Chapter 184: Thank you.
~Third POV~
Alexis climbed the stairs slowly, her footsteps making soft sounds on them as she made her way up to the second floor of the castle.
The afternoon sunlight was streaming through the tall windows, creating warm golden patches on the stone walls. She was heading to Ava's study room.
Ava was always working, always trying to learn more about being a good leader for her people. It made Alexis feel both proud of her friend and worried about how hard Ava was pushing herself.
When Alexis reached the heavy wooden door of the study room, she knocked gently three times.
"Come in," came Ava's voice from inside, sounding tired but welcoming.
Alexis pushed open the door and stepped inside. The study was a cozy room filled with tall bookshelves that reached from the floor all the way up to the ceiling.
The shelves were packed with books of all sizes and colors, thick leather-bound volumes about history and law, thin books about healing herbs.
In the center of the room was a large wooden desk covered with papers, maps, and open books. Ava was sitting behind the desk in a comfortable chair, looking up at Alexis with a gentle smile.
But before Alexis could say anything about why she had come to see Ava, she spoke first.
"Alexis," Ava said, setting down her quill pen and giving her full attention to her friend. "I wanted to thank you. Thank you so much for saving Gwen. I am so grateful, more grateful than I can even put into words, that she is finally awake and healthy again."
Ava's voice was filled with love. For weeks, she had been terrified that Gwen might never wake up from the strange sleep she had fallen into. This one had been longer than the usual ones.
Alexis shifted uncomfortably and waved her hand dismissively, as if trying to brush away Ava's thanks.
"Don't mention it," she said, though her voice sounded a bit strained. "I should have done it much sooner than I did. I could have healed her weeks ago, but I was too scared. That's why I couldn't do it right away."
The truth was that Alexis had been terrified of using her internal flame, to save Gwen, she had needed to give up part of her own internal flame, the magical fire that burned inside every member of the Fae race.
This flame was what gave the Fae their power, their long lives, and their second chance at life if they encounter any misfortunes. Giving it up was dangerous and could have serious consequences that lasted forever, but she promised herself to manage.
Ava nodded at Alexis with understanding in her eyes. She could see the worry and regret on her friend's face, and she wanted Alexis to know that she didn't blame her for being afraid.
"I understand why you were scared," Ava said softly. "What you did was incredibly brave, and I don't expect you to risk yourself without thinking about it first."
Then Ava leaned forward in her chair, her expression becoming more serious and concerned. "How are you doing now?" she asked. "How are you coping without your internal flame that you gave to Gwen? I've been doing a lot of reading lately, studying everything I can about being a new ruler, and I've learned that the internal flame is extremely important to the Fae race. I'm worried about what losing it might mean for you."
Alexis appreciated Ava's concern, but she tried to seem more casual about the situation than she really felt.
"Yes, it's true that the internal flame is very important to us," she admitted. "But it's okay. I'm dealing with it fine. At least I used it to save a life, which makes it worth it. Besides, as long as I don't get into any serious fights that end up with me being severely injured and knocking on death's door, I should be perfectly fine."
What Alexis didn't say was that losing her internal flame had left her feeling weaker and more vulnerable than she had ever felt before.
She got tired more easily now, and some of her more powerful magical abilities were harder to use. But she didn't want to worry Ava with these details, especially she is already had so many other things to stress about.
Ava smiled at Alexis, though she could tell that her friend was probably not telling her the whole truth about how she was feeling. Still, she respected Alexis's choice not to share everything, and she was grateful for the sacrifice her friend had made.
Now Alexis took a deep breath and brought up the real reason she had come to see Ava today.
"Actually, I came up here to talk to you about something important," she said, her voice becoming more serious.
"I wanted to let you know that I'm planning to leave soon. I need to go search for my people, other members of the Fae race who might still be alive. There are some things I need to fix, some problems in my clan that I've been putting off for too long."
The Fae had been scattered and displaced during recent wars and conflicts. Many of Alexis's people had fled to different parts of the world, and she felt responsible for finding them and helping to bring them back together.
It was a duty she had been avoiding because she wanted to stay and help Ava, but now she felt like she couldn't put it off any longer.
"I understand," Ava said quietly. "You have your people to think about, and they need you. Just... please be careful out there. The world is still dangerous, and I worry about you traveling alone."
Alexis nodded. Then she asked, "Before I go, I wanted to check,have you heard any news about those armies? The ones that your soldiers said would be sending to check on Mesodomica and possibly destroy it?"
Ava shook her head and let out a small sigh. "No, I haven't heard anything," she replied. "My soldiers and spies haven't sent back any information about armies moving in that direction, which I think means we're safe for now. If there were large military forces gathering or marching toward Mesodomica, we would have heard about it by now."
This was both good news and worrying news. It was good because it meant there wasn't an immediate military threat that Ava needed to worry about.
But it was also concerning because it meant they still didn't know what was really happening in that cursed land or whether it posed a danger to the surrounding areas.
"I promise I'll come back," Alexis said as they pulled apart. "And when I do, I'll bring any news I can find about Raphael."
Ava's eyes lit up with gratitude at Alexis's promise. "Thank you," she said softly. "That would mean a lot to me."
Then Ava remembered something else that had been bothering her lately. "Actually, there's something else I'd like to ask you to look into while you're traveling," she said.
She whispers it in her ear. Alexis nodded in understanding and then left.
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