Disarray

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-Three

A loud banging on the door awoke Aden, and he sat upright, frightened by the rude awakening. Fear gripped his heart with its cold fingers. “What if Raelein is dead?” he thought, horrified. Several thoughts shot through his mind, each one bearing a terrifying possibility.

          “A moment!” He shouted, silencing the incessant pounding. Aden scrambled to get out of his sleeping furs, which he was still tangled in. He slammed onto the ground, unable to function with both the sleeping fur wrapped around his legs, and the panic that made him fumble. His shoulder throbbed from the abrupt impact, and he felt nauseous with both worry and his sudden awakening.

          “Are you alright?” A voice called out. Aden ignored him, and focused on detangling his limbs. When he finally broke free, he struck his thigh on the table.

          Aden muttered a curse, it seemed everything was going wrong, and he’d only been awake a few minutes.

          He flung open the door, ignoring the miniscule injuries.

          “What is it?” He asked, in utter distress about what his answer might be.

          “It is Rylan,” the guard replied. A cold shiver shuddered down his spine, spiked with terror.

          “It would be best if you spoke with him,” he finished, sounding more casual than urgent. Nonetheless, Aden hastily strode down the hall toward the staircase. Though the guard didn’t seem desperate, he still was quite eager to know what caused the elf to come get him.

          Aden didn’t bother acknowledging the second guard; he was too focused on making sure Rylan was okay. He couldn’t lose his only friend, not when he was needed most.

          He burst in the room, and was relieved to see Rylan alive. He closed the door behind him, and wondered for but a moment why the guard had come to get him.

          “Aden, my friend,” Rylan said, making no effort to suppress the joy on his face. He stood, in utter unbelief. He had dreamed of this moment for so long, it no longer seemed possible.

          “You remember?” Aden asked quietly. He didn’t want to believe it, for fear of it not being true.

          “I remember.” Rylan answered, laughing. Aden embraced him, the shock of the news wearing off. Unspeakable elation filled his tired heart, and revived his weary mind with joy. He laughed with happiness, and continued to stare at him, in awe that his memories had returned. Rylan smiled at his reaction, and chuckled slightly. Then, his brief moment of cheerfulness was extinguished, and his expression changed to concern. Aden was still euphoric, but partially grim, for he knew exactly what Rylan was going to say next.

Rylan cleared his throat, he had so many things he wished to speak to Aden about, but he was unable to concentrate, he was too concerned about Raelein to focus. He was eager to know she was okay, but he was apprehensive, for it was more likely that she wasn’t.

          “Is Raelein alright?” he asked, unable to bear not knowing any longer. Rylan loved being able to say her name again and actually know the person it belonged to, it was a privilege he now appreciated.

          He could see the joy in Aden’s eyes disappear into sorrow, and he became terrified of the answer.

          “She is sick…” He answered hesitantly.