One With the Waves

Aftermath

-Brae-

I expected death to be colder and darker, yet warmth seeped into my bones and I felt safe, gentle heat surrounding me. I could hear the crackling of a fire close by, and when I tried to move, my body responded. I opened my eyes.

The ceiling of a cave arched overhead, somehow familiar though I wasn't sure how until I sat up.

I was in Aura's room.

I recognized his bed, the nightstand, the hearth, even the glass window that looked out into the ocean. Wrapped in a soft blanket, I found my wounds to be completely healed. This wasn't death, this was life.

Aura entered the room, staring at me with serious blue eyes. As soon as he saw me, he practically collapsed onto the bed, wrapping me in his arms.

"I thought I lost you," he whispered softly.

I held him tightly, kissing his forehead, "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

He kissed me on the lips, closing his eyes.

After a moment in silence, I murmured, "I remember this place. You brought me here that first night we were together."

He sat up, his eyes wide, "You remember?"

"Everything," I said, smiling. "I remember everything, Aura."

He beamed and kissed me deeply, cradling my head in his hand. I ran my fingers through his light hair and across his tan shoulder. He groaned softly and pulled away suddenly, turning from me.

"Aura, what's wrong?" I asked, frowning.

He shook his head, but I took his hand, placing my fingers on his jaw and turning his face towards me. There was pain in his eyes.

"Are you hurt?" I asked, concern lacing through me.

His eyes avoided mine, "Brae, I'm fine."

"What's wrong?" I questioned, pulling him towards me so that we were laying side-by-side on the bed. I stared into his eyes, wanting nothing more than to stay by his side.

He didn't reply, just kissed me softly on the cheek.

After a moment, I sat up, suddenly startled. "Aura! My ship, it was sinking! What happened to the crew? Are they ok--" I suddenly choked, Cobra's glassy eyes filling my mind. No, no! Not her! Surely--

Aura took my hand, his eyes sad, "I'm sorry, Brae. I wish I could have saved more of them."

"How many?" I whispered, "How many remain?"

He sighed, dropping his gaze, "Six, including Monty and a handful of others."

I felt tears coming to my eyes. Six? Only six? My crew was my family. I could care less about the ship, that could be replaced. But my crew? I didn't want to replace them. I wanted them to not have died at all.

"I'm sorry," Aura whispered, closing his eyes, "If I had gotten there sooner, I--"

I covered his mouth with my own. "No. This isn't your fault. I'm just glad you're safe."

He sighed softly, shaking his head.

"Where is my crew?" I asked him.

He motioned towards the hallway, "Deeper in the caverns. There are more bedrooms there and they have been tending to one another as necessary."

"You rest, okay? Do you need some water?" I raised an eyebrow, getting to my feet.

He chuckled softly, "Brae, I don't need to be coddled. I'm fine."

"Something's up, though," I returned, running a hand through his hair again, "You seem tired." He had dark circles under his eyes, and now that I got a good look at him, I realized his eyes seemed duller and his skin was a little pale. "You look sick."

"I'm not... Sick. Just..." He sighed softly and looked away, "Magic always comes with a price. When I found you, and you were hurt, I lost it. I may have saved some of your crew, but I drowned everyone who wasn't apart of your crew. I ripped their ships apart and I--" he broke off, shaking his head. "The price was greater than I expected."

I stared at him for a moment, worry pulsing through me. "Are you going to be okay?"

His eyes met mine slowly, "It's going to get worse before it gets better."

-Aura-

It's like he went into momma-bear mode. He fetched me water, tucked me into bed, even offered to make me soup. I insisted over and over again that I wasn't a sick child and that everything was going to be okay, but something about it also made me feel all warm inside. He wanted to take care of me, something I wasn't accustomed to. It was still hard for me to get used to having someone actually care about my well-being.

I knew that losing my strength had to do with over-exerting myself, but I still found that this time it was so much worse. I'd used magic enough to have lost control before, but it had never been this bad. My magic was there, but even maintaining this form was extremely difficult, and appeared to get more so over time.

"You need rest," Brae decided, putting a hand to my forehead, "You're burning up."

"I'll be fine," I protested, pulling him into bed with me.

He smiled faintly, kissing me gently on the forehead, "Go to sleep, Aura. Maybe it will make you feel better."

"Did you check on your crew?" I asked him, changing the subject. I wasn't ready to sleep. I just wanted to hold him in my arms, feel him next to me. I wanted to hold him forever.

He nodded, "They're okay." He wrapped his arms around my waist. "Now get some sleep."

I groaned softly in protest, squeezing him gently. I didn't want to sleep.

He kissed me on the lips, his eyes half-closed. We lay there for a long time, and I was beginning to feel groggy. I snuggled closer to him and closed my eyes. "I love you, Aura," I heard him whisper as I drifted off into sleep.