Home Soon, Love (Book 1)

33 Letting Go

"I died. Didn't I?" I stared into his reddened eyes.

 He avoided uttering another word, so I took it as confirmed. "How long was I gone?" I felt just as uncomfortable as Theodred, if not more. "Three days I have stayed by your side. Mourning and keeping you safe." he wiped away fresh tears, not wanting to show how hurt he was. I reached over the side of the cot and wrapped my arms around Theodred as he accepted. 

"I have missed you" the tears began pouring from my face as if being freed from a long closed gate. "I was lost" we sat there in each other's embrace as we wept.

"Basilia!" Theodred and I broke apart just for my arms to be taken in again, but this time by Eowyn. "I thought you were dead. I thought I had lost you" she leaned back to look at me, tears of joy now falling from her face. Her eyes trailed from mine and onto the floor behind me. "What is that?" she wondered behind where I stood, causing me to quickly turn in curiosity. "Oh. careful" she knelt next to my dagger that lay in a puddle of water on the ground, yet she did not lay a finger on it.

"Beautiful engravings. Must have been done only by a patient and skillful smith" she stood up and patted wrinkles from her dark green dress. I admired her innocence and how joyful she could easily be made.

 "Eowyn, could you meet us for dinner please" she eyed Theodred carefully before huffing and leaving the room. "She just got back and you already have her to yourself again" she said under her breath and I was the only one to catch it. My attention was once more back onto my dagger that lay soaken on the floor.

"Why is it sitting in water?" I walked over to the blade and picked it up from the puddle, examining the artwork. "When you died, you held the dagger tightly so I made sure no one was to take it from your grasp. Even in death, you wouldn't let it out of your touch. Then just before you awoke from the dead, the wind knocked over a bowl of water, which began to trail up around you and off the dagger." he paused as if replaying the images in his head. 

"The wind?" I sat on the cot, analyzing Theodred's body language carefully. "The three days you lay on this bed, nature has rebelled against its normal ways. The water and air has grown wild and hot. Then after you began trembling, the wind picked up tremendously and blew the water down." Only one solution to this action came to mind.

I remembered using the dagger just before I died, like Galadriel said. "Theodred, I did what was needed for the transformation I informed you of. This must mean now that I am alive once again, that I have gotten my transformation." I jumped from the bed in awe. "Do you feel a change at all?" he looked my bodice up and down as if looking for visible signs. 

"Besides the fact that I arose from the dead, I feel pretty normal." I examined myself as if I may change any moment. "You said you were lost. When you were dead, were you taken somewhere?" Theodred now sat on the cot with me.

"I was taken to a realm between realms, between life and death. I know not a name for it, just that it happens to look just like here. When I woke there, I was in Fangorn Forest walking around for something. There I met with Galadriel and Gandalf and had realized I must find my tribe in order to come back here to live. If I were to fail the mission or lose hope, I would die." I looked down in shame at the thought of almost giving up earlier. My hand involuntarily clutched my ring as I thought of more to tell Theodred.

"I had wondered the forest by following a voice calling my name. The voice led me to a tree that poured out glowing water at my feet when I touched it. Then I began to drown down a hole where I was about to lose hope. That is until I remembered this." I pulled out the promise ring, admiring it and the memories it brought me. "Then I met Lobelia, a member of the tribe who lead me to home. And just as I was entering the Gallagtola Tribe, I woke up." Theodred stared at me in amazement.