Awakenings

The Losasidhe King and Queen react to their daughter's bond to Muld.

22.

Awakenings

 

 

The Losasidhe king and queen stood outside the wizard locked door of the royal guest chamber, uncertain about what to do.

Syndi had rushed into the court like a tornado, demanding to know where Muld was, then running to him, casting out the healers and doctors and all the servants from the room where he laid.  

Then she used her magic to seal the door from everyone.

They all waited, throughout the night, listening and wondering what was transpiring.    Had he died?    No sound reached them, but they feared the wrath of their daughter, for she was clearly controlled by powerful feelings for the Practical Magician.

Queen Synthaeia was almost overcome with her own emotions.  They swirled around her mind like a terrible spoiled stew, exhausting her, but stimulating her nerves so much that she could not rest or sleep.    King Eiolmoel tried to comfort and reassure her, but the queen knew what she had seen and dread for her daughter’s future ate at her peace of mind.

“It is nearly dawn!”  She told her husband, a handful of servants and the four guards who kept watch in the reception room connected to the guest chamber.

“They could be asleep,”  Eiolmoel suggested, immediately regretting saying this, for Synthaeia took his words at their worst possible meaning and gave him a horrified look.

“I didn’t mean it like that, beloved.     For Yesh’s sake, the boy is deathly ill!”

“I’m tired of waiting - we’ve been out here all night.”  Synthaeia turned to one of the servants.   “Summon Mage Heerres.”

The servant hurried off, returning a few minutes later with a Losasidhe wizard who knew exactly what would be asked of him.

“Open it,”   The queen demanded, and after receiving a confirming nod from Eiolmoel, he began chanting the spell.

Several minutes later, he completed the spell, the door glowed a bright blue for a few moments, and then there was a clicking sound.   

“It is done, Your Majesty,”   Mage Heeres said to the king.

“Thank you, mage.”  The king dismissed the servants and told the guards to wait in the receiving chamber while they entered the bedroom.

 

The royal couple entered the room with trepidation, for they were not certain what they might find.

Syndi and Muld were lying on the bed, asleep.    She had his head in her lap, her arms protectively wrapped around him.   She had fallen asleep sitting up and her head rested against a pillow propped up against the head board.   

The Losasidhe king and queen were relieved to find them sleeping peacefully.   Muld still looked pale, but was breathing easier.  

“He’d be dead by now if the poison was going to kill him,”  Eiolmoel whispered to his wife, “It looks like she saved him somehow.”

Queen Synthaeia frowned, unhappy to see her namesake curled up next to the Practical Magician.  

“Let them sleep,”   The king recommended, but Synthaeia ignored him and tapped her daughter on the arm.    Syndi jumped in surprise, but her movement did not seem to disturb Muld.

“Syndi, it is nearly morning,” the queen said, then with some reluctance, “How is Muld?”

The princess smiled, “He’ll make it.”

“What did you do to heal him?”   Her father asked in a whisper.

“It was strange, daddy.    It was as if by just being here, I could heal him.”

“What do you mean?”   Eiolmoel said.

“Well, when I came in, I knew… somehow… that he was near death.    I just went over to him and began talking to him… but that is where it gets strange.   As soon as I touched him, I guess I fell asleep or went into some sort of trance.”

The king looked at his wife in alarm.

“Go on,”  He ordered.

“It was like we were communicating to each other in our minds.    I could hear his thoughts and he heard mine.   I sensed that he was surrendering himself to death and I… I pulled him back.”

“What did you say to him with your mind?”   The Queen asked worriedly.

“Well, that was strange too, mother.    It was as if everything just flowed out of my head and heart.   He was fearful of being alone and unloved.    I told him that I was there and that I… loved him.”

“Oh no!   Yesh have mercy!”  Queen Synthaeia groaned.

Syndi glared at her mother, “I had to save him, mother!   It was what was needed!  He wouldn’t have come back any other way.”

“What else did you tell him?”

“Nothing… nothing.”   She replied uneasily, but thankfully her mother was so upset that she didn’t see her uneasiness. 

“So you just told him that you loved him to give him the strength to fight to stay alive?”  The queen asked with a hopeful look on her face.  

Syndi knew she had to end this conversation by easing her mind.   Since she wasn’t exactly sure what had happened to her, she knew it was best to downplay it, at least until she figured it out.   

