Celandine's grandeur bled all throughout its grounds, and the castle's infirmary was no different.
The floors were pale marble, the three beds made of deep mahogany carved into elegant, swirling designs. A stained glass depiction of the god Kiro, the mythical founder of all the city-states, glared at Aldric from its place high up on the wall. The god's arms were raised above His head, a sphere of light levitating between His open hands. His eyes were closed, head ducked, as if He were in the middle of performing a miracle.
Aldric sighed, letting his gaze return to Chike, who lay asleep in one of the beds. He could certainly use a miracle.
It was over, he thought. Vernon was dead, the war was stopped; by some strange bout of luck they had managed to make it home alive. And yet Aldric had the undeniable, itching feeling that nothing would ever be like it was before they left Naino, that something had changed, that they had changed. It chased him like a gruesome night terror, its intangible claws groping for him in the dark.
He remembered the moment he'd seen the white flag whip up, rippling in the wind. He'd clutched the ship's railing, half in a daze, at once so relieved and so utterly terrified. He still felt like that now.
A brief knock sounded on the door, and a moment later, Jem stepped into the room. She looked—clean, he supposed, her blouse and shorts pressed of wrinkles and a new, well-polished pair of boots on her feet. She'd swept her thick dark hair back from her face, and at last she no longer needed the eyepatch, though a fine scar decorated the skin just below her lower lash line.
"Hey," she said, almost whispering. She cast a concerned glance at Chike. "He hasn't woken up yet?"
Aldric shook his head. Twenty-four hours had passed since they'd brought Chike in, and he'd lost consciousness at some point during the warming process. He hadn't opened an eye since.
"What are the others up to?" Aldric asked as Jem dragged a stool over.
"Kalindi's in a meeting with her mother," said Jem, and when Aldric widened his eyes, Jem laughed uncomfortably. "I know. I don't even want to think about what's going on there."
"Zuri? Sorin?"
"Zuri said she needed to run an errand. Sorin went with her."
Aldric winced. "They just stitched him up last night, and he's already out and about running errands?"
Jem shrugged. "He is dense. We knew that already."
"Yes," Aldric admitted. "I suppose we did."
For a moment, neither of them spoke, and Aldric let the silence thicken, taking in a deep breath, inhaling the scents of clove essence and stringent disinfectant. His nostrils tingled with it; he felt like sneezing.
"Well, Mr. Finck," said Jem, leaning forward. "What will you do now?"
He pushed out a long breath. "An excellent question. I would tell you if I knew."
Jem frowned at him, and then she was reaching for his hand, closing it tightly in her own. Her skin was warm, comforting. He felt grounded. At home. "You can do whatever you want, Aldric," she said. "Do things you've never done. See things you've never seen. You have your freedom now. Go be who you want."
"Am I?" Aldric asked. "Am I free?"
He wanted to be, more than anything, but he couldn't—not when he'd left Aurora there, abandoned her in that frigid house on that frigid mountain. How could he be free when his sister wasn't?
Jem started to answer, but was interrupted by a loud groan from Chike's direction. Aldric and Jem both jumped, releasing each other, flying to Chike's side.
"Chike!" Jem said. "You're awake."
He groaned again, staring blankly at the ceiling. "Evidently."
Aldric studied him, his brow knotted with concern. "How do you feel?"
"Warmer," he said, "but other than that, sort of like shit. Also..."
Chike closed his eyes, breathing in a shaky sigh. The bedsheets moved; Aldric could see him trying to wiggle his fingers, could hear the subtle groan of pain as he realized. Jem and Aldric shared a sorrowful look over Chike's head.
Aldric started, "Chike..."
"I can't sew anymore like this, can I?" Chike said, and laughed, though the noise was bitter, uncharacteristically so. "A tailor without fingers. Have you ever met one?"
"They were frozen through, Chike," Aldric said with a mournful duck to his head. "I'm sorry. It's—"
Chike opened his eyes again, just to glare at him. "If you say it's your fault, I'll kick you in the face."
Jem was grinning like a fool. "Oh, don't you just love it when he's violent?"
"You kept me alive, Aldric," Chike went on. "If you hadn't done everything you could, I might have lost more than my fingers. And Jem—you and Kalindi saved my life. So all I can do is thank you. All of you."
The grin on Jem's face faltered. "Chike, I..."
"Don't feel sorry for me," he said, laying his head back down on the pillow, his eyes returning to the ceiling. "Please. I couldn't stand that. I will be fine. You know I'll be fine."
