And His Unkindness May Defeat My Life...

"I don't want any breakfast." Baldrik turned away lying in his bed upon his sister entering the room with a food tray.

"You're not getting breakfast; you're getting lunch. You slept through breakfast." Mireya's voice was stern trying to mask her heart breaking out of concern deep inside. "And you WILL eat it. I'm not going to let you lose the strength Althea fought so hard to give you by sulking away from food."

"Althea!" Baldrik's head shot up as the memories of last night and his actions came crashing into him like falling rocks. "Where is she?"

"She's in her bed still asleep. Durai will check in on her shortly." Mireya saw Baldrik's head bow in embarrassment as he avoided her eyes.

"I am so sorry. Let me check in on her. I have so much to say to her. So much I'm sorry for."

Mireya left the tray on a small table near the bed and sat next to her brother. "Baldrik, you need rest as much as she does." She saw Baldrik suddenly push away his own pity, and his face became suddenly concerned. Mireya started with a brave sigh, "After she left you last night, she collapsed and lost consciousness. Durai believes she surrendered some of herself to you to heal you last night. I don't quite understand, and neither does he, but it seems as though she gave her strength for yours. Regardless, you both need to rest to regain your full strength."

Mireya caressed his hair as he laid back down with tears in his eyes. She didn't tell him that Durai had been there most of the night to check on her and that he stayed the rest of the night with her when she developed a fever.

"Did you mean what you said?" Mireya asked with her face turned away afraid to look at her brother. "Do you feel like this will kill you?"

Baldrik looked straight up at the ceiling with an uncharacteristically blank face. "Yes."

"Why did you never tell me before that you felt this way? Why did you let it get this bad before we aggressively sought more help?" Baldrik didn't answer. In his heart, he didn't really know. "Is it you want to die?" she asked in an attempt to jolt him into an answer even if it was to refute her words. But he said nothing. She turned her head in shock to look at him in his silence. His face was still blank. "Baldrik?" Mireya whimpered in a small cry. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, or rather what she was not hearing.

Baldrik couldn't bear to see Mireya cry, and he raised himself to hug her. Though he was younger than she was, he always felt at his strongest and happiest when he would take on the role of a "big brother." He didn't want to hurt her, but he didn't want to lie. "I'm so sorry Mireya. I don't want to die. I love you, and I don't want to leave you. But I don't want this pain all the time. And sometimes I fear the day will come that I don't have fight left. I dream that this, whatever it is, eats me alive. Will I even be your brother broken and shriveled?"

Mireya clutched at him even harder and more desperate. "You will always be my brother," she wept. "I don't care if you stay in this bed and never move again! You will always and forever be my brother, my blood, my life." Mireya gave one last embrace before leaving him alone to rest and eat.

"But I would care."

….........

Mireya quietly walked into Althea's room to see Durai on a large chair pulled up to her bedside asleep. He was wrapped in a thick blanket with his head back and eyes closed against the cold of the room. He had opened the window in the night to bring in cooler air. Mireya looked then to Althea asleep in her bed. She was covered in pearl sized beads of sweat all over her exposed face. She could tell her sweating was getting worse as it bled onto the sheets and pooled around her. She took a damp cloth from a washing basin besides her bed and patted her head. Then Mireya touched her skin and found it was like fire. Her eyes clouded over with worry.

"It's gotten worse," Durai said from his chair opening his eyes to the presence of Mireya. "Her fever was very low last night, but it's getting worse."

"Is there anything...?" Mireya stopped herself before she finished. Healers could not heal other Healers. And an Enchanter's Magic was not specific enough to heal. They either channel the Magic for themselves if they are strong enough, or they are too weak to and perish. She wasn't sure with Althea now.

"She is strong, she is fighting. I don't think this will defeat her. I'll keep watch, and keep her safe." Durai looked on Althea dotingly.

Mireya was about to protest that he needed his strength and rest too, but she knew his stubbornness wouldn't hear her, even if she is the queen. "I'll send food to you then." Mireya turned to go, but as she got to the door, she turned back to look at Althea. "Thank you, and I'm sorry."