The Recovery

Felix awoke in an unfamiliar location. He was lying down in a dilapidated bedroom. The memories came flooding back to him. He had barely survived last night and passed out after being rescued by Velvet. This must’ve been somewhere in Gwehrtain Manor. He checked his body, seeing that his wounds had been patched up.

“Felix! You’re awake!” It was Velvet’s voice.

Felix tried to get up and look, but his entire body cried out in pain at just the slightest movement.

“No, no, don’t get up!” She rushed over to his bedside. “You’re still hurt really badly, you just need to rest, okay?”

“Y-yeah, all right…”

“I’m glad you finally woke up, though. It’s already noon.”

“Noon, huh?” Resting his head, his mind wandered to the Empire. He wondered how they were doing now. The battle was certainly a success, but what would they do next? Invade the Republic, stay on the defensive?

But Felix’s thoughts were interrupted. “Here, I brought you some food.” Velvet held out some grilled fish.

He took the food into his hands. “Did you catch and cook this yourself?”

She blushed. “Y-yes, but that doesn’t matter, just eat it!” She shoved the food closer towards him.

“All right.” Felix smiled as he looked down at the fish. It was slightly burnt and not seasoned at all, but it was something that Velvet made for him. Just that was enough to fill his heart. But his stomach needed to be filled too, and as he realized how hungry he was, he started eating. “Mm, it’s good!” He quickly gobbled up the rest. “Thanks for that, Velvet.”

She blushed and looked away. “It’s nothing, really.”

Lying back down, he said to her, “So this is Gwehrtain Manor, huh?”

“Yes. This used to be my home.”

“It’s a bit of a shame. I’m sure it was beautiful back in the day.”

“It was…”

“Velvet…what was Gwehrtain really like?”

Sorrowfully, she reminisced, “He was my Father, I never thought of him as anything other than that. He loved, guided, and supported me and my sisters.” A tinge of regret laced that last word.

“I see…”

“He taught us many things. History, philosophy, literature, even things like games. Thinking back on it… I wonder what his intention really was… I suppose it was all for his dream…”

“You know, Velvet…” Felix breathed in, readying himself. “You speak of his elusive dream, but I think I finally figured it out what it was.”

“You have?” She looked at him, genuinely curious.

“Yes. His dream was you.”

Blushing furiously, she stammered, “D-don’t be silly, Felix!”

He chuckled. “Sorry, sorry.”

***

The sun was beginning to set when a thump was heard down the hall.

Velvet and Felix both immediately focused, listening closely.

What started as a thump, turned into steps, clear steps. And they kept stopping to open doors.

Velvet drew her sword and stood by the door, preparing to attack, but as the steps stopped right outside, the door opened, and…

“Nathan!? Fyra!?” She stood shocked at the two familiar faces.

“Velvet!” Fyra jumped onto her, giving her a tight hug.

It was indeed the Fyra Velvet remembered, in all her chaotic glory.

“Felix! You’re all right!?” Nathan said as he approached.

“Yeah, I survived at least. What are you guys doing here?”

“We came to rescue you two. Here, let me take a look.” Nathan examined Felix’s wounds, his face growing concerned. “This is pretty bad. Don’t worry, we brought some medicine.” He pulled out a jar filled with cream.

“Wait, what’s that!?” Velvet managed to shake off Fyra and went up to examine the mysterious substance.

“It’s a healing salve. All you do is rub it on and it can heal most wounds in less than a day.”

“Really?” Velvet examined the salve closely.

“That’s right!” Fyra latched onto Velvet’s back. “Nathan made this himself! It’s the real deal!”

“Pass it here then, I’ll apply it right away.” Taking the jar, Velvet popped it open and put a glob on her finger.

“I’ll let you handle him then. Me and Fyra will find a place to sleep for the night.” Nathan walked out the door.

“Bye-bye, Velvet!” Fyra waved goodbye as she followed her medium.

Velvet pulled the covers off of Felix, revealing his bare, bandaged body.

Flustered, he said, “It’s all right, Velvet, I can apply it myself.”

Already unwrapping his bandages, she replied, “You’ve fixed me twice, it’s time I fix you.”

However, that only made Felix blush more. “If you insist then…”

Velvet tenderly spread the cream across each wound. It stung, but Felix endured it. However, the effects were almost immediately apparent. The stinging was followed by a cool sensation, and the pain disappeared soon after.

Neither of them spoke as she applied the cream, the only sounds being their quiet breaths.

As the sun finally disappeared beyond the horizon, Velvet had finished applying the salve.

“Thank you, Velvet,” he murmured.

“It was nothing. Now just go to sleep. It’s the only way for you to heal.”

“Yeah…” Felix closed his eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep.

***

The next day, Felix woke up feeling like a new man. There was still some pain, of course, but he now had the energy and movement that he used to. “That medicine worked like a dream!”

Velvet smiled. “That’s good.” She was happy to see him healthy again.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better.” Nathan had appeared at the door alone (Fyra liked sleeping in). He slowly stepped into the room. “Are you well enough to return to the Empire? There’s currently a bit of a crisis.”

“A crisis?” Felix asked.

“Well, maybe it’s not that bad, but everybody’s arguing over what to do next in the war. But regardless of what decision is reached, we need both you and Velvet there.”

Felix was still recovering, but he was probably well enough for the journey. The safe thing to do was probably to rest a bit longer, but he was an Imperial and still had a score to settle with the Republic. He couldn’t spend his time resting when an existential war like this was going on. Standing up, he confidently declared, “I’m going.”