Ethen looked out towards the forest with worry. The night was dark and quiet. Quite the opposite of what he was expecting. Instead of seeing the night illuminated by fire, the moon was still the brightest light in the night. He wondered if something had happened, if she was okay. He didn’t have much time to wonder before he noticed someone stumbling out of the forest and collapsing on the ground. He instantly recognised the figure and ran over. His eyes widened as he got closer and noticed the growing pool of blood on the ground.
“Ember!”
He is met with silence. Panic rises in his mind, he needs to get her back to someone who can heal her, fast. He takes a moment to assess how badly she was hurt, ripping off a piece of his shirt as he did so. He wraps it tightly around the cut on her forearm. The wound on her lower back looks worse and would require more than just a piece of cloth. Shit. Without hesitation he tears off his shirt, swiftly wrapping it around her back as best he can and scooping her into his arms. As he does he notices the gash along her collarbone. He hastily grabs her scarf and clumsily wraps it under her one arm and over her other shoulder, in an attempt to stop the worst of the bleeding and sprints as fast as he can towards the town. He doesn’t have time to wonder what had happened.
Luckily, most of the town was asleep so he didn’t have to worry about people staring as he sped past. His panic further grew with every drop of blood hitting the ground below him. His only focus was getting her to Kaylee as soon as possible, before it was too late. As he reached the base he rushed inside where Lea was sitting by a table waiting for their return. Her eyes shoot up with excitement at the sound of the door opening, but her expression quickly changes to one of horror when she sees them. Ethen clutching onto Ember's limp body, her blood dripping down his bare chest.
“What happened?!”
“Get Kaylee now!”
“R-right”
Taken aback by his raised voice Lea rushes up the stairs. Ethen puts Ember down on the table and tightens the makeshift bandages. Seconds later Lea returns with Kaylee, her eyes wide at the sight. The woman rushes to Ember’s side and quickly removes the bandage on her arm first. She places her hands around the wound and her eyes flash a light green as the wound very slowly closes. As soon as the bleeding fully stops she turns to Ember’s chest. It takes her a few moments, but when that wound too has stopped bleeding she looks to Ethen.
“Help me turn her over”
Ethen quickly tilts Ember onto her side, holding her still as Kaylee closes the wound on Ember’s back. Afterwards he slides her to her back again, his breath unsteady and adrenaline surging through him. He takes a step back and looks at Kaylee with a pleading expression.
“She will be okay, right?”
His voice trembled as he spoke. Kaylee hesitates, she wasn’t sure how to answer. She had stopped the bleeding but she couldn’t know if Ember would make it. She places her head to Ember's chest and listens closely. Her heartbeat was faint, but it was there. With a sigh of relief she answers.
“I think so. She will need a lot more healing though, but if I rush it all at once now she won’t make it. She will need rest before I can heal her more, I can’t overstrain her body, otherwise-”
She is interrupted by the sound of a sharp inhale. She turns to Ember who has opened her eyes, her hands attempting to grip onto the table. Ember’s eyes dart around the room with a panicked expression, trying to decipher where she is. Ethen and Lea both run to her, getting in her field of vision as they each hold her hands. Lea tries to speak in a soothing way, her voice slightly cracking.
“Ember! Hey, you’re okay, calm down.”
Ember slightly relaxes at the sight of familiar faces, but she still seems frazzled.
“I… Where am I?”
Her breath was unsteady and her voice was faint. Ethen opens his mouth slightly, but Lea speaks up before him.
“You’re at the base, Ethen brought you back and Kaylee stopped the bleeding, you’ll be okay.”
Ember lets out a deep exhale and closes her eyes, wincing as her body reminds her of her current state. Kaylee speaks up behind them.
“She will need rest, can you guys carry her to one of the beds upstairs? Be careful when moving her.”
Ethen nods and gently picks her up, Lea moving to the side giving him space. He carefully carries her up the stairs and places her on the bed in one of the empty rooms. Kaylee had followed and sat by the bed, her eyes focused on Ember. Ethen’s rapidly beating heart slows down as he takes a step away. Finally feeling a sense of safety about the situation and knowing Kaylee was by her side.
“Where is Lea?”
“She went to find Mother, to inform her of what happened.”
He gives a small nod and leaves the room, behind him he can hear Kaylee softly telling Ember to get some rest. He waits by the stairs keeping a close eye at the entrance.
Hours had passed, but Mother still hadn’t arrived and Lea was yet to return. He stayed in his spot, keeping his focus on the door. His mind was racing, however much he tried to calm it. Now that Ember was safe and Kaylee was with her, his mind didn’t have as much of a distraction. He couldn’t stop the images in his mind and ideas of what might have happened. It pained him to think about what could have gone wrong. Ember had done a lot of runs like this in the past, she’d been doing it for four years now without running into trouble. The elves were going to fight her eventually but… this was worse than he had anticipated. However much they all felt they had prepared, the sudden actuality of a fight occurring made it all that much more real for him. His thoughts are suddenly interrupted as the front door opens. As soon as he registers the movement his eyes flash silver and he disappears into the surroundings. He watches as Lea and Mother enter and quickly rush up the stairs. Stepping out of their way so they didn’t bump into him, he follows them into the room Ember is in. Mother’s tone is stiff as she speaks.
