Cecil stood and followed her. If he was to stay here awhile, depending on his recovery, he might as well make mental notes as to where things were. The kitchen now behind them, they went up the stairs, into a room that was more personable than the one he woke up in. A tidy bed, more books, and some personal belongings were neatly arranged. Making the deduction that this was her room, there was a door to a smaller room within. Cabinets lined one side, the tub against the other, it seemed quaint. Nothing extravagant, which made him assume that she was a simple kind of girl, in the sweetest of ways.

With a smile, she had closed the door behind her, leaving him alone to his own devices. First he undressed, and carefully removed the bandages. They were folded and rolled, neatly stacked in the corner. As the tub was filling with water, Cecil took the opportunity to gently clean some of the wounds on his arm. Despite their efforts the previous day, some of the deeper ones were festering already. Damn those ravens, and his father!

Once his wounds were all tended, Cecil traced a circle upon the ground until a small pouch of herbs appeared. Scooping it up, the elvish fae opened it to retrieve a fistful of the powder within, depositing it within the bath water. Dried, crushed, and ground, the herbal concoction was designed to counter evil curses inflicted in wounds. Thanks to foresight, it was coming in handy now. The powder dispersed itself into the warm liquid, turning it a light green tint. Praying it actually worked, Cecil finally lowered himself in the bath, a single wash rag in hand.

After assuming a comfortable position, the rag was soaked, wrung out and placed over his face. Here, he rested for awhile, actually falling asleep as the herbs did their job. By the time he woke up, the cloth had gone dry, the water now cold. Cecil removed the rag, soaked it again and began to gently rub at his body. Standing, the elf carefully stepped out and retrieved a towel to wrap himself in. With the image of possibly sleeping on her bed while she read one of those books running through his mind, he took a moment to admire his water-logged arms, took a step. Water caused Cecil's foot to go up, his stomach lurching up to his heart as he now saw the ceiling and felt the inevitable sensation of falling. He landed harshly on the side of the tub, the thud of a body crashing masked the cracking of bone or bones.

If he could scream out, he would have. As it was, while he struggled to get his feet underneath him, slipping on the slick flooring, Cecil was cursing himself. What did Oberon do? Give him the curse of terrible luck? By the nine hells, it hurt to even move, each slip jolted his ribcage, making him want to scream out again. Forced silence resulted in Cecil clenching his teeth, pained determination all over his face until his goddess comes to save him once more.

    Fae curses are inexplicable. After all of her research, this was what Nelanna had managed to learn. In her book on curses, those which are casted by Faes, or Faeries, are the most mysterious and sometimes dangerous. Their curses are simply unlimited, most still unknown by anyone that isn’t a Fae themselves. And those which are known, their cures aren’t. This is simply because the Fae which casts the curse is the one whom chooses how it may be lifted. And if the one whom’s cursed doesn’t know that, then they’re practically doomed. None of this helped her in the least.

With a heavy sigh, she rolled over onto her back and rested the back of her hand over her eyes, her mind whirling. All of her research bore no fruit, and now it was beginning to irritate her. She wished so deeply to help Cecil, to lift his curse. Sure, many might think she’d already done enough by treating his injuries and allowing him to stay somewhere safe, but it wasn’t enough. After learning all she had about his past, his wounds and the curse placed on him was no longer the only thing she wished to fix. He had lost his mother, the only one whom ever truly cared about him, and he was abused. And now, his past holds him by the arms and legs like shackles, preventing him from getting away, from being free. If there was anything she truly hated, it was being pushed back, being kept from being free. Freedom was a wonderful thing, this she knew. And oh how she wished she could help him obtain it, to feel it’s sweet sensation.

With a light sigh, she sat up and looked towards the door, taking notice of how long he’d been in there. Slight worry crept in her heart as wild thoughts came to mind. Maybe something happened and he was unable to knock on the door for help. Maybe she should… no, he’ll be fine. She couldn’t go barging in over speculation. Shaking her head, she decided he was fine and probably just enjoyed long baths or something and turned back to her books. Then, she heard a loud thud. It wasn’t just her imagination!

