A Tale That Dawned [Book 4 of Selvina's Tale series]

Epilogue

Selvina temporarily pushed aside the thoughts of Faeryum and focused on her mother. "I feel...ok, I guess. I'm tired and a bit sore but like, ok, I think. What happened, mom? Why am I in a hospital?"

"Selvina, dear," her mother started, "you collapsed on stage! You were walking out as the Snow Queen, all dressed up and beautiful, and then you threw your arms up as if you were blinded by something and fell. You've been in a coma ever since. No one could make any sense of what had happened but you're back! It's a miracle! I prayed every day and finally my prayers were answered!"

Selvina furrowed her brows in thought, reflecting on what her mother had said. She had collapsed into a coma? She remembered that moment on the stage keenly. It had indeed happened how her mother had described. She had walked on, suddenly been flashed by a blinding light, and then appeared in Faeryum at the same time she must have collapsed.

Selvina's heart wrenched and her eyes widened. Did that mean....Did that mean Faeryum didn't exist? Did that mean that nothing she had done there and none of the people she had met were real? Had her adventures and trials in Faeryum simply been a dream? Had Red, Cindy, Belle, Tinkerbelle, Hook, Wendy, Bigbad, and the others been a dream? Had Jack been a dream? Had it all been nothing but a dream?

Her destiny as the shield of Faeryum was false then, was it? It had never been real. But no, how could that be? She had been injured multiple times in Faeryum. You could never be physically hurt in dreams. That's how it worked, isn't it? She had thought Faeryum to be a dream when she had first entered it but it had proven itself to be quite real. It couldn't be a dream...

Selvina looked at the window, gazing outside to a small courtyard where a few trees grew and some empty benches sat unused. Judging by the colour of the leaves on the trees it was still summer.

"How long have I been in a coma?" she asked her mother while she still looked outside.

"Almost three months, dear," her mother replied quietly, still smiling and brushing her hand on her daughter's cheek, neck, and arm, as if assuring herself that she was real.

Just about the same length of time I've been in Faeryum, Selvina thought worriedly. It matched all too perfectly. Could it truly have been just a dream? The sensations, the feelings, the pain, the happiness, the love....

Had it all been nothing?

An image of Jack appeared in her mind, clear as day. Her heart warmed and she felt a pleasant tingle rush up her body at the memory of the young man she loved. Love couldn't be faked in a dream. Jack was real. He simply was.

He had to be...

The doctor suddenly rushed into the room, his eyes wide for a moment before he smiled and introduced himself. He asked Selvina how she was doing and she answered absentmindedly, her thoughts preoccupied.

"Can you tell me your name?" the doctor asked.

"Selvina Katarina Whitier," she replied flatly.

"How old are you, Selvina?"

"Sixteen..."

"What is your mother's name?"

"Sofia Whitier. Her maiden name is Alexeev."

"And your father's name?"

Selvina sighed, growing annoyed. "Allan Whitier. Are you done?"

"Do you know what day it is?" the doctor asked, ignoring her question.

"No, I have no idea. I just woke up!"

"Very good," the doctor said as he wrote things on a clipboard. "I will be right back." He then left the room, taking the nurse from before with him.