To Battle Dragons and Our Pasts

Part 6

Part six

A voice cut through the darkness.

"'Morning Gweneveire, how are you? Well that was a stupid question. Can you even hear me? It's crazy to think that you can, but I heard about some instances of it when I was in the army... But let's not talk about that okay? Ellowdynn is still here, says she won't leave until you recover. She and Malcolm have become pretty good friends, she's even convinced him to teach her how to work with Rivers, although the bird seems to have a partiality towards Malcolm. I bet you and Ellowdynn would of been good friends- no, you will be good friends. Ugh, I must be insane, talking to you while you're like this. Look Gwen, I need to do stuff, but I can hardly leave you while you're here..." The voice faded.

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I was lying in a bed when I came to, but I didn't know where or why. I moved to sit up in the bed and figured out why I was there rather quickly. The pain of my abdomen throbbed in protest at the motion, so I stayed still. The room was empty excepting the the bed I was in and the wardrobe adjacent to it. A single paned window let in the only light, and I guessed it was late afternoon by the angle it was coming in. Of course, it could of been mid-morning as well. A gleam caught my eye and I saw my sword, leaning against the wall, soaking in the puddle of orange light. The green stones set in it's silver hilt sent little spots of light all over the ceiling. It took me just a moment to take all of this in, though it felt much longer. At the sight of my sword I remembered the Wynnvlamon and all that had happened. I wondered how long ago that had been. My wounds still felt brand new so it couldn't have been that long ago- I hoped. And how did I get here? Where was here anyway? My thoughts of philophosy were broken by the door opening slightly and a little head poking in. Max tip-toed into the room, obviously not noticing I was awake.

"Hello Max." I spoke weakly; speaking hurt more than I had expected. He gasped and ran over to the bed.

"Gwen! You're alive! I thought you were dead! Papa will be glad you're not dead too!"

I was relieved to hear him mention his father, that meant we weren't too late and my injuries weren't for naught. I just smiled at him though, not wanting to speak again. He was jumping up and down talking about something he thought funny, but I hadn't been listening. Then the door opened again and Edmund's little sister (What was her name again?) ran in and grabbed Max's shoulder.

"Max, you were told to just run and check on her, then come back down. What have you been doing?'

Her motherly scolding amused me, but I daren't laugh- it would hurt to much. Max pointed to me and said I was awake. Hatty clasped her hands together and let out a little exclamation of joy. Then, without even speaking to me, she flew out of the room yelling about how Gwen was awake. Max smiled at me and then followed Hatty. It wasn't too long before Uncle walked in.

"How you feeling?"

"Better now that I know you weren't dragon fodder." Ow, that was a painful sentence.

"Well the feeling is mututal." He put his hand on top of my head and ruffled my brown, matted hair. He talked to me a little bit about how he had felt when the dragon took him, but mostly he told me plesant things like how the baby was learning to walk and that Max had lost another tooth. Finally I asked him what I had been wondering since I woke up.

"Uncle, where are we and how long have I been 'asleep'?" That hurt a little less, maybe I was just stiff. He looked at me slightly amused.

"We are in the Alastair's house. We brought you to Viarlen so we could get the doctor patch you and Ed up."

I gasped, then winced.

"Oh I forgot about Edmund! Is he okay? The snap I heard from his arm sounded pretty bad."

"Well it hurt like the dickens." A voice came from the door. Edmund was leaning against the doorpost, his left arm splinted and in sling. "But setting it hurt a lot more than the initial break."

I sighed in relief and my throbbing abdomen told me I should stop doing that. Edmund walked over to stand beside Uncle next to the bed.

"You've got one resliliant niece, John."

Uncle chuckled while I furrowed my brow.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I mentally crossed my arms. He looked as if he had expected the question.

"It means you're in an amazing state of mind after being in a coma for a week. You obviously don't care that we were extraordinarily worried about you the whole time, wondering if you would wake up or slip into death!"

"I've been in a coma for a week? What?" I looked sharply at my uncle.

"I was about to tell you when Ed came in."

I leaned my head against the headboard and closed my eyes.

"Now that I think about it, I can believe it's been so long. I remember the blackness, the nothingness, the voice that talked to me that one time."

"Voice?" My uncle and Edmund asked in unison. Uncle looked like I had told him I had talked with my late grandfather; Edmund looked embarrassed. Ha! So he was the guilty party.

"Yeah, it was just like someone talking to me. I didn't hear everything he said though."

Edmund laughed nervously and ran his hands through his hair.

"You heard that? I never thought it would actually work."

Uncle shot a look at him.

"What would work?"

"That people in comas are aware of being in a coma, that they get lonely and bored, and that sometimes they can hear you talk to them. I didn't really believe it but I guess I stand corrected."

"I see..."

Much to Edmund's relief, Malcolm, Ellowdynn, and my aunt burst into the room, at that moment. The little room was beginning to feel cramped with all my visitors. Aunt hugged me as best she could and smothered me with kisses, much to my chagrin. Ellowdynn walked up after Aunt finally left me alone.

"I'm glad you're better." She said genuinely. "I'm sorry we had to meet in such unfavorable circumstances."

I told her not to worry about it and it would make for good stories. Malcolm congratulated me for landing the kill. Everyone took turns catching me up on all the happenings I had missed. It exhausted me though, all this excitement. Soon Uncle convinced everyone to leave so I could rest. Malcolm protested that I'd rested for a week, but Ellowdynn elbowed him hard in the stomach as they left.

I closed my eyes and felt at peace. Sure, I was still dirt poor and had little hope of ever being anything else, but I was at peace. And who knows, maybe the rumors were true and the youngest members of the royal family escaped to the nearby, but very different, island of Airim and were growing up there, waiting to be able to someday come back and reclaim the thrown of Galdir from the usurper. That would be nice, but for now, I'm content to be were I am, with those who are close to me.

The End

Hey everyone! congrats if you made it this far. Anyway, if you liked this at all, please leave a comment, they mean a lot. Also, yes, I will be writing a story on the royal children that I forshadowed in that last paragraph, but it's much longer and will be in the works a lot longer. Thanks! - The Girl Who Names Trees