Caeli woke to Bat nudging her arm with his short, upturned snout.
Once she opened her eyes all she could see was the face of the bat creature panting happily.
She smiled as she weakly wiped the saliva from her cheeks.
She noted that she had more energy than before she fell asleep, that was good.
Still in her body and in present time, also good.
The incessant throbbing in her shoulder? Now that was not so good.
"Good morning Bat. Or at least, I think.", she said, absentmindedly rubbing behind the large creature's ear as she squinted into the darkness attempting to discern if there was an opening to the outside, someway to see her surroundings.
There was nothing obvious, the thought made her feel uneasy. Like she was in a tomb. She desperately wanted to see the sky.
"Bat is there a way out of here? I'm not trying to run away, I just need some fresh air.", she said hastily at the look of disappointment the creature conveyed.
He contemplated for a moment before excitedly wagging his tail. She took this as a "yes".
"Would you be able to take me there? Outside I mean?", she said hesitantly.
His wagging slowed.
Caeli looked around the room. Her green cloak wasn't with her, her need to be outside outweighing the panic she felt at the idea of her only cherished item from her mother being gone.
"A cloak Bat. I need one.", she said simply, hoping he would understand.
He excitedly ran to the wardrobe and tugged on one of the large decorative ropes that hung off of the handles. He pulled the door open before putting his entire head inside, only seconds later withdrawing a black cloak.
He drug it back to her before laying it in her lap.
She hardly noticed the saliva left behind and was more focused on trying to find the energy to wrap it around herself.
Somewhere within, she found it.
Once she was cloaked and the hood drawn closely she shimmied her way to the edge of the bed carefully.
Standing unsteadily, Bat walked between her legs and lifted her from the ground.
"Good boy.", she said softly, almost out of the breath already. "Let's go.", she whispered.
Bat seemingly understood her sense of wariness, he walked quickly and quietly, his large ears flat against the nape of his large neck. His head swiveling this way and that to observe his surroundings. His legs bent in an attempt to lower himself and be less noticeable.
The idea made Caeli chuckle, it would take more than light feet and crouching to make the creature unnoticeable, but she appreciated his efforts. She also appreciated the way he stuck to the shadows and avoided halls with other people in them.
After what felt like an eternity, but with very few twists and turns they entered another room, this one large and less sterile. The furnishing soft and of good quality but not of extraordinary design. The simplicity of the furnishings contrasting the luxuriousness of the materials.
At the opposite end of the room was a set of large windows with handles. The top of the panes almost reaching to a ceiling that Caeli could not make out in the dark.
Bat took her to the double doors and pawed at one of the handles causing it to gently swing open. He walked her out onto a balcony and Caeli could hardly believe what she was seeing.
Trees so large that it would take fifteen men to join hands to encircle their base. The tops of them invisible. Oddly the trees could be seen growing upwards but seemed to disappear into what looked like the night sky but in vibrant color. Bright purples and blues splashed here and there, black and green in other places. What looked like shining stars in such great abundance that it reminded her of the clear nights she would sometimes spend in the flower fields with the Folk when she had been growing up.
There were glowing flowers in similar colors, creatures flying this way and that, all with a bio-luminescent glow.
Caeli sat stunned before attempting to get off of Bat.
She bent one leg, trying to desperately to bring it across his back so that both of her legs were on one side of the beast.
She attempted to pull the leg forward and over but her foot bent back only enough to allow her to lean forward. Before she knew it, she was tumbling forward, black marble coming to greet her.
Before she hit the floor, she was caught by something she could only describe as a cloud. A black roiling mass that hardly felt as though it were there.
"You are awake.", came a deep voice.
Caeli lifted her head to find Raven standing above her, his arms crossed over his chest. The cloud that suspended her in the air coming from his back. His eyes glowed brightly and she could see the concern there. Or perhaps frustration. It was difficult to say.
She swallowed hard as the cloud placed her back on Bat, only receding after she placed her hands on Bat's shoulders to balance herself.
"I just needed to be outside for a little while.", she said quietly, trying not to sound sorry.
"Had you told Einar, we would have arranged it with the staff to ensure your safety.", he said glancing at Bat.
"Please don't be upset with him. He was hesitant and I was persistent. He's a very sweet creature.", she said gently running a hand over the back of his neck to which Bat made a low growl that Caeli thought sounded more out of enjoyment than anything else. The sound vibrated through her chest and made her smile. There was something incredibly comforting about the creatures presence and mannerisms.
Raven turned to Bat who in turn flattened his ears against his head, looking satisfactory in his contriteness.
Raven sighed heavily before turning to the balcony's railing, patting Bat's head as he turned to do so.
"I am not upset with anyone. What do you think?", he asked, leaning against the railing.
Caeli turned to take in more of the sight before her.
"It is beautiful.", she said marveling at the glowing foliage and animals.
Raven smiled internally. It pleased him to hear her say so.
"Is that the night sky above us?", she asked skeptically.
