"Oh my word!" the cry was sudden enough that Lina's body reacted on instinct, her eyes flying open before her body remembered all it had been through.
"Oh my dear, are you alright?" It was Farita's face in front of her, almost nose to nose. What a welcome face it was. "Where have you two been? Oh my goodness," she worried over them, pacing before she called to someone nearby and told them to fetch the royal guard.
"Got to get you to the hospital. Disappear for weeks only to pop back in looking like you're on Death's door," she tutted, muttering to herself more than Lina. Bain still slept, the only sign of life coming from him were soft snores and incomprehensible mutters.
"We're fine," Lina tried to say, but her mouth didn't really cooperate and what came out instead was a strange strangled cry, rasping from her parched throat. It didn't calm Farita like she'd intended. If anything, it just made her worry more, her pacing picking up speed, her muttering getting more and more frantic.
"Where are those guards? Can't carry you myself... Like to hear the excuse for this, driving me and the poor queen crazy with grief. Finally, what took you so long?" she griped as more footsteps approached. Lina tried to watch, she wanted to be lucid for what was happening, but her body had other ideas.
The branch under them rustled with the shifting weight and hands slipped under Lina from all sides, lifting her, then setting her back down again. When she was lifted again, it wasn't by hands, but by some kind of stretcher carried between the guards. Now she forced her eyes open and saw Bain on another, just beside her. It's going to be okay, she tried to tell him telepathically. Even if he wasn't awake, she hoped he'd be able to feel that. Feel that he shouldn't be worried anymore. Feel that this whole harrowing experience was finally drawing to a close.
"No, no, where are you taking them?" Farita grumbled.
One of the guards answered, but his voice sounded like it was moving through water.
"The hospital of course!" Farita said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"—Queen Neara says—"
"Well, the queen can talk to me about it then. They're my patients and they're going to the hospital."
Lina didn't care where they were going. She was just glad they were here. She stopped straining to listen and eventually, sleep returned.
She had no idea how long she'd been sleeping, but when Lina woke again, she was in a room bathed in light, glittering with all the colors of the rainbow. She blinked, trying to force away the sleep that was crusted in the corners of her eyes, but it didn't do any good.
Turning her head required a monumental effort, and she was rewarded with the sight of Bain in a separate bed next to her. At least they were still close to one another.
The room was huge, with a grand vaulted ceiling and windows twice as tall as Lina lining the walls. Each window was a mosaic of iridescent glass that cast the beautiful colors around the room, without actually coloring the light.
It was so different from the room she'd woken up in the last time she came to Mabnoa, and Lina struggled to remember the events that had led them here after traveling through the portal.
"Bain?" she rasped, her mouth and throat too dry to really make any sound at all.
He still slept soundly and Lina frowned.
"Bain!" she hissed.
A door on the far side of the room creaked open, but no one appeared on the other side. Lina pushed herself up to sitting, getting dizzy just from that exertion, and looked for anything to help her cause. She needed water. She needed to speak to the queen. She needed Bain to be awake. And she needed for the fog in her brain to clear so she could actually manage to accomplish one of those things.
The room was huge, with the two beds at one end, both draped in light gauzy fabric, and a fireplace at the other end, with a seating area around it. There was a fountain on that side of the room too. Whether it was for washing, drinking, or purely decorative, Lina didn't know. All she knew was that she desperately needed a drink. It was just so far. It would take at least thirty steps to cross the room and that seemed like thirty more than she'd be able to manage. But without anyone to help her, what choice did she have. Every swallow was painful. Every breath brought a wheeze and a cough. She had to get water.
The distance seemed to stretch and grow further away as she shuffled one leg to the edge of the bed and let it drop to the cold floor. A shiver ran through her, but she pushed it aside, shifting the rest of her body to the edge of the bed, trying to turn to get both feet on the floor.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a familiar voice said from the open doorway.
The door creaked a bit more as the queen pushed it open and stepped into the room. "You're likely to just fall over. What is it you want?"
"Wa—" Lina's voice cracked and she licked her chapped lips, looking pointedly at the fountain. "Wat—"
"Relus, will you please get our guest a pitcher of water?" she said, looking over her shoulder through the doorway that was too dark for Lina to see past.
Lina lifted her leg back onto the bed and slumped back.
