Dedicated to: KECrane
"How nice -- to feel nothing, and still get full credit for being alive."
-Kurt Vonnegut
_____________________
Chester couldn't run fast enough. The avalanche nipped at his hooves as Simon urged him on, begging him to go faster as if his life depended on it, which it did.
He could see the castle in the distance, practically glowing. No, that wasn't the castle, it was something red... Adelaide's hair. She was watching.
He had to get to her. They just had to get close enough to avoid being crushed. He could feel Chester's heart beating almost as fast as Simon's own. The snow crept closer, slowly. They reached the base of the hill and up they went, still not clear of the sheet of ice chasing them. Chester slowed down on the slope, bringing them closer and closer to doom. Suddenly, Simon found himself slipping right off Chester's back. The snow hit him like a cannonball, like the one that hit Xander. The force of the snow knocked the air out of Simon's lungs, and the speed of the avalanche sucked the air out of the space around his body. Simon found himself in a frozen moment in time, never to be discovered. Slowly, the world went from nothing but white, to nothing but black...
Death wasn't what Simon thought it would be. It was just darkness, no tunnel with light at the end, but there was something pure, something that brought him peace in the blackness; a beautiful, feminine voice.
Sometimes the voice sang to him, other times it read tall tales, but most of the time the voice simply talked.
It told Simon jokes, and Simon thought some were a little crude for an angel, but found them funny regardless.
The voice told Simon he was handsome, despite his big nose, and that his choppy blonde locks were charming. He heard its problems, and its dreams. Meagre, everyday things that anyone else would take for granted. Simon liked the sound of the voice. It was soft but powerful, and it lulled him into states of peaceful bliss.
"I went down to the fish market today," the voice explained.
"The merchant asked if I was the crazy lady who lived up in the mountains by herself. Of course, I told him I most certainly was not crazy, that I resented the fact he accused me of being crazy, and that I had no interest in purchasing any of his overpriced fish."
Simon suddenly found the darkness which had obscured his vision for what felt like decades lifting. Slowly, light filtered into his tired eyes through his eyelids. He opened them slightly, finding them almost glued shut. Ever so slowly, Simon blinked his eyes open. Directly in front of him was the blurry figure of a woman.
"Adelaide," he croaked hoarsely, vision still clearing. The woman was coming further into focus.
"Adelaide? Who's Adelaide?" Simon blinked what was left of the darkness from his eyes and saw the figure that looked over him. She was tall, and strongly built, with muscles on her tanned arms, but this did not take away from her striking beauty. She wore a sea green dress, and had long, dark brown hair. Her eyes were as mysterious and blue as the midnight sky.
"Where am I?" Simon asked.
"Where's Adelaide? Where's Chester? What...happened to me?"
His words escaped groggily, like day old porridge being poured out into the drain.
"Stay calm, you're in no state to be putting any unnecessary stress on your body. My name is Delilah, and I brought you here when I found you in a riverbed. I've been nursing you back to health as slowly as I could. You've broken so many bones..." She shook her head, trying to give him the news as delicately as possible.
"You've been with me for a few weeks now." Simon took a moment to process this information.
Thankful he survived, he gave Delilah a weak smile.
"Thank you, Delilah. I'm glad you saved me." She laughed, her voice full and warm, and full of magic. She smiled down at Simon almost lovingly.
"You know, I've been caring for you for a month and I don't even know your name. What's your name, strange man?" Delilah sat down onto the bed next to Simon, smiling warmly at him.
"I'm Simon. I'm glad to finally really meet you, Delilah, though I feel like we are old friends, for your voice has kept me company for so long."
"Simon? That's a good, strong name. It suits you." She glanced him over before giving him a nod of approval.
"When you were asleep, I used to make names up for you. I'd call you Adam, or Philip, or Dylan, but never Simon. Looking back, I really should've known." She laughed again, and Simon couldn't help but be mesmerized by the beautiful sound, it was so musical, almost hypnotic.
"Thank you. I'm glad I could entertain you," Simon said, grinning as widely as he could in his weakened and fragile state. The sound of chirping birds caught Simon's attention. He turned towards the cabin window to see sunlight, green grass and more flowers than a horde of little girls could pick in a season.
"Where's the snow?" Asked Simon, gesturing outside. Delilah laughed again.
"You're funny, Simon." Simon furrowed his brow, trying to decipher where the snow had gone in only a month.
"It...must have melted. Where are the Vikings? Have we won the war?" Simon weakly grabbed Delilah's shoulders, desperate for answers.
"What war? We are not at war. At least, not that I know of." She shrugged.
Simon shook his head.
"Where...what kingdom is this?"
He asked, woozy, but feeling suddenly desperate.
Delilah frowned, holding the back of her hand to Simon's forehead.
"Are you alright? Aelford is good haul from here. We're in Greenvale. You must have struck your head really hard..." Simon felt the colour leave his face. Surely this woman must be mistaken. After all, he'd been in Aelford a mere month ago. There was no way he'd somehow been washed an entire kingdom away!
The next few days inched away for Simon, the news of his location causing him miserable agony. Simon was stuck, immobilised in a lumpy, low to the ground bed knowing that Adelaide was out there, most likely unprotected. He didn't know if she was alright, or if the
Vikings had taken Aelford, and by extension, Adelaide. It scared Simon witless to think that his Adelaide could be in the filthy arms of some burly Viking, bawling her eyes out as she thought of her life with her new, grotesque husband. Every time Simon tried to move, Delilah was by his side, forcing him back down. She was stronger than she looked, and never had an ounce of trouble holding him down.
