“I'm so glad you could make it.”

Rowan was being greeted by Doctor Bræn along with Seres, Tehri, Hana, Byrden, Lochlan, Liadra, and Kamran. It was the second stop of the morning. They would have come earlier, but Rowan wanted to make sure Tehri and the other refugees had at least a few new clothes first.

“Good morning, Doctor Bræn,” Rowan said with a smile as he entered the room. “How are we going to do this?”

“I'm glad you asked. It is my belief that it will be most efficient to have you all divided into pairs. I'll then see each group one after the other.”

“Can we decide on the pairings?”

“Indeed. You can also decide on the order. I'll be waiting in the exam room.”

*****

Ten minutes later, Rowan knocked on the exam room door with Seres just behind her.

“Come in,” Doctor Bræn said from the other side of the door.

Rowan opened it, and they stepped into the bright, sterile room. “I see you got some new lights,” she remarked with a smile, noting the soft glow of a Crystal Array.

Doctor Bræn nodded. “Your father helped us upgrade as a wedding gift. Crystal light is so much easier on the eyes when configured correctly. Alas, you are here for a medical exam so I'll refrain from lecturing to you why soft light is preferred.”

“We appreciate it,” Seres replied.

“What happens now?” Rowan added.

“We'll start with formulating a history. Following the history, we'll move on to a physical exam. Lastly, we'll discuss any concerns you might have.”

“How long will it take?” Seres asked.

“It depends. I still have Rowan's file from before the eclipse, but you are a complete mystery, Princess. I also don't know how much Rowan's file is still valid on account of her Awakening. The physical should only take fifteen minutes or so, however.”

“I guess we should get started, then.”

“We shall indeed. Do you know of any…”

*****

Even with Doctor Bræn asking the girls some difficult questions regarding their time in the caves, they answered, and the history was formulated without incident. When Doctor Bræn asked if they would be okay removing their clothes for the first part of the physical exam, however, Rowan broke out into a cold sweat.

“My apologies, Rowan,” Doctor Bræn told her softly when he saw how she reacted. “I should have considered potential trauma before asking you to disrobe. Would you be more comfortable if Nadia took your measurements instead? I can leave the room, and the curtains will be drawn as well. If not, we'll make do with our measurements being a little off.”

Seres placed her hand on top of Rowan's. “You can do it, Rowan. We're in control here.”

“Her Highness is correct. Neither Nadia nor I will make you do anything you aren't comfortable with.”

Rowan took a few moments to collect herself. Seres’ hand helped, as did Doctor Bræn's assurances.

“I think I'd prefer it if Nadia did the measurements, but you can stay.”

“Are you of the same mind, Seres?”

“Aye.”

“Perfect. I'll ring through for her now.”

A few minutes later, Nadia entered the room. She was nothing like the young Ferran woman that Rowan remembered. There was a confidence and a maturity to her now that had been missing the last time Rowan had seen her. She was also wearing a coat similar to the one worn by Doctor Bræn, though it was slightly shorter and pale blue instead of white. It also had a cutout for her tail.

“Is everything okay, dear?” she asked.

“It is indeed. I'm just about to start the physical exam for Rowan and Seres here, and they asked if you could handle the measurements. Be careful, though. They've both suffered incredible trauma.”

Nadia smiled at Doctor Bræn and the two girls. “Of course. Right this way, ladies.”

She motioned them both to the other half of the room, where a series of curtains could be deployed to give them some privacy.

“You don't need to remove your underwear,” she told them. “You may also choose to wear one of these shadowsilk gowns if you are concerned with modesty. The weight won't notably affect your measurement.”

They both opted to wear the shadowsilk gown. It didn't provide much additional coverage, but they weren't particularly concerned about modesty, especially given the circumstances. No, they were wearing the shadowsilk gowns because they could.

When they were ready, Nadia measured their height, weight, and resting heart rate, along with some key circumferences including the waist, upper arms, and lower legs.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

They were then given the go-ahead to get dressed again, though Rowan opted to wait. She knew Doctor Bræn would want to have a look at her scars, and the room was warm enough.

Ten minutes later, he finished his physical exam.

“I must say, I'm impressed. Both of you have made significant headway on the road to recovery. If I didn't know better, I'd place you both at the six-month mark at the very least. You still need to be careful, however. Especially you, Rowan. Your body has suffered enough trauma to kill a grown man eleven times over. Some of those injuries are still healing, and some didn't heal properly. I’m also concerned that your body fat levels are too low. I realise there isn't much you can do about it right now, but you might want to seek out a nutritionist who specialises in Ardents when you get the chance.”

“I will,” Rowan replied.

“Perfect. I wish I could do more to help, but it would seem that Awakened healthcare is currently beyond me. I just have too many questions, even with your physiology being mostly unchanged from my observations. The scars on your back also don't help either. They're too clean, and the central design is evocative of the Tree of Life. You said they infused the open wounds with powdered crystal, did you not?”

“We did,” Seres answered. “They also have a strange Resonance to them.”

“I suspect they're a kind of Resonance Array. As for the how, I have no idea.”

“We'll be looking into it more when we get to Seres,” Rowan told him. She suspected it was related to the Al'duur, and if anywhere outside of Dreis was going to have any information on them, it was the Azure University.