Somehow, that little movement must've taken a great deal of time — it certainly took effort, though everything did right now, but she hadn't thought it took that long — because the guard was already back with a tray bearing a pitcher and three glasses. He set it on the table between the two beds and bowed at the queen before retreating. She poured Lina a glass and held it while Lina drank deeply, water dribbling down her chin.
"Better?" the queen asked.
Lina nodded. "Much." She looked over at the other bed and the queen seemed to read her thoughts.
"Bain hasn't woken yet, but I have every reason to believe he will. It's only been two days."
Lina's brows shot up.
"Yes," the queen said nodding. "Two days. You've caused quite the stir around the village."
Lina knew she should apologize for directly disobeying the queen's wishes. She knew she should explain why they left, why she felt she had to go. And of course, why they came back. But that all seemed too difficult without Bain there to tell his side, too.
"Don't worry," she added, nearly reading Lina's mind again. "I won't ask for any explanations until you're both feeling up to it. But I will be asking for them."
Lina swallowed — gulped, more like it — and nodded slowly. After all this, it would be terrible for the queen to ignore them or punish them for breaking their laws. She only hoped that Bain's mother was as understanding as he seemed to think she was.
"In the meantime, if you need anything, there's a string here you can pull. It will ring a bell and alert the staff that you need assistance. I suspect Farita will also be visiting as soon as she hears you're awake. She's been hovering over you both nonstop since you arrived."
Lina smiled a little at that. If anyone in the Universe was going to be her second mom, it would be Farita.
The queen looked over to Bain, something sad glittering in her eyes, her normally composed expression belying the worry and anxiousness she felt over her only son. Finally, she turned back to Lina, her expression more placid again.
"I am happy you've returned. When you left, and Bain with you, I thought..." She turned toward the window, the warm afternoon sun streaming in, the iridescent glass painting her face with rainbows as she stared off into the distance for a long moment of silence. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter what I thought. Only that you're back and in one piece." She offered a small smile and patted Lina's knee in an affectionate way that made Lina's brows knit together.
Was the queen upset with her or not? She never could tell. Bain was much better at decoding his mother's emotions and translating them, but he was useless at the moment and Lina wasn't sure how to navigate this. Luckily, her current state gave her a good excuse to stay quiet.
"Would you like another drink?" the queen asked.
Lina nodded, eyeing the pitcher like she was straight from a trek across the desert.
The queen poured her another glass and dutifully held it while she drank. The gesture was oddly maternal. Not a queen caring for a guest or a subject, but a mother, caring for her son's friend.
...The engagement was a whole other bomb to drop when the time was right. She'd almost forgotten about it herself, but now that she remembered it, a warm glow spread through her all the way to her extremities and she smiled, looking over at the other bed.
"Well, I'll leave you to your rest. I'm happy to see you're awake. Please don't do anything foolish to jeopardize your recovery." That last part was a very pointed comment, one brow arched, a smirk turning up the corners of the queen's mouth.
"Thank you. I won't," Lina croaked, nodding.
The queen left, and the door she'd come through closed behind her, leaving Lina alone again with a sleeping Bain. She wished they were in the same bed again, just so she could have him next to her, to feel his warmth, to rest her head on his chest as it softly rose and fell with each breath, to feel his arms around her... But of course they couldn't do that now. They were in the palace, under his mother's roof. And if she'd wanted them to be able to share a bed, it didn't seem like something that should be too hard.
Of course, she could probably sneak into his bed and leave again later without the queen ever being any wiser. Somehow, it just felt disrespectful, especially given she had no idea how their whole talk was going to go after Bain woke up.
"I wish you were awake," she sighed, watching him sleep. "I don't know how to do this without you." Though, thankfully, it didn't seem like the queen was going to force her. Maybe she knew how upset Bain would be about that once he did wake up. She still couldn't believe how he'd defied his mother for her before. It wasn't something she'd ever wish for, but it always brought that warm glow back.
A different door from the first opened, a stoic guard following it and holding it in place.
"So it's true! You are awake! Thank the trees," Farita cried, practically running into the room to Lina's bedside. The guard said nothing as he stepped back out of the room and closed the door again.
"Word travels fast. I am," Lina said, chuckling as Farita bent and scooped her into a fierce hug. It took every bit of strength she could muster, but Lina lifted her arms and wrapped them around Farita in turn, squeezing her back. "I'm sorry I left."
