Theresa opened her eyes. The sun was bright and she found herself lying in an unfamiliar room. She had no idea where she was. She closed them again.
Every part of her body dreadfully ached.
And then everything that had happened flooded back into her mind.
She wished that it had all been a horrible nightmare, but she knew with a dread certainty that it had not.
She could not stop the tears that began to push out of the corners of her closed eyes. She rolled over onto her side. The movement hurt, but she did not care.
"Theresa?"
"What?" she groaned.
"Theresa! Oh, thank God! I thought that you might never wake up!" she heard Daphne say with real joy.
Theresa ungratefully wished that she really had never woken up. She heard Daphne crying softly.
"I would hug you, but I think it might hurt you. I am so glad that you're alright," Daphne said through her tears.
"I wanted to shoot her before she hurt you, but I was not completely certain that you were you. Then you were clawing her face off and I was afraid that I would hit you. When she threw you over the edge, I've never been more terrified in my life."
"I'm surprised that I survived," Theresa said. She felt flat.
"You fell so far, but cats land on their feet, don't they?"
"I don't feel like I landed on my feet." Her legs ached almost as much as her heart, but she did not want to think about that.
"It hardly matters! You're alive and Francine can never hurt us again," Daphne said. Her face was a mess of smiles and tears.
"What happened to her?"
Daphne grasped Theresa's hand.
Theresa realized belatedly that she was human again. It was a sign of her wretched state of mind it had taken her so long to notice such a significant fact.
She almost felt a flicker of hope that Wildwood had somehow survived against all odds, but then she understood that it was far more likely that Francine was also dead.
It was possible that Theresa no longer had any unwanted magic spells clinging to her.
She would gladly take the return of the feline transformation spell only to have Wildwood back in the world.
Daphne was blissfully unaware of Theresa's grief as she explained, "The king's soldiers arrived, Francine was captured, and they put this metal collar thing on her. I don't know what it was, but I understand that it prevents magic use. Thomas explained that."
Theresa nodded. Well, Francine without magic seemed only a positive development.
"You must have transformed back to human the moment she had the collar on. She was led before the king and sentenced to death..."
More tears escaped from her sister's eyes and dropped onto the bed next to her.
"I can't believe so much has happened," Theresa said, trying not to think about the gaping wound in her soul.
"Turns out the king moves fast when he has evidence of a crime. Besides, you've been out for a week. They've been forcing some healing slurry down your throat using some magical method. It did not look pleasant."
Daphne looked like she might completely dissolve into another flood of tears.
"I really thought that you were going to die. You were wasting away. Thomas was doing what he could, but he's only one man. The royal healers seemed to be pretty good, too, but they could not make you wake up either. I'm just so glad that everything worked out."
Theresa sat straight up. Daphne's insensitivity was literally breathtaking. "What about Wildwood?" she snarled. "Where did they put him?" She thought she might visit wherever they laid him.
Daphne watched her with wide eyes of surprise.
"In the next room," she said, cautiously watching Theresa's reaction. "Thomas and the other healers—"
"Healers? His spell came off of me when he died, that's why I transformed back into a cat!" she protested, afraid to believe what it seemed Daphne was saying.
"You'll have to ask Thomas about why you transformed," she said with a shrug. "I'm not a wizardress."
"I want to see him."
"You're too weak. You broke your leg. The healers won't let you."
"We shall see about that."
* * * * *
Daphne was right. The healers would not let her see Wildwood.
The queen visited and Theresa tried to get her to command the healers to let her visit him.
Instead of letting Theresa have her way, the queen suggested, although it was truly an order in disguise, that Theresa do exactly what the healers told her to do. Theresa complied, but was incredibly impatient.
* * * * *
Theresa woke up on the fourth morning after she had come out of her deep sleep. She could see through the window that the sky was covered in clouds. Like every morning, the healer on duty came into her room to inspect her and treat her with magic.
"Can I leave today?" she asked, much as she had asked every morning.
"We'll see," came the customary response.
"I hope so."
The healthier Theresa felt the less she sleep she needed and the more frustrated she became. Her leg remained sore but it improved drastically with every healing.
"You seem to be doing well. How are you feeling?" asked the healer.
"Actually, pretty good. Definitely good enough to leave," she suggested hopefully.
She was heartedly sick of the little room she was confined to.
She also missed Wildwood. She had grown accustomed to seeing him regularly and almost losing him brought that feeling into sharper focus.
Thus far, the healers had ignored her reports of her good health and forced her to stay in bed. It was most vexing.
To her surprise, the healer nodded.
"I think you might be right. You'll need to use canes, though. And you are not to leave until Lady Daphne arrives to help you."
"Very well. Can I visit Lord Wildwood first?"
"I suppose so," the healer agreed, although her tone suggested she thought it was a horrible idea. She did, however, get a pair of canes for Theresa.
"You must keep your weight off it as much as possible and keep your leg elevated except when you are moving." The healer sighed. "I'll take you to Lord Wildwood's room."
Theresa swung her legs down to the floor and was hit with a horrible pain as the blood flowed heavily into her still damaged leg.
"It's normal for it to hurt at first."
Theresa nodded and pretended it did not. She was through with being confined in one place. No little pain was going to stop her.
She stood and put most of her weight on the canes and followed after the healer.
The healer opened the door and whispered to Theresa, "He's sleeping."
She could see that, but she did not care. She was fixated on the sound of his steady breathing. It shouted to her that he was indeed alive.
"That's fine. I'll just sit quietly. I've nothing else to do while I wait for Daphne to arrive."
"Very well, then. Just don't wake him. He had a very near miss and needs his rest. He was in far worse shape than you. But you can stay, if you are quiet," agreed the healer.
