His relief was palpable in his muscles.
It had only taken them a few minutes of flying to reach the small cottage. Only a few more minutes later and he transformed back to his humanoid form and began walking quickly to the dwelling, Caeli cradled in one long arm, and the baskets handle hanging in the crook of the other.
Ventus must have seen them when they landed as she ran out to the yard and met them part of the way.
She ushered Coruscare into the house and grabbed the basket from him just before he ducked under the doors frame to enter.
He quickly took Caeli to one of the lounge chairs that sat in the open area and laid her upon it.
"What happened?", Ventus asked calmly. Her tone contrasting with her hurried and almost frantic movements.
Coruscare retold what he knew up to the point of his short trip back to the cottage.
"Has she said anything?", she asked, moving to the basket Coruscare had brought back.
He shook his head, holding Caeli's hand, crouched beside the chair.
"No, she seems, disoriented. She acted strange, stunned, then vomited, then fell to the ground. She had difficulty answering me when I was trying to bring her back here. I don't understand.", he said giving the small hand a gentle squeeze.
Ventus was quickly at work on a handful of flowers Caeli had brought back, at some point she had tossed a kettle of water on to boil and he could already see steam coming from its spout.
"This will help me see.", she said absentmindedly. He couldn't recall Ventus being able to read minds but it was difficult to say. Between her and her daughter he couldn't help but think that they possessed the ability but chose to hide the fact.
She had gathered two candles, a bowl, a tea cup, a tea leaf strainer, and a feather.
She lit the candles quickly, as they burned she placed the feather in the bowl and went to the stove.
She brought back the kettle and steeped a mixture of things in the water.
Satisfied, she nodded to herself.
Lifting one of the candles she tipped it above the feather allowing the hot wax to fall on top, enough to cover a small portion of it.
At this moment, she sat thinking. Suddenly with a start she went and retrieved a clear glass bottle with a cork.
"Moon water. My daughter was born beneath the moon. I've always considered her my child of the night. Ever since she was small she loved imaging living amongst the stars.", she said smiling sadly.
She poured some of the water into the bowl before turning to the hot kettle.
She allowed the streaming hot liquid to pass through the strainer and into the tea cup.
Blowing hurriedly over the tea, she tested it with her pinky before lifting Caeli's head and putting the cups edge to her mouth.
Caeli swallowed with a grimace.
After Ventus had thought she'd taken enough, she swallowed a portion of the tea herself.
Coruscare watched as Ventus placed a hand in the bowl with the feather, the other going to Caeli's forehead.
He sat silently as Ventus's hair began to lift into the air by some invisible force. Her white hair shimmering, her skin glowing. This all occurred over the course of a couple of minutes, but to Coruscare it felt like an eternity. The knowledge that he could be pulled away at any moment causing every second to stretch a mile.
Ventus's hair fell and the intense glowing halted. Her head was bent and her chest was heaving.
She lifted her eyes to meet Coruscares. Dark circles had appeared around her eyes and she was suddenly dripping sweat. She looked as though she had not slept for days. Her eyes swam with bittersweet tears.
"Her two halves are reconciling.", she said in a release of tension filled air.
Finally. It was working. She was going to survive.
All of this flooded Coruscares mind, his overwhelming joy stifled at the look on Ventus's face.
Tears streamed in waterfalls silently as she smiled down at her daughter.
"I am so thankful for the time I've had with her. I know she needs to return to her body but I will not deny that I will miss seeing her everyday.", she sniffed and caressed a hand over her hair.
"We will find a way to visit, I promise you.", he replied softly, watching Caeli as she laid restlessly.
Ventus nodded.
"Her halves are trying to come together. She is experiencing flashes of her physical life. It won't be easy, she will hurt but she'll survive.", she sighed.
Coruscare felt a distinct weight lift from his shoulders. He was able to enjoy the feeling for only a moment before Ventus spoke again.
"Do you know who Raven is? He was there, when I entered her mind. I could not see him but I could… feel him. I'm not sure if that is the right word but his presence is very tangible.", she asked Coruscare.
His heart fell from the clouds and into the dark depths of his stomach.
"No, I am not familiar with this character. The single instance Caeli woke she mistook me for him.", he responded attempting not to make obvious his hurt.
Ventus's brow furrowed.
"There are not many dragons left in this world. I can't imagine that he could be anything else if she thought you were him. The feelings she have toward him are not fearful, more… confused. Tangled.", she said cutting herself short.
Ventus had seen the way Coruscare had watched her daughter. The look in his eyes. She had an inkling of how he felt for her. She was supportive.
But she had felt the love and the anger Caeli had towards this "Raven" and she did not feel it was her place to explain these things to the King of Fire and Light.
And even if it was, Caeli's emotions were torn, she had strong feelings for this man but not all of them affectionate.
