Page 90 of Forgotten Fate
Magda placed the plate of food onto the bed and embraced me gently. “You too,” she said in my ear before pulling away.
I frowned for a moment. “Elias,” I nearly choked. “Is he—”
“He’s alive,” Magda finished. “He’s still unconscious, but Willow thinks he will recover just fine.” She gave me an empathetic smile, no doubt imagining what it would be like if it were Gabriel in his shoes.
“Thank the gods,” I exhaled, a heavy relief loosening the tightness in my chest. “Can I see him?”
“Of course!” Nadia interrupted.
“What happened to you two?” Magda asked, concern and curiosity lining her face. “You both look like hell.”
“It’s…a very long story,” I said truthfully, laying the fresh clothes on my lap.
“Are you in trouble? Is someone after you? Besides your father?”
My eyes shot up to meet Magda’s. “How did you—”
“I figured out who you were when the Rimorian soldiers chased you out of Chatus,” she stated. “There were rumors going around the city that they were looking for the missing Princess of Rimor. Wasn’t hard to put two and two together after that.”
My shoulders dropped.
“Your secret is safe with us, Aura!” Nadia said happily.
Magda nodded. “We owe you that, and much more.”
I gave a half smile. “Not anymore,” I said. “Gabriel just saved our lives from the hands of his own father.”
Magda sighed. “I know. I’m sorry about that. Daegon is very protective of our village.”
“Luca and Liam found you!” Nadia added, referring to the two small boys I saw at the river. “They came running back to tell Daegon, so he went looking for you. Mags begged Gabriel not to go, buthe went anyway.”
“And I’m glad he did,” I answered. I looked back at Magda. “You told me your village had a chieftain, but you didn’t tell me it was Gabriel’s father,” I stated.
She shrugged. “And you didn’t tell me you were a princess.”
I smiled. “Fair enough.”
“You should put dry clothes on,” Magda suggested. “Then I’ll take you to Elias.”
I agreed, and the two sisters left the room while I dressed. I stared at the plate of food on my bed. My body was hungry, but my mind was too full of emotions that made my stomach churn. I took one bite of the bread, and that was all I could manage.
Magda and Nadia both led me out of the door of the small house, and I was in complete shock at the size of their village. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t dozens of different buildings, and at least a hundred people walking around. When they had said “small village” I assumed maybe twenty or thirty people. This was practically a small kingdom.
The buildings were modest, mostly made of timber, stone, and clay, with straw roofs no more than one story high. Just down the dirt road was a barn, with a fenced enclosure next to it filled with pigs, sheep, and goats. A few shrieking kids ran past us, chasing after a lamb that appeared to have escaped. Nadia giggled at them.
There didn’t appear to be any shops, but people in the streets were exchanging goods with one another – a pair of shoes for a set of clay mugs. A handful of linens for a basket of freshly picked vegetables. There must have been a farming field or possibly a greenhouse in the village somewhere as well.
The sisters took me to a building only a few houses down from the one I slept at, and we entered without knocking. “This is Willow’s house. Elias is through that door,” Magda said, pointing at a closed door down the hall. “We’ll leave you two alone.”
“But Mags, I want to see him too,” Nadia begged, suggesting she hadn’t been able to yet.
Magda glanced up at me, before looking at her sister. “No, Nadia. Let’s let Aura see him. You can talk to him when he wakes up.” Magda looked at me once again, and I saw on her face that Elias must not have been faring well. Certainly not well enough to let Nadia be exposed to it. My heart stuttered.
“Thank you,” I said. I put a hand on Nadia’s shoulder. “I’ll tell Elias his favorite person is waiting to see him when he wakes up.”
Nadia gave a huge smile before Magda led her out of the building, and I found myself standing alone in the unfamiliar hallway.
I walked to the door and took a deep breath before opening it. I stepped inside and found Elias lying on a bed. He was covered in a light sheet from the waist down, leaving his bare torso exposed. His shirt had been removed so Willow could tend to his injuries. She must have known mine weren’t bad enough to need my clothing removed. My injuries didn’t compare to his.