I Feel Within Me a Peace Above All Earthly Dignities, a Still and Quiet Conscience

"Galen, you really should eat something. It won't do you good to pass out from hunger." Mireya stood above Galen's slouched form. He had grown pale and gaunt, and she was worried about him.

"Your Majesty, I don't feel much like eating."

"Do you think that is what she would want you to do? Waste away to nothing?" Mireya put a comforting arm around the figure stoic in his silence.

After a moment in the hushed atmosphere between them, he looked up from his vigil to face her. "What if she wakes up, and I'm not here? What if she needs something, and she's all alone?"

Mireya crouched onto her knees besides Galen who was still at his post beside the bed where Althea lay very deeply asleep.

It had been three days since that night in the throne room. As Galen rocked her back and forth on the floor in his arms, he could feel the cold on her skin. He couldn't feel her breathing, the blood in her body had seemed still. He held his breath to try and will the air into her lungs. He never in his entire life had been more petrified and mortally scared as he had been in that moment.

After what seemed like an eternity, he felt her body take in a sudden gasp of air. It was as if the fire of life had suddenly sparked within her. He looked eagerly upon her face, but she was still far away. Her eyes remained closed, and she would not stir. She simply remained alive but reposed like a princess in a faerie story. Galen just clutched her more tightly then, thankful to all of heaven that she was alive. If she survived that, she would make it through to the other side. Holding her in his arms, he bent his head and laid his lips on her forehead. Her cheek was whetted with a single tear.

The three days and night's vigil at her bedside wore heavily on Galen. He hardly ate or slept. There were a few instances of a fevered sweat that put her body into twitching fits, and Galen was beside her every second of it tending to her. He would wipe her brow and even rubbed her body with scented oils and massaged her muscles.

"Galen," Mireya said as she had stooped down to him, "I'm going to have to insist. You need to keep up your strength to take care of her even more when she wakes. But if you waste what you have now, you'll be no good to any of us later. Please. I promise that she won't be alone. I'll be right here while you get some food, a good bath, and a night's sleep." Her tone was incredibly compassionate and trustworthy, but it was not to be mistaken for suggestion.

Galen bowed his head in concession. He got up from his chair and offered it to Mireya. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Mireya stepped to the chair, but first turned to Galen's tired face. She brushed a wisp of his hair back from his face. He looked so disheveled, it made her want to take care of him too. She could see his innocent nature each more as the days progressed. And the devoted looks he gave Althea as she slept was so precious that she felt he was family already.

Galen walked out of the door giving Althea one final look before he closed the door behind him. He saw the two women together, and he saw what they must have been many times and what they must mean to each other. When he closed the door on the scene, he looked down the long hallway towards Durai's rooms. It had the same bustle of people in and out as there had been nonstop since it happened. He shrugged it off. He was too tired to try and evaluate how that whole affair made him feel.

He went towards another room a small way from Althea's that was vacant before and now belonged to him. The room had all the necessities it needed, but no additional, personal touches. He barely had been in it since it was assigned to him. A warm meal waited for him in the main room under a dome, and he was very grateful that it was brought to him there. He was in no condition to go to the main hall to be fed and put up a show and deal with the questions.

After a filling, wholesome meal and a long, warm bath, he put on a pair of clothes that had been provided for him. He went to the bed and collapsed into deep sleep on top of it. He hadn't even the strength to get under the blankets.

Meanwhile, Mireya took out a familiar bush and began long, loving strokes through Althea's hair. With the repetitive motions, she felt more and more at peace. A peace that had eluded her for far too long. She looked upon Althea's face and was happy to see that it was still full of color. Mireya knew she was in a Healer's Sleep; Althea had spoken of it before. The fever spells and the twitching had frightened her just as it had frightened Galen, but she knew that Althea was too strong to succumb at this point.

With each loving stroke, Mireya started to think back to her memories and felt warmed by them. She began to hum a song she often hummed to Baldrik when they were younger and he would be sick. In a way, it felt like he was there in the room with her, and the three of them were united once again. She knew that it wasn't so, her feelings couldn't possibly be real, but she immersed herself in the thought just as happily nonetheless.

Mireya looked from the hair she had just finished brushing to Althea's face, and Althea's warm, brown eyes looked hazily back at her. Mireya thought for a second it was because of her wishing it would be so that she was seeing what she saw. She willed the sight of Althea's waking that her fantasy looked so real. But then Althea smiled to see her soul sister, and Mireya knew then that it really was real.

Tears immediately flowed freely from Mireya's eyes as she let a few giddy breaths escape. She was so happy and so relieved, yet she began to cry and sob. What was wrong with her?

Mireya grabbed one of Althea's hands and held it fast in both of hers. Althea didn't break her loving look at Mireya as she said, "Baldrik says he loves you."

….....

For the next few hours, young girl attendants came to help Mireya feed and bathe Althea. The Healer's movements were very slow and stiff. Mireya's heart broke over and over to see her so weak; she couldn't even imagine the full extent of the tole this had taken on her physically. And she didn't want to know the spiritual exertion what she had done must have taken.

