Too Far Gone

Chapter 16

it was perhaps a month past. Thirty suns and thirty moons had come and gone over the horizon.

Pains began to get stronger with every passing day and night. Unbearably excruciating surges through my blood and that which holds it. Stabbing, thrashing and crushing of my veins by moon, and by sun, it was slightly less. By day one way, by night another. Not the slightest clue was known of it. The pain dragged me down physically, but my will remained strong.

Bain's gentle encouragement aided in my pain, or so I forced my mind to believe. But he truly did! He'd truly become the King I so longed for, my King. I had been brought to his presence by fate and by fate I shall stay.

I had not yet allowed him to see the scar implanted into my side and mind. T'would do nothing, especially when he hears of the cause.

For the most part, in all, everything was fair.

I awoke that morning, arm rested upon Bain, the pain was at minimum for the time being.

My eyes fluttered open, attempting to adjust to the rays of the shining sun. Bain lay asleep as I removed my hand slowly, as not to wake him in his slumber.

T'was another rough night, tossing and turning every which way, and Bain attempting to comfort me and my desperate pleas for relief. My hands clung to the sheets, turning my knuckles snow white.

It had taken over my otherwise good life.

I stood up off the bed and walked only as the pain allowed me.

Truthfully, it had started within my upper body, particularly the bosom, but no healers in the town knew a thing of it, except it was possibly my fate.

My eyes met the corpse in the mirror as I was to walked out of the room.

I stopped at the dresser below the mirror to study the pale, drained Madeira.

This was not I.

Muffled chokes of a combination of coughing and cries exited my hand as I held it to my mouth, still trying not to wake Bain.

My attempts failed as a pair of hands clutched gently onto my shoulders. I turned to see nothing, but Bain still asleep.

I turned again and tried to shake the thought from my head.

I returned my gaze to the pale figure in the mirror, pure white, with darkening, hollowed circles surrounding the eyes.

More muffled sounds came, but from Bain. He stretched as he tried to waken fully.

"Madeira, what is the matter?" He inquired, now sitting up.

My head remained in my hand, with my other arm underneath for support.

Before I could answer, his hands were upon me. One lifted the hair from my face as I stared into the mirror, and the other rested upon my shoulder.

"This thing!" I gestured to the mirror. "Is not I."

"it will be okay, I promise. Your strength will endure." He assured, turning me away from the reflection and towards him.

He pulled me towards him in an embrace, but my hands remained intertwined at my chest.

I has been drained by this monster that filled my veins.

•

I had dressed and tried to make my complexion look as healthy as I possibly could. The throbbing had gone down a bit more.

By day it was as it used to be, when I'd first started having the pains, but every now and then, they would fluctuate and ache more.

I walked down the stairs to find Bain at the bottom.