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“Lealia, give us a moment.”
Lea twitches at the sound of her full name, but leaves swiftly and closes the door behind her. Ethen places himself in the back of the room, observing the conversation while still remaining hidden. Ember is the only one who would be able to tell he was here, but he knew she wouldn’t tell them. Mother turns to Kaylee.
“How long will she need to fully heal?”
“Hard to say, at least five days, she was very hurt and-”
“Make it three.”
Kaylee blinks slowly at Mother with a blank expression. Unphased by the interruption, she answers slowly.
“That is highly inadvisable, you know I can only speed up her body’s natural healing, I can’t just magically make her better, the strain that would cause to her body is unsafe, it-”
This time it is Ember who interrupts her.
“Do it. Make it three. I'll be fine.”
Ember's voice is still faint and she seems to be struggling as she speaks. Kaylee gives her a worried look.
“Ember I don’t think you understand the risks here, your body needs time. This could hurt you or worse it could kill-”
Mother doesn’t look at Ember, but instead keeps her focus solely on Kaylee.
“You heard her, make it three.”
Kaylee seems taken aback by how little either of them are listening to her, but ultimately she seems to give up.
“Yes Ma'am.”
Kaylee gives a defeated nod and turns towards Ember with a pained expression. Ember gives her a weak smile in return. For the first time since arriving Mother looks at Ember and her face turns dark.
“When you’re better you can explain what went wrong tonight and why you failed to complete such a simple task.”
Ember flinches and makes herself smaller at her words, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Yes Ma’am.”
Mother was already on her way out by the time Ember’s words left her and Mother quickly made her exit, not bothering to close the door behind her. Ethen felt angry as he watched Ember's distraught expression. He knew Mother wasn’t happy with changes in her plans, but he hadn’t quite expected her to treat Ember like that. Especially after all she did for her, all she endured for her. As if sensing his emotions, Ember gives a faint smile in his direction which only further fuels his anger. She doesn’t deserve this. He clenches his fists and leaves the room.
Lea was downstairs cleaning blood off the table Ember had lied on earlier. She was intently scrubbing away at the surface, the blood stains resistant to her efforts. Ethen walks up next to her and speaks softly.
“We need to talk in private.”
Lea jumps at the sudden noise and whispers sharply.
“Ethen! We really need to find a better way for you to let me know when you’re here, I can’t sense you like Ember can.”
“Sorry.”
She sighs and continues her scrubbing as she answers.
“Meet me in the garden, Mother already left so we will be able to speak freely there.”
He nods before realising she can’t see his movement. With a feeling of awkwardness he hangs his head and goes outside quietly. She wouldn’t have expected him to respond, but part of him feels guilty about just leaving her behind. As he sits on the small bench under the big tree in the garden he gently fidgets with his hair. With a sigh he lets himself relax, letting his form become visible again. He watches the sunrise as he waits, the gentle wind calming him down. At least she is safe, but… I wonder what happened? Before he could continue his thought Lea plops down next to him, taking a deep breath.
“Was it bad?”
He gives her a small nod as he answers weakly.
“Mother has always been hard on her but this was different.”
Although speaking is hard for him and he struggles with getting the words out he continues.
“Ember’s forcing herself to get better quicker to appease her.”
Lea groans and rests her head in her hands. She seems distant as she speaks, her voice quiet.
“Yeah well… she’ll do anything for Mother’s approval. Even if it kills her.”
Ethen twitches at her words. He knew she was right, but it wasn’t something they had ever said out loud. Worry hung in the air like a thick cloud clinging to him as he slowly let go of his hair and rested his hands on his lap, his head hanging low. His voice is small but shockingly assertive, even to himself.
“Then we will need to help her.”
Lea doesn’t react to his statement, staring silently at the sky. The stars slowly fading and the pitch black turning blue. He looks over at her and observes the rising sun lightly reflecting in her brown eyes. Her bleak expression made him nervous even if he tried his best to shake it. Truthfully he wasn’t sure if they could really help Ember, but he wanted to at least try. Even if she had been unwavering in the past, he couldn’t give up on her. Lea suddenly breaks the silence between them.
“I don’t know if I can keep trying like that Ethen. It… it wears me down you know? It takes a toll on me to see her like this, to see her throw her life away for someone else. Someone who doesn’t even care.”
“Lea, I-”
“Like, what about our feelings? Why does she have to care more about Mother than us? We’ve always been there for her and sometimes I don’t know if she even understands what we have to go through.”
They both fall quiet. Ethen feels tense. He didn’t have any arguments against her, truthfully he wasn’t sure if Ember did understand. He traces his fingers over the bench with downcast eyes.
“I’m not ready to give up on her yet.”
“I’m not giving up on her, I just… I can’t lose one of my best friends. Not again.”
She keeps her eyes at the sky with an absent expression. He understood her pain, having witnessed it last time. They both sat in silence as they watched the sun slowly rise in the distance.