Creak felt the water cascade over her, pounding her every time she tried to breath. It was cold, so cold. She hadn't meant to fall in; she had just wanted to play with the fish. The current pulled her back under. Her lungs felt like they were going to explode. Her arms and legs were stiff with fatigue.
'No!' She thought as her head broke to surface and she swallowed down a few breaths. The water dragged her under once again.
'I can't breath!' Her mind screamed. 'Open your mouth anyway!'
She needed air, but there was only water. Her mouth burst open and all she got was water! It filled her lungs and went down into her stomach.
'Too much.' She felt her tears join the river that swallowed her whole. 'Where's the air?'
Her eyes rolled back into her head and her body flowed with the currents. It the calmer water she floated and washed to the river's small bank.
She was out cold, but her own body saved her. Her lungs heaved up the water until she woke gasping for air and coughing.
'I'm alive!' She crawled out of the water crying. 'I can breath!'
"It's a shame isn't it?"
Creak jumped and turned in a full circle desperately trying to find the voice's source.
"Who said that?" Her voice shook with fear as she peered into the night shadows.
A laughing filled Creak's head and she began to cry. It wouldn't go away. The nasty sound was trapped inside of her.
"Get out!" She screamed. "Get out of my head!"
The voice sounded amused. "I can't. I'm a part you now. You created me, Creak."
"If I created you than I can make you leave!" She screamed and clawed at her face. "Get out, get out, get out!"
The laughing continued while Creak screamed.
"Creak!" Her brother's voices sounded from the trees. "Creak, where are you!"
Stans burst through the trees, tears streaming down his soft, boyish face. His young, green eyes shone in the moonlight.
He ran to his sister and held her tight. "Oh, I thought I'd lost you!" He cried and held on to her like she might disappear. "I thought you were gone."
Creak looked at Stans with horror in her eyes. "It won't stop!"
Stans was shaking, but did his best to steady his voice. "What? What won't stop?"
"The voice!" Creak screamed. "She won't stop laughing! I can't get her out of my head!"
* * *
Creak awoke remembering the first time she had almost died. She had been six years old when she had been playing by the Rosella River with Stans. She had wanted to play tag with the fish when she had walked to far. The river's swift current had dragged her under and pulled her away from her brother. It was the night she had almost drowned; the same night Gorgos first appeared a year after their parents had left.
She had been granted another chance at life, but with a new burden.
Creak gasped as if water had filled her lungs. She whipped her head around, her eyes still swollen shut. She couldn't see! Where was she? Was she dead?
"Vern?" Her voice was scratchy and she felt the need to throw up. "Vern?"
She pushed herself into a sitting position and soft furs shifted underneath her. 'So I'm still alive?' She thought gripping the furs. Her arms and face burned, but it wasn't as bad as it had been before.
Someone must have heard her cries for help and come to save them. She could only hope Vern was still alive.
"Oh, oh!" A musical voice drifted through the air towards Creak. "Dear! Please don't move!"
Creak looked in the direction of the voice. She wished she could see, but her eyes had been bitten the worst. "Who are you?" She rasped.
"My name's Floral." A soft hand wrinkled with age, smoothed a cool paste over Creak's eyes. She flinched in surprise, but the paste was soothing and felt really good against her face. "Sorry I couldn't heal you sooner I had to tend to the Prince first."
Creak nodded. "No. Don't worry. I'm just glad to be alive."
Floral wrapped Creaks face in a weird feeling strip of cool cloth, leaving a small gap for her to breath through.
Floral then proceeded to paste her arms and wrap them up too.
"Finished." She spoke in a soft singsong voice. "Give it a day or two and you should be just fine. But I'm afraid you might scar a little."
"That's okay." Creak assured her. She had never really worried about her looks. Trying to stay alive was stressful enough.
She ran her hands along the furs, until she found the ground. "Where's Vern?" She asked gingerly pushing herself to her feet. Swaying she took her first step.
"Oh! Didn't I tell you to be careful!" Floral's arm wrapped around Creak's waste to keep her from falling. She smelled like a mix of spices and mints. It was the smell of medical supplies.
"Sorry." Creak mumbled. "Can you please take me to Vern?"
Floral sounded confused when she asked. "Vern?"
Creak nodded. The air smelled really wet and woody. It was humid, but not uncomfortably so. "The elf I was with. He's okay isn't he?"
Floral took in a sharp breath that had Creak thinking the worst had happened.
"He's not dead, is he?" She felt herself start to panic when Floral squeezed her.
"Oh, great stars above! No! Prince Forest is perfectly fine and healing quite quickly."
Creak felt her head spin with questions as she asked. "Please can you just take me to him?"
Floral slowly made Creak turn around. "I'm sorry the Prince is very busy. All his advisors want to talk to him and he really needs his rest."
Creak felt her voice crack. She didn't know what was happening. Prince Forest? Vern was a prince? He hadn't told her anything about his family or where he lived. She had never even thought to ask. "Please!" She screamed. Her head hurt and she just want to make sure her friend was okay. She wanted to ask him about his kingdom and why he had left. "I just want to see him."
Floral sounded frightened. "I'm sorry. I can't do anything."
Creak fell back down onto the fur bed, the fall sending pain through her. She never thought she would be so scared at Vern's safe place. She didn't know anyone. She didn't even know who Vern was.
