Magi: The Tale of Faith and Hope

Duty and Determination

When Hope opened her eyes again, she thought she was staring into a mirror for a moment, until it spoke to her, and then her foggy mind cleared enough for her to realize that it was actually her sister. 

"Oh! She's up!! Welcome back," Faith greeted her with a grin.

Alibaba and Morgiana's faces appeared next.

"Ah, what a relief!" he said, looking glad to finally have some good news.

"You gave us quite a scare," Morgiana said calmly, though Hope could see the worry in her eyes.

"... I'm sorry... Is everyone all right?" Hope asked with concern.

"Uh, shouldn't we be asking you that?" Alibaba said, sweat-dropping. He wondered if she was still disoriented.

"The answer to your question is that everyone's fine!" Faith reassured her sister brightly.

"What about Aladdin...?" Hope asked, slowly sitting up with Morgiana's help. Her muscles felt stiff, and her ribs hurt more than before. She then noticed Aladdin lying unconscious on the bed next to hers and understood that they must have put her in his room.

"... No change..." Alibaba said, hanging his head.

"... I see..." Hope said sadly, disappointed. She had hoped that at least some of the color in his face might have returned by now. She wished they could at least give him an I.V. 'Maybe we should try coaxing a mix of hydrating fluids down his throat...' she thought, but she wasn't sure that was the best idea. She was worried there was a risk that he could develop pneumonia if it went down the wrong way...

"Um, are you feeling better...?" Morgiana asked her, wishing she would answer Alibaba's question.

"Huh? Oh, yes. I think so..." Hope said, taking a quick inventory of how she was feeling. In addition to her sore and stiff ribs, her head ached a little, and she had a sore throat. Other than that, she felt fine. Her lightheadedness was starting to go away. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Alibaba asked, surprised.

"Well, I remember going to get more beans..." Hope replied, frowning a little while she tried to recall how she had ended up in bed.

"Yeah... you fainted. Dizzy spell," Faith said, but gave her a look that silently hinted at a deeper issue.

Hope knew that look, and she immediately understood what the real problem had been. "Ah... I did it again, didn't I...?" Hope said, disappointed in herself. She had been doing so well up until now. "I'm sorry."

"Huh? What are you apologizing for?" Alibaba asked, confused.

"We're just glad that you're all right," Morgiana said.

"Yeah, that's what's important," Faith agreed, giving her sister a smile and a one-armed hug. "So quit apologizing for something that isn't your fault."

"Yes... Thank you..." Hope said, closing her eyes while she gently returned her sister's comforting embrace.

"..." Sinbad had paused outside the door with his hand on the doorknob when he came to check on them and heard their voices. Faith had been right. Even though she had every right to be thinking of herself after what happened, Hope's only concern seemed to be for the others. He took a breath and opened the door. "Feeling better?" he asked with a kind smile when she looked up at him.

"Yes," she replied with a smile, putting on a brave face that only made him feel guiltier.

"... All right," Sinbad said, though he was still concerned. "Get something to eat, and when you're done... I'd like to talk to the four of you..."