The Princess of Light and The Knight of Shadow

Year 2: Sixth Month, Part 1

When Nox opened his eyes, he was staring at the infirmary's familiar ceiling.

He lay there for some time, his mind wrapped by a thick haze of fog. The last thing he remembered was... running? No, he was fighting the Cave Dragon to lure it away from—

"Ireela." But the voice that came out of his lips wasn't his own. Or maybe it was, but he didn't recognize the weakness in it, nor the croak that followed.

"Hey."

He twisted his head at the sound, and his heart skipped a bit. Framed by the light shining through the window, Estella sat on a stool, her lower lip trembling.

Nox smiled, or at least tried to. But his lips only got so far before his face ached and blood dripped into his mouth.

Estella shifted in her seat and grabbed a towel from a tray on the table. "No, no, don't move. You'll only hurt yourself." Nox stared in confusion as she dabbed at his lips. Her eyes were red. Was she crying?

"Wh..." What happened? He could still think, thankfully. But his entire body felt like stone.

His lover made sure there was no blood left before she placed the towel back on the tray. Sitting once more, Estella brushed a stray hair away from his face. "How much do you remember?"

Not much. I knew I fought the Cave Dragon to let Ireela escape, but that was it.

Her smile was proud, but there was a tinge of sadness in it. "Your Squire is well. She rarely left your side, you know. Both of us."

Thank you. And sorry for the trouble.

She shook her head, her eyes shimmering. "No, no. I should be the one saying sorry. I-I should have been there with you. I... I'm..."

A failure. The thought reverberated across their mental link along with her anguish. Nox's heart broke as the tears spilled from Estella's eyes. No, don't say that! None of us knew this would happen.

"This is the second time!" Her voice cracked. "The last time we nearly died and we were together! And now I wasn't with you and..." She swallowed, burying her head in his hand as she sobbed.

"Ella," he whispered. His throat hurt, like a fire had been poured over it. He tried to lift his hand, yet it barely moved. Nox frowned and cast his gaze down.

He wished he didn't, for his entire body was wrapped in bandages and his legs were fully sealed in a cast. He tried to move a leg, but no matter how much he struggled, it refused to move.

Paralyzed. He was paralyzed.

It was the price you had to pay.

Nox closed his eyes and sighed. He knew there would be an exchange, but he never anticipated it would be as grave as this. How long, Ella?

Sniffling, Estella raised her head. "A month at least. Maybe two." She gripped his hand. "But I'll send a letter to my father. I'll ask for the Royal Healer to come here. They said your spine is broken, but it will heal quickly if..."

Ella.

"...and if that doesn't work, I'll take you to the capital. We have lots of doctors and healers there. I'll hire them all if I have to. O-Or if that won't be enough, I'll get all the doctors and healers in the en—"

Ella.

She finally stopped, her lower lip trembling. Fear. Guilt. Desperation. They all swirled within her like a raging storm, threatening to overcome her mind.

It will be fine, Ella. He wanted to embrace her, but he couldn't. He wanted to kiss her, to stroke her hair and let her know that she wasn't the one to blame. But this was the only way he could comfort her.

Her tears, nevertheless, fell. But she was smiling.

"Yes. It will be fine."

***

The first few days were the hardest.

Estella barely left his side, doing everything to ensure Nox's comfort. It was endearing, and Nox was grateful, but he could tell how it was affecting her; Estella temporarily left her duties as a teacher for two weeks. Worse yet, she was barely eating and sleeping.

"You should eat," he told her in halting words by the fourth day, just as she finished feeding him. He still couldn't move an inch of his arm, but at least he could already speak.

"I am eating, love," she said, placing the empty bowl of soup on the bedside table.

"You're eating less than me." He had seen the bowls and plates; they were mostly his meals.

"Of course not." She smiled at him. "Relax. This won't kill me."

It won't, but Nox still found it concerning. Nevertheless, he let the issue pass.

Ireela wasn't that different. On the few occasions that Estella had to leave, his Squire would be at his side. And sometimes they were together, refusing to be separated from him.

His Squire was doing better than Nox expected, but he could tell that the ordeal had affected her. Ireela's usual good cheer was gone, and she would sometimes stare off into the distance, her eyes blank and veiled.

And he still couldn't do anything. A week passed. The doctors started giving him therapy, and it was an arduous and painful process. Every inch he moved would send pain lancing up his spine, every muscle he used a strain to his mind.

The only thing that kept him going was Estella and Ireela. Their encouraging words and presence acted like a balm, soothing and urging him to pressed on.

By two weeks he could already bend his right arm and fingers, but he could still barely feel his left hand. The doctors said it would heal, given more time, and waiting was all they could do.

Nox couldn't wait. Every day he spent recovering was another day with Estella and Ireela staying with him. His lover had been gone too long from her teaching duties, and he only saw Ireela studying for a few hours for the whole week.

Twenty days after his fight with the Cave Dragon, when he could move both of his arms at last, Estella posed a question.

"Love, do you remember what happened when you were fighting the dragon?"

She had just returned from a meeting with the faculty, finding him eating his noon meal. Nox swallowed before replying, "Yes. I already told the entire story to you and the Headmaster."

When Estella remained silent, he looked up at her troubled face. She sat on the chair beside him. "And you don't remember anything else?"

He shook his head. "No." It wasn't even a lie; he couldn't even recall killing the monster, though there were brief flashes in his mind of a fountain of blood and tearing flesh. "Why? What happened?"

She hesitated briefly. When she answered, her words were careful. "That's the issue: we don't know. I never told you what we found, right?"

"No. You just said that you, the Headmaster, and Sir Balor found Ireela." And through her they found him.

"Outside a collapsed tower." Her gaze met his. "Your uniform was torn and you were covered in blood and bruises. The dragon was scattered around you."

Scattered. Dismembered. Nox resisted the urge to flinch. He may not remember, but he always knew what would happen. He knew it the moment he came to his senses years ago, the night his life changed forever.

"Another monster?" he suggested. "We encountered griffons. Maybe they tore the dragon to pieces after I killed it."

"But how did you kill it?"

He managed a teasing smile despite the churning in his stomach. "You're doubting my abilities again?"

"No, of course not," Estella said, appalled. "I would never. But..."

"I don't really remember, Ella," he said slowly. "I was focused on surviving and returning to you."

Her gaze softened at that, and she smiled. Reaching over, she took his hand in hers and gripped it. "I know. I'm sorry."

The topic was dropped and they moved on to mundane ones. But even after that, Nox would see Estella regarding him with a thoughtful expression when she thought he wasn't looking.