Chapter 2 - Answers? Or Lies?

                                    

                                          
Maeve woke up the following day a little anxious but the feeling passed quite quickly. She was surprised to feel absolutely fine after yesterday. As Mikael had said, it didn't cause any aches or pains after those few hours and she had slept very well that night, feeling exhausted. 
Wanting to go and find Mikael for some answers, Maeve sat up and swung her legs around to the side of the bed. She slowly stood up and made her way to the door hoping it would be easy to find him. She turned the handle and pushed the door open to see a long corridor, with three other similar doors and a set of stairs right at the end. 
Muffled voices could be heard from the room at the end and Maeve approached it, listening. Suddenly the door flung open and Mikael came out spotting her straightaway. He must have heard her get up. A young woman was with him in the room, who glanced at Maeve before Mikael shut the door hurriedly walking towards her. 
"I want to talk to you," Maeve spoke first as Mikael opened his mouth to say something. 
"Yes of course, let's go downstairs and we can discuss any questions you have," he gestured down the hallway and they started walking side by side. He noticed her eyeing up the rooms curiously as they walked past. "These are just extra rooms, most are not in use. Now, down here we can talk." 
They descended the stairs. Maeve could see a dining table and they sat. The same woman from yesterday left the room and returned a few minutes later with two steaming cups for them both. It looked like some sort of tea. 
"I don't know where to start," she admitted desperately trying to hold back tears. "Where am I?"
"This is a small village just outside of the area you grew up in. It's changed a lot, but I can show you if you wish after we have fully reversed the sleeping spell's effects. You might recognise some of the forest area that has been maintained." 
Mikael looked at Maeve saddened by the news he would have to give her. 
"Maeve I'm sure you have a lot of questions but I need to tell you about your pack. You are the last St Clare. After your father asked Esther and I for help with the sleeping spell, the witches were furious at him for attempting to hide you and burnt your home to the ground assuming you were cloaked inside. Your pack was slaughtered and only a few managed to escape. No one else knows who you are here or that you are alive."
Maeve gasped. She knew her father must be dead if he wasn't here with her but he hasn't expected the witches to do something like this. Were they that afraid of her? To destroy her entire pack? 
She allowed Mikael to continue although her thoughts were spiralling. 
"It's been over 1,000 years," Mikael explained gently. "Esther was gone and I had to find a way to wake you up without her. I promised your father I would look after you so for now I must ask that you trust me. You're in a completely different world to the one you grew up in, everything has changed. Our priority right now needs to be ridding your body of the magic as you are not safe if the effects remain." 
"A thousand years?" Maeve whispered tearfully, hardly hearing Mikael's words, being overwhelmed with nervousness and desperate to cling onto something known. 
"Yes, but it's all going to be alright," he said sympathetically. "You can trust me. I'll help you as I promised your father I would. I'm the only person who still speaks Old Norse here, you'll have to learn English and I can teach you. You're free to leave at any point but it wouldn't be wise until after the reversal spell. It would be very dangerous and you won't be able to communicate with anyone or have anywhere to go. You should stay here for a while, until I have taught you everything."
Maeve nodded unable to verbally answer as Mikael carried on explaining. She had stopped listening and had no idea what to do now. It had all gone horribly wrong. Following Mikael's lead was probably for the best and there wasn't really any other option. He was friends with her father and so she knew she could trust him. She would stay here until she knew more about this terrifying new world. 
"... cannot find out as they will try to find you," his words of warning suddenly hit her. 
"What?" Maeve responded lamely, clearly not listening. Her mind seemed to work against her, zoning her out to keep her in a protective bubble. 
But she didn't need to be protected. This was her father's friend. It was Mikael. She could trust him. 
"You must keep your identity hidden, Maeve. You are a very trusting young woman which is admirable, but you must not reveal who you are to anyone. Anyone at all," Mikael repeated insisting on secrecy. "Either by name or by allowing anyone to see you are a wolf with witch abilities. No one else can be trusted. There are people out there like my sons who will do anything to hunt you down," he paused to look her in the eyes, emphasising the danger.  
"Over the last 1,000 years Elijah and Klaus have turned into bloodthirsty monsters who will hurt anyone if they stand in their way. If they find out about you they will try anything to convince you to help them for their own gain. Don't be fooled. I have even heard they have a cruel way to fake a mate bond. Do not trust them. They kill innocent women and children for fun, don't draw attention to yourself. They must not know about you. If you need any help, come to me and I will do everything in my power to help keep you safe and hidden from them."
"Okay," Maeve agreed with him easily. Right now, she was just trying to process all the information she had just received. Mikael would happily let her ask questions later when she had thought it all through. Especially about her pack and why Mikael was so scared of his sons. They couldn't be that bad could they? 
"What about the reversal spell?" She inquired, worrying about lingering dark magic within her.
"You saw the witch earlier upstairs, Apphia. She is preparing everything and will provide the same drink as yesterday for you. She will leave it next to your bed each day. I know it puts you in pain but it must be done, at least until we are sure it has all been completely reversed. I wish there was another way for you but you have to drink it. The second stage will be performed afterwards but she will not need you to be there for it. Don't worry about that for now," he reassured her smoothly, realising she was falling for all his lies. 
After finishing the tea, Maeve decided to go upstairs hoping the witch had prepared her drink already. She thought it would be better to have earlier in the day as she was dreading it and wanted to get it over and done with as soon as she was able to. 
Luckily as she opened her door, she could see it sat on the side table. She took a deep breath and drank it all quickly, lying back down on the bed bracing herself for the pain once more.
———
Uh oh, Mikael has managed to trick Maeve😔
I don't blame her though, it must be terrifying waking up with nothing familiar. Of course she trusts familiar Mikael at the moment, but let's hope she doesn't for long...
I wonder what that spell actually does...