The Winds of the Past [Rune Factory 4]

Chapter 19

When I awoke in the dim light of the late autumn pre-dawn, I found myself lying on my back, Avani curled up against me, my arm wrapped around her shoulders and her arm flung over my stomach, still sound asleep. Dylas likewise lay sound asleep, spooned up to her with an arm draped over her waist. Still worn out from the day before, I closed my eyes and had just started to doze off again when suddenly Vishnal bounded into the room.

"It's morning, Princess! Time to get up!" he called out in his eager, cheerful voice as he first tended to the fire, building it back up for the day. He trotted over to the bed, then stopped and blushed furiously at the sight of the three of us all asleep together. "Oh! Uhh... a-am I interrupting anything?" he stammered.

"Just our blissful repose," I yawned. "Let us sleep, Vishnal, would you please? Your beloved Princess is still recovering from yesterday's injuries." I closed my eyes and started to drift off again as the young butler slipped back out of the room, quietly stammering an apology for disturbing us.

Soon afterwards, I was startled awake by Avani as she suddenly clutched me tightly, her nails digging painfully into my side, apparently in the throes of a nightmare. She whimpered, and as I looked over at her, I was startled to see tears streaming from her tightly closed eyes. She mumbled incoherently, shivering as if cold or frightened. Suddenly she gasped and shoved against me so hard I was nearly pushed out of bed, and she moaned "No, Bhima, don't... please... not..." before beginning to sob in her sleep. Then she sat bolt upright, screaming "Rishi!" as she awoke, staring blankly with dazed, unseeing eyes.

Dylas jumped and sat up, startled out of his sound sleep, and I put my arms around her and attempted to soothe her. "Hey, it's okay now. You were having a bad dream. Shhh, you're okay," I whispered as I held her and stroked her hair as she sat, rigid and shaking at first, then gradually relaxing as she awakened.

"What the hell happened?" Dylas asked, bewildered and still half-asleep.

"Avani had a nightmare," I explained. "What was it? Do you want to tell us about it?" I asked her.

"I... I don't know. I don't remember it. I remember being terrified, but not why," she replied, still looking confused but no longer quite as frightened.

"Who or what's 'Rishi'?" Dylas asked, stifling a yawn.

"Rishi?" she repeated. "I don't know. Why do you ask?"

"You were yelling it—that's what woke me up," Dylas replied, looking at her in surprise. "Don't you remember?"

"No... I don't remember saying anything," she replied slowly.

"You also mentioned someone named Bhima before that," I added. "Does that ring a bell?" She just shook her head, looking troubled. "Hmmm... interesting," I said, giving her a thoughtful look.

************

Dylas suggested that he make breakfast for us, and I proposed that afterwards, we take Avani to see Jones to be sure she was mending satisfactorily. We dressed, then Dylas went to cook while I sat on the sofa and held Avani in my arms to cast a healing spell on her. It took a few repeats before she began to look like herself again, and by then Dylas was bringing breakfast out.

He looked at us as he set a couple of cups of coffee on the small table in front of the fireplace, and asked, "Why do you hold her like that to heal her? She doesn't often hold people when she heals them. Does it work better that way? Or is your magic not as powerful as hers?"

I grinned, and said, "No, as far as I know it doesn't make any difference. I just want to hold her, that's all." Dylas snorted and stalked back into the kitchen as I laughed at Avani's reddening cheeks.