“Of course that is why I said that!”  She finally replied, not looking at her mother when she spoke, “It did the trick too.    See how strong his heart beats now.   I think the danger has past.”

“Well, what happens when he wakes up?”

“He was in a feverish coma, mother, I doubt he’ll even remember what I said to him, and even if he does, he’ll think it was just a dream.   Don’t say anything to him and he’ll assume it was a fever dream.    I don’t want to offend him by explaining why I said it to him if I don’t have to.   He feels very alone.    I had his mother’ s brooch and it radiates her essence, which probably helped pull him back.”

“So you are not going to mention anything to him if he doesn’t remember it?”   Her mother asked to clarify it. 

“Right.   I just want him to heal.”

“So you’re just playing along to give him hope?”

“Yes.”   She sounded completely sincere and thankfully, her mother needed to hear that answer so badly that she accepted it with relief.

“Why don’t you just let him sleep and join your father and me for some breakfast?”

“I am hungry, but I want to wait until he wakes up first.”

“That might take a while,”  Her father interjected.

“Well… I will go and get something, then bring it back here and eat it.”

“Why not just eat with us?”   Her mother persisted.

“Please, mother, I’m trying to compromise.”

The Queen sighed, “Alright, nin yenda, I’m not unreasonable.”

 

Syndi looked down at the sleeping Practical Magician and stroked his cheek, then gently slipped his head from her lap, laying it on a pillow.    Working the stiffness out of her legs, she stood up and followed her parents out of the room as quietly as possible.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Muld opened his eyes and weakly raised his head, which caused nausea to grip him.     He had no recourse but to lay back against the pillow.

“All of it just a scheme to keep me alive,”  He said to himself, feeling such an ache in his heart that he would have wept if he had enough strength to do so.   

He had been so happy!   So complete!   How could it have been false?   He had heard her and felt her love.    Then it hit him - his mother’s brooch!    Syndi had it, and he had sensed his mother’s essence when she had come into the room.   His feverish mind had concocted a solution for the love that the brooch radiated and the words that Syndi spoke.   Perhaps he’d not heard her words or thoughts exactly.   He probably modified what she said into what he wanted to hear.

How foolish to think it could have all been real!    He had been on the very edge of eternity, where his parents and beloved old teacher waited for him.   But he had yielded to a false feeling of love and false words.   Not that she had actually meant to hurt him, only to give him something to live for.

Now he would live and remain alone.

All alone, with only trivial and superficial friendships.

Worst of all, he had let himself love her, and even now he loved her, but her true feelings weren’t that deep for him.

“Oh, if only I could sink back into the darkness,” He said aloud, surprised at how weak and shaky his voice sounded.

For several minutes he laid there with a heart aching worse than the flu-like symptoms that overwhelmed his body.

He could forgive the girl, for she had done it for the right reason.    She hadn’t meant to hurt him, so he would not hurt her by letting her know that she had.

He heard the click of the door to the room and he quickly closed his eyes and feigned sleep.    Even with his eyes closed, he could sense it was her, and his heart raced happily as she approached, regardless of what he had learned.

She softly slipped onto the bed and then lifted his head and placed it gently in her lap, stroking his hair for a few moments.   He could smell her delicate scent and it had a calming effect upon him.

 

Syndi’s warm, soft fingers traced the outline of his jaw and then his lips which only made his heartache worse.

 

Then she unwrapped a towel holding two muffins and began to quietly eat some breakfast.  

Crumbs fell onto his face, unseen by her.    Though they smelled wonderful, at the same time they made his stomach roll as he still fought to expel the poison from his system.

Muld struggled to remain perfectly still, for he was unsure what he could say to her if he let her know that he was awake.    His body was hurting worse and worse by the moment and he was feeling increasingly feverish.   But he did not want to have to speak to Syndi until he had time to reflect on what was going on between them.

For a few minutes he just laid there, feeling an occasional crumb falling on his face.     But as his fever increased, his mind began to cloud over as reality grew foggy.

He began to sweat, but at first the princess didn’t notice.   It was when she leaned over to shake the crumbs out of the towel into a chamber pot (they did not have practical magic plumbing) that she felt the heat radiating from his face and noticed his sweaty brow.

“Oh no!”  She murmured, kissing his forehead and finding it quite warm.

But Muld by then was seeing dreams in his semi-conscious state.