Desmond's View
I caught Faylen's head as it fell backward and laid it on her pillow, then pulled the covers over her to keep her warm. "She will sleep until the sun is in the middle of the sky tomorrow," Tsarra said.
"And all her energy will be restored from just the one bowl?"
"Yes. You remember the recipe for it?" I nodded. "Good. And what is the broth she just drank with the ingredients for its creation?"
"Caffetaxime. The ingredients are a quarter of Rosemary root, three Pepper leaves, two Cherry Tree fruit, and four Garlic stems all boiled together."
"And the purpose of the broth?" I thought for a moment on that one as a Wisteria Quail landed in the window, giving a few soft chirps.
"Caffetaxime both restores energy and speeds the healing process if combined with Aldovice. Correct?"
"King Delsaran was correct about your intelligence and memory. I am glad you remember your teachings for the healing rooms." I smiled, but was surprised that King Delsaran had said that about me.
"Will we be learning anything new tomorrow?"
"No. You have learned all of the medicines we use, the ingredients required for each medicine, and how each is made. You have done well and learned everything you can from me. See King Delsaran and he will give you your new task." I nodded and followed Tsarra out of Faylen's room, but went into the dining room as she left the castle.
"How did your lessons for the healing rooms go, Desmond?" King Delsaran asked as I sat down at the table with him for dinner.
"They went well. Tsarra said that my lessons with her are complete."
"I expected nothing less. Have there been any sightings of Faylen?"
"She's returned, but is in her room sleeping. Tsarra gave her Caffetaxime as Thydune said she hadn't slept in the last three weeks and we heard her stumbling as we approached the room." King Delsaran nodded.
"They must have been in danger on their return," I heard him mutter. I said nothing and we ate our dinner in silence.
"What are my orders now that Faylen is back, King Delsaran?"
"Return to her side and aid her as normal. I am impressed at the intelligence you showed during your lessons."
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For giving me the chance to learn more about the elven people while Faylen was gone. Since I was young, I was raised to love the elves, and now I know why you and your people should be loved. You're highly intelligent, dedicated to your respective crafts, loyal, protective, and kind. All the qualities that humans should have but lack. If an elf was the one that all of Inyarel looked to, I've no doubts that we'd be living in a different world."
"We have that in common, Desmond. Have a good rest. We will see each other when the sun rises," he said as he stood from the table. I finished the last couple bites of my dinner, and headed back up to Faylen's room so I could go to bed. I woke up in the morning to see Faylen starting to stir and smiled, happy that she was finally back. I stretched my arms and back, then sat up as Faylen's eyes opened.
"Welcome home. How did you sleep?" I asked with a smile, confused as to why she was already awake.
"Quite well, thank you. How did the humans and elves get along while I was gone? Were there any disputes between them?" she asked as she finally sat up.
"None. Everyone got along perfectly." She nodded and stood, heading behind the screen in her room as we continued speaking. "How are you already awake? Tsarra said that you would sleep until the sun was in the middle of the sky."
"Even strong Aldovice has never been able to make me sleep past the rise of the sun." I smiled and nodded, hoping that she'd at least gotten enough sleep. "I assume you caught my head as I fell asleep?"
"Yes."
"And Thydune did state that I had not slept in three weeks?"
"Yes." I heard her mutter something but it was in Faejesh and too low for me to hear the words to ask someone later. "What was that?" I asked, hoping she'd repeat herself.
"Nothing to worry of," she said as she came out from behind the screen in clean clothes with a washed face. "Have there been any sightings of human soldiers near the city or have there been any reports of their movements?"
"None that I know of, but your father wouldn't let me know of those. He had me working with the healers and smiths, and taking lessons in Faejesh while you were gone." She looked at me, curiosity filling her eyes.
"So you speak our language better now?"
"That I do, Princess Faylen of Gewood. Would you like to test my...vocabulary?" I said in her mind, slowly to make sure I said everything right.