She threw herself off the bed and ran into the bathing room as quickly as she could, and from the sight she witnessed within, her heart dropped. There he was, lying on the floor in nothing but a towel, wincing with pain. Nelanna hurried to his side and looked him over with wide eyes. “Cecil, are you alright?” She asked worriedly. With a thud as loud as the one she’d heard, she knew there was no way he could’ve fallen without obtaining any new injuries. And it sounded far too painful to only get a few bruises.

Without waiting on him to reply, she decided she should take him to her bed and look him over there. So, she grabbed one of his arms and pulled it over her nape, using her other arm to grab hold of his waist, supporting him to the best of her ability so standing wouldn’t be as much of a challenge. Carefully, and slowly, she helped him to her bed. After she had him lay down, she took the books and placed them on the bedside table so they weren’t in the way. This was when she sat on the edge of the bed and started to examine him by running her hands up and down his skin, though careful not to get too close to places she shouldn’t be touching. “Where does it hurt?”

The time it took for her arrival seemed to tick by so slowly, each second an eternity. When she finally burst through the door, relief flooded through him, even as his foot slipped from underneath him once more. It seemed that the more he struggled, the more fruitless his efforts became. Shaking his head in response, he accepted her help to stand. Yet, he tried to utilize some control, so as to not put too much weight upon her shoulders. However, he utterly failed as they stood back up.

Carefully, he walked away from puddle with her assistance. Slow was the descent to the bed, as the muscle groups in his upper body moved accordingly, the injury sending waves of nauseating pain across his chest. He sank into the bed while hugging his chest, wishing to be enveloped by it, and disappear into the softness. Unfortunately, his current predicament grounded him harshly in reality. Smooth hands ran across his moist skin. A hand shot out, grasped her wrist. Cecil guided her to his ribs. His face was distorted by grimaced pain as their hands brushed against the tender spot, trying to hide it in a pillow that smelled strongly of her.

Panting heavily, each breath a dagger in his side, Cecil had to convey his thoughts, as broken as they were. There was no time for pen and paper, so he did the only thing he could think of. Holding his hands together at the thumbs, as if he was grasping a twig or long, cylindrical object, Cecil moved as if he broke it, snapping the proverbial object in half. The questioning look on his face made it apparent that this was a worst case scenario he hoped was not case.

After she did what she could to help him rest easy, the fae convinced his goddess to sit down on the opposite side of the bed from him. He would even go so far as to grabbing her and pulling her to the bed if he must. Grabbing a book from the table, he handed it to her, pleading with his eyes. Cecil touched his throat and pulled his hand away gently, asking her to read it aloud to him.

    His injuries were worse than she had hoped. As her hands examined bones beneath flesh, she felt some turned in ways they shouldn’t be. In other words, some were broken. Her medical kit would be of no use here; she will have no choice but to use her healing magic, no matter how low level it is. Taking a deep breath, she did just so, and managed to heal the most minor of his injuries. Silently she cursed herself for not having a better spell that could heal all of his injuries, for he was still left with cracks and large amounts of pain.

With that done, and after a bit of convincing from her patient, she sat next to Cecil and took a book as it was handed to her. And with an amused smile, she asked, “You wish for me to read this?” He nodded. There, she opened the book and flipped to the first chapter. Already she was becoming a little excited about reading the story to him. It was one of her favorites, simply because it had been given to her by her elder sister, only the day before she had left the mansion. Her eyes were almost woeful as the memory crossed her, looking down at the words Chapter 1.

But setting her feelings aside, she began: “The Whispering Forest. It was a forbidden place in the land of ice in the Ice Kingdom. The forest floor was coated by a thick blanket of pure snow, and the trees were of a pale grey. They were always leafless, their sprouting branches creaking and moaning eerily in the wind with icicles hanging from them. There was whispering upon the wind, speaking words of a language no one knew, and the air was crisp with a sharp, chilling bite.”

The story told of a young princess learning to become queen and how to protect her kingdom, as well as how to protect herself. It was a story of adventure, danger, and romance as she fell for the king of a neighboring kingdom. A long story it was, so just getting to the halfway point took quite some time. Especially since she put in extra effort to make things feel real and exciting as she read. But it was at the halfway point when she finally realized that her listener was no longer listening. Instead, he was fast asleep at her side.