As they bathed Althea in a warm and pampering bath, Mireya could see Althea's body covered in bruises ranging in size, color, and severity. Some seemed older, some seemed recent and must have been from the fight three days ago. But the other ones...how long had she been locked in the room down the hall? What had she endured there?

One of the more tenured attendants suddenly stopped her cleansing motions of Althea's back as she came upon the right shoulder. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Mireya noticed the attendant's movements stop, and she looked over at the expression of appalled shock. Mireya then dismissed everyone from the room and took over helping Althea herself. She looked at the brand upon Althea's back. The skin was still angry, red, and blistered. Parts of her skin were starting to flake off. Mireya couldn't believe what she was seeing. She put a finger against the skin – she still couldn't believe it was real – and recoiled suddenly when Althea flinched. Mireya covered her mouth with both of her hands to keep from crying. Even through the Healer's Sleep and the regenerating effects, this brand remained.

Althea's voice broke Mireya's stunned silence, "It's okay. I've accepted it." Her voice seemed so wise now. It was as if she had lived a lifetime through the battle and her sleep. Her voice, while still being sweet and demure, now held a quality to it that commanded reverence. It was as if Althea had elevated to a plane beyond the rest of them.

After she was fully washed, Mireya had assisted her with her clothes. Althea had walked her through how to carefully bandage and wrap the still healing wound, and they put on clothing very loose around the top. Mireya was far from a Healer, but Althea benefited greatly from her naturally tender and graceful touches.

Mireya put Althea back into bed propped up on pillows. Althea gave her soul sister a look, and Mireya crawled into the bed next to her. After a few moments in comfortable silence, Althea turned to Mireya. "What happened?" she finally asked her.

Mireya grew a little more serious then. "I'm not sure what you did, but you won. We came up to you, and there was fire everywhere. I was so scared you'd be burned and killed, but the flames didn't seem to touch you. Your eyes...your eyes were pure white. And so were Durai's. It was like you filled him with it. And then you both collapsed."

Althea barely remembered that part. "What happened after that? Did it work?"

Mireya smiled at her, "Yes, yes it did. Yesterday our men reported from outlying villages that were abandoned that the bodies of Immortuos were lying in the streets. They were inanimate, unmoving, and seemed to go back to their rest leaving only the bodies behind." She turned to Althea then full of awe and gratitude, "You saved us all, Althea. You did it. You really did it!"

Every muscle in Althea's body seemed to relax then. So, it was all over. Her long fight, all of the fear, all of the violence...it was over. The dead loved in life had once again returned to where they belonged. One silent, alleviated tear rolled down the side of her face as she let out a deep sigh.

"What about Durai?" Althea asked.

Mireya looked at Althea as if she disapproved of the question. As far as Mireya was concerned, that monster didn't deserve a thought from her. "He's alive. We had to have what few people adept to medicine we have left in the kingdom come to do what they could, but he's not in good shape." Mireya noticed Althea's brow knit with worry as she looked blankly ahead. "He is very badly burnt on one side of his face. His body seemed like it was damaged inside. I don't know how to describe it. His body was bruised all over, like yours is, only much worse. It was almost like something bigger put itself inside of his skin and burst from the inside.

"He was unresponsive for the first day and a half, then he went into fits. He tore at his bandages and screamed gibberish. Althea, it was horrible."

Every word painted a picture for Althea, and she could see the scene play out in her mind. "He had to face the light, but he fought it. He fought it so much that the light had to force itself to make him see. And he did see it, he was washed over with what he had to accept, or else the Immortuos and the Mist would still be around. But he fought it every step. Maybe he's still fighting it."

Mireya nodded. It made as much sense as anything else she had seen so far. "Well," she continued, "he's not fighting much of anything anymore. He's become...I don't know. It's like he's empty inside. He has to be fed, given water, bathed, and bandages changed. But he doesn't do anything for himself anymore. At least not now. He just...exists."

Althea cast her eyes down feeling somewhat responsible. Mireya noticed as Althea took on that burden willingly, and she grabbed her hands. "Nuh uh! You're not doing that to yourself. When he gets stable enough, we're sending him to a small hut that's been prepared near the base of the hill. He'll be cared for, but no longer is he going to be a burden on you. You've born enough by him. He'll live out the rest of his life where he won't do harm again. Better than he deserves."

Althea tried to smile a week smile, but she just accepted Mireya's judgement. It was probably for the best. No, it was for the best. Althea would continue to harm herself more and more as if she deserved punishment if it weren't for Mireya reaching in to save her.

They spoke long into the night. They spoke of joys and deep sorrows. They were reunited again; they were family again. They talked until the both of them fell asleep still propped up on the bed with their hands together and fingers intertwined.

As the sun came upon Althea's face as it spilled like gold through the windows, she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Galen.

When their eyes met, they both smiled a deep and knowing smile.