Farita shushed her and squeezed her again. "I'm sure you've got your reasons, dear. But I'm happy you're back. We all are."
Lina's eyes drifted toward the other door on the opposite side of the room. "I'm not so sure everyone is so happy," she said uncertainly.
Farita's eyes widened and then softened. "The queen? Oh, she'll come around. Likes to have her way o' course, but she's reasonable."
Lina sighed, her gaze traveling to Bain now. "Yeah, that's what he said, too."
The older woman went to Bain's bedside and looked him over, tending to him how she could before she sank onto the edge of Lina's bed with a sigh.
"He'll wake up soon, won't he?" Lina asked, a knotted ball of worry forming in her chest. Farita looked tired. Like she hadn't been getting enough sleep. There were circles under her eyes and the lines in her face seemed more pronounced. She was concerned, and it set Lina on edge.
"I'm sure he will," she said firmly.
But that didn't make Lina feel any better. She was awake already. Bain should be too. "What aren't you telling me?"
Farita shook her head, her lips pressed together. "There's nothing to tell you, dear. I know that's not what you want to hear, but I don't know any more about his condition than you do. I do know it's a good thing you were able to contact me when you did. I'm not sure anyone would've found you in time if you hadn't."
Lina's brow furrowed. "What do you mean? I didn't..."
"I was gathering supplies around town when a very persistent vine tripped me. I thought someone was playing a trick on me, but there was no one around. Then the most beautiful blossom grew right before my eyes, and another after it. They made a path, leading me to you."
Lina smiled. The plants had wanted to help her. "I'm glad you found us. I just wish Bain was here. He always knows what to do."
Farita gave her a sad smile and patted her knee through the blanket draped over her lap. "He'll be alright. Just have faith."
Lina nodded, but she didn't feel hopeful at the moment. When she had him, everything felt easy. It felt like they could tackle anything together. But without him? She just felt lost and confused again.
"I've got patients in the hospital to tend to," Farita said, sounding reluctant.
Lina waved her off. "Go, go. No use hanging around here. If anything changes with Bain, I'm sure you'll be the first to know."
"Close enough in any case," Farita said, sending her own trepidatious look toward the door. Lina remembered now the minor confrontation Farita had with the guards during their rescue. It seemed that Farita lost that battle since Lina and Bain were not currently in the hospital. Was that what she meant when she said the queen liked to have her way?
"I'll be fine, I promise. Take care of your other patients."
Farita hugged her again, squeezing tight enough to force the air from her lungs, before she left the room.
Left alone again, Lina sighed, staring up at the huge vaulted ceiling, glittering with the lights of chandeliers. She hated being so alone. But what was the point in someone else just sticking around to keep her company while she was bedridden? Farita had other things to tend to. She had duties and responsibilities. Things to keep her mind occupied.
Lina envied that. Maybe she should have asked if there was any work she could do from her sick bed. Not that Farita would allow that. She was always of the opinion that her patients shouldn't be doing anything at all. But didn't she realize how insufferably boring that was?
She was still exhausted though, and Bain's soft snoring only lulled her back into a sleepy stupor. But falling asleep with him so close and still so far proved impossible. She couldn't think about anything else but how far away he felt and how empty she felt because of it.
Propriety be damned.
Slowly, she let one foot drop to the cold floor, then turned her body to let the other do the same. Already, the movements required a great deal of effort, every muscle screaming in protest, refusing to obey her wishes.
With a great force of will, she brought herself up to sitting, and then with another heave, to her feet. She wobbled and teetered, holding her arms out for stability and support, and then gracelessly stumbled to Bain's bed, dropping onto the empty space beside him.
He didn't respond other than muttering something before his arm crept up around her. Finally, she felt some peace. He was still in there. Somewhere.
His hand rested on her belly and Lina laced her fingers through his, squeezing. "I know you're tired," she said, "I am too. I just hope you'll wake up. We didn't come this far for..." She swallowed, her voice breaking as tears pricked her eyes. She shook her head. No, she wouldn't think about that. "I need you," she said simply. "Come back to me, please."
His grip on her tightened just a bit, but Bain slept on, and soon, wrapped in the warmth of his embrace, Lina slept too.