to see Apollo asleep on a quite comfortable-looking chaise, and slowly blinking the sleep from her eyes, she sat up, studying the room she was now in. The walls were marble and covered in countless carvings, with silky red drapes around the room, framing the ceiling. The bed she was in was massive, with silk sheets and a lovely beige quilt. There was a weaponry rack, in one of the corners of the room, and out from it was a beautiful balcony, the sky seeming to stretch out for miles. The floor had a few decorative rugs with cerise and azure stitching, along with gold detailing. There was a large wooden desk near one of the walls, with bookshelves framing the wall behind it. A smile danced on Myrrh's lips as she watched Apollo's sleeping face, him occasionally adjusting into a more comfortable position from under the blanket he had. Standing up, Myrrh made her way over to him, sitting down next to him and playing with his golden curls. Apollo stirred at the sudden feeling of her touch, and slowly opened his eyes, and glanced up at her. He gave her a warm grin, reaching his arm out and wrapping it around her waist, pulling her closer, before sitting up. A slight flush came over Myrrh's face as Apollo embraced her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder. Before Apollo could make her heart burst from her chest, he was interrupted by Artemis snatching Myrrh up into her arms, protectively holding her as though she were a child.

Artemis rolled her eyes at Apollo, grabbing his tunic from off the floor next to the chaise and throwing it in his face.

"Get dressed, we have a few people visiting today. And stop pestering Myrrh you're going to make her perish within the first few hours she's here." Artemis walked out of the room, Myrrh still in her arms, feet dangling from her height. Myrrh did not seem to mind this, as she gazed up at Artemis studying her face.

"you're tall," Myrrh said in a plain voice, stating the obvious.

"Yes, I am. And you need a bath and a new change of clothes," Artemis sighed as she carried Myrrh around, making sure to conceal her the best she could as she made her way to the bath, being wary of others that could be around. She opened the door cautiously, before closing it and setting Myrrh down gently. "I think you can handle this on your own, I'll wait here to make sure no one comes in, alright?" Her demeanor had changed into a tender one, knowing that if her tone were slightly off Myrrh could burst into tears, thinking she was upset at her. She pulled the silk curtains closed and waited next to the door, closing her eyes and sighing.

Myrrh had taken her clothes off carefully and sat herself down into the warm water of the bath, scrubbing the dirt and grime off her body and from her hair until her hands felt raw. As she leaned back on the edge, she gazed at the ceiling, thinking about how strange everything that had happened had been. Why was it that this lady seemed to know her? She had never met her in her life. Everything felt surreal, almost like she was... home. Questions swirled through Myrrh's mind until she realized her fingers had started to prune. Stepping out, she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her. Artemis pulled the curtain away, slightly startling Myrrh, a pair of clothes in hand. She handed them to Myrrh after glancing at her up and down and patted her wet hair. she let her change, giving her some privacy. The clothes were quite lovely, them being a silky, sky blue chiton that fit wonderfully. Before taking her back to Apollo, Artemis did her hair, shutting him out of his bathroom. To Myrrh, it seemed as though Artemis had done this exact routine before. She was delicate when handling Myrrh's hair and even managed to get her bangs perfectly parted and aligned. Artemis gave Myrrh a small embrace before leading her out of Apollo's bathroom and to the sitting room.

Apollo thought Myrrh looked lovely, tightly embracing her, and soon letting go after earning a glare from Artemis.

"Eros found out about Myrrh, so it seems he wants to visit. You know, despite you being here with her," Artemis had ruffled Myrrh's hair as Apollo huffed, crossing his arms. Myrrh looked up at Artemis with a questioning look on her face, not fully understanding why Apollo was upset, but Artemis just gave her the look that she would tell her later.