Eldan sat by Cale’s bed through the dinner hours, slowly eating the roll he had leftover from lunch. His stomach grumbled in protest over the light meal but he was unwilling to leave her again after being gone the entire day. Cale looked deathly pale and her cheeks were cool to the touch. Eldan was struck by how small she looked when stripped of her personality, her expressive face and movements utterly stilled.

Eventually he heard the squeak of Usher Wen’s cart and to his surprise, the medic brought in dinner for both of them, pulling up a second chair to eat potato soup and hot tea, sharing the cart like a small table. He showed Eldan how to break open the heart fruit he had brought for dessert without a knife, lacing his fingers together and squeezing with the heels of his hands until the thick rind cracked, and laughing when Eldan burst his, frantically licking off the pulp that ran down his arm.

When they had finished, Usher Wen retrieved a checkered wooden board and carved pieces to play a game of Crowns and Keepers, saying that the sounds of their voices might be good for Cale. Eldan found he enjoyed talking to the medic on subjects other than his injuries, the man was patient and kind, quick to smile and knowledgeable on a wide range of topics.

When their game concluded Usher Wen left again, telling Eldan he could stay until the next toll of the city bells before going to his room to sleep. Eldan leaned forward on Cale’s bed, resting his head on his arm with one hand on her shoulder, his exhaustion and a belly full of warm food coaxing him into a light doze.

Eldan woke to the sound of a raw, crescendoing wail of terror that seemed to emit from the depths of Cale’s being. It sounded, at first, like a muffled moan, a cry she had to reach across time or space to vocalize. As she slowly found her voice it amplified, growing stronger and steadier until it became a formless shriek that spoke of a fear so great it could not be named or understood.

Eldan shot fully awake and lurched from his chair, grabbing her shoulders and then throwing his arms around her and holding tight as she wailed. Her body was rigid, back arched and hands formed into claws, her eyes open and unseeing. Usher Wen rushed into the room, gently pulling Eldan back and steering him to the side, then yanking the blankets off Cale, checking the temperature of her forehead and cheeks. He ran to his cart, filling a basin with water and grabbing cloths, then rushing back to wring them out and lay them over her forehead and neck.

Finally the wail ended and Cale lay still on her back, her eyes closed. Eldan approached cautiously and Usher Wen made no move to stop him when he snaked out a hand to clasp one of hers. He squeezed gently and Cale’s eyes fluttered, focusing on him momentarily. She made a croaking sound, her voice cracked and raspy, before her eyes drooped closed again.

The medic daubed her dry, cracked lips with a wet cloth, eliciting a slight movement from her mouth in response, and replaced the cooling cloth on her head. The two of them stayed like this through the next bell, Eldan holding her hand and Usher Wen making gentle ministrations. The medic encouraged Eldan to talk to her, so he did, telling her how much he missed her and recalling a couple of stories of their adventures together. He also gave a highly edited account of his spar with Mercad, making it sound like a playful encounter and exaggerating both of their moves so it sounded like a storybook battle between titans. He knew she would have laughed at the telling had she been awake.

A few times Cale opened her eyes and looked around, seeming semi-focused and confused, sometimes making another raspy vocalization. Each time Usher Wen rushed to moisten her lips, trickling water into her mouth. Eldan squeezed her hand periodically and thought she sometimes weakly returned the pressure, her cold fingers twitching subtly in his grasp.

“I think it is time that you return to your room and rest,” Usher Wen said gently. “I am encouraged by the signs that she may be awakening but will not know more for some time. Should she more fully awaken she may not be herself, and I do not wish you the distress of seeing her in that state. You are in need of rest and recovery, as well.”

Eldan nodded in resignation at the medic’s words. He wanted to stay at her side but exhaustion had settled over him like a heavy blanket, his body aching and eyes burning. “I can come back tomorrow?” he asked, sounding more plaintive than he would have liked.

Usher Wen gave him a tired smile. “Yes, you are always welcome here.”

Eldan gave Cale’s hand a last squeeze and she seemed to fold her hand slightly against his before letting go, as if to reassure him he could leave, though he wasn’t sure if he was imagining the response. She lay still while he gathered his pack, bidding them both goodnight and trudging from the ward toward his room.

When Eldan opened the door to his suite he found the sitting room empty, with a fire burning low in the fireplace. One of his suite-mates must have brought up a fresh load of firewood, as split logs sat stacked in a neat pile next to the hearth. He saw that their boots were lined up by the door and Amuel’s cloak was thrown haphazardly on the back of one of the leather chairs, making the room look a little more lived-in and familiar that it had seemed before. He sat down and removed his own boots, adding them to the row before padding to his room.

