The Light of My Hearts

Back at the Estate there was much activity in the aftermath of the Kraskol attack. Twillow was whisked swiftly up to her room to await the arrival of the doctor. Kendrick was by her side, healed but still suffering from the paralytic venom of the Kraskol. It didn’t take too long after that for Dr. Wentzel and three of his assistants to arrive via a transport portal. The situation was explained and the multi-armed doctor began to examine Twillow. Gelilah entered, carrying Epi in a small basket filled with glittering flower petals. Epi’s sister Petal was flying frantically around Gelilah, hoping to help her injured twin. One of the assistants took the tiny fairy while the other two were sent down to check on the two centaur guards who were attacked.

Kendrick watched the doctor’s every move, eagerly awaiting his prognosis. Dr. Wentzel moved meticulously, using various talismans as he examined Twillow from wingtip to wingtip. He paid great attention to the fae’s middle where her Life Water was stored.

As he was working Aemond entered the room brusquely and Gelilah embraced him, catching him up to speed with what had transpired. The normally calm fae father seemed frustrated and angry he had not been there to help protect his daughter and workers. But Dr. Wentzel interrupted.

“Twillow is very lucky. She was paralyzed with the Kraskol’s toxin and there is a puncture to her abdomen. But I don’t find any trauma to her Life Water sac.” He explained.

Gelilah cried happily, embracing Aemond, “Thank, Oberon.”

“So, her Life Water is fine? None was taken?” Kendrick clarified seriously.

“None appears to be taken, no. However, she must’ve used a lot of magic in the attack. She is showing early symptoms of magic deprivation.” His lower hands were busily digging around his doctor’s bag and retrieving several items, “She will need prompt magic infusion if her Life Water is to remain sustainable.”

“Do whatever is necessary.” Aemond nodded.

“How long will she be paralyzed?” Kendrick asked.

The red-skinned doctor kept working but answered, “I don’t have experience with Kraskol attacks but from what I’ve read this paralytic condition only last a few hours. She should be gaining mobility and speech soon.” he stared kindly at Twillow who slowly blinked her eyes, “You will be fine, Twillow.”

She blinked slowly again.

“Will this toxin affect her Life Water?” Kendrick asked.

The doctor gave shrug, “Most victims of the Kraskol’s toxin don’t have Life Water after an attack. I can’t recall reading about this sort of scenario. We won’t know until we see for ourselves, I’m afraid.”

He had a vial of brightly glowing, viscous liquid in one hand and a clear vial in the other, “Aemond, Gelilah, I will need your magic power to help infuse Twillow.”

Without hesitation the fae parents stood on either side of Twillow’s bed. Dr. Wentzel poured the glowing and clear contents of the vials into their hands.

“Now, both of you take this and smear it from Twillow’s wings, over her shoulders, and have your hands meet in the center of her chest.” He commanded.

Doing as they were told, Gelilah and Aemond applied the glowing substance to Twillow’s wings, across her shoulders, and their hands met over her breastbone.

“Good. Now, summon your healing magic as one. This will energize the infusion much faster and deter the deprivation.”

Aemond and Gelilah shared a silent look and did exactly as instructed. Light covered Twillow, spreading throughout her body like a celestial river. Then it faded.

“Thank you.” Dr. Wentzel nodded, “That should help. Now...your fairy.”

The attendant who had been examining and holding the rose-colored fairy handed the tiny body to the doctor along with the handful of petals Gelilah had brought. Petal was wringing her hands, flitting back and forth with worry. Dr. Wentzel adjusted his glasses to examine the little patient. The assistant had removed Epi’s suit and the dark hemorrhages all over the fairy’s body bespoke of blunt force trauma.

After a moment he sighed, “It appears he was struck very hard. He’s...broken up pretty badly. But...he’s going into a healing sleep. You were right to surround him with Sylphai petals.”

