RECOVERY

God, it's been such an exhausting day.  
That demon attack and Thial's grave injuries really set the entire castle on edge.

I ran frantically through the hallways, all the time asking for directions to the infirmary.

I hoped that Thial would be OK.

Eventually, I arrived at the Infirmary entrance. There were no doors, just a hallway with beds, and a singular door at the end with two guards outside.

The door was glowing green.
I ran towards it.

“IS THIAL OK?”

“SIR, STEP BACK, PLEASE!” One of the guards said.

“Vernon works better without an audience”, the other guard chipped in.

“Is Vernon the doctor?”

“Yeah, sir, he is.”

I sat on one of the beds, and I waited. 

I had been in there a while, for Tulote had come looking for me.

“Waiting for her, too?”

“Yeah.”

The guards stood at attention

“At ease, men”

The men then stood at ease and continued their conversation.

“Have any of you a status report on Thial?”

“No word yet, sir! We will update you as soon as we do.”

“I wasn't strong enough to protect her, Arda. How does someone live with that? What if something happens to her, or worse?”

“Hey man, calm down, seriously. She'll be fine, trust me. I may not have known her for EVEN REMOTELY as long as you have, but I can tell you that she is strong, and her positive attitude will help.”

“Still, I can't help but worry. She's the only one left that knows me, you know?” 

“Yeah, I can understand that. Losing someone you've known and loved for so long does hit hard. But don't worry, Tulote, she'll be fine.”

“Your words… It's as though you've lost something or someone of your own.”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“It's alright, Arda, whatever it is, we'll get through it. You are the Hero, after all.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

I still can't believe that I lost Kathuria. She was my everything. 
I guess all this Hero stuff helped me to numb that pain a bit. Saving the world is stress-inducing, after all.
The only thing I have left to honour her memory is our kids. 
I just need to hurry and get this over with so I can return to them.

Thinking about my wife was too much.
I tried snuffing out the tears, but crying wouldn't help me now.
In the end, I could not.

“Arda, what's wrong? Are you OK?”

“Yeah, it's nothing.”

“Nothing, my arse, no one cries over 'nothing'.”

I decided to tell him of my world, my family, my wife's death, and of my transport here.
He put his arm around my shoulder.

“Arda, it's alright. Your wife sounds amazing, and I can promise you that she will always be with you. In your heart and your children. As long as her memory is alive, she will always be alive.”

“It's funny, but Thial reminds me of my wife somewhat. She was always happy and cheerful. I guess that's what's triggering all of this.”

“It's alright, Arda, everything's going to be OK.”

We sat there silent for a while.

“You know, I remember when my father took in Thial, she was so little. I've never experienced the form of a child, nor have my siblings. Our powers were so immense, and unlike our parents, our child forms would've collapsed under the weight of such power.”

“That sounds cool, but dreadful at the same time.”

“Yeah, it was a dreadful thing, thrust into adulthood at birth, huh. I guess going through childhood has its perks, doesn't it?”

“Yeah”

“Yeah, Thial would waddle around the castle, as she was just a baby when her adoptive parents died near the end of the Unification wars."

“Poor Thial, she's had it rough, huh?”

“Yeah, but through it all, she's a cheerful girl. She'd always brighten up the Castle, and we all grew fond of her.”

“Yeah, she does that.”

“Well, she's been with me through all that, the pain, the triumph and all the in-betweens. Sometimes I consider her more of an advisor than my advisors themselves, Hahaha.”

“That's completely understandable.”

We waited for a little, and then the door to what I could only guess was an operating room swung open.
Vernon walked out shortly thereafter.

“VERNON! Is she OK?”

“How about you ask her yourself?”

Just then, Thial walked out, her usual smile being a nice surprise.

"Oh, your lordship! You should know that I'm not that fragile!"

Tulote ran up to her and hugged her.

"I thought I lost you Thial!" He said while crying.

"Oh, your lordship! I'm growing too old for such charades, you should know I'm stronger than that," she continued, "If we are to allocate praise, though, your hero did save my life! Vernon told me that if that demon had been killed any later than it did, that I would've bled out."

"You flatter me, Thial, but in all hindsight, if Tulote hadn't told me to call out for the sword, I would've been as effective as a dull blade," I said.

"Well, I suppose you both deserve praise!"

"Thank you, Arda, and thank you, Vernon. You both are heroes in your own right."

"Just doing my job, your lordship."

"And you know I'm doing mine, Tulote."

Even though not entirely my effort, I had saved people today, and it felt good.
Really good.

"Don't you have somewhere you need to be, your lordship? I appreciate the kind gesture, but your priority is your kingdom, yes?"

"Yes, I remember. I just wanted to make sure you were OK. You're all I have left from days long gone after all."

"Yes, yes, I know, now go and be off your lordship. Your father never liked it when you dilly-dallied."

They both let out hearty laughs, which Vernon, I, and the two guards eventually joined in.

Tulote and I bid farewell to Thial and Vernon and made our way to the Imperial Courtyard. The Imperial Courtyard was TREMENDOUSLY beautiful, and I'll attempt to describe it here.

At the centre was a meticulously manicured garden. There were pathways of polished, pale marble that wound through beds overflowing with what looked like exotic flora. There were camellias, lavender cascading from beautifully carved trellises and golden chrysanthemums.
There was also a large, ornate kou pond, with its surface occasionally rippled by languid movements of iridescent fish. Elegant stone bridges, their balustrades adorned with carvings of the emperor and empress arcing gracefully over the water. Tulote informed me that at that very spot, his parents were married.
Along the perimeter, covered walkways with arched columns, whose purpose I assumed was to provide cool shade. The columns themselves were adorned with carvings of the different races, historical events, or auspicious symbols. Hand-painted lanterns also hung from the eaves, and they looked particularly wonderful as dusk descended upon us.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah"

"It was a gift from the people of the Imperium to thank my parents after the Great Unification Wars."

"This place sure has history to it."

"His lordship, hero, a message from the frontier."

"Well, what are you waiting for, soldier, open it!"

"Yes, sir!" He read, "Come quick, your lordship!, We have found a breakthrough in the enemy lines. We have attempted to capitalise on this opportunity. Need help ASAP to sustain the breakthrough."

"Good heavens! We must leave immediately! CHARTER THE CARRIAGE. MEN WE RIDE"

"SIR, YES SIR"

Tulote helped me into the carriage, and before I knew it, we were off.

"It's time, hero. Time to save the world."

"Let's get this over with!"

"Eager! I like it, HAHAHAH!"

Tulote sure was a character.

Something told me that things would only be much harder from here on out.

"NEXT STOP, THE ELVEN KINGDOM, the operator barked.

A rollcall went on as we rode, each man registering for himself as a part of the convoy.

Is this what being president feels like?