307: Rising from the ruins (part 1)

Rising from the ruins (part 1)

Adela felt as if she had been asleep for longer than she should have. Her energy had been completely restored, yet the part of her that didn't want to face reality remained asleep.2

But where was she?

"...I fear not a road, I fear not a night. With a heart beside me, so kind and bright. For you, my light, are my life's guide in shadows' depths..." Egon's deep voice softly murmured near her, his hand tenderly stroking her hair.

Right, she was next to Egon. He never left her side, and that was the only thing that allowed her to sleep that much.

"Did you consider waking her up?"

That was Andreas. His voice didn't surprise her; in fact, the von Conradies have been coming and going for some time now, apart from Egon who was always by her side.

"She will wake up when she is ready."

"You need to eat."

"I will eat when she does."

There was a long sigh from afar.

"She will not evaporate if you take your eyes away from her."

"…Won't she?"

"Be reasonable, Egon. I understand that none of it was easy on you. But you cannot monopolize her like that. You cannot keep them away from her forever."

"She is my wife and neither of us can stomach any visitors. She does not need to be bothered by anybody until she wakes up, and neither do I."

"...Members of her family are not 'anybody.' They are respecting your wishes, but you must not antagonize them."

"Andreas," Egon warned. "Did I ever interfere when it was you doing the antagonizing?"

The question was left unanswered, but there was no more back-and-forth after that.

***

Adela opened her eyes to the morning light, confirming her presence in Egon's chamber at the von Conradies' residence in Lanark as she had suspected. She silently offered a prayer of gratitude.

I am truly home.

She was surprised not to find her husband in his usual spot or seated in the chair beside her since the mating bond told her he was nearby. Turning her gaze to the other side of the bed, she saw him, leaning against the wall with an unreadable expression, dark bags under his eyes, and still wearing those same horrible robes worn by Aldric's masked men in Varinthia.

"Egon?" she wondered with a weak voice when he continued to stare wordlessly at her.

"Welcome back."

His distant demeanor was not what she expected, but what should she expect?

They had shared an intense and unusual intimacy in that carriage, but she couldn't recall anything afterward—not the portal nor the journey back to Lanark. She must have slept for a couple of days yet he had clearly neglected himself, not even taking the time to shower.

Her husband was likely angry. She pushed herself into a seated position, trying to regain her equilibrium. "I am sorry," she whispered, her voice cracking.

"For which one of them exactly?"

He was indeed upset if he wanted a comprehensive account.

"Before we talk about that," he interjected as her lips parted, his eyes on her hands resting in her lap, "Where are your rings?"

Her fingers where the wedding ring and the promise ring should have been tingled uncomfortably. She lowered her head, focusing on the quilt's patterns.

"They took them from me at some point."

"When?"

She took a deep breath and prepared herself to confess. "It was after I had thrown myself down the cliff."

There was a moment of silence between them before she spoke again.

"It is one of the things I am sorry for. I… I was not in my right mind back then."

When she glanced up at him, his clenched fists pulled at his hair before running his hands through it.

"I've changed my mind. Let's not have this conversation." He said.

She had just woken up, and regret was already gnawing at her. It was wrong for her to indulge in sleep like this.

"We need to have a conversation..." she pressed with a conflicted heart. "... Eventually."

He pushed himself away from the wall and returned to the chair, leaning forward and shaking his legs while he entwined his fingers and pressed them against his temples.

"I have a proposition for you. How about we go on with our lives as if it never happened."

She stared deep into his eyes, trying to understand what was going on behind the fiery redness that seemed never to have left them. The suggestion defied both common sense and what they needed to do to maintain a healthy marriage. But what if his suggestion was for his own sake rather than hers? What if her strong husband was overwhelmed?

Perhaps postponing it for now was the best course of action. But for her to accept that, she needed to know one thing.

Was Aldric dead?

Somehow, she couldn't bring herself to ask her husband. Maybe her father was a better candidate for that conversation.

"My family…"

Her words were cut off by the sharp glance he threw at her.

"That is me. I am your family now."

She wanted to reach out and hold his hands, to make him stop his nervous gestures, but his walls were too high for that.

"Of course, you are my family. You are my husband." She tried to smile, unsure of how it looked, then held her breath when his restless leg movements ceased.

"I've lived my entire life doing things my way until I married you. And I've come to realize... I can't bring myself to consider the perspectives of others anymore. It hasn't led either of us to good places. So from this point on..." He frowned, seeking his next words. "We'll do things my way."

The same warning sensation she felt in the carriage surged through her. Her husband, who seemed to have lost the battle with his own demons, had come to his own conclusions.

Should she demand further explanation?

"You need to eat. I'll be right back."

With that, he left the room, leaving her gaping in his wake.

pqdm.com