She helped set Theresa up in a chair beside the bed and propped her leg up on another chair to keep it raised. The healer tiptoed out of the room, leaving Theresa in the silence.
Wildwood's chest was wrapped in bandages, but she could see it rising and falling evenly. The sight gave Theresa a feeling of peace that she could not recall feeling since the days she had felt safe with her parents. Francine was dead and she could see he was alive.
He would be okay. She was so glad. She would miss him terribly when she finally returned to her estates.
For a while, Theresa dozed in the chair.
"Lady Theresa?" Wildwood's voice jerked her back to wakefulness.
"Wildwood," she said and looked over at him. "I thought you were dead." She did not mean for her words to sound like an accusation, but they rather did.
He ignored her tone and smiled wryly. "I was rather nearer to it than I prefer."
"Your counter transformation spell came off of me."
He looked suddenly interested, as if she had begun to discuss a purely academic matter and not the fact that she had almost lost him. "Wizard magic is fuelled from the same magic as life. I imagine dropping all my spells was some sort of involuntary survival instinct."
Theresa rolled her eyes at the curiosity of his explanation.
"Without a doubt, if Sir Thomas had not been present I would not have survived. If he had begun working on me a moment later, I likely would not be here talking to you."
"He's owed a great debt." Theresa felt ashamed when she thought of how she had treated him in the past. Perhaps she owed him a proper apology along with her gratitude.
"I was told you were alive, but also injured. They would not tell me what happened, something about my being too weak. It was most frustrating," Wildwood commented lightly.
Theresa smiled. "They gave me the same speech, but Daphne was rather forthcoming and I bullied her into telling me everything she was reluctant to tell me."
"It's a shame Daphne didn't visit me much then, only once with Sir Thomas and he is the most strict of healers. He would hardly let her break the rules on his watch. What happened after I was stabbed?" he asked.
"Daphne and Thomas shot that man after he hurt you. Then Francine pretended to be me and I got a bit angry when I turned back into a cat and I thought you were dead. So I attacked her with my claws and she threw me over the edge."
Wildwood looked horrified at the thought. "It's most fortunate you survived."
"Yes. We're both lucky. From what Daphne tells me I was a real mess. She said that my bone was sticking out of my cat leg."
She knew she should not tease him but could not help but be a bit pleased at the expression she saw on his face when he heard what had happened to her. It was nice that he cared, in whatever way that might be.
"They think my cat instincts did try to land properly, but it was so high my legs were injured and perhaps I hit my head as well. No one saw what happened and I don't remember."
Wildwood looked grim for a long moment before shaking off the expression. "I've been thinking about something, ever since waking up in this bed and finding out that all the problems have been resolved. Have you ever considered the possibi—"
"Theresa! There you are!" Daphne said happily.
Theresa tried not to glare at her sister for the interruption. It was not Daphne's fault she was so blissfully ignorant.
"The healer said that she was releasing you today! That's really great. She managed to find a chair with wheels buried in the attics that I could take you back to your room more easily. The queen has already assigned an extra maid to make sure that you are completely taken care of!"
"That's great," Theresa agreed half heartedly. She turned back to Wildwood. "What was it you were thinking?"
"Oh, nothing that can't be addressed later," he said dismissively.
"Shall we go?" asked Daphne innocently.
"Fine," Theresa replied. She wanted to know what Wildwood had wanted to say. She cast a dark glance at her unwary sister.
The rest of the day passed quickly. Apparently rumors had been circulating the castle and many of the wedding guests had found excuse after excuse to remain at the castle and see how everything played out.
Theresa was besieged by nosey nobles who wanted to know exactly what had happened that night.
Finally, Theresa had to plead exhaustion to be left alone. Daphne left her soon after to be with her new husband. Theresa hoped all the uproar would quickly die down. She fell asleep almost before the maid was finished fussing over her.
* * * * *
The next morning, the maid arrived and wheeled Theresa to the small dining room. It was most vexing. When Theresa has wanted to escape the healers she had been isolated, but now that she just wanted to be alone she kept being forced out of her room for her supposed own good.
Still, she was absolutely starving and she ate quickly. She barely noticed when someone sat beside her.
"Hello, Theresa," said the kindly male voice.
"Hello?" she replied, glancing up.
"I don't know if you remember me. I haven't seen you in years."
"James?"
"Yes, I'm your cousin. It appears that I'm also your new guardian."
Theresa nodded half heartedly. It was vexing that she needed a guardian at all.
Still, he certainly could not be worse than her last one.
He added, "Of course, the king has yet to finalize it."
"Yes, but that's just a matter of formality." Now that the culprit had been utterly exposed, the king would not stall. It was fortuitous Francine had acted in haste or Theresa would probably be in her clutches at that exact moment.
He cleared his throat. "I understand that you've not been trained in matters of the estate."
She smiled sardonically. "Francine wasn't really concerned if I knew, probably because she wanted me helpless."
"Yes," he agreed. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably.
"What is it, Lord James?" she prodded since he clearly still had more to say.
"I was thinking that I could perhaps send up my estate manager for a while, to teach you what needed to be done and help you find your own. I'll visit when I can but you must understand that I have my own affairs which must be seen to," he said in apologetic tones.
"Of course."
She did not know why he was apologizing. Having his own matters to see to was really an excellent trait in a guardian as far as she was concerned.
"You'll be of age in a few years and when that happens, I see no reason why the king won't grant you your lands of your own right. If rumors are to be believed, you sound like a resourceful young woman."
"Perhaps they are," she smiled. What an excellent guardian he seemed to be.