Above the Clouds (On Hold Indefinitely)

6. Above the Clouds

I jolt awake, my breathing coming out in gasps and pants. It's as if I can't breathe in enough of this sweet air. My vision is blurred but slowly coming back into focus as I rub my eyes. And gosh I'm weak. I'm so weak that it's a struggle to move even my arms. I imagine that this is what it would feel like to come back from the dead.

I survey my surroundings, everything looking so foreign. It's a mostly barren and cold room. Stone walls enclose me on all sides, giving the feeling of a dungeon almost. There's not a single window to let in some natural light, which is something this room could really benefit from. Beside the deep brown door, there are red banners that I don't recognize on either side of it. They have some sort of gold insignia on them, but at the moment my vision is still too blurred to make them out. Torches burn in here providing light making it rather warm, especially since I'm under a heavy red blanket. It's itchy like wool. The only piece of furniture in the room is the bed I'm laying on.

Wait, that's not right. I look to my left and nearly have a heart attack. I jump a bit, trying to calm the racing beat of my heart. There's a simple wooden chair in here, too. On that chair, which is what startled me, sits a man that I don't recognize. He seems very happy to see me, though, and he seems very mature and refined just from first glance. His shiny black hair is pulled back tightly to a tail at his neck and there's a small amount of stubble on his face. He wears all black except for the golden pin on his upper right chest: a wolf's head mid-howl. His dark eyes are wide, eyes so dark that I can't distinguish his iris from his pupil. "You're awake!" he proclaims, stating the obvious. If he wasn't smiling, his eyes would terrify me since they appear to be so dominating.

I look at him unsure. I'm unsure of everything. "Who- who are you?" I croak. My voice is so dry and scratchy that it actually hurts to talk. What happened to me? It's as if I haven't used my body in ages.

His face drops. He leans closer on his chair. His mouth opens and he closes it again pursing his lips. Having trouble finding words, perhaps?. "You mean you don't remember me? I'm your husband."

I stare at him warily despite his words. What did he just say? Husband? "Ex-excuse me? What?"

He doesn't answer my question. Instead, he says, "Here, sweetheart, take this." Did he always have a glass of water in his hand? It doesn't matter. I take his offer, a cool drop of condensation slipping down the glass. I lip my dry lips before greedily gulping down the water. Its coldness burns going down my throat, but it's so refreshing that I don't stop.

After I've finished, I glance at the man and see him studying me, an indecipherable look in his eyes . "Do you remember anything at all?" He asks slowly.

I stare at him for a long moment. I remember waking up here in this room and him startling me and- and that's it. My lip starts to tremble at a scary realization. My mind is so blank and empty, but I can still feel emotions quite strongly. I feel pain and fear at what is happening. "No," I squeak out."I don't remember what happened, I don't know who you are, and- and I don't even know who I am let alone my own n-name."

He nods his head slowly, taking everything I just said in. This must be hard for him, too. It'd be hard news for anyone to hear. I feel my vision becoming blurry once again, but this time it's from tears. "No, no, no," he frets over me, joining me on the bed. He wraps an arm around me, rocking me, soothing me. Though I don't know him, I let him hold me. He coos, "Don't cry. This is actually a happy moment, okay? The doctors weren't sure if you were ever going to wake up again. You have no idea how relieved I am to be able to talk to you again. Even seeing you move is a blessing to me."

I nod, trying to calm myself down. Only a tear or two shed from my eyes, but he wipes them away for me. Although I don't remember this man, he can't be bad, right? He's here with me, comforting me. I should be able to trust him even if I don't know him. He knows me at least, and he is very concerned for my well being. "What happened?" I whisper. I feel so sick to my stomach that's it's churning. The erratic beating of my heart isn't helping matters either.