"It is easier when spoken out loud, but that was very well said. Good to know that my father did not allow you to sit idly by while I was gone." I chuckled.
"I'm happy about it too. I got to learn more about the elves and make more friends." She paused before opening her bedroom door.
"Would you like to learn more?"
"I'd love to, however the only thing your father wouldn't send me for was battle training. He refused to let me train with anyone on the training grounds." She nodded.
"You are valuable to us, Desmond. Do not be upset about his refusal," she said gently.
"I'm not. I just wanted to join in the battles if possible. The human king took many things from me too. I just wanted the chance to repay him for all of them."
"And for now, that is best done by informing me of his weaknesses. Understand?" I nodded.
"I understand, Faylen," I said in Faejesh. She let out a soft chuckle and opened the door, leading the way down to the dining room. After breakfast, she went into her father's library with him and spoke with him, leaving me to stand outside the door.
Over the next week, things seemed to get back to normal around Gulonde. Faylen would train, spend time looking over her maps, then spend more time going over the amounts in the health and food stores. She'd wander the wall and check on the soldiers, changing out ones that needed rest for others that were fully rested, then spend some time walking around the human area and mingling with some of the people. Most still seemed afraid of her and the Quetzal Jackals still avoided any elf that came near, but all the children and Cloud seemed to be fine with her. Once, Mylriel came running to her and gave her a hug before dragging her over to meet her friends. Their parents had seemed nervous at her approach but I pulled them aside and talked to them. I told them that she'd never hurt them and had even kept Mylriel safe from her own people when they surprised us at the edge of Dragon's Veil. They seemed to relax but a couple of them still kept an eye on the kids to make sure everyone stayed safe.
"Desmond, can you find all the available housing in the area and open the doors? We have some new allies arriving soon," Faylen said one day as she looked away from the children that were trying to get her to play tag.
"Of course."
"Thank you. I will return with them shortly." She headed off and the children looked after her, upset that she wasn't playing.
"She's got something she has to go take care of at the moment. She'll be back soon," I said when they looked at me. They nodded and ran off after each other, getting started on their game of tag. I chuckled and my father appeared at my side.
"I remember when you were that age. You were a handful."
"I was a kid. What did you expect? Me working in the fields at five?" He smiled, but shook his head.
"Nothing less than the headache you gave your mother and I. You seem lost, Desmond. What can I help you with?"
"Faylen said we have some new allies coming soon and asked me to open the doors of any available houses. Know which ones are still open?" He motioned for me to follow him and I did. We got to the very back of the human area near the wall and he started opening doors.
"All these back here are open for use. Is it the people from Dorione coming in?"
"I would assume so, but she didn't say." He nodded.
"Not many houses left open, but it should be enough for the ones that want to join. If not, I'll have some people take others into their homes." I nodded and we hustled through getting the doors open, finishing just as I heard silence start to fall over the area. I turned and saw Faylen walking towards us with a group of people behind her. There didn't seem to be any Quetzal Jackals with them which surprised me, but I knew if there had been, it'd be more tense for the elves and the Quetzal Jackals that were already here. Faylen was talking with a couple of women in the front of the group, but I couldn't hear anything she was saying. Putting on a smile since I knew this would be tough on both of us, I walked up to her.
"The doors to all the available homes are open, Faylen."
"Thank you, Desmond."
"What are you doing here?" asked the innkeeper.
"I'm in Faylen's debt," I said simply.
"How can you be? You're the king's little bootlicker."
"Enough, Arlette. All within these walls are friends of the elves. None here wish us harm, and Desmond is incapable of harming any due to a vow he gave. Please calm yourself and let the past go."
"I'll talk to her later," my dad whispered in my ear. "Arlette, wonderful to see you again. And Tarlisa came along as well. Good to see you too, dear." Arlette moved her gaze to my father and smiled at him.
"Collen, have you been eating well?"
"Yes. Aviryll's been making sure of that."
