Alone in the Dark

Progress

Each day he made himself move further, pushed his body to build itself up. He had lost so much time, and the world had changed so much during his illness that he knew he didn't have the luxury of being gentle in his recovery. Shiar needed to be up and fighting, yesterday, and he was still having trouble getting up the energy to leave his room.

The first day he had Lyana move a chair a few feet from the bed, then further and further each subsequent day. Today he had made it to the table at the window and that was where Shiar sat, staring out into the ocean catching his breath. He was doing his best to shake off the weakness in his limbs, the cobwebs in his mind, and the itching pull that he was missing something that his body needed. He was coherent enough now to know that it was merely what his body thought it needed and he could and would survive without it. Even with the conscious understanding, every so often, his body would break out into sweats, tremors, or the sensation of his skin being raked by needles.

He knew that he didn't need the drug he had been administered and he didn't want it either; he had never truly wanted any of it. Something about that woman had infected him, addicting him to her very presence, and it was getting easier for him to bite back those desires and let the truth glare mercilessly back at him in his reflection.

Shiar had been overcome so easily and was now as weak as a babe.

Those fits would go away with the effort and after a couple hours of rest, he could eat and drink and perhaps walk back and forth around the room a couple times. He struggled with himself and his own arrogance, trying to come to terms with how easy it had been for him to be brought down so low.

But today, he was merely suffering from the strain of walking across the room and his own regrets at being useless when a war was brewing on the horizon.

"Lord Shiar" The words came softly from his doorway, and he turned to see Lady Wyn step in through the door, carrying a tray with his lunch. "I caught them bringing this to you. I was coming anyway, so I figured I'd join you, if that's alright?"

He nodded to her, pulling himself up out of the chair to stand as she approached. "Of course, M'Lady. It's been a couple days since I've seen you."

"Yes, sorry. Lyana doesn't really need me to help here anymore, so I've been keeping myself busy with other things." Wyn placed the tray down on the table and sat down on the other chair, smiling gently to him "You look well."

"I look like death." Shiar shook his head, smiling ruefully to her. "Lyana has told me all you have done here, with everything. And I am told that you are to be considered my defender and champion according to Sellexun law."

"You looked like death a month ago. Now you look well." She smiled sheepishly, shaking her head with a deep blush. "I wouldn't say that, I just did what any friend would do, given the situation."

"You saved my life and quite possibly my sisters, Caelur's or both. You should not be so depreciatory of your worth, m'lady." Shiar began eating slowly, glancing out the window to allow her to regain her composure. "You're leaving soon, I'm told."

When he turned back to look at her, Wyn smiled sadly, and nodded. "I'm afraid I haven't been forgiven for that. But yes. I wanted to go to Alliance, to help settle things there, perhaps be of more use to my friends, now that you're well and due to be following in another month or so."

"Forgiven?" He paused, glancing back to her curiously. When he noticed the pained look in her eyes, he smiled gently. "Oh, Caelur."

"Yes. He hasn't spoken to me since I told him I was going to be leaving. I can't figure out what offence I may have given him. Lyana has been little help in figuring it out, but I'm sure I must have missed something, that I offended him in some way." Wyn sighed softly, watching Shiar for a long moment.