Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
" Tell me that you're still mine,
Tell me that we'll be just fine,
Even when I lose my mind,
I need to say, tell me that it's not my fault,
Tell me that I'm all you want,
Even when I break your heart "
―I WAKE UP without the usual throbbing headache or sore limbs, but I still feel like I've climbed eighty flights of stairs and faced twenty volcra all the same. I let out a small groan as I force myself to sit up, unable to help but be disappointed in myself. Progress has been made with my ability, but surely I can't expect to utilize any of this unless I plan on fainting in the midst of battle. I blink a few times and realize I'm in Nikolai's chambers at the Spinning Wheel. The place is bland compared to how he personalized his room in the Grand Palace, but still sleek and elegant all the same.
I force myself to my feet and stare at the wall as I sway unsteadily.
"Easy there," I hear Nikolai's familiar voice warn. "If you topple again, I may not be able to catch you this time."
"Your concerns have been taken into account," I assure, turning around to regard him. "But I'm fine. I feel okay."
"The funny thing is that when people say they're fine, they're usually lying."
"I also said I feel okay."
"Relative notions."
I let out a small sigh. "You don't need to coddle me, you know. This has happened before. And I do appreciate it, but how much have I missed?"
Nikolai closes the distance between us and steadies me. "I'll feel better informing you when you're not half a second away from fainting."
Slightly defeated, I let him sit me back down onto the bed. "Splendid. Now if I faint, I'll drool on your pillows instead of the floor."
He snorts. "Wonderful. Do you need tea?"
"We're not in the palace, Nikolai."
He clutches his chest. "I'm offended that you don't have faith in my amazing tea-making skills."
I smile. "We both know you can hardly make tea."
"Fair enough," Nikolai concedes. "I would kiss your wounds for you, but that seems far from appropriate. Though I would enjoy it just the same."
My face burns. "How. . . eccentric."
"Eccentric along with all my other winning qualities."
"Ah. And do these winning qualities happen to include being a fool and a complete idiot at times?" I ask, arching an eyebrow.
