As soon as he was out of sight, Théo wrapped his arm around my waist, picked me up carefully and carried me towards the infirmary. On instinct, he used one of his draconic abilities and produced an invisible field of cold that granted both of us a sense of calm.

You took too much pain away from me, I scolded him.

His mental and physical state started to deteriorate as he felt each sting, each cut, each pull of the blade as if it was occurring on his own body instead of mine.

You know better than to take that much.

Like I said, it was either that or you would have died. That poison Marcel was using was a deadly one. It was trying to block any chance your body had to heal itself, Théoden told me.

So, I was healing myself? Was that what that sensation was? We knew my abilities would manifest eventually, but we had no idea what they were. Perhaps healing was one of them. I knew there were things like Self-Regeneration, Healing Soul, Persevere of Life, and Life from Death. Each ability listed gave some sort of healing property to those who had the blessed touch. From what I experienced and stories that I heard, my own ability was leaning on Self-Regeneration as I healed my own wounds without a second thought.

Yes, you prevented yourself from being stabbed in the heart and stomach. I felt the surge of wild magic come from you. It was truly intense, Théoden said. With each cut of his blade and each drop of poison that entered you, your body was trying to heal, but the damage he was doing made your healing almost mundane. When I took all of that pain, all of that poison, your body was able to function correctly and heal itself.

I was unaware that I was even doing it. My father always talked about how my powers were restrained and that I may never have them.

It must have just taken an immense force to push your body to its limits, causing your powers to surface.

I felt my emotions shift as if they were growing and then weakening. I knew part of that was you, but was the rest of that my magic? I recalled each pulse of fear, how each pulse of death that I felt came and disappeared quickly.

He looked down at me with a concerned look on his face. The intense pull of your emotions may have affected your ability to heal yourself. Now that your magic is unleashed, we should train you to harness your abilities, as we may need them in the upcoming months.

The infirmary is named Hope's Haven and is named after an elven woman who was named Hope who passed well over one hundred years ago. She was one of the first healers in the kingdom and my parents honored her work by naming the infirmary after her.

I nodded in agreement as we reached the infirmary. The infirmary was made primarily of a dark stone, is a single story building, one block from the castle. The doors to the infirmary are large, to allow larger races to have access. Upon entering the infirmary, our footsteps echoed against the ruby tint marbled floor as the infirmary was rather empty. There was five names inked on a board for patients and eight names marked on the wooden board for the healers.

As Théoden carried me to the round oak desk with a elder human woman sitting in a leather lined chair there was a blend of herbs, natural flowers, and a small hint of iron in the air. Smooth white paint on the walls, and vibrant magical lights that flickered down the halls.

The lady at the front desk eyes widened as she saw us approach. Her voice cracked as she spoke, "Oh my god, what happened to her?" She placed her hand over her mouth as she looked utterly shocked.

"She was attacked and she needs immediate attention. Is Gloria in today?" Théoden asked her as Gloria was the royal families healer. She was the top of her class and her work was accurate and honest.

"Yes, I will get her right away. Give me one minute." She hurried off to the back of the infirmary. "Gloria!" You can hear her voice echo through the building.

In a few seconds we heard two sets of footsteps hurry towards the front of the infirmary. Gloria's face mimicked that of the front desk help. Shock and disbelief. She hurried over to me and began to examine me as I rested against Théoden's chest.

She grabbed my wrist and checked my pulse. "Rapid and low pulse." She murmured, as she looked at my arm and my thigh where the arrow pierced. I could feel her judgment as she examined the few wounds that she could as he held me.

"What happened to her?" she asked as she motioned for Romina, the front desk lady to bring a cot over so I can be taken to a room.

In a few short moments, I was wheeled down to a room that had the same pristine white walls, vibrant flickering lights, and marbled floors. I tried to sit up but she ordered me to lay down as she grabbed a piece of parchment and quill off the stone table.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Théoden cleared his throat. "She was stabbed in the chest," he said as he pointed to my chest, "abdomen," as he pointed to the area where Marcel had twisted the sword against my stomach, "cut several times…" he pointed out each mark Marcel had made on my body. "Oh, and poisoned. But I think most of that has left her system already."

"Do you need to be checked, captain?" she asked as she looked him over. "You seem a bit pale."

"No. I'm good. Please focus on the princess." I knew that was a lie as I could feel the pain that raced through his body through the dragon-rider bond.

