The Dragon Paladin

Chapter 19

Back in my room, I was not having the best time getting into my dress after turning down Kaylum's offer of help. This may have been a bad idea, I think to myself, as I struggle to pull the gown above my hips without breaking the stitches. I did drink the healing potion, but I'm cautious for cautions' sake. 
Clara was put on the team for setting up the pavilion for the ball, leaving me and Kaylum alone. He's not a bad guy, just hard to predict his next move. 
"Ellie?" A knock on the door accompanies the voice. "You sure you don't need help? Soldier said you shouldn't lift your arms." 
And that's all it takes. 
"Yes!" I whine. "I need your help, it hurts!" 
The doorknob turns a little and I realize my mistake. 
"Put a blindfold on first!" 
I hear him walk away for a few seconds. 
"Okay, done." 
I back away from the door to let him into the room, and see his choice of blindfold. Don't laugh, I think to myself as I take in the opaque black pantyhose with embroidered pink leaves. 
"What are you wearing?" I curse myself for allowing my voice to break. 
"What? You said to get a blindfold." This poor boy. 
"Yes, but..." I bite my cheek to keep from laughing. "Did it have to be Clara's underwear?" 
"What." 
We stay quiet for a moment as the words sink into Kaylum's thick skull. 
"Oh, gods!!" He shrieks, clawing at the garment as he backs out. 
I can't laugh. I cannot laugh. How tight exactly, did he tie them? 
My resolve breaks as he bangs his head on the door frame during his attempt, leaving me doubled over and clutching my side while I laugh uncontrollably. 
"Ellie, help me! They're dirty!" 
My laughter is now beyond the point of even breathing. Despite the comedy of the situation, I feel myself start to panic. I tap the floor a few times to alert him to my predicament. 
Wondrously, he is free from his woolen prison and at my side in a split-second. 
"You're okay," he tells me. "Just breathe." 
I want to smack him, but I can only continue to laugh at the previous image while applying constant pressure to the bandage. 
"Ellie. Ellie!" 
Numb. Still. At the sound of his alpha voice, I go completely lax and slump to the floor. 
Kaylum is gentle with removing the bandage, and replacing it quickly with a clean one as the fit had split me a bit. 
"There we go." His voice is reassuring as he secures the patch in place. "Better lay off the humor, huh? You good?" 
I barely manage a nod. 
"Come on." 
He carefully scoops me up and carries me to the sleeping area, laying me on his bed. I hate the fact that I'm only half-dressed. Kaylum doesn't seem to care, though, as he pulls my dress up to where it's supposed to be. 
"I'm going to roll you over now to close the dress. Blink twice if you understand." 
I blink twice. Kaylum gently rolls me onto my left side and closes the zipper. He rubs my back before putting me back how I was. 
"I'm sorry about using my alpha voice...again..." His voice is sincere. Maybe I won't slap him. 
"It's just, I saw you bleeding and panicked." 
Fair enough, I guess. I'm still not happy with how it played out. 
While I recovered on Kaylum's bed, he went into the bathroom to change. He took his time, apparently having decided on a  detailed makeup look. 
It doesn't take long for me to regain control in Kaylum's absence. Did he apologize? Yes. Is he still an asshole? Yes. Is he forgiven? 
Reluctantly. 

The decorating team really went all out. The marble pillars supporting the glass ceiling and walls have been draped with heavily scented flowers and greenery. The stained glass of the pavilion has been polished to look like pure crystal. There is a small group of musicians in the back, their music sweeping all around the building. With my hand on Kaylum's arm, the scene is...very familiar. Almost like I've seen it before...Then my eyes land on Alpha Brooks. He's over at the refreshments table with a member of his pack. They look very close. Why does it hurt to look at him? 
"Hey." 
"Yeah?" I look up at Kaylum. 
"Breathe. It'll take time, but your memories will come back. Carter knows that, even though he'll never admit it." 
I nod and take a breath to clear my head. It's just a party. 
Except it's not. 
The longer we spend here, the livelier the music gets. The livelier the music gets, the worse my headache feels. 
I try not to let it show, but it's getting harder and harder to act like nothing is wrong. 
After less than an hour, I force myself to pull away from Kaylum. 
"Ellie?" 
"I have to go!" 
I will my feet to carry me outside into the warm evening air and take as deep a breath as I can. My forehead feels like fire, while my lower face feels like i dive-bombed into snow. What the hell is going on? I can't even see properly! 
I just...need to get inside... then i can wait out what ever this is... 

Kaylum's p.o.v

Of course I followed her, she's obviously not okay. 
I catch her as she starts to fall, and by the gods, she is cold. 
She'll be okay, I just need to get her up to Soldier's office so Soldier can look her over. 
The second I lay her on the couch, her eyes glass over completely. 
"Kaylum!" 
"Soldier! She just passed out!" 
"Move." She shoos me out of the way. "Fill the basin. Quickly." 
I hurry to do as requested. 
Ellie's breathing is now shallow. 
If anything happened to her... I don't think I'd be able to forgive myself... especially with how things ended last time...  
I can't do anything more to help right now, but I can't bear to leave. So, I pull up a chair and take sit while Soldier works to keep Ellie's fever in check. 

Hard to say how long it's been, but Soldier shakes my shoulder to wake me up. 
"What happened?" I ask sleepily, rubbing my eyes. 
"Vision." 
"Huh?" 
"She's having a vision, I think its a memory." 
Without a thought, i crouch beside my old friend. 
And then, she starts singing. 

"Late one night, 
distant screams~" 

Oh, this is definitely a memory. 

"People shouting, 'Surrender!' 
Blood-stained snow, haunts my dreams. 
Once upon a December~" 

I suddenly have a very bad feeling about this. 

"Someone calling out my name! 
Soldiers bursting, through the gate! 
Fear and fire seize my heart, 
and then my world goes dark!" 

I have no words. What exactly does this mean? Did she experience a siege? There haven't been any sieges nearby in over a decade, but she wasn't born here. Was she? 
She's not done, as evident by her starting to cry and hyperventilate. 

"Lost alone, all these years! 
Wishing I could remember. 
Finally now, the truth reveals: I should have died that December. 
On to Cirta, I will go. 
Ellara Sunstrike, is coming home." 

Oh. 
Oh, shit..... 
Oh, fuck fuck fuck fuck- 
"Kaylum, calm yourself." 
I glance quickly at Soldier as she quickly tended to make Ellie appear as normal as possible. 
"What the hell was that?!" I demand. 
"No one can know." 
"Why the fuck not? Not even Ellie?" 
"No one can know she is godspawn. Not even she can know. We might get another Vulcan." 
Vulcan. 
He was the god of fire and passion. In a fit of jealousy, he hosted a parasite and stormed his sister's coronation, killing thousands in the process. His sister, Sunivra, used all her strength to imprison him deep under a volcano. 
If he and Ellie are related, she is much stronger with magic than she thinks.