I blinked against the sunlight spilling in through the window, feeling disoriented. I recognized the familiar smell of antiseptic before it dawned on me that I was in Dr. Night’s clinic, tucked into the pristine white sheets of a hospital bed. I felt a wave of déjà vu, as this was the exact scene I’d woken up to after the fire on my farm last fall. Dizziness followed, and I squeezed my eyes shut to quell the nausea.

When I opened them again a few moments later, I realized that I wasn’t alone. There were two other hospital beds in the room, one occupied by Melvin, and the other, strangely, by Woods. I knew Dr. Night was familiar with the sprites, but nurse Emily was not, so it was odd seeing a sprite in the clinic during the day. Both were wrapped in thick white bandages, and both had their eyes closed and were slumbering soundlessly.

There was another person in the room, seated in a chair next to my bed. It seemed she had dozed off, her face resting on her hand. I blinked repeatedly, hardly believing my eyes. I was fairly certain I hadn’t died and gone to heaven, as Woods was here, but there wasn’t any other explanation as to why she would be back in Sagewood. I had to be dreaming.

My throat felt scratchy, and I swallowed with some difficulty before attempting to speak. “Leia?” My voice came out gravelly, as if I hadn’t used it for days.

She startled awake, her iridescent eyes focusing on mine. She stood abruptly, smoothing out the front of her dress, her face flushing with rosy color. She stepped up to my bedside, looking sheepish.

“Matt! I’m so sorry, I must’ve dozed off.” Her delicate floral fragrance washed over me. If this was a dream, it was equal parts wonderfully vivid and terribly cruel. Every detail I’d fallen for was present, down to every last freckle on her beautiful face.

“I’m so glad you’re all right,” she whispered as her eyes welled with tears, and I noticed lingering redness around them, as if she’d been crying.

“Leia, why… how did—?” I struggled to form a coherent sentence. My brain felt sluggish, as if my thoughts were swimming in molasses. Truthfully, I wasn’t entirely sure how I was even alive. Memories of my incarceration trickled back slowly. I recalled being confined in the dungeon, and the subsequent flood. I remembered the water engulfing me, and then overwhelming darkness. In my last moments beneath the depths, I remembered thinking of her. And then… nothing. I couldn’t have possibly survived that, so how was I here now? I glanced over at Woods and Melvin, both of whom looked way worse off than I felt. My gut told me it was because of them I was alive, but I would have to get the full story later. I turned back to Leia, suddenly feeling an overwhelming jumble of emotions.

Tears spilled from Leia’s eyes, shimmering in the soft light as she took my hand in hers. Her familiar touch sent lightning through me, and my heartbeat quickened, making me feel lightheaded.

“Matt, I’m sorry I left. I never should’ve gone to Azurebrook City—I’m glad I did though, because it gave me a lot of clarity.” She swallowed hard, glancing over at the still slumbering Melvin and Woods before continuing, her voice lowered. “I realized a little too late that it wasn’t actually the city I was enamored with. I didn’t need to leave to feel complete. In fact, I’ve never felt more torn in my entire life than when I was away. And I… well, I realized there were some things I’d abandoned in Sagewood, and I was too foolish to see what treasures they truly were.”

Her hands were shaking, mirroring the quiver in her voice.

She met my gaze and said, “I—I love you, Matt. I never should’ve left, especially how I did. I hope you can forgive me.”

I blinked. Her words, laden with both regret and affection, wrapped around my heart, mending the broken pieces. I squeezed her hand, feeling the warmth of her touch. I also became acutely aware that I was undressed under my bed sheets, completely naked.

I opened my mouth to speak, but a sudden alarm blared from a contraption by my bedside. The device, a dwarven metal creation adorned with intricate runes and flashing crystals, emitted a loud, insistent sound, cutting me off. Thin, colored wires snaked from the machine and disappeared beneath my blanket, connecting me to it.

Dr. Night burst into the room, his gaze settling on the machine before moving to me. “Are you feeling all right, Matt?” he asked, taking in my condition. His calm tone masked the concern in his eyes.