Petal seemed somewhat relieved but also devastated at the same time. Gelilah took her in her hands to comfort her.

Kendrick blinked, “Healing sleep?”

The doctor removed his examining glasses and explained, “Fairies who get badly injured must fall into a deep rejuvenating sleep amongst the Sylphai flowers they are born from in order to survive such injury.”

He extended a finger toward the tiny body. A faint glow appeared against his fingertip a few inches from the fairy, almost appearing as bubble.

“See the little sparkles? That means he’s beginning the healing sleep. That is a good thing.”

“How long?” Gelilah asked.

“No one can say I’m afraid. But given his injuries I’d guess...a year minimum? Perhaps longer. It’s miraculous he survived such a blow.”

Petal cried, clinging to Gelilah’s dress front.

“It’s alright, my little rose. Epi was so brave. He will be fine. You’ll see. He just needs time to recover.” She comforted her.

“Did-did he save Miss Twillow?” she squeaked.

Kendrick answered assuredly, “Yes. He did. He led the way and was attacking the Kraskol before I arrived. Without him...” he paused, not wanting to even think what would’ve happened, “I am indebted to him and has my eternal gratitude.”

Petal bit her lip and gave an accepting nod.

“I would keep him in a quiet, protected place where he can get the most sunshine possible. Be sure he sleeps on the Sylphai petals and keep several live Sylphai around where he sleeps. Do not disturb or move him unless absolutely necessary.”

Kendrick blinked with perplexity, “Won’t he starve? Or go thirsty?”

“No. Not fairies.” The doctor waved a hand, “Once they are in a healing sleep near the Sylphai flowers that is all they need to be sustained. But it is imperative that he isn’t disturbed and allowed to wake in his own time. If he is disturbed it will prolong the sleep or make it ineffective.”

“Thank you, Doctor Wentzel.” Gelilah nodded.

“I will remain here until Twillow comes out of her paralysis to ensure there are no other complications.” He explained.

The doctor leaned toward Kendrick, “I see blood all over you. Are you injured as well?”

The gray man pointed, “Mrs. Birchwood healed me.”

Aemond looked at his wife a moment then smiled behind his manicured mustache. She gave a small smile in return.

“But I’m still numb in this arm and shoulder.” Kendrick pointed to his left arm.

“You were injected by the Kraskol?”

Kendrick nodded and showed the darker dot on his hand. Four red hands began examining Kendrick’s arm, pinching, and prodding in various areas.

“When were you injected?”

“Not long before you arrived. Maybe twenty minutes?” he guessed.

Doctor Wentzel made a thinking face, “You say only your arm and shoulder are numb?”

Kendrick nodded.

“Hm. Kraskol toxin is very effective and instantaneous with most species it injects. You should’ve been like Twillow in seconds. Somehow it didn’t affect you that way.” Dr. Wentzel sounded mildly amazed.

“I’m immune?”

“Your species must be resistant to it. That’s very interesting.” The doctor commented.

At that moment the two assistants returned but their faces were grave as they shook their heads. Sadly, the pair of centaur guards had been killed defending Twillow. Rafeen was found dead in the garden and Dax had succumbed to his wounds before the fight was over. Aemond immediately set to work to plan for their loved ones’ needs. He’d already had to notify Callan’s next of kin and now he had two more to attend. An unpleasant endeavor.

“Please let me know the moment Twillow awakens.” He said before leaving down the hall.

Meanwhile, Dr. Wentzel waited in the room alongside Kendrick and Gelilah for Twillow to come out of her paralysis. His attendants and Petal went elsewhere to prepare a place for Epi’s long healing sleep.

At that moment, golden scales whipped by the window near Twillow’s balcony and Marci appeared, jumping down from Silky’s back onto the balcony. Silky landed on the stone banister.

Marci entered and looked to Gelilah, “My Lady, we’ve found and destroyed the Kraskol’s head.”

Gelilah stood from her chair and approached, “Silky found it?”