“I commend your dedication to learning. Do either of you have any concerns you want me to know about before we conclude this check-up?”

“I've got nothing,” Seres admitted. “The court physicians did a very thorough job before we left Midiris. I don't think my mother would have let us leave if we had anything to worry about.”

Rowan nodded her agreement. “I'm good for the most part. I am a little concerned about Tehri, however. She spoke last night for the first time in five years, and I'm worried she might hurt herself trying to find it.”

“I'll make sure she knows how to regain it safely. I already have a perfect treatment plan courtesy of your mother. If that's all, you're free to go. Remember to get dressed before you leave.”

“Can I sit in on the start of Tehri's check-up?”

“If she consents to it and you don't get in the way, I don't see why not.”

“Okay then. She'll be next alongside Hana.”

*****

After seeing Doctor Bræn perform an initial examination of Tehri's airways, Rowan left the clinic with Seres and Liadra. Lochlan agreed to stay behind to keep an eye on Tehri and the Kaafasts.

They were heading back to Rowan's family home, having first bought an arsenal of cleaning supplies. She had a spare set of keys just in case her father had locked up. With him being at the store, it was likely.

When they arrived, Rowan turned to face her two companions. “I hope you ladies are ready to get your hands dirty and knees bruised ‘cause we have about two hours to make this house shine.”

To prove she meant business, she tied her hair up dramatically and popped an Alyren Raindrop into her mouth. Seres paled visibly at the sight. She had heard about the incident with Rowan and Alena when they visited Tyris’ home for the first time.

Rowan wasn’t concerned. The context was different this time. There was nothing promoting her desire for lust. Seres and Liadra were both incredibly beautiful and attractive in their own right, but Rowan wasn’t attracted to either of them. No, this time, she had a desire to clean, and the colourful treat was already giving her the rush she needed to get started.

She took one deep breath, and then she exploded into a whirlwind of action. When she finally heard the knock on the front door, she was unsure of how much time had passed. Her estimate of two hours had been just that, and the entirety of her focus had been on cleaning. Fortunately, there was very little waste as the majority of the issues were centred around the mountains of dust that seemed to permeate every inch of the house.

It was still an incredibly intensive endeavour, of course, with Rowan and Seres both changing into their athletic garb fairly early on. Together, they had the ground floor sparkling. The dance studio, in particular, was an exceptional example of some wonderfully entertaining teamwork.

Rowan had started work on the first floor when Liadra opened the door for Tehri, Kamran, and the Kaafasts. She peeked around the corner of the corridor leading to her bedroom to see them enter.

“I’ll be with you in just a moment,” she called out to them. “I just need to get a quick shower. Tell Seres to come get one, too.”

“Will do,” Liadra replied. “Lochlan is going to get your father.”

“Thank you!”

Rowan rushed into the bathroom and jumped as the shower sprang into action. The water was cold at first, but it quickly rose to a comfortable temperature, and Rowan sighed in relief. She saw the dirt and sweat flee her now glistening form. Seres joined her a few moments later. They helped each other get clean enough, and then they went back downstairs. Tehri and the others were waiting for them in the living room.

They sat down slowly, just in case they didn’t do quite as good a job cleaning as they thought they did. Fortunately, they were able to do so without even a hint of a dust cloud. Tehri and the others gave them a somewhat confused look when they both sighed in relief, though no one said anything.

“Da should be here soon,” Rowan said to Tehri once everyone stopped looking at her. Then she turned to Liadra. “I think you’re carrying all the dust left on this floor of the house, Liadra. You may as well get a shower while we wait.”

Liadra relaxed considerably when Rowan gave her leave to get clean. “Is there anything I should know about the shower?”

“Not really. The controls are fairly simple. Left is water, and right is temperature. As for where the shower actually is, go up the stairs and turn left. It’s the first door on the right.”

“Thank you.”

The statuesque Agent of Dusk returned almost as quickly as she had left and just in time for Lochlan to arrive with Gyren. She was also sparkling clean.

Rowan jumped up to help Lochlan with her father. He seemed even older than he had been the last time she had seen him, despite it having only been a couple of days.

“Ah, Rowan,” Gyren said with a slow smile, “when I woke up yesterday, and you weren’t there, I thought I must have been dreaming, but I’m glad to see that I was mistaken.”

“I’m sorry, Da. I didnae mean to disappear like I did. There was someone I needed to find, and time was against me. She’s waiting for you in the living room.”

“Who’s waiting for me?”

Rowan took his hand and started easing him through to the living room.

“You’ll see.”

His eyes met with Tehri’s the moment he entered the room.

Silence.

Then audible sobbing.

Gyren fell to his knees.

“Tehri? My precious little Tehri? Is it really you? What am I saying? Of course, it’s you. If Rowan could return, then why not you? Please forgive me, Tehri. I should never have abandoned you. I was too weak. I’m still too weak. I’m a failure of a father.”

The sound of crying fluctuated as Tehri stood up. Rowan could feel her sadness bleeding through. It still wasn’t anything like a full-on Ardent, but it was close.

Tehri wrapped her arms around Gyren and sobbed into his shoulder. Hana and Byrden were speechless. She was not.

“I’ve missed you.”