I nodded, but in reality, my world was spinning. Leia was back, she’d just told me she loved me, and I hadn’t said anything back yet. I’d been dreaming of this moment, and if I waited too long, it would slip away. I cleared my throat. “I feel fine, Dr. Night. Really.” It was a lie, as I felt like I’d been hit by a truck, but I pushed any feelings of discomfort aside. The doctor nodded and backed out of the room, his eyes locked on the blinking machine to the side of my bed. It had stopped beeping, but some of the crystals continued to flash intermittently.

Leia cleared her throat after the doctor shut the door, continuing, “I realized I don’t actually love the city. I don’t even like it. You were right about everything: the crowds, the loneliness, it’s all terrible. I guess—I realized that I missed my home, or rather… the feeling of home that I had when I was with you. I never had that until you came along, and well—I’ve never felt that way with anyone else….” She trailed off, her gaze drifting down to her work boots. Her cheeks flushed even redder and spread to her pointed ears.

I stared at her, lingering over each freckle and the graceful curve of her dark eyelashes over her blue-violet eyes. Every aspect of her had been etched into my memory and being with her now felt like stepping into a cozy, warm cottage after being lost on a chilly winter night.

Finally, I found my voice. “Leia, will you marry me?” I whispered, surprised by the words tumbling out of my mouth. They seemed to form of their own accord, driven by a force beyond my control. But as my brain caught up with my mouth, I found myself hanging onto her every movement, my heart racing in anticipation for her response.

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Her eyes widened in shock before a small smile graced her lips. “You… really mean it?”

I nodded. “More than anything. And after you left, not a single day went by that I didn’t think of you. Please, do me the honor of becoming my wife.”

Silence enveloped us, broken only by the soft whirring of the machine next to my bedside. I held my breath, hoping the contraption would remain silent until Leia gave me her answer.

Leia's laughter, soft and musical, filled the room. “Matt, you haven’t even told me you loved me yet.” Her eyes sparkled with tears.

“Well, I do, Leia. I love you more than anyone and anything on Etheria… and beyond.” A smile spread across my face, tears mingling with the joy in my heart. I squeezed her hand, relishing the warmth of her touch, and whispered, “I promise to love you for the rest of my life.”

Her smile widened, and my heart soared. “Of course, I’ll marry you.”

The machine next to me began beeping wildly again, and Dr. Night poked his head in the door again, not hiding his concern this time.

“Leia, I apologize, but I have to ask you to step out for a bit. It seems Matt is too unstable right now for visitors.”

Leia gave me another smile and wiped her tears away. She stood, turning to follow Dr. Night before abruptly turning back, as if remembering something. “We can’t get married until winter. Axel told me he doesn’t want to miss the wedding.”

“You two are getting married?” Dr. Night asked, a jolly smile spreading across his face. “No wonder his heart monitor is going crazy. Congratulations, you lovebirds!”

Leia thanked him and gave me a final warm smile before leaving. Dr. Night stayed until my monitor stopped beeping and flashing. I struggled to keep my eyes open, as being awake even for a few minutes had absolutely exhausted me. It had been an eventful few minutes, though. I was pulled from the brink of slumber by the barely repressed laughter of the other occupants in the room.

My eyelids fluttered open to see Woods and Melvin, both awake and smiling.

“So sappy,” Woods said to Melvin, his chuckling turning into a fit of pained coughing. “Ah—it hurts to laugh.”

“I wonder if he’ll remember anything when he wakes up, or if we’ll have to fill him in that he has a fiancé now,” Melvin commented as he glanced over to me. Upon seeing that I hadn’t fallen asleep yet, Melvin gave me a thumbs up coupled with a huge grin. “Oh, you are awake! Congratulations, Matt. I’d like to offer you my catering services for your upcoming celebration.”

Woods smirked at me. “And as an early wedding present, I promise I won’t tell any of the others that you were naked and crying when you proposed. I’ll let you tell the story however you wish.”

I sighed, pulling the blanket tight around my shoulders. Freaking jerks, I thought as I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

***

Despite having the fewest injuries, my stay in the clinic outlasted both Woods’ and Melvin’s. They were discharged promptly, while I remained confined for several more days. Dr. Night assured me it was merely for ‘observation,’ but a gnawing suspicion told me there was more to it. Something remained unspoken, a secret veiled behind the doctor’s professional demeanor.