“Yes, my Lady. Thank you for releasing her.” Marci bowed her head slightly. “I notified the guards. It would seem the Kraskol tried to enter the house as Callan and Silky knew what it was.”

“How do you know this?” Gelilah asked.

“The guards say they found...they found his head in the garden while they were searching. Very far from the house and decayed longer than a day.”

Gelilah cringed with a shudder, “How awful. [sigh] Aemond and I will assure his family is taken care of.”

She looked outside and could see something black in Silky’s jaws. The Kraskol’s lost head.

“Marci, take the head to the Marlaylan guard building at once. Tell them what has happened here. I don’t want to risk it regenerating again.”

Even though she was certain Silky and throttled the life out of the Kraskol and it was indeed dead, Marci nodded and remounted her dragon. A short command and Silky silently flew into the air, carrying the gory remains of the Kraskol’s head in her mouth like a dog that killed rat.

It was another hour before Twillow was able to speak and begin moving a little.

“Kendrick...mother?” she croaked.

They both were up instantly, overjoyed to see Twillow coming out of her condition.

“Twillow!”

“How do you feel?”

“Are you ok?”

They talked over one another until Dr. Wentzel gently nudged them to move so he could follow up on his first examination.

“Hello, Twillow. Tell me how you are feeling right now.” He asked quietly.

She swallowed and whispered, “Tired...my right wing hurts.”

Kendrick moved forward to try and find the injury but one of the doctor’s arms barred him. He gave him a stern but understanding look as if to say: “let me do my job”.

“Why don’t you get her some of that magic elixer?” he commanded, pointing to a pitcher on the night table.

Kendrick immediately did so.

“Let’s take a look.” Dr. Wentzel stated as two of his other hands carefully rolled Twillow onto her side to view the structures. “Oo. Yes. You have a couple stems that are crumpled, almost broken.”

“Can you fix them?” Kendrick asked with concern, trying to peek through all the arms of the doctor.

“Of course. Hold still, Twillow. This might hurt a bit.” He assured retrieving two small white sticks that seemed to a have a glitter to them from his bag.

Gelilah moved in, leaned across the bed, and held Twillow’s hand for supportive comfort.

His nimble hands placed the two twigs on either side of Twillow’s injured wing structures. A slow rocking motion and the magical twigs straightened the crumpled stems. Twillow gave a small noise of pain which made Kendrick bristle but her relieved sigh settled his nerves.

“How is that?” he asked calmly.

“Thank you, Doctor. That is much better.” She said in a weak voice.

When the doctor nodded and put away the sticks.

“Now. Let’s check on your Life Water one more time.” He announced.

His hands prodded her abdomen and he kept asking her about pain or discomfort, to which she replied in the negative.

“You are close to expulsion.” He reminded her. “Now remember: if you start to feel painful pulses in the next few weeks that means you are ready.”

Twillow nodded.

“Keep eating like you have been and drink plenty of your elixirs. Fighting the Kraskol depleted your magic and we can’t have you losing energy at a crucial time like this.” The doctor assembled his bag of things and rose, “Just notify me if you have any concerns.”

“Thank you, doctor.” Gelilah stood, “I’ll send you and your assistants home.” She looked to Twillow, “I’ll be right back.”

Once they left, Kendrick sat on the edge of the bed with the cup of magic instilled liquid.

“Here, my light.”

He tried to put the cup to her lips but she took it from him, “I can do it.”

Though he allowed her, his hands seemed ready in case she dropped it. She finished it, making a slight face of discomfort before handing him the cup. Kendrick set it aside. His face seemed serious until he leaned in, embraced her, and pressed his face to her belly.

“Forgive me, my light. I failed you.” He said, voice tight.

Twillow stroked his hair and wrapped her arms around his head, “You didn’t fail me, sweethearts.”

He shook his head, “I said I would protect you...and I couldn’t.”

