because caring for others was always her wish

“What-? The- king…?”

Kaede suddenly felt extremely woozy. It was like he was being assaulted by blows to his head, like he was being shaken at an extreme speed. His temple pulsed, his mind raced, and his eyes were furious.

“Whoa there, little guy. Don’t overdo yourself all at once…” Puck mocked as he swooped in, pressing up against Kaede to keep him from falling. He tucked his head close to his ear, whispering, “Let’s take you home, you can rest for a bit. Sorcery is a tasking process, I’ll bet.”

Puck dashed forward, grasping his face with one hand as he propelled him towards the ground. The space below them opened up into a wave of silver, casting them past the Dream as his eyes fluttered open once more.

It was as if he had always been asleep.

As if it really had all been a dream.

He was lying in his bed now, assaulted by a brutal agony, a crushing pain that lashed his body. Parts of him would feel like they had been burnt near to ash, others like they had been lost entirely. But he knew they were all there. He knew that blood was pulsing red hot in every corner of his body. He knew that he was viscerally alive.

“Wha- what the hell-?” He stammered, trying to spot Puck. He found the little imp sitting on the windowsill, looking down at him with a playful smile. “Puck- what did you pull me in for- if you were just… going to pull- me out?”

“Stay here awhile, Hero. See if you can’t rest. We’ve got time…”

He watched as Puck wisped off into the distance, truly confused.

He wondered whether or not the children in his hair got smaller too…

And then there was silence. It seemed still midday, the way the curtains burst away into a broad cast of gold. Kaede stared out at the waving leaves in the branches outside of the window, drawing in the sweet scent of berries from behind their boughs.

Why had Puck been so withdrawn so suddenly? Why had he felt sick in an instant? Had he really overdone himself? But what was the harm in that?

"Damn-" He cursed, struggling to push himself up in his bed.

Although once before, the pain had been crippling to the extent that he could barely think, it felt like it had dulled, if only slightly. More than that, there were very short periods of respite where he didn't feel much pain at all.

It seemed that the magical abilities seemed to improve his situation, even if they exhausted him fairly quickly…

But could he really afford to rest?

How much time did they have, was the question? If the awakening of the next God in the Eternal Dream would destroy everything, even the human realm, then wasn't it crucial that he act as the only Hero and try and vanquish the terror inside the castle?

He was... quite torn. Being forced to do something he had never really wanted to do was quite troublesome, especially if it meant he might risk getting himself hurt.

Still, if time was limited, if it was urgent, wouldn't Penelope be implicated?

This was a crucial answer he would have to receive next time Puck paid him a visit. And although the fairy hadn't mentioned when he would next be back, Kaede was sure it would be soon.

A time later, Penelope waltzed through the curtains, carrying a steaming-hot bowl on a wooden tray.

Kaede's appetite had been nonexistent since he had arrived in the new world, but something in him had changed in that way too.

There was the inkling of the starvation he faced churning in his stomach.

Had he been... improving?

It might have been the case that the Healer's medicines were finally taking effect. He might not even have a need for the lifeblood of a God, in the end.

He grimaced as he tried to prop himself up. Each minuscule movement sent a pain like the point of a sharpened blade running along the length of his muscles. Even breathing contracted the muscles in his back, causing further spasms to occur.

Kaede wanted to be sitting when the Healer first arrived for their afternoon sessions.

Times like these were when he would wallow in the greatest despair. Weeks before, he might have had a semblance of hope left burning in his heart. A day ago, that might have been reduced to nothing at all, he might have curled up underneath the sheets and forgotten himself entirely to try and escape.

But now, wasn't it worth pretending things might get better?

Hope wasn't just a trust in a better outcome, it was an instant relief to his already-turmoiling mind. Because the idea that it would all work out for him, that his sickness would dissipate, was the greatest relief he could be given. If there was hope, he could last the days ahead.

If he could even just fake that, it was to his benefit.

But who knew what would happen? The truth was lies put into practice. Perhaps he could pretend his way to health.

So the air seemed sweeter that day. The chimes hanging from a branch outside rang softer, gentler.

Penelope had arranged leaflets of lettuce in a bowl, supporting two pieces of salted pink fish and a handful of sprouts.

Her cooking was simple, maybe it was of the times. But it suited him, when he could eat. Because it was like his home, because it was light and fair, because it was from a place with some sort of care in it. Who else could treat others with more care than a Healer?

“You look like… you’re feeling better.” Her brows furrowed as she stared at him, sitting at his bedside in a small wooden seat. Her legs tilted off to the side, her hands resting on a small writing pad on her lap.

There was also a small case tucked by her chair, where she stored her medical equipment. Most all patients, really all besides him, would not be attended to in her cottage, but at their own homes. That was why a carriage would often be seen coming to and from the hillside where no one else stayed. It was so that she could go elsewhere.

But she still wished to keep the setting professional, even if it was in her own home.

She was typical like that. Perhaps atypical.

Why did she act so doctor-like when she barely knew the base facets of medicine?

It was infuriating! And intriguing.

She leaned over him at the bedside, a knee crawling up onto its edge as she closely examined his face.

“Why are you feeling better?”

“Isn’t that a question you should answer instead of ask? And why do you have to be this close?” He grimaced.

Her face seemed to brighten up a little. “Ah, this is the clearest you’ve ever talked to me! And questions have to be asked in order to be answered! And it’s not personal! It’s a detailed inspection! How can I see the details if not up close!?”

“It’s definitely personal. And you can just use a magnifying glass, like any self-respecting professional.” He shrugged painfully, wincing.

“What is a magnifying glass?”

He was stunned. Beyond belief really. He couldn’t quite comprehend this world, which had elements capable of healing even the most deadly of illnesses, yet couldn’t fashion glass implements.

She saw to it that he got sunlight, since he was healthy enough to be pushed by wheelchair. Of course their technologies were scattered, but he supposed that if there were carriages, there should certainly be something like this…

A dotted cloth parasol blossomed over his head as she slotted its handle into the back of the chair, pushing him out past the doorway and onto the garden porch. It overlooked a large grassy expanse bordered by decaying stone, wooden arbors with wilted vines creeping across their surface marking each entryway.

Bricks had fallen from the ivy-blanketed wall, it was severely diminished in its most beautiful capacity. But that also gave it a certain aged grandeur, like how one would look at a portrait in a museum.

Not that Kaede had ever been the sort of person that went out to visit museums.

He tilted his head back and listened to the chimes rushing past his ears. When they rang, the sound was like a hush on the air. It rang with the sound of wind, it was captivating in all of its little manners.

Kaede glanced over towards Penelope. They sat at an iron-wrought table now, a wool blanket covering his legs.

There was still a chill about that region. Sun didn’t spare them the breeze.

But it still felt like quite a nice spring.