Recovery at the Summer Cottage

James snuck through the kitchen early the next morning. He grabbed one of Cook's fresh jelly rolls on his way to the stable. He had gotten permission from his father to spend a week at the summer home. Part of him hoped it would be enough time to help Lilly get better. Help him shake off the feeling that there was more going on with Lilly than she was letting him see.

He ate the jelly roll then saddled Torta. He wound through the forest until he was close to the tree where he had last seen Lilly. He was surprised to see her kissing/or being kissed by another man. He stopped as she pushed him away. He caressed her cheek. She smacked his hand aside then turned away. She walked right into him.

He opened his mouth to ask her if she was okay, but closed it again when her fingers gripped the cloth of his tunic. 'Lilly, what's wrong?' James though asked instead, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close.

'Hey! Who are you?' the other man's voice asked, invading his mind.

'I could ask you the same, Sir,' James replied.

'I'm Korah, from the mountains. And you, Sir?'

'Prince James, from Citadel.'

'Prince, huh? Adremedian?'

'No. Human.' James shifted his attention to Lilly. 'Are you okay?'

She shook her head and he felt her threaten to collapse. James picked her up and turned to leave

'Hey,' Korah protested. 'Where are you taking her?'

James ignored the question and set Lilly on Torta's back before climbing up behind her. 'Farewell, Korah.'

James led Torta back to the path. Once on the path, Torta set out in a gallop. Lilly leaned against him, her eyes closed.

'Lilly, are you awake?'

'Yes James.'

'Who is Korah? What did he want?'

'He's the Adremedian from the mountains. He wanted...' She stopped and bent forward. Torta slowed then stopped.

'What's wrong?' James asked.

'What has he done?'

'Who?'

'Me,' Korah said, coming up beside them.

'How did you get here?' James asked.

'I ran,' Korah scoffed. Then he held out a hand for Lilly. 'Come, my dear. You're ready.'

'I'll die if I agree to submit to you!' she replied.

Then with a single touch, Torta leaped away.

James tried to get Torta to stop since Lilly remained bent over, in what he thought was pain, but Torta ignored him. He glanced over his shoulder once and could see that Korah still pursued them. How could he run so fast? He was almost beside them when James heard Lilly's voice.

'By all that is just and true, imprison Korah to his place until Justice is satisfied.'

Korah disappeared from sight and Lilly slid forward a little more and James had to adjust his grip on her to keep her from falling under Torta's hooves. Her body relaxed and she slipped into unconsciousness. Torta slowed to a walk for the last five miles of the trip. Lilly's reaction to Korah had surprised him. What had he wanted of Lilly that she would refuse? What was it that it would kill her? Torta stopped in front of the summer home and James carefully slid Lilly to the ground before getting off Torta. When he reached down to pick her up, her hand slid through the grass and her eyes opened.

'So soft,' she said, a soft smile crossing her lips.

'The bed is softer.'

Her smile faded. 'No. It's suffocating.' Her eyes met his briefly, before turning back to the grass.

James didn't like what he thought he saw and he gently turned her chin so she would look at him. Her dark green eyes were darker, almost as if they had some brown or black mixed in. Dark circles surrounded her eyes and gave them a sunken appearance in her light colored face. The contrast was enough that it aged her about five years.

'How are you feeling?' he thought asked.

'Better, now that Korah is gone.'

'What did he want?'

Lilly closed her eyes and tears leaked out. 'That which is Forbidden when an Adremedian is sick or refuses the first contact.'

'Which is?' he asked, sensing that there was more to know about the Adremedians than he had found in the books at the castle.

She shook her head slightly.

James gave her a nod of understanding then took her inside.

In the sitting room, he laid her on one of the couches. It wasn't as soft as the bed, but it seemed fine to her.

James took her hand in his. 'Would you like something to eat?'

'Not yet. Sleep is what is needed most right now.'

'All right.' Then James left to gather the others.

No one was to speak or whisper in or near the sitting room. They could speak freely in the kitchen and outside, provided Lilly stayed in the sitting room. But the rest of the summer home was to remain silent so Lilly could recover.

While Lilly slept, James sat in the study looking over book titles and flipping through some of them. None really piqued his interest until he picked up an old worn book. Inside he found more information about Adremedians. He was so caught up in his reading that he hadn't noticed Lilly had come in and lit a lamp so he could continue reading. It wasn't until one of the maids brought food in that he looked up. Lilly came from one of the dark corners and knelt on the floor by the table.

'You can sit by me,' he told her.

She refused politely then ate the fruit and vegetables, leaving the meat alone.

James didn't ask her about it, though he was curious. He also noticed that she ate very little compared to the courtiers at home. When she was done, she returned to the dark corner from whence she came. He finished eating then took the lamp to find her. She was sitting by the window watching the moon. It was full. She watched until it seemed to reach the top of the window. Then she excused herself and went outside. He watched her through the window. At first she seemed to walk in a random pattern, but the grass lay flattened where she stepped instead of springing back up.

When she was finished, she stood at its center. Little lights of all colors rose from the symbol she had created. The colors moved in a slow circle around her. Lilly raised her hands and it looked like she held the moon for just a moment. The lights formed into circles of the same color, around her, from her head to her feet. Then they moved in opposite directions from the one on either side of them. They weaved throughout each other before returning to the original formation with more speed. Soon James couldn't see her at all. The symbol in the grass seemed to glow and all the colored rings disappeared, one by one. What were the colors? What did they do?

Once all the colors were gone, the grass stood up again, and Lilly fell to the ground. He ran to get her, leaving the lamp in the corner. But when he got to the door, she was already sitting up. Her arms wrapped around her legs as she stared out into the darkness. James watched her for a minute then walked out to her.

'James, why are you doing this?' she asked as he sat beside her.

'What do you mean?'

She turned to look at him. 'Why are you helping me? My illness is of my own doing.'

'You intrigue me.'

Lilly felt his arm move behind her and he sat a little closer. 'Do not confuse intrigue with lust, Prince.' Then she stood and disappeared inside.

He sighed. While it was true he found her beautiful, he was only conscious of his desire to know more about her people. He had brought her here to make sure she was comfortable as she got better. He lay down on the ground and watched the moon. Were Humans and Adremedians all that different? The way they spoke to each other was different and how they seemed to connect to the world around them also varied a little. However, when it came to their bodies, they seemed very much the same. He knew they reproduced—created replacements when one of them died. Wouldn't it stand to reason that because they were Human in form their reproductive process would be the same, if not very similar? As he pondered and continued his watch of the moon, he fell asleep.