The Princess and the Bard (Royals of the Realms #1)

Chapter Sixteen: 'Do You Trust Me?'

A burst of pride sparked in Alori's chest. She'd been right!

Wait... what had she been right about?

Everything was becoming foggy. Her arms and legs tingled. Her thoughts twisted and tangled around one another, until they were little more than a low volume drone.

Hira. The name sounded familiar, but Alori couldn't remember where she'd heard it before.

But Thelix, that was someone she'd never forget. Her fingers curled, rage bubbling from a deep well she hadn't thought existed in this listless void. It was the only thing she could feel, a thin band of anger and hatred, stark against the emptiness surrounding her. It kept her from succumbing to the numbing pull of sleep.

"You'll help me defeat him?" she whispered into the twilight.

"Yes," Hira said with greater clarity. "We will all help you. Your fiancé is right here, holding your hand. He wants you to know that he loves you and won't let you go."

"Who?" Alori rubbed her shrouded eyes. Everything was darkness except the receding spot of fading light.

The surface was so far away, now. How could she ever reach it?

"Taelan. He's right here, by your side."

Alori was enveloped by a comforting aroma of cinnamon and fir trees. The shroud covering her body disintegrated in a cloud of smoke, and she'd swear she saw a pair of gray eyes flash in the distance, above a shy dimple on a pale face. 

A soft melody caressed her bare, tepid skin, like ribbons of warm silk raising her effortlessly upward, as if the music had come to life to protect her.

Taelan. Her gentle, quiet bard. Her thoughtful composer. Of course he was there, beyond the void, waiting for her. 

A sweet yearning sensation unfurled low in Alori's belly as she rose toward the surface. Unlike anger, this gentle, fathomless emotion held the power to change her fate.

Alori ascended inexorably through the abyss, as an air bubble might rise to the surface of a pond. She didn't know what awaited her on the other side– pain or victory or defeat. For some reason, she still couldn't remember the events that had led up to this moment. But it didn't matter, because with Taelan beside her– and with his music in her heart– she felt as if she could face anything.

Always. He'd said that once, hadn't he? That he'd always wanted her. 

"I'm coming back," she whispered. "Tell him I'm coming back."

♪♫♪

Daylight glowed like embers behind her eyelids, bright and unforgiving. Alori attempted to bring a hand up to shield her face but someone intervened, grabbing her wrist. The pads of their fingertips grazed her delicate skin, their touch light and careful, like they worried she might break.

"Taelan?" 

It felt like someone had scraped nails down her throat. She sounded like an old crone, withered and creaky.

"Shhh," he murmured, brushing hair off her forehead.

The faint scent of the outdoors touched her nose. The brim of a fuzzy cap tickled her eyelashes, blocking out the harsh light. More of Taelan? Good. She wanted as much of him as she could get. 

She wanted him to know he was the reason she hadn't sunk into oblivion.

"Try not to talk. We're inside the cottage, and Hira is still healing your... wound." His voice shook with emotion that broke her heart. His tears were her fault. She'd caused this.