As the days dragged on, my anxiety grew. The monotony of the sterile white walls closed in on me, each passing hour adding to my restlessness. The rhythmic beeping of medical machines became my constant companions, their sounds echoing in the emptiness of the room.

Visitors came and went, their conversations a welcome distraction but never quite enough to quell my unease. Each face brought a fleeting sense of normalcy, yet every departure left a void that deepened my longing for the familiar embrace of my farm. I missed the earthy scent of the soil, the rustling leaves in the breeze, and the comforting routine of tending to my crops and animals. I chuckled at the sentiment. I never thought I would actually miss the farm.

Finally, after a few days, Woods came to visit me. I knew it was important because he came by himself, not accompanied by any other sprites. He stood on the chair next to my bed, his face not betraying any information or emotion.

“How are you feeling today?” he asked.

In truth, I felt fine. Better than fine, I felt like I was at full strength, and I was itching to leave the four white walls of the clinic. Not just to go back to work, of course, but to go visit Leia. My fiancé.

“I feel great, I’m not sure why Dr. Night is still keeping me here.”

Woods nodded, drawing his mouth in a thin line. “Yes. Well… I think he just wants to make sure you’re truly as well as you say you are.”

I narrowed my eyes at the sprite. He was getting worse at keeping secrets. Or I was getting better at reading him. Probably the former.

“What happened to me that night?” I asked, lowering my voice. It had been on my mind ever since I woke up. Woods shifted uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact.

“Lots of things. But the main one being that—well… we’re all fairly certain that…” he paused, finally meeting my eyes, “that… you died.”

“What?”

“You were trapped in the dungeon, and it was completely flooded. Do you know how long you were down there for? Under the water, I mean?”

I shook my head slowly, trying to dredge up the memories. They were foggy, as watery as would’ve been my grave that night. I remembered the water pouring into the dungeon, and I remember the panic that had set in as the water level rose. I thought I remembered the water sloshing up to my neck and eventually over my face, but it felt more like a murky nightmare than a memory.

“How did you bring me back?”

Woods’ shoulders slumped. “I used the dragon’s life crystal. And I know things are different for you now, but I didn’t know at the time that you and Leia would be getting back together. I made the decision rather hastily, I’m afraid.” He levelled a regretful look at me. “Essentially, I trapped you in this world when I knew you’d already made the decision to use the life crystal to get back home. If I hadn’t been so hasty, we might’ve come up with another way to revive you. I’m sorry.”

I’d forgotten all about how they’d released Tyr from my dungeon, and I hadn’t even wondered where the reward for the quest had gone. The life crystal. Apparently, they were extremely rare, only a few existing in all of Etheria. We had only known of that one. Now it was used up and probably at the bottom of a flooded dungeon.

“I’m sorry,” Woods continued. “I know what it meant for you. I’m glad things are different now, but I made that choice before I knew everything would’ve worked out.”

The life crystal had meant a lot to me before. It had been my only means to return to my home world. But now, that was an ending to my story I knew I would never choose. Not now that Leia was back. But even if she hadn’t come back, and Woods hadn’t used the life crystal, I would be in a much worse position. I’d be dead.

Woods opened his mouth to say more, but I didn’t let him. I grabbed him in a hug before he could muddy the moment with any more words.

“Ah—what the—my ribs, Matt! They’re still healing!”

I released him, and he began laughing, which quickly turned to coughing.

I laughed too. It felt good to laugh. Finding out the truth about that night put my mind at ease. “Thanks, Woods. I know how much you wanted to get rid of me.”

He wiped tears from his eyes, whether from his cracked ribs or from laughter, I couldn’t tell. “You’re not mad?” he asked, his voice raspy.

“Why would I be mad? You’ve given me a second chance to live the life I always dreamed of.”

He drew his eyebrows together and narrowed his eyes at me. “The life of a farmer?”

I nodded. “It’s where I belong. Grandpa Bart knew it a long time ago, but it took me a little while to figure it out. Truly, I think I’ve finally found my way home.”

Woods quirked up a half smile, his expression softening. “Well then, welcome home, Matt Miller.”