With a soft smile, she closed the book and glanced around the room in thought. She needed to get him some clothes, considering he was lying in her bed with nothing but a towel to cover himself. But that could wait until he woke. She wasn’t entirely comfortable with him lying in her bed in the first place, either. But moving him to the one in the attic wasn’t a good idea. The movement could be too much for his broken ribs; she didn’t want to make them worse. Perhaps she could give him some medicine to help with the pain. Yeah, she’ll do that. But only when he wakes.

She glanced down at him again, several moments passing slowly as she took in his sleeping features. He looked so peaceful while he slept. Reaching out to brush her fingers across his skin came to her mind, and almost became a desire of hers, just so she could feel the calm as he slept. He was a very attractive man… She shook her head violently and slapped her cheeks once she noticed she was beginning to feel warmer than usual. Was she blushing? She didn’t know. But she was far from pleased with herself for thinking such impure thoughts about a man while he was in a state of weakness. She felt as if she were taking advantage of him and his current condition just by certain thoughts. How shameful.

Nelanna slipped off the bed and pulled the comforter over him, partly to cover his mostly naked body, and partly to keep him warm. Then, she decided it was time to do some housecleaning, which she hadn’t done since the day before she found Cecil. She could already see dust rising on the furniture. She took a rag from the bathing room, then began her work.

    A few hours went by, all spent with thorough cleaning within the house. The flooring and furniture was all polished, clothes were cleaned and old blanket were dusted. She had even gone out to tend to her gardens and pick some ripe herbs. By the end of it all, she was completely exhausted and wished for nothing more than a calming bath to wash the dust and dirt from her, then to relax for the rest of the day. But Cecil was still there. The bath and relaxing would have to wait.

While she was still downstairs, she poured a glass of fresh water before taking it up to him in case he was awake. Upon entering her bedroom she found that he was still resting. Whether it was from exhaustion, or just from how terrible the pain was, that he slept so well and for so long, she couldn’t tell.

She left the water on the bedside table then made her way for another door in her room. This one was completely glass with beautiful wooden frames, and it led to a balcony just on the other side. She walked out, leaving the door open behind her and took a seat in one of the two rocking chairs that sat on the wooden balcony. There, she slowly rocked herself as she felt a chilling breeze gently wash over her, carrying the scent of rain with it. Nelanna closed her eyes, paying no mind to the distant rumbling of thunder. And as sleep started taking her, she began to dream…

Finding a relaxing position was not an option. While he lay there, her voice was washing over him, soothing only his mind. It was barely enough to distract him from the ribs. Cecil listened to the story, trying to imagine it. However, he kept getting images of his past instead. As his eyes began to droop, the fae remembered they forgot to bind his chest. They would have to get to it when… he.. Woke.

He was not sure how long he slept when he finally opened his eyes. Cecil realized that he was covered with a warm comforter, and smiled at the thought of how generous his savior was turning out to be. On the opposite side from the bathing room, a set of beautiful doors were wide open where he could see his goddess resting, herself. Beyond her, the world was dark. A deep rumble shook the house as a bright light temporarily blinded him.

It would storm soon, and Cecil needed to wake her, bring her inside. Then, they could wrap his chest, get some clothing on. Did she have a fireplace? They could drink a hot drink before a warm fire. First things first, however, Cecil needed to get out of bed. Rolling to his side was easy, as was swinging his legs from the bed. Pushing himself up, however, made him gasp. Ever so slowly, he inched his way to a sitting position, one arm tightly wrapped around his chest.

Once sitting, leaning dangerously over the side, the fae tried to slow his breathing. His heart raced from just sitting up. Gathering his courage, Cecil used his legs to stand, and slowly straightened himself. It was difficult, one never knew how much they used chest or core muscles until they injured something in the area. Well, same could be said about any group of muscles, really. To get around the bed, he carefully placed one foot before the other, waiting until he was sure he could keep his balance before taking the next step. All the while, he gritted his teeth, his brows furrowed with pain and concentration.

When he finally made it to the door, he leaned heavily against the frame. Cecil took the moment of catching his breath to watch her peaceful slumber. Was it always going to be this way? She watch over him until Nelanna passes out? Were they doomed to not spend much time together, as it was all spent with one of them sleeping? The fae blushed as he realized he wanted to spend time with her, to get to know her. Was it even proper? Or even conceivable since they could barely communicate?