Raven shook his head.
"Long ago, I created this hidden domain inside of the Midnight Forest. It was my solitary home before it was my refuge for the Folk. So old that the trees have grown past the sky. They are Night Trees. They thrive in the darkness and their leaves tend to mimic the night sky. I remember when these trees were only saplings. When this part of the world was dark.", he said reminiscently.
Caeli swallowed hard at the thought. If he was truly one of the Five, he was older than time itself. Einar had also said he was the First.
Raven sensed her unease, the increase in her heart rate.
"I am sorry Caeli. I will answer any questions that you have. I will not hide anything from you. I've made that mistake in the past and I refuse to make it again.", he said his deep timber somber.
His words tugged deep inside of her heart.
She could hear the regret in his voice. She could feel the sadness radiate from him.
But was she perceiving these things correctly? Her ability to discern intention was not at its best when she was so broken and tattered. The energy inside of her quickly dwindling whenever she attempted to read someone.
She lowered her head and stared at her hands resting on Bat's back.
"Who are you?", she said to the marble skin of the gargoyle creature, absently twirling Bats mane, the only hair on his entire body besides the tip of his tail. Gently twisting and combing her fingers through the silk black hair.
"I am Absentia Lucius. I am the absence of light. The First. The Beloved One. The Cursed One. More recently known as the Midnight King. There are many more names, most that I do not recall or care to recall.", he said staring at where he imagined her face might be, curtained hidden by her starlight hair."I am king to the Midnight realm, a refuge I created at the peak of the Folk and Human war, to protect my people, that is where you are at present. The majority of the citizens are galaxias, like the workers you have seen thus far. Like the woman who hurt you."
Caeli nodded slowly.
"When did you remember? Have you always known who you are? Even before we met?", she said quietly, using what little strength she had left to try and steel herself against the hurt.
"No, no. I remembered after you named me. You possess great magic Caeli, although it is hidden within you. Hidden well. That same immense power that returned me to my former self. When you named me.That was when I remembered.", he said softly, still staring at her, hoping that she would look up so that he could see her face.
He could life his lifetime over again and would never forget those nights they shared together.
"And you knew? That your kingdom was here without you?", she asked.
"Yes.", he replied simply.
"And yet you stayed with me in that place in the past? Why did you not return at once? How long have you been gone?", she asked, the questions multiplying inside of her mind.
"Twenty years I was away, twenty years of roaming the lands my conscious buried. I did not return immediately because... well because I was with you.", he said softly. His desire to see her face growing.
Caeli fought the exhaustion with all she had. She needed more answers.
"Why did you not tell me?", she asked weakly.
"It never felt like the right time. And with each day we grew closer… I…", he trailed off.
Raven swallowed hard. He could not deny her the truth, no matter the difficulty of admitting something so revolutionary.
He had never loved anyone in his life. Not the way he loved Caeli.
He would not lie, not for fear of the hurt and not for life itself.
He moving closer to her. Her presence pulling him in, a instinct so strong that he could no longer resist.
"And I grew to love you.", he said kneeling on one knee in front of Bat. He patted the gargoyles shoulder as he ducked his head trying to see Caeli's face.
He leaned enough to see her tears and he felt as though the world around them was shattering. How could another person's sadness affect him so deeply?
Caeli took a steadying breath.
"So what happened to my shoulder?", she asked, diverting the topic.
Raven knew he had no right to be hurt at her voluntary decision to ignore his confession. But hurt it did.
"I am told that after you crossed swords with Callon, his assistant cast a ball of searing magic at you, Night Magic, Dark Magic. Coruscare's druid did not have the knowledge to properly heal the wound. Your true healing begins now. Hence why you were brought here.", he said, thinking of how he would maim Callon and the woman if he ever encountered them again.
"Coruscare...", she said softly. Images of them together in the flower meadow, flashes of him by her bedside. Another memory of her suspended in water, being held gently in his arms.
"Yes. Your companions were brought to the heart of the mountain by the she-wolf and he tended you for the three months that you fought for consciousness. He visited you with a magical item I gave him long ago. It is called the Dream Catcher. In those instances he attempted to bring your spirit back to your body. He said that you were visiting the past, staying with your mother and father. He says that you suffer an illness unrelated to the wound in your shoulder. He insists he is not physically capable of telling me the details which leads me to suspect that there is others involved. Yesterday I brought you here so that the nurses could use their abilities to make the wound heal. In regards to the other "illness" Coruscare has mentioned, I have instructed my researchers to look into it based on your symptoms and what little I do know of the situation. I suppose that mostly catches you up.", he said, nervously squeezing his wrist, praying that she wouldn't notice his unease.
Caeli finally lifted her head, she took in the sight one last time.
"I would like to return to my room Bat.", she said softly.
Bat looked to his master, who nodded.
The creature turned and exited through the double doors that opened to the balcony.
Raven sighed heavily.
*Space old boy. She needs space.*, he thought to himself.