Beauty Sleep

While Aedric's group occupies the Clearing of the Ages, waiting for the rebellious Faesidhe's next move, Carn sleeps off the effects of magic.

49.

Beauty Sleep

 

Carn slept so deeply that at first his companions worried that he was dying.   But his breathing was strong and regular, and they just finished patching him up until a spell of healing could be cast the following morning.  

Aedric, Mattleos and four Sylvan archers carried him -without him waking in the move- into the nearest empty building; one of the homes of one of the stewards of the Great Tree.   They carefully placed him on the steward's small bed, with his legs hanging over the edge, from the knees down.

Then the men went to bury Bieo and their other dead.   

Everyone went with them, except for Amala, who covered Carn with a tiny blanket and pulled up a stool to sit at his side and monitor his progress.

“You’ll be well soon.”  She soothingly told him, yet he also sensed disappointment remaining within her.    He heard her in his deep sleeping state, as if she was speaking from a great distance.   He would tell her when he regained the ability to speak that he would be alright.  He had lived for many centuries as a Bugbear, and though he hated the form, he was used to it.

She sat there at his side and even sang him some soft Faesidhe lullabies until he slept so deeply that he could no longer hear her. 

Hours passed and the burial detachment returned from their grim job.    Aedric and Mattleos took the Archers and searched the other buildings.    They found perhaps twenty Faesidhe " mostly women and children"that had been put into a sleep as deep as Carn’s, by Mathlyn’s voice.    They positioned those they could find into comfortable sleeping positions, and then assembled at the steward's house.  

It was dark by then and they took a meal together while discussing what they would do with any of the remaining Faesidhe Elf rebels " or any of the others who had not rebelled--  if they came to the clearing.    They decided to be firm but polite and honest.   

 

Mathlyn suspected that many would filter in the following day.   So they posted guards and then they each departed for one of a handful of houses that they were using as lodging, careful to slumber in groups of two or three, even with the guards nearby.

 

Amala of course stayed with Carn.    His huge form seemed so pitiful all sprawled out on the Elven bed, like an adult trying to sleep in a child’s bed.  

He was sleeping so deeply that she decided - out of desperation- she would pray.    So silently slipping out of the bedroom (but leaving the door ajar so she could hear any changes that came over him), Amala went into the hallway and knelt down, looking heavenward.

“Lord Yesh, you know I am not your best servant.    I seldom come to you in prayer, I shamefully admit this.   But I feel so burdened by Carn, merciful Lord!  I feel so confused by what has happened, Lord.    I don’t know exactly what I feel toward him, but I do care, Lord.    I do love him, too.    At least I think that is what I feel.   I honestly don’t know, Lord.”

“Merciful Yesh, you know what Carn has gone through and for how long he has suffered.    You know the good he can do.   Please, Lord, let him recover fully and help him somehow to feel accepted and loved.    I promise, Lord, to do my part.   I will be his friend and help him Lord.    I won’t leave him or let him hurt.   Have mercy upon him, Merciful Yesh.   Have Mercy, Lord!”

Amala wept for a few minutes, and felt a sense of peace gently come over her.    She rose from her prayer feeling a bit silly for crying like a silly girl and wondering why she was reacting that way.

Going back into the dark room, she found Carn still sleeping peacefully, still covered with a blanket much too small for him.    She wondered if he was warm.   Removing her cloak, she threw it over the upper half of him and then sat on the edge of the bed next to him.

Leaning back against the baseboard, she stroked his hair, hoping he could feel it and would somehow be comforted.    After several minutes, Amala found weariness come over her and she slumped over against him, sound asleep.  

 

 

Reviews

[Elina]

"Carn slept so deep that at first his companions worried..." I feel like "deep" ought to be "deeply." I could be entirely wrong...it just sounds better in my head.
"Aedric, Mattleos and four Sylvan archers carried him " without him waking in the move"into the nearest empty building " one of the homes of one of the stewards of the Great Tree. They carefully placed him on the small bed of the steward with his legs from the knees down hanging over the edge." In the first sentence, I would change the final "--" into a semi-colon. And the second sentence could use a little re-wording. Perhaps something along the lines of "They carefully placed him on the steward's small bed, with his legs hanging over the edge, from the knee down." ?
"...assembled at the Stewards house." You will want to put an apostraphe in "Stewards." Also, I noticed that this "steward" is capitalized, while the other was not...
"He was sleeping so deep..." Another spot where I think it whould be "deeply."