25 After The Long Sleep

A feast laid upon me, and in response, a drool drips from my mouth. Asleep for almost a week, no wonder why I'm starving like I could finish a horse, leaving its bones shiny clean.

From that statement, which I swore was made in my thoughts, I acquire a shocking gasp from somebody. My goofy grin fades, turning my head to face Rhys, "what?"

"You'd eat a horse?!" he exclaims with wide astounded, beady eyes. Did I say my thoughts out loud?

"What- no, it was just-" I pause; my brain doesn't seem to be working right. Probably the cause of getting hit on the head, "it was just an expression," I reply, calming him. and he nods slowly, but his eyes giving me the look of suspicion.

I heaved a breath of relief while my eyes travel back to the food laid upon me. The pain that I feel in my head isn't disappearing, but my hunger is more unbearable, so I start digging in. Slurping the hot soup helps soothe my mind and enjoy the savory chicken breast with vegetables on the side.

Since white curtains block my surroundings, there isn't any window, so I don't know what time it already is. This meal seems to be a meal for lunch.

"By the way," Rhys, who never left his eyes off me, straightened up, "why hasn't Blossom come to visit?"

"What are you to her that she should do that?" he laughs while my face drops.

He notices it, and he waves his hand, "I'm only kidding. She's been feeling under the weather for a few days now, locking herself inside her room."

This shocking news made me drop my spoon on the metal tray, causing a loud bang. My expressions turn from shock to worry. Blossom must be very sick to stay in her bedroom for days. I wonder what had happened?

"Don't worry, she's fine; someone goes up to her room once and a while to bring her food to eat and her medicine."

"I see," I say while nodding my head. I hope that Blossom will be better soon; she's someone needed here.

I place my utensils neatly on my clean plate with a bright smile on my face feeling relieved and utterly full. The food helped me regain my energy. I feel like I can start training again. I do miss archery training, and I should have my bow made.

Patiently, I wait for the pixie to collect the tray of dishes, and as she disappears out of the curtains, and with that, I began to move out of my bed.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Rhys questions behind me.

"I'm gonna go to my room and get changed so I can train archery," I reply to him, but he pulls my arm before I could stand up, sitting me back down on the bed.

"You need to rest for a few more days, Judith's instructions."

Judith, that must be the elf who takes care of sick and injured creatures here.

I shake my head, "No, I can't stay here doing nothing," recalling what I've been thinking while having my meal; I try to tell Rhys, "I want to go back to the Town of Tinkers."

He frowns and folds his arms, "and why is that?"

"Because she knows," I glance up the ceiling debating whether I should tell him, "she knows how to make weapons," is what ended up coming from my lips.

He laughs at my response, "you want to have your bow made, right? It's fine. I'll have one of the knights make it for you and deliver it first thing in the morning."

"No, no, I want Frida to make it for me," I bit on my lip; this isn't a lie. Frida made my mother's weapon, and I'd want her to make mine too.

"You can't go back there," he says softly, looking down to his palms.

My eyes widen, "why not?"

"Blossom said to keep you here for it's unsafe, Beorene creatures are after you, and we haven't concluded why. And what happened that night-"

"What happened that night?" I bet him to it, unknowingly raising my voice, which made Rhys flinch. I swallow and eased myself before continuing, "where did you go? You disappeared."

"While I went to get the lanterns, I saw a glimpse of one of the Kobolds sneaking behind the stalls. No Beorene creatures are allowed in that town, so I followed it."

He sighs in exasperation, "only I didn't know that it was leading me away from you so its other friends could capture you."

"Look, Rose, we don't know why those creatures are hunting you, but while we're still investigating this, I suggest that you stay in this castle where you're protected," he discloses in all seriousness before he rises from his seat.

"Where are you going?"

"The knights are doing rotations around the castle to spot sighting of any Beorene creatures," he fixes his armor, "the security is doubled now that Blossom isn't feeling well and that you're being hunted."

All I could do is nod sadly, and I watch him walk out of the curtains, leaving me alone. It's so quiet; I wonder if I'm the only patient in this room. The last time I was here, Faye was on the other bed beside me.

Now that I'm alone, my head is bombarded with thoughts and questions. The first thought I'd tackle would be why the Beorene creatures are after me.

What would be their purpose to pursue me? Did they know that Rosetta's daughter had come to the Center Realm? Rosetta, the woman that took down their beloved queen, the evil darkness of Beorene.

What if they want revenge, and that revenge would be slaughtering me in front of dozens of horrifying creatures. Chills run up my spine, having to think about that scene playing out. I wonder how their kingdom is like; is it dark and scary like how books perceive sinister empire to be.

If that's the case, then I won't be stubborn and obediently follow Rhys' command. I'm lucky to have the beings of Dazia ensuring my safety. If I'd be left alone in this realm, I would have been toast from the very beginning.

How blessed I am to still be alive.

Though, the dream that I had is still bothering me somehow. It's pushing me to gather more information about my mother. This is why I want to go back to that town, to Frida. Also, to find out how she is doing, I vaguely remember that she was hurt.

I lay back on my bed, thinking about how I forgot to ask Rhys about her. Maybe when he comes back to visit me and I'll ask him. I hope that she's okay.

When everything cools down around here, I'll find my way back there. Faye and Blossom are my mother's closest friends, but Frida seems to be the person my mother would entrust her secrets with.