"Good. I brought you something," she said, passing him a pouch.
"Arlette, you keep being this good to me, and you're going to make Aviryll jealous," my father said, earning a laugh from her. Faylen motioned at the open doors and the group headed toward them, but I caught Arlette's arm, stopping her in her tracks.
"May we speak for a moment?" She looked like she wanted to slap me, but gave a curt nod. I led her a few steps away from everyone, ignoring the looks my father and Faylen were giving me. "Where does your hatred of me come from?" I asked softly as I stopped and gently tugged her in front of me.
"You support King Betyn. You shouldn't be here," she hissed out.
"I have never truly supported the human king. He took me from my home and parents at seven years old. He consistently threatened to kill me, have me killed, or have my parents killed if I disobeyed. I only obeyed his commands out of fear for the lives of my parents and myself. Never once did he have my loyalty. Faylen has my loyalty; no other." She studied my face for a moment, but it didn't look like she believed me. "I wish there was a way to prove to you that I've never been loyal to the human king."
"There is a way," came Faylen's voice from beside me. I jumped since I hadn't seen her coming, then chuckled.
"You move too quietly, Faylen."
"A gift of the elves, and one that you must learn if you ever wish to take part in battles," she said as she tried to hide a small smile. "Arlette, may I help you see that Desmond is telling the truth of this matter?"
"How can you, Faylen?"
"By connecting our minds."
"Will it hurt?" She shook her head and Arlette gave a nod.
"Desmond, relax your mind and keep silent," Faylen said. Arlette gave a look of surprise, but nodded at Faylen. A moment later, I felt Faylen's mind bump against mine but it felt stronger than normal. I saw flashes of my childhood, the night I was taken, flashes of being Betyn's prisoner and then servant, and even flashes of times after I'd become his messenger. Faylen's presence in my mind vanished after I saw her rescuing me, and tears threatened to come up in my eyes. "Are you alright, Desmond?" Faylen asked as she set a hand on my shoulder. I nodded and took a deep breath, looking up at the sky that was starting to turn colors as the sun began to set. "Go to the castle. We will speak there in a moment." I nodded again and headed off, going right to the castle and up to Faylen's room. "Desmond, are you alright?" Faylen asked as she walked in her room just minutes later. I nodded, still fighting back tears at some of those memories I'd seen flashing through my mind. "Speak truthfully. I cannot help if you are not honest." I raised my gaze to hers and knew she could see the tears in my eyes when she knelt next to me. "Please, Desmond. Allow me to help you," she murmured.
"I was seeing all those memories fly through my mind and many of them brought painful emotions when they came up. That's all it was, Faylen. I'll be fine."
"You still have pain from your memories?"
"Just a few of them. Like the one of when I was taken from my home and the one of when Betyn told me Tebury had been burned by those of Giwic Keep." I wiped the tears from my eyes and looked up at the ceiling, trying to force them back until a gentle hand landed on mine. I brought my gaze back down to Faylen and saw a tenderness in her eyes that I'd never seen from her before.
"Would you like to speak about them or would you rather have your mind healed?" she asked softly.
"Neither is necessary. I'll be fine in a bit. Thank you though." Placing a hand behind my neck, she pressed our foreheads together for a moment and I felt some of my sadness leave as comfort washed over me, stopping my tears.
"Come with me." She stood and tugged my hand, making me stand up with her. Before she could move again, I gently pulled her into me and pressed a kiss to her cheek, getting a surprised look from her.
"Thank you for the comfort. It helped more than I thought it would." She gave me a soft smile and had me follow her out of the castle and to the healing rooms.
"Adrella?" Faylen said as she walked in.
"Yes, Faylen?"
"Desmond needs his mind healed. Memories from many years ago are painful to him." I felt Faylen's mind bump against my own for a second, vanishing as I thought of how low my energy was already. "He will also need his energy restored from thinking of them." Adrella nodded.
