It took me quite a while to console the distraught Katherine, who cried her heart out without stopping, her sobs echoing through the chamber. She had gone down to the kitchen after dutifully escorting me to my chambers earlier. She had carefully prepared both our evening meals and arranged them on a wooden tray—and then returned to my room. Only to find me collapsed on the cold floor, completely unresponsive, not breathing at all. She had let go of the food tray in her shock—and now its contents were spilled messily all over the entrance, creating a scene of chaos.
"Don't cry, please," I murmured softly, running my fingertips gently through her disheveled hair, trying desperately to calm her down. She had her arms wrapped tightly around me, holding me in what felt like a vice grip, as if afraid I would disappear again if she let go. Her head was buried firmly in my chest. At my soothing words, she just sobbed even louder, her whole body shaking.
"Rhia—my Rhia, please don't do that again," she managed to say through the wracking sobs, her voice breaking. "I thought I'd lost you." It wasn't until much later, after what felt like an eternity of holding her, that she finally released me from her desperate embrace. Her face was flushed red, her eyes puffy and swollen—completely drenched in tears that continued to fall.
"But what happened to you, my queen?" she finally asked me, her voice hoarse. For that particular question, I honestly didn't have a clear answer either. That overgrown lizard was the only one who knew the full truth.
"I don't really know exactly," I answered Katherine with complete honesty, which was the best I could offer. She looked understandably puzzled at my vague response, confusion written across her features. Then she reached out and held onto my arm with both hands.
"Let's go to the infirmary immediately and have you checked out thoroughly, my queen—please, I beg you," she said pitifully, her voice still trembling.
Oh? The infirmary, yes, I definitely had to go there—but my reasons were entirely different from her medical concerns.
"Yes, let's go right away," I told her, standing.
We were already on our way to the infirmary, walking quickly through the corridors, when the Dragon who had been conspicuously quiet this whole time finally decided to chime in with her commentary.
"Do you even know how many soldiers were injured in the attack?" she asked me, her voice reaching me clearly in my mind.
"I was hoping you would tell me that information," I replied silently in my head. There was a brief, telling silence for a moment.
"Not chasing me away today, I see," she observed. "Finally seeing me as an integral part of you rather than an inconvenience?" Her voice was distinctly playful, almost teasing.
I deliberately ignored her probing comment.
It was undeniably true that I had felt strangely empty and incomplete after she withdrew from me following our temporary merge. But I absolutely was not going to tell her that and inflate her already considerable ego.
"How many were injured in the ambush?" I asked her directly, completely ignoring her previous question.
"Seven soldiers total, including Arvid himself," she replied, her tone becoming serious. "Most sustained arrow wounds of varying severity—Arvid has a deep sword slash across his arm, and one more soldier has a potentially serious sword slash to their stomach."
I was genuinely surprised by the detail. She had noted all that information in just a brief moment of observation? What a remarkably photographic **(photographic: able to remember things in exact detail)** memory she possessed.
So when we finally arrived at the infirmary, Katherine was visibly stunned to realize that I wasn't there to get myself treated but rather to prepare the infirmary for upcoming patients. The medical staff were understandably reluctant and confused for a minute, exchanging uncertain glances, but they readily cooperated once I explained the urgency.
"What's going on? Why are we preparing?" Katherine asked me, thoroughly confused. This time, I made the conscious decision to lie to her.
"I had a prophetic dream," I explained, keeping my voice steady. "In it, Arvid and his hunting party were ambushed by assassins. That's why I'm doing this preparation." Well, that wasn't exactly a complete lie either—I had seen it, just not in a dream.
After ensuring the infirmary was properly prepared with clean bandages, boiled water, and medicinal supplies laid out, I went directly to the main courtyard, determined to await Arvid's return personally. I kept my eyes fixed intently on the massive wooden gate—watching, waiting for any sign of movement. Katherine stood loyally next to me, her eyes full of persistent concern. She asked me repeatedly if I was okay—this was the seventh time. I just nodded each time, not trusting my voice.
But my restless mind kept wandering back to that extraordinary moment when I had found myself inhabiting Arvid's body, seeing through his eyes.
"How exactly did you do that?" I asked Aiona silently. It had been bizarre and utterly unprecedented. I never knew such a thing was even possible. Seeing the world from another person's eyes, experiencing their sensations. It was definitely addictive in a dangerous way. I could easily guess why that particular practice might be classified as forbidden. The potential for abuse was enormous.
"We dragons can control blood outside our bodies—manipulate it, track it," she explained matter-of-factly. "So it's only natural that we can also see from the perspective of someone who has our blood actively in their system, flowing through their veins."
