Chapter 169: Will she be okay?
~ Ava's POV ~
We walked down the long corridor toward Gwen's chambers. My footsteps sounded softly on the stone floor, but Alexis walked quietly beside me. She seemed more herself now that she was dressed and ready, but I could still sense something was bothering her.
The hallway felt colder as we got closer to Gwen's room. Maybe it was just my imagination, but everything seemed quieter here. Like the very walls knew that someone inside was suffering.
"How long has she been like this?" Alexis asked softly as we got to the heavy wooden door.
"Almost two weeks now, since she woke up," I said, my voice filled with worry. "At first, we thought it was just the usual mate sickness. You know how it affects some people when they're separated from their mates for too long."
Alexis nodded, though I could tell she didn't fully understand. She had never experienced the mate bond herself.
Faes don't have mates. Must be sweet not been controlled by a force you can't break from except your better half agrees to it. My mind goes to the suffering I experienced in the hands of Landon. I shivered, shaking my head to clear it.
I stopped in front of Gwen's door and took a deep breath. "She has good days and bad days. Sometimes she's almost normal, laughing with the children, helping Anastasia with small tasks around the house. But then the sickness comes back, and she becomes like... like she's not really here anymore."
"What do you mean?" Alexis asked.
"It's like part of her soul is somewhere else," I said quietly. "Like she's trying to reach someone who's very far away."
I knocked gently on the door. "Gwen? It's Ava. I brought Alexis to see you."
There was no answer. That wasn't unusual. On her bad days, Gwen barely responded to anything.
I pushed the door open slowly. The room was dim, with only a little sunlight coming through the heavy curtains. The air felt mucky and warm, almost suffocating.
Gwen lay in her bed, so still that for a moment I feared the worst. But then I saw her chest rising and falling slowly. She was alive, but barely conscious.
"Oh my," Alexis whispered beside me. "She looks so pale."
She was right. Gwen's skin was almost white, like all the color had drained out of her. Her red hair was spread across the pillow, damp with sweat. Her lips were dry and cracked. She looked like she was fading away right before our eyes.
I walked over to the bed slowly. "Gwen? Can you hear me?"
She didn't respond. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was shallow. I reached out and gently touched her hand. Her skin was hot, like she had a fever, but also somehow cold at the same time.
The moment my fingers touched hers, her now golden eyes flew open. They were wild and unfocused, like she was seeing something that wasn't there.
"Ava?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
"Yes, I'm here," I said softly. "Alexis is here too. We came to check on you."
Gwen's eyes darted around the room frantically before settling on my face. "He waits where the sun has never risen," she said suddenly.
I frowned. "What do you mean, Gwen? Who waits?"
"He waits where the sun has never risen," she repeated, her voice growing more urgent. "I have to go to him. I have to save him."
Alexis stepped closer to the bed. "Who is she talking about?"
"Drogon," I whispered.
Gwen's eyes locked onto mine with sudden intensity. "Yes! Drogon. He's there, in the dark place. He's dying, Ava. I can feel it. My soul knows. He's dying and I'm not there to help him."
She tried to sit up, but she was too weak. I gently pressed her back down onto the pillow.
"Gwen, you need to rest," I said. "You're not strong enough to go anywhere right now."
"But he needs me," she said, tears starting to flow down her pale cheeks. "He waits where the sun has never risen, and I'm supposed to be there. I'm supposed to save him."
She kept repeating those same words over and over. "He waits where the sun has never risen. He waits where the sun has never risen."
I looked at Alexis, who was staring at Gwen with wide eyes. This was probably the first time she had seen someone in the grip of mate sickness this severe.
"Is she talking about a real place?" Alexis asked quietly.
"I don't know," I said. "But she believes it's real. And that's what matters."
Gwen grabbed my hand with surprising strength. "I have to go back to him, Ava. I have to go back. The children will understand. Anastasia will understand. But I can't leave him there alone to die."
My heart broke listening to her. This wasn't just mate sickness. This was something deeper. Something connected to whatever had happened to Drogon. Somehow, through their bond, she could sense that he was in trouble. That he was suffering. Maybe even dying.
"Gwen, listen to me," I said firmly, taking both of her hands in mine. "You can't go anywhere right now. You're too sick. But I promise you, I will find him. I will bring Drogon back to you."
Her eyes searched my face desperately. "You promise?"
"I swear it," I said. "But you have to hold on. You have to stay here with us. The children need you. Anastasia needs you. And Drogon needs you to be alive and waiting for him when I bring him home."
"He waits where the sun has never risen," she whispered again, but this time her voice was softer. More hopeful.
"Then that's where I'll look for him," I said. "But you have to promise me you'll fight this sickness. You have to promise me you'll stay."
Gwen squeezed my hands weakly. "I'll try," she said. "But Ava... hurry. I don't know how much longer he can wait. I don't know how much longer I can wait."
She closed her eyes again, exhausted from the conversation. Within moments, she had drifted back into that strange, fevered sleep.
I stood up slowly, my mind racing. I had made a promise I wasn't sure I could keep. How was I supposed to find someone in a place where the sun had never risen? What did that even mean?
"Is she going to be okay?" Alexis asked softly.
I looked down at Gwen's pale, peaceful face. "I don't know," I said honestly. "But I have to try to find him. It's the only way to save her."
We left the room quietly, closing the door gently behind us. As we walked back down the corridor, I could still hear Gwen's words echoing in my mind.
"He waits where the sun has never risen."
Wherever that place was, I had to find it. And I had to find Drogon. Because if I didn't, I was going to lose Gwen forever.
And I couldn't let that happen. Not to her. Not to the children. Not to any of us.
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