'I can't see!' Her mind screamed. 'I would feel safer if I could only see!'
"For once I'd have to agree with you." Gorgos spat. "I don't like being blind. It makes me feel venerable and I don't like to be at the mercy of others."
"ơɧ, ıɬ'ʂ ŋơɬ ɬɧąɬ ცąɖ!" Angel sang. "ąɬ Ɩɛąʂɬ ῳɛ'ཞɛ ŋơɬ ɖɛąɖ!"
"Yeah," Creak said aloud. "We're still alive. What a joy."
"What was that?" Floral asked from the other side of the room.
Creak winced at her slip. "Oh, nothing!" She called and would have smiled if she could have.
"Creak!"
Creak jumped out of the bed and ran for where she guessed the door was before Floral could stop her.
"Vern!" She called running straight into a wall and bouncing to ground.
"Ouch." She mumbled picking herself up and feeling along the rough wall in a hurry. Floral was still so surprised she hadn't moved yet, but that would last long. Finding a quilted opening, Creak pushed her way out and into the dewy air.
"Creak!" She heard him closer now and picked up her pace. She found herself tripping and falling every second, covering herself in mud and leaves.
"Vern!" She yelled with her arms open. She wasn't sure where he was, but if he could see her then it wouldn't matter.
Arms wrapped around her, but it wasn't Vern. The smell of medicine surrounded her and Creak struggled.
"Let go of me!" She screamed as Floral dragged her back toward the infirmary.
"Oh!" She cried in frustration. "You've ruined your bandages. If you keep this up you'll never heal!"
"No!" Creak kicked and pulled at the arms around her. "Vern!"
Floral slapped her across the face. "Calm down, would you! And please show some respect! It's Prince Forest, not Vern!"
Creak felt the wind from the quilt door. 'I don't want to go back in there!' Her mind yelled in hatred. 'I want to see Vern! I need to see him!'
She didn't have a choice. Creak ripped the cloth from her mouth and bit Floral. The woman screamed and threw her to the ground. "I'm sorry."
Creak said as she scrambled away. "I really am."
Before Floral could recover, Creak ran with her hands out in front of her. "Vern!" She called and listened for his response.
"Creak." The answer came a whisper behind her and Creak found herself spinning around with a smile that looked more like a grimace.
Waving her hands through the air she felt for him, but found nothing. "Vern? Where are you? I can't see."
She turned in circles with her arms out, but all she heard was his laughing. "This isn't funny!" She lunged for where his laugh came from and fell through thin air.
Before she hit the ground, Vern's strong arms wrapped around her. He cradled her like she weighed nothing. She couldn't see his face, but from the way he tensed beneath her she had a feeling he could see her's.
His hand gently brushed the wrapping around her eyes. "What happened?"
Creak shook. "You passed out and I tried to drag you away, but the wasps got to me first. They bit my face up pretty good then left. I dragged you to the mountains before I passed out."
He squeezed her tightly against him. "I'm so sorry."
Creak hugged him even though it hurt her to do so. "Don't be, you saved my life... again."
Creak imagined Vern smile as he began to walk with her in his arms. "And you saved me right back."
Creak tried to smile. "What can I say, being a heroine is in my DNA."
"I'm sure it is, brass bandit."
Still in Vern's arms, Creak heard Floral in the distance. "Oh, you'll be sorry when I find you, girl. I promise you'll be sorry."
Vern's sweet breath blew against Creak's cheek as his laughed. "What did you do?"
Creak felt a blush bloom across her swollen face. "I may have bitten her arm."
Creak felt the air move as Vern shook his head. "I can get you out of this one if you say you're sorry, but I wouldn't make this a habit in the future."
Creak nodded. "I already said I was sorry."
Vern pulled aside a quilt and the scent of medicine drifted to her.
"Oh, my!" She heard Floral gasp. "My Prince!"
Creak imagined her hastily bowing with an embarrassed blush across her cheeks.
Creak rocked as Vern walked across the room and set her down on the fur bed. He nudged her to tell her it was time to apologize again.
Creak turned her head to where she hoped Floral was standing. "I'm sorry... for biting you."
Vern's voice join after she was done. "Creak promises she won't try to leave again. Don't you, Creak?"
Creak felt herself nodded. "I promise I won't try to leave without your permission."
"If you need anything, Floral, let me know." Creak felt the furs sink beside her as Vern sat down on the bed. "If you don't mind, I'd like to stay here for a while."
Creak felt Floral press a wet cloth against her to clean off the mud. "Just wait outside for a few minutes so I can clean your friend up. I call you when you can come in."
The bed shifted as Vern stood to leave. "Thank you, Floral. You're truly the best healer."
Creak heard Floral cross the room to shoo him out. "Anything for you, my Prince."
Creak could feel the tension in the air, but she couldn't figure out why it was there. Vern had a lot of explaining to do.
"Please." He said as he walked out. "Don't call me that. I'm not your Prince."
Before either of them could say anything else he was gone and Floral cleaned Creak up. She let herself drift off in a daydream of questions and by the time Vern came back in she was patched up and already asleep. Dreams of a prince, who wasn't a prince, kept her restlessly turning every minute.
At one point shooting pain woke her with a shout that made Floral run to her side. "Oh, I'm sorry child." The nurse told her. "I don't know what to do. The pain should be gone."
Creak couldn't answer her because her empty stomach heaved and she coughed up blood.