He opened his door with a creak and stepped into the darkened room, faintly illuminated by moonlight from the open window, making his way to the small desk and fumbling around, feeling for the candle and flint he knew he had left on its surface. Finally he got the candle lit and turned around to see Glade sprawled on his bed, stretching, her mouth open in a wide yawn from the sudden light. Warmth surged in Eldan’s chest, a smile spreading across his face as he hastily set the candle down and stumbled to the bed to wrap his arms around the large cat.

Glade vibrated with a rumbling purr while he buried his face in her thick fur. “You saved my life, you know that? Of course you know, why else would you have been there?” he murmured, tears pricking at the back of his eyes. “You saved her, too. I don’t know how to thank you for that but I promise I will always take care of you.”

Glade made a huffing sound, as though to say she obviously took care of him rather than the other way around, and Eldan chuckled, wiping his eyes on his tunic as he sat up. His eyes came to rest on the chest beneath his window and he slid off the bed, opening it and digging out his sword. This time when he unrolled it he had no doubt about what he was seeing, a faint light, something more than reflected candlelight, flickered within the curves of the mark on the pommel. When he gripped the hilt the blade hummed in recognition, and the silvery moonlight shining softly on his arm wavered, rippling and refracting like it was cast on moving water. Even as a trickle of warmth flowed into his body Eldan shivered, releasing the grip and tilting the blade to look again at his mother’s signature mark. “What were you really asking of me?” he whispered in consternation, settling the sword back in its canvas, “and why did you think I could do it?”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

He carried the rolled sword back to his bed, leaving it there while he changed into his own sleeping tunic and blew out the candle. Finally he settled under the blankets, holding the canvas bundle tightly to his chest while Glade curled up pressed against his back, and fell into an exhausted sleep.

***

“Eldan! S’time to go, don’t want to leave you here,” Amuel called through the door to his room.

Eldan hastily pulled on a fresh flax tunic over his familiar canvas pants, combing his wet hair with his fingers and grabbing his pack. “Sorry!” He threw the door open, narrowly avoiding hitting Amuel as she leapt backwards. Stal was already standing by the door wearing a crisp robe, this one in a golden yellow that was striking against his dark, bronze skin. Eldan caught himself staring and ducked his head, his cheeks warming. He quickly pulled on his boots, pointedly keeping his gaze away from Stal as they locked the room and hurried to breakfast.

Everyone in the annex had seemed to take it as a matter of fact that Eldan and Cale would eventually marry, and people often joked that he would live a life of leisure as the next Goldkeeper’s husband. The pair themselves knew their friendship would never evolve into more and snickered at the adults who cooed over them, describing ever wilder scenarios where Eldan reclined on a divan, dripping with gold and jewels, demanding Cale bring him luxurious items. In the back of his mind Eldan knew he was unlikely to marry a woman at all, but except for a childhood puppy crush on a playful and dashing forge-hand he had never noticed anyone before this morning. He pushed down the uncomfortable thought, rationalizing that his emotions were too high to trust the curious flare of interest.

After a rushed breakfast the trio made their way to the auditorium, where Captain Gelth began a seemingly endless and dry lesson on military tactics. Eldan could not keep his focus on the lecture, listening for the faint chimes of the city bells as his hand mindlessly took notes that he knew would probably be useless to him later. Several times he straightened up in his seat, reminding himself that Cale would need to catch up and resolving to pay closer attention, but he kept drifting back to the same repetitive, unanswerable questions about what he would find when he went back to the medical ward.

Finally class was dismissed for lunch and Eldan closed his notebook with a snap, shoving it into his pack and stumbling in his hurry to get out of his seat. “I have to get to the medic but I will try to catch up before lunch is over,” he said in a rush to Stal and Amuel.

Stal nodded sedately, “I will prepare you a plate if you would like?”

Eldan paused, thinking, “sure, thanks. I guess whatever you are eating is fine,” he shrugged.

Amuel smiled broadly, giving him an exaggerated wink. “Don’t worry, I’ll sneak something tasty on there for ya.” Eldan smiled in return and ducked out of the aisle, joining the stream of students heading toward the main hallway.

When he reached the outer office of the medical ward Usher Wen beckoned him inside, looking pleased despite the fact that it appeared he hadn’t slept since Eldan left the night before, his long, white tunic wrinkled and dark circles under his eyes. He guided Eldan into the main ward, where he found Cale sitting up in bed, looking haggard but alert.

Eldan froze for a moment, a lump rising in his throat, as she turned toward him, her freckled face lighting up. He ran forward, limping only slightly, and fell into her open arms, half laughing and half crying with joy and relief.