Aldric did know that, and in part that was the tragedy of it. He would be fine; he would recover. But fine was never the end goal. It was always, always a compromise. Never asked for, always settled for. And Chike deserved more than that.
Another knock on the door kept Aldric from voicing any of this, and soon Kalindi joined them. She'd dropped her traveling apparel for a long, gossamer gown, the white fabric threaded with long gold stripes that matched the glittering crown of leaves upon her head.
"Princess," Chike said. "You look well."
"You don't have to be so formal with me just because we're back in Naino now," Kalindi said with a sigh, shutting the door behind her. She turned back to Chike, winking at him. "We're friends, are we not?"
Aldric could have imagined it, but he swore he saw Chike blush.
"I'm glad to see you're awake," Kalindi said, fidgeting with her fingers. "And about your hands, I'm—"
Chike was shaking his head before she could even get the words out. "I'm alive because of you. I can't ask for more than that."
Kalindi looked at him for a lingering moment, as if trying to convince herself of his words. Then at last she nodded, and turned towards Aldric. "Aldric," she said. "Do you have a moment?"
Aldric tried to disguise his alarm, but was likely unsuccessful. He nodded at the princess, then got up, following her out into the hallway.
Somehow the vacancy of the hall—their only company three elegant marble statues set up in front of the windows and a few guards standing at their posts—made their aloneness more intense, less easy to forget. Aldric coughed and rolled his shoulders back, pretending like his mind wasn't racing.
"First off, I'd like to congratulate you," Kalindi said, her many-ringed hands clasped properly in front of her. "As promised, you and Chike have both been acquitted of any and all charges against you—I made sure of it. You're a free man."
There was that word again. Aldric gave an awkward duck of his head. "Thank you, Kalindi."
"Also, this came for you," she said, and thrust an envelope at him, the old paper a faded and mottled brown. "It took me a while to figure it out, actually, because it's addressed to one of your aliases."
Aldric's brow furrowed, but he took the envelope, scrutinizing it. Sure enough, the name across the front wasn't his, exactly: Innis Meigs was scrawled in perfect cursive, and when he read it, Aldric's breath caught in his throat.
It was the name he'd given Aurora all those months ago. If you ever need to reach me, he'd said, call on me with this name, okay?
"It's not—" He sputtered, looking up at Kalindi again. "Is it?"
Her lips snuck up into a gentle smile. "It was sent from somewhere in Meathe, Aldric."
Aldric clutched the envelope tighter, his fingers suddenly unsteady. Kalindi sighed and lifted a hand, hesitating a moment before she set it down on his shoulder. "My mother is planning a gala to celebrate our safe return. I'm told she's making an important announcement at the event, so you'll want to be back for that," said Kalindi, holding his gaze, her brown eyes the warmest Aldric had ever seen them. "And Aldric?"
He swallowed. "Yes?"
She ducked her head, her gaze sliding away for a second. "In case I never said it before," she began, and now her eyes flitted up again, "I'm sorry. I misjudged you terribly, and I know I said some awful things to you because of it. Would you find it in your heart to forgive me?"
Aldric paused, unsure for a second if she was serious. Then he remembered who he was talking to.
He smiled, patting her hand where it rested on his shoulder. "Only if you can forgive me as well," he said, and when Kalindi blinked, dumbfounded, he couldn't fight a smirk. "The misjudging was quite mutual, I'm afraid. I just wasn't nearly as vocal about it."
Kalindi feigned a gasp, stepping back. "How dare you!"
"Oh, I know. Aren't I so evil?"
"The evilest."
Kalindi snorted, and Aldric smiled, and soon the hall was filled with a brief bout of laughter, turning the heads of the stoic guards around them. When he could breathe again, Aldric said, "Really, Kalindi. Of course I'll forgive you. After all, we're friends, are we not?"
Kalindi blushed, and this time Aldric was quite sure of it.
"Open your letter already," she grumbled, going for the infirmary door again. "I'll see you at the gala."
The door echoed shut behind her, and Aldric stood there, the letter still clutched against his chest. He lingered for a moment, waiting for his heart to stop hammering, but it never did. So, the excitement flooding his limbs, he tore the envelope open and unfolded the letter.
Dear Innis,
I am safe. Come and find me.
With love,
Rory
He flipped the page over, and written on the other side was an address.
DISCLAIMER
***All rights to this original work belong to J. Nicole. The content above is exclusively licensed for use by Wat* pad -© _jnicole_ 2021. All rights reserved. Should this content be posted at any other site or location it is blatant plagiarism and copyright infringement and should be reported as such. I do not consent to this story being reproduced, copied, plagiarized or stolen in any way or function. Thank you.***