She hoped dearly that one day Caeli would return to her for a visit, and that they would be able to talk about these sort of things. Like most mother and daughter duos.
"No matter. More importantly, before you go, you must know that as her halves reconcile you will have more difficulty coming here. It may even be impossible once you wake. She will be in a limbo, her soul being pulled towards her body will fight back and attempt to remain here. But I urge you Coruscare continue to be with her in your time, it will encourage her soul to come back. And take care of her for Faron and I.", she said tearfully.
Coruscare nodded curtly. He had planned on doing these things anyway, Ventus's plea only strengthened his resolve.
She laid a hand on his broad shoulder.
"If she chooses you Coruscare, know that you have our blessing. But also know that if she does not choose you, I hope that you will still love and support her as a friend. She will need friends on the road ahead. I have reason to believe that she is a part of a great and ancient prophecy.", she said softly.
Coruscares head snapped to attention to stare, astonished.
"I know that I have not mentioned it thus far but I wasn't so sure until I entered her mind. I might have withheld that information if we had more time but we don't.", she said smiling sadly at him.
Then he was awake. Caeli moved restlessly against his chest, her body covered in sweat.
He sat up quickly and felt her forehead.
She had a fever here in her physical body as well.
Her face was red from the heat of it and she felt red-iron hot.
Coruscare hadn't noticed the water dripping down his face until the groveling spoke up.
"You could take her to the healing pool my lord, it could help relieve the febrile symptoms.", he said shyly, unsure if there would be ensuing frustration from the dousing it always took to wake him from the Catcher.
Each time the master went, he stayed longer and longer. And each time it was even more difficult to wake him. It had taken three buckets to wake the dragon this time around. Of course the groveling decided it was in his best interest not to disclose that fact.
Coruscare wasted little time. He gathered the small woman against himself and left the bed. He brought her quickly to the healing room and rushed into the waters, causing large ripples and waves in the clear depths as he did so.
He crouched in the water and allowed it to rise around them.
He cradled Caeli close against his chest and stared down at her, searching for any sign of wakefulness.
After a few moments of no change, he carefully brought her with him as he made his way to the edge of the pool and grabbed a clean linen. He slowly went to one of the submerged benches and sat with the girl still in his arms.
He soaked the clothe and wrung it out one handed with a tightening of his fist. He used it to dab away the sweat on her face and neck.
They sat this way until Coruscare had determined her fever was breaking, periodically checking her forehead.
He was just about to stand and return Caeli to the infirmary when she began to shift in his arms.
Caeli could feel the gentle pool waters around her and the solid objects that kept her above the surface.
Her head was pounding and her mouth was dry. She swallowed hard, her mouth akin to what she imagined a desert would feel like. Hot, dry, and sandy.
She tried to lean forward and sit up, she needed to assess where she was at.
She flexed her stomach and hardly felt her body move. Her body felt heavier than ever and especially around her skull.
She was able to pry her eyes open when she saw him.
"Coruscare?", she asked, confused.
The red dragons eyes sparkled and he smiled broadly down at her.
"Eli?", he whispered.
Caeli's mind was like a stitched quilt. Pieces and parts of two different Caeli's put together.
She knew this creature. She knew that he was king. She knew that he had visited her mother's cottage and they had picnicked.
But that couldn't be true. Because her mother had died when she was very young, from an illness that had swept her childhood village.
But that wasn't right either, because she had lived with her mother, collecting flowers and fruits and had done the monthly deep cleaning of the cottage.
Her mind felt as though it was bound to burst into flame and melt at any instant.
She pulled herself back to the moment, attempting to ground herself like Raven had taught her.
Raven! Goddess above he had kidnapped her, she had feelings for him. She was confused then and she was down right bewildered now.
The massive red dragon crushed Caeli's body to his chest in an enthusiastic embrace.
"You remember me, goddess above I didn't realize how much I feared the loss of your friendship until now.", the dragon said aloud, seemingly meaning to say it to himself.
That was right. They were friends. He had come to visit ever since she was young. And the last she remembered they had shared picnics together. He had been kind and sweet. Courteous and inquisitive.
Her heart leapt in a way that was familiar to a different Caeli. The Other Caeli. But to The Caeli it was new and unexpected.
Of course she'd felt similar, and not so long ago.
But The Caeli had not felt it for this creature. Not before now.
She could feel the heat radiate from her skull. She wasn't sure how much more she could take.
"Eli.", the red dragon cried as he held her close.
It wasn't the heartache she heard in his voice that caused her convulsions, although it did move her. And it wasn't the large dark figure that had appeared at the opening of the room. A massive dragons silhouette, watching silently, that caused her spell.
No, it was the heat inside of her mind, having grown to incredible strength in only moments, that caused Caeli's world to go black.
The last thing she remembered was the scent of burning feathers and the taste of dirt in her mouth.