“Hey...hey.” She pulled away and coaxed his head up to look at her, “None of this is your fault. I was tricked, that’s all.”

His amber eyes wavered with guilt.

She held his cheeks in both hands and touched her small nose to his, “I’m fine and our Life Water is safe.” She kissed him and he closed his eyes.

He couldn’t shake the idea that he’d nearly lost everything he held dear...the only things that sustained him. Kendrick held Twillow tighter, never wanting to let her go.

The Lower Realm a week or so after the date...

Helia was at her father’s weapon shop checking over the edges of a couple swords some customers had left to get sharpened. Honing the edge of a sword was an art and a science melded together. Helia had gotten quite good at the skill over her years as a slayer but today she wasn’t on point.

“Shiiit.” She drew out the whispered curse when the sword’s edge wasn’t honing like she wanted.

A hand stroked the small of her back. She almost jumped out of her seat, turning the sword on the perpetrator.

“Hey.” Gillam’s human façade smiled gently at her.

Helia exhaled, “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Sneak up on me when I’m working on a blade.” She warned.

“I said your name...” he frowned.

Helia shook her head, “Oh...guess I didn’t hear you then.”

Didn’t hear him? How was that possible? She had the senses of a fox when it came to things sneaking up on her!

Gillam took her hand and placed a gentle kiss to her fingers, triggering the butterflies inside her again.

She withdrew her hand fast and whispered, “Gillam, I’m busy. You’re distracting me.”

He smiled that perfect smile, “Am I?”

“Yes!” she squirmed away, “Go...go see if dad needs some help with something.”

“He told me to see if you needed help.”

She shook her head, flustered, “Well...I don’t! Go organize something...or something.”

The disguised fae didn’t leave immediately. Helia looked up at him, trying to appear annoyed but immediately got lost in the violet of his eyes...that perfect jawline... Her face flushed pink and tried to return to the blade in her hand.

GODS! Why was he so handsome?! Stupid fae genes with their perfect-looking men!

“Dinner later tonight? There’s a nice place I found near that shop that sells the wide hipped dresses.” He offered.

Though she finally nodded she gently shoved his hip with a whisper, “Go!”

He merely smiled and wandered to the back of the shop.

Since that day on the beach Gillam had been even more persistent in his amorous endeavors, though kept it secret and subtle. Stealing kisses in private corners of the house, stroking her back when they were standing and waiting in lines at the market, taking her to new restaurants he found. Things of that nature.

Helia, however, was still completely out of her element with such affection. Her first instinct when a man would get friendly with her would be to squash that action quickly and with extreme prejudice. She could face down monsters with the ice cold confidence of a killer but a simple affectionate touch from Gillam would make her confidence fizzle into that of a timid rabbit. Part of her hated that feeling. Yet, the butterflies he could send through her chest when he touched her trumped all other feelings.

Still...her feelings were private and no one knew she and her apprentice were now becoming much closer than that.

“When you gonna bed dat one, Hell Girl?” Bucky asked so suddenly it made Helia drop the whetting stone in her hand.

Her face was a red fire now. The muscled, ebony-skinned man chortled at her reaction.

“Don’t tink I evva see ya blush so much, Hell Girl. Must like dat one a lot.” He poked more.

“Bucky...shut...the fuck...up.” She warned slowly as her face burned more.

Helia dropped her head, pretending to look for her dropped whetting stone. She didn’t know how Bucky figured it out so quickly, but she didn’t need everyone to know about it. Bucky loved to gossip.

“Nothing is going on! Don’t you have a lot of work to do?” she hissed.

He laughed quietly, “I was born Hell Girl, but not yesterday.” He made a gesture in the direction Gillam left, “Ya wanna take dat one a’fore anotha woman does.”

Helia was seconds from smacking her father’s employee upside his head and reiterating his need to shut his mouth when Lachlan called her from the back.