Usher Wen stood back, watching their reunion with a smile. “Be careful with each other, neither of you are in fighting shape yet, although I suppose I can’t say that to the boy who went through weapons training yesterday,” he said jokingly.

Eldan pulled back and Cale glanced at the medic before giving him a confused look. “I have a lot to tell you,” he said sheepishly, “but none of it matters now. How are you feeling? I’ve missed you so much, I thought..I didn’t know for a while..” he trailed off, the lump rising in his throat again.

Cale made a soft sigh, gesturing at her throat apologetically, then began speaking in a crackled, raspy voice. “I feel like I was run over by a horse, and then the cart, and then maybe another horse landed on my chest.” Her eyes flicked toward Usher Wen, then met Eldan’s. “I don’t remember everything that happened in the water, just that I was so scared and sure I would die there. At the end it was so dark and then suddenly someone grabbed my arm, I was sure it was you but..” her voice broke and she trailed off, as well.

Eldan looked uncertainly at Usher Wen, not sure what he should say. The medic closed the door between the ward and his office, joining them at Cale’s bed. “There is an official version of events on which I am sure you will be briefed very soon, likely sooner than I might wish, given your condition. It would not be prudent to dispute that account, even privately, so I will say only that the fact that I am able to stand here speaking with both of you after what you experienced is remarkable and unlikely, and I do not believe it would have been possible without the strength of your friendship.”

Cale looked between the two of them, clearly confused but seeming to understand the subject had to drop for now. Eldan held her eyes for a moment, trying to silently communicate that they would talk later, and Cale cocked her head, nodding slightly in agreement. He wondered how, only a few days before, he had thought she might be a stranger to him. Whatever vital parts she may have lost of her own history, that essential thing that made her Cale was indisputably intact.

Usher Wen let Eldan stay a few minutes longer before sending him away, explaining that Cale needed to rest her throat and lungs. The medic asked him to come back after the second session to have his sutures checked, indicating he could stay longer if Cale felt up to it at that time. After a reluctant goodbye and a last hug Eldan hurried to the dining hall, unable to keep himself from smiling.

The plate that awaited Eldan when he slid into his seat at the drafty table consisted of a mound of cut fruit and nuts, along with a chunk of meat that had obviously been picked out of a stew, presumably Amuel’s contribution. His roommates were nearly finished with their own meals so he dug in, shoveling down the food and gulping at the cup of cider sitting next to his plate. He had missed or skimped on several meals since arriving at Court and felt ravenous, the meal barely making a dent in his hunger.

“I have not wanted to pry but it appears you may have received good news, so may I ask how Cale fares?” Stal asked quietly.

Eldan washed down the bite he was chewing with a mouthful of cider, glancing up at the handful of students who were already up and clearing their tables. “She is awake. The medic says she is still recovering but he thinks the worst is over. I was able to talk to her today.” He couldn’t help grinning as he spoke, and then resumed eating, determined to finish his plate.

Stal made a sigh of relief, sitting back in his chair. “I am glad to hear this news. I do not know Cale well but I have been greatly worried.” He looked around the room and then leaned forward, speaking in nearly a whisper. “I do not believe our Captain is aware that in Helios we are trained to see over long distances clearly. I am grateful that you pursued your friend, and more so that you both live.”

Eldan’s eyes widened in alarm and he lowered his fork to his empty plate, looking between Stal and Amuel, who sat with one arm thrown casually over the back of her chair, looking unconcerned. “I know that recognition ceremony was a heap of terend dung,” she said matter of factly. “Woulda thought we’d see Bornin again, too, seein’ as he was the hero in that tale. Hurt or no I figured he’d get trotted out for us to admire.” Her voice was lowered but not so much that anyone walking by or paying close attention would not hear, even in the hubbub of clattering plates, scraping chairs and chatter as most of the students rushed to clear out of the dining room. Eldan scanned for anyone who might have been listening, only mildly reassured to find no one actively observing their table.

Stal shot Amuel a look. “This may be a conversation best saved for another time and it appears we should depart, regardless.” He stood, brushing off his immaculate robe with one hand, and Eldan quickly followed while Amuel leisurely uncurled from her seat.

Eldan had worried over the absence of Sergeant Bornin, as well, and pondered the issue as they made their way back to class. He had assumed the officer was under medical care with the military but if so, it was somewhat odd that he was released even for the recognition ceremony. He shuddered slightly at the memory of the burning shame and anger in Bornin’s one-eyed stare, wondering what was going on in the in the man’s mind.