Bedded by the Headmaster

Ch26: Drowning in Ailments

Arken

The golden light beckoned him closer, promising a respite from the demons circling in his mind. The tavern was as good a place as any to spend a morning, drained and drunk enough to not remember a thing.

Except Susie. He thought of her a lot.

As the days passed, the tavern was where he ended up each night. Sometimes, he took breakfast and lunch there, too.

He drowned himself in ale. It muffled the past, but it had the unfortunate side effect of making his current situation more pronounced, like a problem he had to solve.

Susie.

She was all he could think about.

Henrikk had suggested that he take a pet for years. With that thought, he was grateful she'd rejected him. She was better off.

Susie was strong in spirit. In hindsight, it would have been a waste to make her wait around in his office all day. She deserved so much better. Fortunately, she'd been so kind as to spare him from his grand delusion that she might feel something for him.

A cheerful melody met his ears. Someone was playing a honky-tonk piano in the room's corner with zeal, and the tavern was crowded with lively patrons eating, drinking and dancing. The hubbub didn't bother Arken. His melancholy was impenetrable. If anything, it served as the perfect backdrop that helped him focus inward.

His only requirement to mull and stew was that he be allowed to sit at the darkened end of Ernie's red lacquered countertop, away from the circular glow cast by the wooden chandelier dripping wax in the centre of the room. This position placed him far from the other end of the bar where Ernie poured ale, and far from where the patrons were the loudest.

Some sort of bridal party was in progress. Someone was getting married in the morning.

The idea of a wedding sparked his appeal and bitterness, but his mind was too dulled to immediately think of why.

Ernie seemed enthused with entertaining the female guests laughing and shrieking. He poured them fruity beverages he might otherwise have been reluctant to make and even added orange slices to the glass rims before handing them over.

For all of Ernie's quiet mumblings, he was generally an accommodating man with a large red moustache and a portly belly who never failed to ensure that Arken's flagon was full. It was one of the traits that made Arken fond of the man. He had a wonderful sense of when Arken wanted to discuss his problems, even if he did have a terrible sense of when Arken wanted to be left alone.

Thankfully, Ernie was currently too preoccupied with the lively chorus of women enjoying the festivities to pay him much attention tonight.

It suited Arken well, allowing him to brood.

And to think about Susie, and all the things he could have done differently.

He understood what she wanted, now. He'd been a fool to not see it clearly before. The signs had been there, but it was only now after several days of reflection that he fully comprehended it.

He had assumed she'd want a saviour, someone to remove her from her current situation and plop her into a safer environment. He'd sensed a loneliness to her that made him want to give her everything. And he'd tried.

What he hadn't counted on was how kind-hearted she was, and how much she worried for the well-being of her friends.

She didn't want him to save her.

What she desired was a hero. Someone who prioritised others over their own self-interest.

Arken wondered if Susie realised that she was the real hero—fighting every day for her pack.