She gave Bucky a warning point, “Dad just saved your life, Bucky.”

Not fazed by her threats (one of many he’d received), Bucky chuckled to himself as she retreated to the back.

“Yeah, Dad?” she called back, but halted when she spotted Gillam just casually sitting across from him at the worktable.

Lachlan leaned a bit in his chair, eyed Helia, then eyed Gillam, and then eyed them both.

He gestured at Gillam, “Tell her what you just asked me.”

The disguised fae slowly turned to Helia, “I...merely asked your father if it was all right if I court you with the intent of marriage.”

Helia became a frozen statue. She forgot to blink for a long time until her eyelids flapped rapidly.

“M-marriage?!” she squeaked.

Gillam nodded sincerely, “I merely wanted him to know my intentions are true and I mean to take this relationship seriously.”

Lachlan pointed his finger back and forth to the pair, “So you haven’t proposed...you’re just asking to court her toward that end?”

“Exactly.” Gillam made eye contact with Lachlan again.

Helia’s mind was shorting out, ”MARRIAGE!?”

The red bearded man leaned back in his chair and shrugged, “She’s far too old and independent to need my permission for such things.”

“I thought it would only be right since you are her father...and I wasn’t sure if this would be approved of.” Gillam stated.

Lachlan gestured with a hand, “Like I said, she makes those decisions. But...I don’t dislike the idea.” He scoffed, “Her mother will be thrilled.”

Gillam nodded but noticed Lachlan’s eyes and head following movement behind him. He turned and Helia was gone.

“You’d...better talk to her it seems.” Lachlan made a face that said he didn’t envy the fae in that moment.

Taking the hint, Gillam got up and trotted out of the room to find her. The bell of the shop jingled and Helia’s red hair flashed out the door.

“Helia?” he called after her as he ducked through the shop to the door.

Outside there were a few people walking the street out front but Gillam scanned for Helia. His height and the distinct color of her hair made her easy to spot. He jogged after her quick marching pace.

“Helia! Wait!” he called after her.

At first, she acted like she didn’t hear him but soon she slowed, stepped off the streeth into a narrow alley, and turned to face him. Her face was not pleased. Gillam stopped.

“Are...you alright?” he inquired cautiously.

Helia gave him a look of pure irritation, “WHAT the fuck was that?!”

Gillam blinked, “I...was merely ensuring your father approved of me courting you. I understand that is common in human cultures. Is it not?”

“No! Well...YES...but- MARRIAGE?! You brought up marriage to my dad!? We’ve only been...THIS...for a couple weeks! And you’re bringing up marriage!? Holy shit!” she gestured wildly.

“Well...that is my intention...eventually.” He explained with a sincere voice.

Helia gave an exasperated sigh as she internally wondered why it was so hot outside, “Gillam...we don’t even know if this is going to work that long...do we?”

“Yes!” He seized her hands, eyes passionate and honest, “Of course, it will! I won’t give up on it as long as... you don’t?”

His fingers were firm yet gentle, soft. Helia shook minutely.

Her eyes got wet slightly as she looked away with rapid blinking, “I-I’m not...I’m not used to this stuff Gillam.”

His long hair fell from his shoulder as he tipped his head, “Stuff?”

Helia shook her head almost hating to say it, “No man has ever treated me like...like you do and...I-I don’t know how to...” her voice choked quietly.

Very gently one of his hands came up and cupped her cheek. She flinched slightly then balked that she reacted that way.

“See? I’m acting just...just...” she sounded so frustrated.

His thumb stroked her cheek as he shook his head, “I will be patient. I don’t care how long it takes.” A cheeky smile lifted his lips, “I’m a goddamned immortal, remember? I can wait.”

Helia blurted a quick laugh, eyes threatening to leak her tears, “You still sound funny when you curse.”

“You’re just a bad influence on your apprentice I guess.” He chuckled, lightly kissing her forehead before holding her close.