How To Heal A Man
POV: Alexandra
My uncle passed out immediately after we shared a joke about my mother. I sprung to my feet and touched his forehead thinking that perhaps he was running a fever as a result of being in a coma for three days. He was ice cold but the moment that I touched him, he began to stir. I drew my hand away from his head and he stopped moving. I touched him again and he was moving again. It seemed that my touch was the only thing that was helping him warm up. I pulled the chair up to the bed and grabbed his hand. This was not a sustainable way to keep him healed but at the very least I could help him for now. I stood like this until the door opened and Derek walked in and looked over at my uncle, “I thought he was awake.” I nodded, “He was but he fainted a short while ago. It seems while I touch him, he starts to feel better. I need to find a way to help him without being in his presence.” He sighed, “Especially since we’re supposed to go to school and attend the retreat in a few days. Anyhow, the psyche from the Citadel is here but she’s talking with your mother first.”
Uncle Talon was beginning to open his eyes, “Uncle Talon, are you okay? You fainted.” He sat up still holding my hand, “I felt so cold and I had a painful memory from my time in The Order. I need to remember more so that they can never harm you again.” I smiled at him, “You don’t have to push yourself; I assure you that I am well protected. What you need to focus on is getting well enough to return to your life. I am sure Vanessa is eager to resume life with you.” I had wondered how well Vanessa was healing and I had hoped that she was healing better than my uncle had been at this moment. Talon sighed, “The problem with that, little rose, is that I have to atone for my misdeeds. The things I’ve done that I’m not even aware of. I think I deserve to be in chains.” He looked down with a defeated look on his face. It made the image of the valiant and noble soldier that everyone painted about him so very hard to see. Derek, who had stood silent and leaning against the back wall, spoke, “It’s highly unlikely that the Citadel would put it’s biggest hero in chains. Besides, it wasn’t your crimes. Those crimes belong to the assassin Zero and not to the man Talon. Those charges belong to those in charge of The Order. As soon as we catch them, you won’t have to worry about atonement.” He sighed, “I don’t think I can accept that.”
A voice came from the door, “You won’t have to accept that General Talon, it just is something that I have to determine.” Benalia walked into the room and gave me a nod. I looked up at her, “I will let you sit. Would it be okay if I continue touching him or would that interfere with your ability?” She thought for a little while, “We can try to let you continue to touch him but if it interferes, I will ask you to quit.” I sighed, “Right, I’m just concerned that he will pass out on you. It seems he is in need of contact with him to stay conscious.” She shook her head, “Even if he faints, I will still be able to assess him so you should be okay to let go.” I was still concerned about the ice-cold skin that he had before and if I were to lose contact with, he would likely freeze again. I had wondered if he could die of hypothermia because of this condition of his. I heard Mordred in that second, “Darling, he won’t die just like that. I understand your hesitation.” I thought, “Well if you know that, then you must know how I can assist him.” He spoke again, “Actually, I do but I will need to be there to assist. I am glad to hear that you have vouched for me with the King.” Benalia cleared her throat, “You are distracting while you’re touching him. I can feel your heavy frustration through contact with General Talon.”
I let him go and continue my telepathic conversation with Mordred, “Well, Dorothea trusts you so I trust you.” He grunted, “I’m hurt that you don’t trust me on my own merits, darling.” I sighed, “Well, I don’t really know you and I don’t trust easily. Anyhow, what is the status of your application?” He sighed, “Well, I haven’t heard back yet but that’s not the point of contacting you. I thought I would let you know that whenever it is that I come to Vellum, I can assist Vanessa in a tool that can hold your heart healing essence into it so that you aren’t having to constantly be in contact with your uncle.” I was relieved to hear that there was a way to devise a tool that would be able to help my uncle out. I thought to him, “I will have to keep in contact with him until then, won’t I?” He sighed, “Unfortunately, you will have to touch him every once in a while. The contact needn’t be constant just once every thirty minutes for about five minutes. I know it is a huge inconvenience but you do care about your uncle, right?” I affirmed that to him and he said, “Good, I’m hoping to hear the King’s decision in a day or two. If there is anything you can do to hurry him along, now would be the time.”
I thought about the retreat that Lucien had put together and something told me that adding the stress of having to touch my uncle every thirty minutes didn’t quite help me with the reason for the retreat. I communicated, “I think I have a solution but I will need to send a note to the King to let him know that you are urgently needed here or I will have to cancel his plans for me in a few days.” He chuckled, “I believe that the threat of canceling a romantic getaway will motivate him.” I grunted at him, “It is NOT a romantic getaway, it is a trip to get me to relax a bit more because I am so stressed out.” He sighed, “I am sorry to hear that because I believe you would make any man out there very lucky to have you.” I rolled my eyes, “I’m not thinking about romance whatsoever. I just want to finish my studies and be of service to my King and land. That is all.” He chuckled more, “You don’t get to choose when you fall in love, it just happens. I am very sure that the King feels quite the opposite. How could he not? I am to understand that his brother is smitten with you as well.” I sighed a heavy sigh, “Well, that’s tough for them because I don’t really feel that type of love for them. I feel love that a friend would feel for another.”
Benalia clear her throat and stood up to look at me, “He has a lot of fears but I know for a fact that he is clear of the curse that had a hold of him. The only thing is that the memories from that time have been put up in a barrier in his mind. Some of them are leaking out slowly so there may be some psychological issues. I sense that you possess the fabled healing heart, Your Grace.” I nodded at her, “It is what I am told and I have just now discovered this a little better today.” I looked over at my uncle who widened his eyes. I looked back at Benalia and she smiled, “I never thought I would see the day to look upon a person who would have such a rare ability. I thought your ability was the Aphrodite ability.” I nodded, “It is my ability. It is why I have to wear this gauntlet that Vanessa made for me.” She gasped, “I thought pyrios only were able to possess one ability.” I shrugged, “I really don’t know why it is that I am able to possess multiple.” She looked confused, “Multiple?” I held up three fingers, “I know of three different abilities. I know of Aphrodite, Healing Heart and prophetic dreams.” She looked at me as if I had sprouted another head, “That’s impossible. You have two legendary abilities? Impossible.” I shrugged, “Why is that impossible?” She took a deep breath, “Pyrio bodies cannot handle the power that more than one ability consumes. It would be like if you ran a horse constantly without rest, eventually it would die. Can I touch you to assess if this ability overload affects you?” I nodded, “Sure, if you think it would help.” She grabbed my hand and closed her eyes. Every once in a while, she was breathing hard and it took a long time for her to open them. When she did a tear rolled down her cheek, “You endured so much in your past so it took a while for me to access that part of your mind. I need a minute.” She sat back down in the chair and took some deep breaths. Finally, she looked back up at me, “You are not completely pyrio. You are…something else.”
