Chapter 22 : Siegfried de Chauvegné

Meltif was in bed, feeling very pained.

His whole body was burning. He tried calling for his wife, but not even a faint sound came out.

At this moment, Meltif felt frustrated.

He is blind, and he hated that fact.

He hated showing his weakness, he hated that he couldn't do anything, nor see anything.

He always had to rely on Diana, his wife.

He did not know when it all changed, but he knew she wouldn't come back. He heard her walking around, the rustling of her bag, and the creaking of the door.

Meltif knew Diana left.

He was left in bed with a high fever. He could hear the rain outside, the thunder booming in the background.

He thought that maybe he will die today.

He was ready to die, to welcome death with open arms.

But then he heard the door being opened. The wet squelch of someone stepping forward. Meltif heard the silent thud of someone kneeling beside him.

His heart was pounding, synchronously beating with the aching pain in his head. Meltif did not know who this person was. He couldn't distinguish if this was Siegfried or if this was his wife, Diana.

It couldn't be his wife, he thought. Diana already left.

Meltif felt a towel being softly rubbed on his face. The person dabbed the towel gently, softly, full of love.

He was reminded of the woman who left him just now.

Diana was always crude with her words, but whenever he was sick or in pain, she treated him gently.

Meltif couldn't help but miss her.

He desperately convinced himself that she wouldn't come. Meltif did not want any false hope. He did not want to rile himself up just to end up with nothing.

He did not want to do it ever again.

A hand was placed on his forehead. He thought that the hands felt familiar.

'Diana...?'

His heart beat faster, the thought of Diana coming back eased him and troubled him at the same time.

Meltif shook his head. He refused to hope.

'It's impossible. Stop.'

The hand left his forehead and proceeded to stroke his hair. It calmed him, the pain he felt lessening.

He heard a voice, a familiar voice.

"Don't worry, I'm here. No one can hurt you now."

It was Diana. She came back.

Meltif could hear her voice shaking as if she was crying. He can feel the bed becoming wet as Diana knelt beside him.

'Is she crying?'

Meltif knew Diana as a woman who does not cry. Even if someone slandered her, she will not cry.

But here she was crying by his side.

'Why? Why? Why?'

He wanted to ask.

'Why are you crying?'

Meltif heard her voice once again.

"Heal."

Did she want to heal him? Maybe that's why she came back. She felt obligated to, maybe that's it.

He felt a little disappointed at the thought.

Meltif's large hands were grabbed by Diana, her grip tight. He could feel her palms were cold, her hands shaking. He felt that it was too icy, it made him worried. But his heart felt warm by the thought that she was worried about him.

"I do not need much. But please,"

He stiffened. Her voice sounded so weak, her voice breaking. This was the first time he heard her voice like this. All he heard was her shouts, her screams, and her shrieks. Never would he imagine to hear her plead.

"Please give me the strength to be with him... and to heal him of his pains."

His heart ached. Maybe this was the true her.

Meltif speculated on the thought that crossed his mind.

He thought that maybe, the woman that he always listened to was just a woman who was trying to act strong. Maybe Diana was acting strong for his sake, for him not to worry about anything else. Maybe she was like this because she didn't want to be weak in front of him. He wondered if it was because of all the responsibilities she had to face.

Maybe because he was blind, she decided to do everything by herself.

Meltif felt the guilt sinking deep within his heart. He thought of her as an uncultured woman, and all the bad things he could think of. But all she ever did was for him, only for him.

'Shut up.'

He felt smothered. All these thoughts pissed him off, more so on his heart for being easily swayed.

'It's all lies. Lies.'

Meltif felt the pain go away, his body feeling renewed. He felt great like himself before when he was not yet blind, he felt the vigor that he always had when he was still a commander.

'What is this feeling?'

He asked himself surprised. His rigid body became relaxed, the tendons and muscles that once ached were now relieved of the tension. The ache in his head now gone.

He suddenly heard coughing, a dry low pitched groan that sounded rough and painful came out of Diana's lips. The grip of her hands on his weakening.

Meltif suddenly sat up and opened his eyes, gripping her hands tightly.

"Diana!"

He expected blackness, nothingness when he opened his eyes.

But what he saw stunned him.

A huge canopy bed with white sheets greeted his eyes. It was very dark yet Meltif could still see clearly.

He can clearly see the woman beside him.

The woman had soft brown locks that are wildly sprawled on her face. She had long thick lashes that made her look all the more enchanting. Her hands were gripping his own as she knelt on the ground.

"Dia... na?"

On her other hand was a red-stained towel. His eyes trailed from the red stain on the towel, to her dress, and to her mouth.

'She coughed out blood.'

"Diana!"

Meltif scurried away from his bed and knelt beside Diana. He supported her knees and head as he carried her to the bed.

Meltif softly placed Diana on the bed, worry sketched on his face. He sat beside her, looking at her with guilt. He intended to stroke her hair, but Meltif hesitated.

He sighed. It did not feel right for him to touch her without her knowledge, but at the back of his mind, he reasoned with himself.

'This is your lawfully wedded wife, why would you hesitate?'

That's the point. They were only wedded by law, no intimacy nor love for one another. Spoke only of empty vows brushing past through an ear to the other.

Meltif's silver eyes did not stray from the brown-haired woman on the bed. He could see her pale lips opening slightly. The rising and falling of her chest as she breathed through her mouth.

For the first time after that horrid day, he can now properly see. Meltif did not know how Diana did it. But he knew, seeing her look so pale along with a hefty amount of blood on the towel, it must have come with a high price.

The thought of magic popped out of his mind, then quickly dispelled the moment he clicked his tongue.

Is he an idiot? No. Is he a lunatic? Not either. It was an incredulous thought worth laughing over.

In this world, even miracles do not exist.

But what of his eyes? he thought. What happened to the eyes that saw only the dark depths of the abyss?

What happened to his useless and vindictive eyes that once lost its spark?

Meltif, with his eyesight completely healed, decided to look at the woman who stayed by his side all this time. Diana looked very peaceful in her sleep. But seeing the dark bags underneath her eyes along with her sunken cheeks made Meltif bit his lip hard, irritated with himself.

There was still blood around her mouth, her lips dry and chapped. Meltif tenderly wiped it with his sleeve. He shivered as he felt her soft lips, only a thin cloth separating it from his skin.

His heart beat faster as he looked at his wife. Her long chestnut-brown hair looked a bit messy, seemingly being all around the place. Her long lashes were wet with her own tears. She looked a little bit thin, her dress a bit large on her. Her whole body was shivering, a bit damp from the rain.

Meltif's harsh gaze wavered as he looked at this splendid woman. She looked so weak that it hurt him to look at her any longer.

Meltif turned his gaze away and lifted himself out of bed. He will go and fetch some clean towels and clothes.

Unexpectedly, he stopped and looked back at Diana.

She was holding his hand with all her might, her half-lidded eyes were filled with tears spilling from her blue orbs. Her lips were trembling as she opened her mouth.

"Don't..."

"...leave me."

Meltif looked at Diana, astonishment in his eyes. He felt electrified from her touch, captivated by her baby blue eyes.

They say love touches you on fortuitous moments. The moment you felt your soul tickle is the moment you start to fall in love.

And that's what he felt.

His soul tickled, unknowingly.