"Not on my watch. You're so close to being healed, and I won't have you setting yourself back by jiggling about like some kind of landed fish."
Eventually, Simon gave in.
"Much better," said Delilah. "It's good to know that I won't have to tie you down any time soon."
"How do you know so much about caring for the ill and injured?" Asked Simon. Delilah let out a heavy sigh whilst delicately turning Simon in the interest of avoiding bedsores.
"Before my mother passed, she was a healer. She was very knowledgeable and taught me everything she knew. She was a very smart woman." Silence hung in the air and after what he felt was an appropriate amount of time, Simon cleared his throat.
"Do you have any idea what happened to the crown princess of Aelford? Princess Adelaide. What happened to her? Was she abducted by some kind of Viking warlord and dragged off to be their wife...or personal concubine?" His questions had started out normally but his voice filled with more urgency after each sentence.
Delilah frowned. Simon groaned and tried once more to sit up.
"I must know what happened to my Adelaide, she was in danger. It's been a month, and it was my duty to protect her."
"Your...Adelaide?"
Asked Delilah.
"Yes," said Simon.
"Princess Adelaide of Aelford, my Adelaide."
Delilah's face fell.
"Oh, your woman. Well, no, I'm not exactly sure what happened in Aelford, I haven't heard any news, but when I make my next delivery down the mountain, I can ask around. I'm sure someone is going to have some idea."
Delivery? Thought Simon, puzzled. What on earth does this woman deliver?
The next day, Simon was presented with an answer. Just before the sun rose, Delilah was awake. She grabbed a heavy-looking hatchet, strode out the door and hitched her horse to a flatbed cart, after disappearing into the woods for a few hours, she returned with the cart loaded with slim, pleasantly smelling trees.
Simon sat up and could only gaze in awe as she unloaded the stack of the trees by the cabin. There she stood, legs knee-width apart, and hacked at the slender trunks. It only took the Amazonian woman a few quick strikes to fell each tree, and then only a couple more to cut them into three lengths. She carried them over to a large cart with ease, stacking them in uniform stacks. Simon gazed out in wonder. A woman woodsman was something Simon had never encountered, although it certainly explained how muscular she was. She swung the hatchet with the ease of a warrior with years of training behind the axe. Before long, the sounds of her steady chopping began to pull him, and Simon found his eyes growing heavy. Eventually he drifted off into a deep sleep. It was the delightful smell of Delilah's wonderful cooking that soon brought him back into the world of the living.
"You were sleeping pretty heavily there, Simon. Lunch will be ready in a few minutes, if you want to try and sit up." She said, smiling at him from over the pan.
Simon blinked.
"Did you say sit up? Are you going to let me feed myself?"
Delilah grinned and nodded.
"Of course. I'm confident that you're ready to support your own weight. At least, enough to eat a few potatoes and some beef." She giggled as Simon grunted, hauling himself up out of the bed he was seemingly glued to.
"So Delilah, can you tell me about yourself? I feel as if I really know you, but the entire time I've been unconscious and simply listening to your voice , I would like to know if what I was hearing was the truth, or the mumbled up interpretations of my mind." He gave her a half grin.
Delilah finished her mouthful of food and took a deep breath.
"Well, I'm the daughter of a woodcutter. My parents could only conceive one child, so there was no son to carry on the family line. As such, I was the one who learned my father's trade. My mother ran an apothecary from the cabin, and even though it was a long way to travel, everyone came to her for their medical help."
"Why do you still live up here all alone? Why not move to the village, find a husband? Be with people?" Simon swallowed another spoonful of his food, The beef was stewed in a fresh, summery broth and it made Simon long for Aelford, and by extension, Adelaide.
"I like it up here. I enjoy the solitude. I've never really had the time to find a husband, and I've also never really been one for village life. Coal ash stains the streets, along with excrement. There's rude people everywhere, and everyone shouts. It's just not the place for me. I belong here, where the air is fresh and clear and only grass tickles my toes."
Simon chuckled.
"I completely understand. I was never really one for the citadel lifestyle."
It was true, as much as Simon cared for Adelaide, he had never really enjoyed the cluttered life he had led, and often sought solitude in his mother's cabin, just outside the city walls .
"It's nice to finally meet someone else who understands."
He nodded.
Delilah was worlds away from Adelaide. She was a mountain woman, wild and strong, not a delicate princess. She belched, put her feet on the table, made dirty jokes, and cooked with too much grease because she wasn't concerned with her figure. And her laugh. Simon loved to hear her laugh. It was so musical, and he tried to make sure he heard it as often as possible. Her laugh distracted Simon from the problems that plagued him in his sleep. Did Chester survive? Did he make it back to the castle? What happened to Adelaide? How was she dealing with the deal of her older brother? Was Xander even dead? Simon hadn't seen his body, so as far as he was concerned there was still hope. These thoughts looped through his head near constantly.
__________________
A/N:
Surprise, SIMON IS ALIVE!
Hey guys, sorry again for the late update, but I will make it up to you asap. My luck has turned sour again, as it usually does, hopefully I can turn it around.
You guys are the best though, and keep me going.
All my love
-QueenOfGeeks