Once settled, Agnes returned to the rooms while Willow ate and drank her tea. Once her meal was eaten, her second cup of tea waiting to be drunk and feeling a little more centred, she called for Agnes. The woman had been shadowing her front door this entire time, not willing to interrupt and find more blood than she could handle but unwilling to be too far if they needed her.

The woman fussed over Willow for a good ten minutes before Willow could coerce her into taking her seat and filling Willow in on what had happened after Willow had departed.

“Edward wants a meeting as soon as you feel able. The child you saved, Elaine, her mother wishes for an audience as well. The other children are excited for the gathering you promised them; however, the parents asked me to seek confirmation from you that you still feel able to hold such a meeting. In your condition, all would understand if you postponed the meeting.”

Willow nodded, “And what time is it now?”

“Just a little over an hour until the Dinner hours.”

Willow nodded again. “Please have a message sent to Edward. I will see him before the evening meal. Please arrange for my meal to be sent up, I don’t think I’m up for the trip down to the hall. Also, please reassure the parents that I wish to see the children and feel capable of meeting with them a half hour after the evening meal ends. Ask Elaine’s mother to come earlier if she wishes to discuss anything in particular.”

Agnes nodded. “Will you be wanting anything for the meetings?” Willow smiled; Agnes knew her so well after such a short acquaintance.

“Tea for Edward’s visit. Perhaps some sweetened milk for the children and tea for the parents.” Agnes nodded once more and departed with a bright smile and a curtsy.

Rose re-emerged from Willow’s rooms, where she had been cleaning up the gore left behind. She sat across from Willow sternly.

“I’ll be returning daily to change those bandages until they’re looking better in my eyes. Remember, just because your magic is trying to heal you faster than the rest of us, that you still need to look after yourself. The better-quality, high-energy food you eat to support your body's healing and your magic the faster and better you’ll heal. Don’t overtax yourself, your body will be putting a lot of energy into healing, so you will get tired far easier. Especially today, with so many meetings planned, you may grow tired. If you do, you must retire for the night, understand?”

Willow nodded curtly, disliking being spoken to as if she were a child and not a woman who had helped heal hundreds.

Rose departed as Agnes returned, and Willow got the distinct feeling that she was being carefully monitored between these two women and they were trying to be inconspicuous about it. Agnes gently replaced the teapot, while announcing Edward was on his way and should be with them momentarily. Willow offhandedly rearranged her skirt and settled back into the pillows behind her. Proper posture be hanged, she was sure Edward would understand the lapse.

Edward was soon seated, teacup cradled in hands, listening to Willow retell the events that had led to her injuries.

The look of concern quickly turned to anger, a dangerous glint in his eye when Willow told him she had been unaided by the guards stationed at and patrolling the gates, guards placed there to prevent this exact situation from happening.

“Where were they?” Edward wondered aloud. “They claimed an entirely different tale. But, when I spoke to my son and some of the other children, their story was not corroborated. And now your story adds further suspicion.”

Willow frowned. “What story could they have possibly told to excuse their negligence?”

Edward replied in a clipped tone, hiding his true feelings, “They claimed you were edging away, to run from their watch. You were too far from the other children for them to be the target of whatever attacked. The men claimed they saw the children run for the entrance and assisted them in re-entering, far too concerned for them to take notice of you.”

Willow shook her head. “If they cared so much for the children’s safety, they would have at least ensured they barricaded the doorway. I walked straight through. If it had been that the beast survived, it could have easily followed the children in and caught you all by surprise.”

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

Edward nodded. “The men are on leave until I can hold a formal inquiry. With this evidence, there will be some punishment.”

“Why did they want me dead in the first place?” Willow wondered.

Edward sighed, taking a long draw of his cooling tea, “While you have worked wonders, there are still those that resent the stall in plans your decision represents. If these people are growing desperate enough to see you dead, regardless of the repercussions, then the situation is dire. I don’t think they realise that if you die, at our own fault, all our contacts in the East would deteriorate.” Edward gave her a half smile, “Your father is a powerful influence within the resistance there and he holds a lot of sway. Who knows what he would do if I allowed you to die?’

