***
Gwen woke up slowly, in stages, as if she had been given a heavy dose of laudanum, several of them even. Perhaps she should have been, for a terrible headache pounded in her temples. She opened her eyes, blinking against the dim light, and tried to sit up, but found herself too tired to do so. Her limbs felt heavy, as was her heart, weighed down by an inexplicable fatigue.
What was happening?
What time was it?
Where was she?
Her eyes roamed easily and she calmed. She was in her bedchamber at Mainecroft Castle. She weakly brought her hand to her forehead and rubbed there, hoping to alleviate herself of a pinch of the headache.