"So theoretically I could do that with anyone who has consumed my blood?" I asked, the implications troubling.
"Yes, of course—this was actually a highly common practice back then when dragons freely roamed the world," she confirmed. "Dragons spend almost their entire lifetime desperately trying to find their one destined mate. It's always advantageous to have an extra pair of eyes searching. Though this ability rather backfired spectacularly."
"You humans are largely to blame for that," she added with obvious bitterness. "Humans proved to be so fickle and duplicitous. Instead of helping locate mates as dragons hoped when they shared blood with human allies, most dragons ended up inadvertently learning about elaborate human plans to bring them down and kill them. Or they just overheard constant insults and mockery."
She sighed heavily. "This unfortunate result led to most dragons breaking their sacred Cosmic laws in rage and being thrown into the Abyss as punishment. It was precisely why that specific magic was eventually forbidden."
Well, that made perfect sense. There was absolutely no way these proud, ancient beings would tolerate being talked about behind their backs or betrayed. Still, it was highly unethical to eavesdrop on unsuspecting humans without their knowledge or consent. I carefully didn't voice that particular thought out loud in my mind.
"But you've used forbidden magic three times as of now," I pointed out, a burning question surfacing. "Are you absolutely sure it's okay? That there won't be consequences?"
"Well, I don't really know for certain," Aiona admitted with alarming carelessness. "Is it even possible for me to get punished when I don't actually have a physical body anymore? There were definitely punishments for using forbidden magic in the past, but I guess we're probably fine—"
Oh. Then I should definitely be worried about potential consequences.
"What exactly is the punishment for—" I was abruptly cut off mid-question in my mind.
"He's here!" Aiona let out an excited shout. "I can sense him!"
The massive doors finally creaked open. The crowd of concerned people who had gathered immediately surged forward. Soldiers had carefully carried the wounded down from horseback, and they had already administered basic first aid to reduce blood flow and stabilize injuries. As soon as the gathered group fully realized the severity of the situation, they instantly jumped into coordinated action, helping transport the wounded carefully to the prepared infirmary.
My eyes remained frozen on Arvid despite the chaos. He caught my gaze and gave me a small, reassuring smile, probably desperately hoping not to worry me too much. But I took a determined step toward him, gently taking his uninjured arm to help support him to the infirmary. I didn't say anything, didn't trust myself to speak.
"It's just a slash, nothing serious," he tried to explain, downplaying his injury.
"I know," I replied to him quietly. "I felt it happen."
"What?" He looked genuinely confused, his brow furrowing. "How could you possibly feel it?"
I didn't answer his question, not wanting to explain in front of others.
After getting him settled in the infirmary, a skilled healer immediately started treating his wound with practiced efficiency. His upper clothes were carefully removed to expose the injury, the deep gash washed thoroughly with stinging alcohol to prevent infection, and some pungent medicinal herb pulp applied directly to the wound before it was bound tightly with clean linen. I sat there quietly throughout, helping the healer by handing supplies. After the healer finally left to attend other patients, Arvid insisted stubbornly that he needed to personally see and check on each of his injured men. They had all suffered relatively minor injuries, thankfully nothing immediately life-threatening. But he visited each and every soldier individually, speaking words of encouragement.
After that exhausting ordeal, I escorted him back to his private chambers, supporting his weight. His handsome face occasionally winced visibly in pain despite his attempts to hide it. It was genuinely hard for me to watch him suffer. After carefully setting him on the bed, I sat in the chair positioned next to him. Watching him in pain was almost unbearable.
He looked at me, smiling despite his discomfort.
"What did you mean when you said you felt it happen?" he asked with obvious curiosity.
"I felt the moment you were injured," I answered carefully. "Maybe it's because you have my blood in your system from our bonding—I just felt the pain." It's because he's our destined mate, Aiona corrected me internally, but I didn't say that out loud. He didn't need to know that yet. Not until I understood it better myself.
Arvid blinked in surprise. Then he looked lost in deep thought, processing this information.
"Then I definitely shouldn't get hurt anymore," he concluded seriously. "Or I'll be hurting you as well."
I smiled at his earnest, concerned face and his immediate concern for me rather than himself.
But I desperately didn't want him in pain anymore. Was there possibly a way to heal him using magic?
I asked Aiona urgently in my mind. The dragon went conspicuously silent for a long moment.
*Kiss him*, she finally answered.
What? I was completely confused by that suggestion.
*Kiss him properly, and I'll guide the healing magic through direct physical contact*, she explained.
Um, how exactly can I do that without it being awkward?