The Fae Prince

Chapter 27: She Wakes Up

*not edited*

FINAN

I return to Haley's side and don't leave it for the next week. The physician and town doctor rarely get any time to rest as they work tirelessly to figure out what's wrong with Haley and why she won't return to us.

"I believe it's time for you to shower, Finan," my mother says as she enters Haley's chambers and fiddles with the sheets covering her body, smoothing them over.

"I will shower after Cathy gets here," I answer as I hold tightly onto Haley's hand.

I haven't necessarily been on good terms with my mother since the whole incident with Faith. In short, I don't trust her with Haley after she so vehemently hated her.

"We may have found a solution to the problem!" The town doctor and palace physician erupt as they barrel through the doors.

"Out with it then!" I say as I stand abruptly.

"The opposite of ice is of course warmth and fire, it is a risk, but we can ask if the lord of summer would be willing to try and aid us in our attempt to bring Haley back," the palace physician says as he plays with his bottom lip. "It would be a risk, but he could attempt to reheat her body one degree at a time until she wakes up."

I look down at Haley's seemingly dead figure, but repeat to myself that she's simply in a sleep deeper than the one the gods are in.

"Or," the town doctor begins, "We can see if you can enter her mind. She may be able to reverse this on her own if she did it to herself."

I frown, "I was warned by my forefathers that shared the same gift as me that if I tried to enter the mind of a dead person, or someone very close to death, to access their memories or thoughts, I would send myself insane."

Faeries on the verge of death had their minds wide open for anyone to waltz in, but the memories of their lives, all their pain and sorrow, happiness and anger, would be experienced by anyone who dared enter. Experiencing all of that feels like eternity and causes the one who walks the other person's mind to remain stuck until the person dies, and once the person dies, so does a part of the mind-walker. 

"I don't believe she's close to death, nor do I believe you will go insane if you try," the town doctor says.

"If she could do it on her own, why wouldn't she have done it by now? What if her conscience is already with the mother in the fields of the heavens?" I ask as I stare down at Haley's lifeless body.

"We can try the second option if the first one fails, however, if the first one fails, there is a possibility Haley may truly die due to another's magic thawing out her own before she is ready," the physician continues to ramble on to no end, talking all of our ears off with probabilities and other nonsensical things.

The doctors continue to ramble on to my mother as I pull my attention away from them and return to my seat next to Haley. I continue staring at Haley's body, my annoyance vanishing as my eyes go wide. Her fingers twitch and a soft glow that rivals moonlight begins to emit gently from her body.

"Could you shut up for just one second?" My mother says as the room falls into silence.

We all watch as the glow grows until it's blinding, and then gets sucked back into Haley's body in the blink of an eye.

"God," her voice is rough from disuse, "Who was the one who wouldn't stop talking?"

I sit frozen in shock, everyone else in the room feeling the same as I as we all stare at Haley as she groans. She struggles to sit up and I rush to help her, lifting her gently as she grabs onto my shoulders for balance.