Two more steps forward, and he lay a heavy hand on her rocking chair, unintentionally pulling it back on her. Nelanna’s eyes would shoot open to see an apologetic smirk. With a beckoning motion, Cecil turned and went back into the house. A wave of his hand, and a box of medical supplies appeared at the foot of her bed. For a moment, he stood over it, glaring at it. If he could summon items, why could he not summon the ability to heal himself, or even fix the curse? Dashing the frustrations away, Cecil withdrew some large bandages. He was always fearful of Oberon would do to him should the king catch up, and thus was prepared for most injuries that the man could inflict.

The fae turned toward Nelanna, took a small section and pulled it taunt between his hands. He proceeded to place the bandage in her hands and winced as he held out his arms. Eyes screwed shut, he silently begged her to hurry with the task he was asking her to do.

    Nelanna was dreaming, entirely unaware of the storm rolling in, and just how close it had come. The dream itself was a lovely dream mixed with few happy memories of her childhood as well as her own fantasies. With a happy mother, happy father, happy sister…happy family. They were all out on a family picnic under the shade of an oak tree, laughing, smiling. The sun shone brightly as young Nelanna was led out into a field of flowers by her sister, where the two proceeded to make daisy chains.

Yes, a lovely dream it was, however short it became. Her eyes flew open when her rocking chair suddenly jerked back, and she looked up to see Cecil standing over her with an apologetic smile. Then, after blinking for a moment and glancing down to his chest, she remembered he had no clothes, and turned her head away. She sincerely hoped he was still wearing a towel. But this was when she noticed the storm overhead, just as the wind blew over her, giving her a chill. With a shiver, she smiled up at Cecil and followed him into her room, closing the door behind her. “I do believe you just saved me,” she giggled. “I would have been caught up in that storm if you hadn’t awoken me.”

She watched as he summoned medical supplies, a little surprised to find he was able to do that. And as he gave her the bandages and stretched out his arms, it only took her a moment to realize what it was he was wanting, and no moment longer to act upon it. Stepping close to him, she began wrapping the bandages around his torso, gently, yet quickly. His chest was completely wrapped within minutes, and she finished by giving his shoulder a light pat of satisfaction.

“You can rest on the bed whilst I go get you some clothes. I will be back in a moment.” With a soft smile, she turned away and left the room. She really needed to get him something to cover up all of that skin…

After leaving her room and gathering him some clean clothes, she came back and laid them down on her bed. “I will be just outside of the room…” she stopped herself, giving him a slightly worried look as her eyes were locked on his bandages. She needed to give him privacy so he could change, but, was leaving him alone a good idea? After all, the last time she did that he ended up with broken ribs. Nelanna smiled a little nervously, “Well, perhaps I can just…turn around? Or…would you prefer I leave so you may change?”

He felt much better now that his chest was properly wrapped. Yes, the injured ribs made it difficult to breathe, and it wasn’t helping that the bandages pressed against everything. While it made it a tad more challenging, this was the way Mother did it. Instead of laying down, as the excess efforts to sit, lay or get up were something he tried to avoid, Cecil looked at her book collection next to her bed. Nelanna seemed to have a wide variety of subjects, and obviously enjoyed the act of reading. When was the last time he sat down to read? Did he ever? The fae doubted that he even wrote in a journal.

She swiftly returned, and Cecil couldn't help but smile in amusement at her. He could have sworn that under that worried look, she was flustered. And he knew why. Knowing she would not be one to peek, Cecil made the turn around symbol. When she had turned, the injured man did his best to get dressed without moving too much. By the time he had finished, the rain began pouring from the sky, and an instant chill seemed to settle on the house. Quickly grabbing the book she was reading earlier, Cecil gently touched her shoulder as he moved to stride past her.

Even as brave as he wanted to be, strong and capable to make her swoon, Cecil gave up walking without holding his ribs with one hand. Somehow, he managed to make his way downstairs, pointed to the fireplace with the hand holding the book to the red haired goddess behind him, and went to find the utensils he used to draw for her. He settled on one of the chairs before the fireplace as she began to make the fire, handed her the book with a smile and began to draw.