She continued examining my body. "How are you still alive?" she asked me as she took notes about every cut on my body. I thought I saw her write the number twenty on the paper.

"Your guess is as good as mine." I shrugged, as I did not want her to know that Théoden pulled most of the pain from me—or that my body was healing itself. She may have thought I was crazy. Most of that information was kept secret from pretty much everyone. As we didn't know how others would handle the news of our bond and I sure as hell didn't know how they would handle the news of my powers.

"Are you sure you are okay?" She looked back at Théoden.

"I am fine." He spoke firmly, this time. "How is the princess?"

"She's going to be fine. I need to check her wounds underneath her clothes, so if you don’t mind…" He nodded and stepped out of the infirmary.

She examined the rest of my body as he left us alone. I could tell he was still outside as he waited to hear how I would be before leaving. "You seem to be in good health, Princess. You got lucky," she said, patting me on the shoulder. "I'm going to test your blood, and then I will be right back." She took the vial she had just drawn off the table and left.

I curled myself up in a ball on the cot that I was resting on and held my legs tightly. I felt the tears begin to fall. I knew what I needed to do: protect my kingdom. But what about my heart? My heart ached for my one true love. He was the only one I wanted, and I knew I was his. But I knew the sacrifice I had to make, even though it wasn't something I was prepared to do just yet. But our love, for the time being, had to be kept in the shadows as it always has been. We had to face the battle before we could truly be ourselves. We had to survive what lay ahead of us. I only hoped we could.

I cried in silence, but I could sense him lurking in my mind, taking bits of my sadness away, waiting for me to fall asleep. We will get there, he said. Whether it be in this life or the next. He assured me as he allowed his soothing aura to calm me even more.

Théoden, I will make sure that our time comes. I promise you that. I promise always to love you, as you are my bond mate, my dragon, protector, and my everything.

His voice soothed me further. I understand. You are still the love of my life, no matter what happens or what our future holds. I will seek you in the shadows and our dreams as always. I promise to continue to love as I always have as you are my rider. We are destined to be with each other.

Remember, I responded. Remember our first time? I flashed bits of our memory, showing him the first time we made love underneath a canopy of stars laced with vibrant moonlight. The memory of when we were younger and could be free with each other, enveloped in our romantic fantasy. We did not have to worry about the threats of war from every corner. Free, I told him. We will be free. Free to love each other, with no worries. I thought back to that time once more. And we will have more nights like that. I promise you that. I love you. I will always love you.

I knew he understood. My hope was this: that we would be free one day and live happily ever after. Mi Amor, I will always love you no matter what happens. I will always protect you. And I will always be by your side. His words, delivered so softly, calmed my nerves, but my heart still broke. This would be hard not just for me but also for him.

Thank you, my love. I continued my response with this: My love, know that my heart belongs to you—and only you. Remember that. Remember our love, as I will never forget us.

Our bond fell silent as I closed my eyes to rest. The doctor came by moments later to tell me that my blood was clear, but she wanted me to be kept in the infirmary overnight so that I could get the rest I needed to heal and that the doctors could keep an eye on me. I fell back asleep; his cold aura enveloped me, and a starry night sky appeared in my vision. He created the sandy shores that we shared together the night prior. I saw his outline in the moonlight and ran toward him, resting my head against his chest as he hugged me. "I told you I'd visit you."

After everything that happened today, tears fell once more down my face as I buried myself deeper into his chest.

"Shhh…." he whispered to me, brushing my hair from my face. He cupped my chin, forcing me to look up at him. I knew I must have looked pathetic as I stood there in his arms sobbing, but I could tell he did not care. He knew the pain I felt. He moved his hand from my chin and brushed it against my cheeks, clearing the tears away from my eyes and tightening his grip around my body.

I smiled softly at him and whispered, "I love you, Théoden."

He kissed my lips gently. "And I love you, Maria."

As the moonlight fell upon us, we stood there in each others embrace, engulfed in his soothing aura and our sensation of love and comfort for each other. Mi Amor, Théoden thought. Mi Amor, he thought again, kissing me firmly. I will love you forever. I let myself sink deeper into his kiss and words feeling safe in his embrace. I will love you forever. Forever and always. No matter what lies ahead of us, I'm yours.

As the dream progressed, we just remained with each other not for the sex, not for love, but for comfort as our lives will forever change as our dreams fade away.