“For this reason, I’m assigning you a guard. He’s a man of integrity, and I and many others here owe him our lives. He holds a great deal of respect in our little community, and if anything were to happen to endanger his life, there would be more than just outrage. Our judicial system would mean little—the court of public opinion would demand the death sentence.”

Willow nodded hesitantly. “Can you guarantee he will not turn on me?”

Edward nodded. “He’s a remarkably unbiased man. He has often acted as my adviser in matters I cannot see alone. He understands your right to decide for yourself.” Edward smiled, “You trust Agnes, no?”

Willow nodded pensively.

“The man I have in mind is her husband.”

Willow relaxed. Agnes had been remarkably disinclined to discuss Willow's choices, and Willow felt sure any man Agnes had married could be trusted.

Willow agreed, and Edward sent Agnes to find her husband. While they waited, Edward discussed Willow's injuries, the expected recovery, and other related topics with a fatherly air of concern.

Willow easily filled him in, explaining that her personal healing abilities would allow for her to heal faster but alluded to her previous injuries inhibiting the speed of her current recovery, that it could still be some weeks. She had never detailed to anyone to what extent her injuries had been upon her arrival, so Edward could not have known that her body had only just healed her as much as it could.

Long sleeves hid most of the visible scars, and she had carefully regained her previous weight. All had happened far faster than it would have for a regular person, but it was still longer than it should have been for her, malnutrition playing a significant role in this.

In all honesty, Willow was exhausted but at least this time she would not have to be as strict with her diet, knowing the best way to speed the healing process was a diet high in fats and sugars. It wasn't necessarily healthy long term, but it would give her body the extra energy it needed.

Edward's concern was palpable and if possible, he turned paler when Willow showed him a glimpse of the large bandages covering her torso, holding her shoulder together.

“Be honest,” he said after a moment, with the air of a man desperately trying to pull the conversation into something he understood, “If you had no magical ability, what would your condition be?”

Willow sighed. “My arm would be a candidate for amputation. It would be less dangerous for my health, other than hoping infection wouldn't set in. My leg would have to be carefully monitored for infection. I likely would not have been able to rise for this meeting, let alone to get back into the compound. I would have been bedridden for months and I would have spent the majority of that time on death's threshold, based on blood loss alone.”

Edward nodded, “But you'll be fine now?” He confirmed.

“I should be. Rose will keep an eye on my injuries, just in case. It's only been a few months since I broke my ribs and she's not sure how my bodies going to handle a second round of significant injuries.” Willow moved to shrug but quickly winced as the movement pulled as her injuries, tears gathering in her eyes.

“You never detailed what exactly your injuries were when you arrived,” Edward prodded.

Willow nodded, “I didn't know where I was or what any of you wanted from me. I had no reason to trust any person I met and didn't want to give you any further power over me.” Willow waved a hand, offering more tea before moving to pull her sleeve up a little to show Edward.

Willow's wrist, which had been rubbed raw repeatedly by the ropes used to bind her, was now a mess of red scarring and puckered skin. Edward flinched away yet seemed unable to look away.

“They're not painful,” Willow promised, running a finger over the ruined skin. “It is still delicate, however. I keep them well protected.”

Willow met Edward's eye, “These are the easiest to show. My throat healed mostly, though thankfully I never aspired to be an orator. My ribs were broken during that time, but they have healed, I believe. I have not felt them in some weeks. I'm still being careful, but I think it's fine. I've also returned to a healthy weight. I am in a much better position to heal this time than I was last time. I'll be just fine.”

Edward nodded and replied in a subdued tone, “Thank you for sharing.” Willow nodded as Edward rose to leave.

“I can't see you out, but feel free to come by,” Willow said politely as a fresh knock on the door was answered and a group of children came streaming in through it, ignoring the frantic cries of their parents to be careful and quiet.

Tiny arms, legs, and bodies quickly engulfed Willow. Willow handled the exuberance with a forced smile as she gently encouraged them all to sit on the surrounding floor, beckoning for the adults to join them.

Agnes soon appeared with the requested beverages and snacks, and Willow firmly guided the children onto a blanket set there for this purpose of collecting up any spills or crumbs that usually followed in the wake of any child eating anything but a single mouthful. Willow watched on indulgently for a moment, silently revelling in their survival.