Love Is Never Ugly

Chapter 21

Alastor gently set Charlotte down on her bed and took a moment to pull the hood of his cloak over his face. Then he kneeled down and in a considerate voice he asked,

"May I see your foot?"

She answered by rolling up a little of her dress skirt and out stretching her leg. His clawed hands carefully removed her slipper and cradled her foot as if it were as delicate as a snowflake. He examined her ankle as studiously as a physician would and it might have been her imagination but she thought she saw a bit of bashfulness flicker in his eyes. As if he felt slightly flustered at the sight of a young woman showing her leg to him like this.

"I'm afraid that you won't be able to walk on that foot for about a day or two. You sprained it very bad but luckily nothing is broken." He said. "Here, I'll move it into a position so that it will heal better."

She laid back as he carefully situated her leg to where her foot was properly rested and elevated by a silken pillow. As he did this she felt greatly confused. Why did he save her from that dreadful eagle? Why was he so dedicated to tending to her injury? She thought that he was furious with her for trying to see him. So furious that he wouldn't even lift a finger to help her. Yet here he was seemingly going out of his way to care for her.

"I'll send Niffty in to help you change into something more comfortable and I'll ask Cherri to bring you a special ointment that will soothe the pain in your ankle."

He turned around to leave her room.

"Wait." She called to him unsure.

He stopped.

"You...You saved me...Back there from the bird...Why?"

He answered without facing her.

"I guess you could say that my gentleman's code would not allow me to leave a lady in distress. Now my dear is there anything else you need?"

"No."

"In that case I shall take my leave."

"Alastor."

"Yes?"

"Thank you for saving my life."

He briefly became stiff at how appreciative and soft her voice was when she said that.

"You're...You're welcome."

He left after that. Niffty came in shortly afterward to assist Charlotte in changing into her night gown. By the time she had been dressed another servant entered the room. One whom Charlotte had not met. This servant had scaly pale skin, a long pink mane, slitted eyes, a tail, pink curved finger nails  like a reptile's talons, and an appearance that was very much like an albino lizard but also like a woman.  In it's talon-like hands it held a glass jar.

"Who are you?" Charlotte asked her.

"I'm Cherri the gardener." She said "I apologize for not introducing myself sooner. Recently I've been really busy with the garden. Weeding, pruning, getting rid of pests. Damn gophers! Always eating anything that grows. But I'll fix em with the belladonna I planted."

She opened the jar. Inside of it was a paste like substance.

"What's that?" Charlotte asked.

"It's an ointment I made from the herbs in the garden. It should make your ankle heal faster."

She took a little of the ointment into her hands and proceeded to carefully rub it into the swollen bruises on Charlotte's ankle.

"That should do it." Cherri said.