"Lie down on a bed, Desmond. I will return shortly with a broth for you." I nodded and she headed to the back of the healing rooms with some ingredients in her arms. Faylen led me to a bed and I sat on it, looking up at her.
"This really isn't necessary, Faylen. I promise, I'll be fine in a bit."
"Lay back and relax, Desmond," she murmured. I fully laid on the bed but leaned back against the wall. "Drink the broth Adrella gives you. It will make you tired, but it will help. You may come find me when you wake, but take all the time you need to heal your mind." I nodded and Faylen put her hand behind my neck again, pressing our foreheads together for a minute. I felt more comfort wash over me, but before I could open my eyes, I felt Faylen's touch disappear. Opening my eyes, I saw Adrella walking up to hand me a bowl.
"Drink and lie down, Desmond. It will help." I took the bowl and drank the mixture, watching Adrella take my empty bowl as I scooted down on the bed before my eyes closed. I fell into the deepest sleep I'd ever had and could swear that I saw visions of my mind as if I were looking down at it. There were many small scars and rips on my mind, but there were three large tears that went deep, one almost tearing my mind in two. I watched as the fissures were closed, seeing a sort of weaving pattern on the smaller ones, and the scars slowly vanished behind some fog, seemingly as if they were wiped away. When the weaving got to the largest rip, I watched as it slowly went from one side to the other, sensing a pain worse than any I'd known before, although it wasn't bringing tears to my eyes. I don't know how long I sat and watched that fissure get closed up, but I kept watching as the fog wiped over the now closed wound numerous times. It was still wiping over the spot as I felt my eyes begin to open. "Good morning, Desmond," came a calm voice to my right. I looked in that direction and heard a small chuckle as my eyes landed on Adrella. "How do you feel?"
"Confused, but better than when I went to sleep. How long have I been here?"
"This is your second day. You must have had many things to repair."
"It was like I was looking down at my mind from above. I watched rips get mended with no needle, thread, or bandages, and I watched scars vanish before my eyes." She nodded.
"You were watching the Aldovice work. Do you still have pain from any memories?" I thought of my most painful memories, but only felt a fraction of what I'd normally feel when thinking of the night I was taken.
"Nothing anywhere near as bad as what I've grown accustomed to. It's almost like feeling the memory of pain. It's there, but not enough to cause true pain." She nodded again.
"Something did not fully heal or was too far in the past to heal completely. I would give you more Aldovice, but I cannot give you more for two weeks. It could cause damage to your mind if you had it before then." I nodded in understanding.
"That's alright, Adrella. I'll be fine with the little pain I feel now. If it gets any worse though after two weeks, I'll come back and let you know."
"Please do," she said as she nodded. "Since you woke on your own, your body has fought off the Aldovice and your energy is fully restored, however you will still sleep deeply tonight. Be prepared to start fighting sleep as the sun gets closer to the wall. I also suggest going to see your mother. She came in to see you yesterday and was worried that you had not moved once by the time she left." I smiled.
"Faylen told me to come see her when I wake, so I'll go see my mother after. If she comes in again today, just tell her I'll be at the house later." Adrella nodded and I slowly got up, feeling like I had enough energy to leap over the city walls. I made my way up to the castle and got to the doors just as Faylen stepped out of them.
"Good morning, Desmond. Are you better?"
"Much. I didn't think Aldovice would do that much to my mind."
"Do you feel any more pain from your memories?" she asked softly.
"Only the memory of pain, but not actual pain like before. Thank you for healing my mind, Faylen." She nodded and headed down to the training area. "Is there anything I can help you with today?" I asked as she picked up her swords.
"Not today. I will be going on a raid when the sun sinks below the wall."
"Alright. Well, I'm going to go see my mother. Apparently she was worried yesterday when she went in to see me."
"She was. I saw her after she left. Hurry to her and show her you are healed." I nodded and turned to go find my mother as Faylen went onto the training grounds.
