Legend Reborn

Chapter 20: The Place Where You Are

"Gilbert," I whisper in relief.

The Bear strokes some hair away from my face and gazes longingly into my eyes. "I can't believe that worked," he says in amazement.

"What worked?" I ask him in confusion.

"I kissed you," he says in the softest, sweetest voice I've ever heard him use. "I kissed you, and you came back to me."

A small smile tugs at my lips. "Yeah, I guess I did."

Gil leans down and gives me another kiss, which I'm not complaining about. The warmth of his lips on mine is a comforting feeling after the emptiness of Oblivion. We break apart slightly and I look up into his crimson eyes.

"How long was I gone?" I ask hesitantly. I'm not sure if I really want to know the answer.

Gilbert's red eyes lose some of their sparkle. "Four days," he answers tersely.

I sit up rather abruptly. "Four days?" I repeat in disbelief. It can't be possible. It only felt like a few hours.

"Yeah, the awesome me and West had to carry you until we got to the closest town we could find," Gilbert explains. "There's a shaman here, so he's been trying to get you to wake up for the last two days."

I nod slowly as I try to absorb this new information. "Four days," I murmur to myself, then look at the albino. "Where are we?"

"Pratilux," he replies. "It's not much more than a village, but they were nice enough to help us."

"Where is everyone?"

Gilbert smiles a bit at my question. "When they're not pacing around this hut they're usually helping people as much as they can. West and I are building some new houses, and the others are helping in the fields. I just stopped in to see if you were getting any better."

I laugh softly at that. "Somehow I don't imagine Feli is doing much helping if there are girls around."

The Bear cracks a smile. "Kesese. You're right about that."

I finally take a moment to look around the place I've been staying in. Gilbert wasn't kidding when he called it a hut. The floor is dirt, and the walls look like they've been made out of sod. Muted light comes in through the curtained windows, which aren't much more than holes in the walls. The roof appears to be thatched, and I can't help but wonder if it leaks when it rains.

My bed is surprisingly soft, and I would guess it's been stuffed using grass from the smell of it. I run my hands along the careful stitching in the quilt that used to be on top of me. These people really have been kind to me, and I'm a complete stranger.

"You really scared us." Gilbert's voice pulls my eyes back to his worried looking face. "We weren't sure if you were ever going to wake up," he says in a quiet voice.

That's when I notice the dark circles under his eyes that look like dark bruises on his pale skin. He must have spent many sleepless nights watching me in hopes that I would wake up. I reach my hand out to take his.

"I'm sorry, Gil. I didn't mean to scare you." I say it with all the sincerity possible.

Suddenly, the thin wooden door to my hut is pushed open slightly, and Feli and Kiku poke their heads inside. Their eyes widen to see me sitting up and awake.

"Liza!" Feli shouts excitedly. He rushes to my side and gives me a big hug. "I was so worried about you!"

"I know, I know," I tell him as I hug him back. "I'm sorry."

Gilbert steps back and allows us to have our moment together, but he doesn't leave. For that I'm thankful because I want the white haired Bear with me as much as possible. He's the reason I was able to come back. Kirkland said it was because of true love. Is that really the reason?