ways_infirmary | (no subject)

Finally free from being imprisoned-

-Dark, too dark, can't see anything, so cold-

Straight-line direct from the front door, a gold glow rushes towards Svava laying on the bed.

Monents later, the gold glow is followed by an Archie, who isn't quite running back into the infirmary after the fight.

It's almost too much to hope for, but he's returning to his proper place at her side.

The glow settles around her mouth, seeming to waver with her breathing-

In.

Out.

It is magic, Archie can't really see the glow, it is one of those out of the corner of you eye, look at it directly and you can't see it things. So if he's aware of it at all, he would call it a trick of the light.

But he can see her.

He moves quietly to her bedside, reaching to touch her, to gently cup her face between her hands, brushing his thumbs across her cheekbones.

"He's gone, sweetest. We defeated him. Tim is taking care of him on the other side of the door."

He pauses, swallowing hard, tears in his eyes.

"Oh, my Svava. I miss you."

He leans forward, barely kissing her, a feather's touch. A soft sigh passes from his lips to hers, and he leans back, taking her hand in his once again.

The glow melts into her under his kiss, and Svava's eyes flutter open as her breath catches. (Hardly noticed by either one of them are increased beepings from surrounding machines.) Her hand tightens suddenly on Archie's, and Svava awakens suddenly with a gasp.

His head snaps up, and he is suddenly there again, his hands cupping her face once again, his eyes searching hers.

"Svava?"

She grabs for his hands, holding them tightly, panicking.

"Archie- guð. Það var dimma og ÉG ekki fá út. Hann reyndur til sök mig fyrir hans dauði, en þessi vildi ekki vinna. Þá það var dimma og ÉG ekki sjá, og ÉG var meiða-"

Svava starts to sit up, pulling at some of the monitor contacts.

Archie wraps his arms around her, holding her tightly to his chest, buring his face in her hair.

"It's all right sweetest. It's all right. I'm here now. You're here safe. He's gone. He won't hurt you any more. Oh God, I was so worried..."

His voice breaks and he's sobbing in relief against her neck.

A whimper, and she is hiding her face against Archie, shivering.

"Það var kuldi. ÉG ekki fá út. I couldn't. I tried, but there was no way to get out... "

He tangles a hand in her hair, not letting go of her for an instant, he's not going to for a while.

"You're here now. You're safe. You're safe."

Jason had been shuffling sleepily to the Infirmary to check on Archie and Svava when he heard the voices. He dashes through the door with an expectant grin.

"You're back! Thank God, I was starting to worry."

He beams at the couple from the doorway.

Svava startles, pulling back from Archie enough to look at the doorway-

Then she blinks at Jason, eyes wide.

Archie follows Svava's gaze to the doorway and smiles a bit.

"Good evening, Jason."

He's still sitting on her bed with his arms around her though. don't ask him to move.

Jason's face softens a bit as he looks at Svava. He can see the panic on her face, let alone smell it.
He pads over and gives her a quick peck on the forehead.

"Don't worry. You're safe now."

He gives Archie a wink. "Hey Archie. Hope you don't mind."

She relaxes slightly, though can't quite smile yet. Still shaken, Svava instead reaches to take one of Jason's hands.

"I don't mind at all."

She's here. Safe.

He hugs her tightly.

Jason gives her hand a little squeeze.

"Good to have you back, Svava. Let him take care of you, and I'll bring you up some hot chocolate in a bit."

He gives her hand a kiss, then rests it on Archie's shoulder.

"I'll let you two have some privacy. Be back in about an hour with that hot chocolate."

Svava nods a bit to Jason, then rests her head on Archie's shoulder. Still shaking slightly.

She will soon get around to asking 'what happened?'- After she has processed the shock of being trapped one place, then suddenly out and somewhere else.

Archie nods as well.

"Thank you, Jason."

He sifts his fingers through her hair.

"It is good to have you back, my love."

Svava nods faintly, with a sniffle.

"How-?"

He shakes his head, he's not sure he's the best one to tell this story.

"I don't know... it was the Other though, I know that much. Jah-lila said that your spirit was gone away, that he must have known your 'truename' is what she said. God, I was so afraid for you."

He holds her tighter, if that were possible.

"... "

She is not arguing, and she not moving either. Svava is still shivering from time to time.

"Jah-lila is a large, reddish unicorn. A unicorn, Svava. She used some herbs and she did... well I'm not entirely certain what it was that she did, but she said that she couldn't find where he had taken you, and that the only way she could think of that he could take you so completely was if he had knowledge of your 'truename' or something similar."

He shakes his head.

"I just don't know."

"... what is a unicorn?" She blinks, then takes a deep breath and closes her eyes.

"Don't know where I was. Thought it was somewhere real, that I fell in there. "

"Unicorns are... in physical appearances somewhat like horses with single horns growing frome their foreheads. They are much more than that though... You might ask Arithon about them. He calls them Riathan Paravians, I think."

He squeezes her close, shuddering. A pit in the ground...

"You're here now, he's gone. He won't hurt you anymore."

What more is there, what more can he say to her? What can he do to make it better? He doesn't know, so he just holds her.

"Oh. He made an ice sculpture of one, once. The breeze would blow through holes in the horn, and it sounded like a bird singing." Svava murmurs quietly.

"I just didn't know they were here."

"There is one at least."

He pulls away enough to cup her face in his hands agian, brushing his thumbs across her cheekbones, searching her eyes.

"Things will be better now, I promise. You'll see. I love you."

There is quite fear and hurt in her eyes. Archie has seen this look, a long while ago. Hopefully it will not last as long this time.

Svava nods carefully, and reaches up to touch his face gently.

""

He leans over and brushes his lips lightly across hers.

"Come along, my love. Let's go home."

He gathers her to him, picking her up easily, despite his own weariness.

"Tonight, I'll draw you a bath."

He'll even wash her hair for her.

Those in the infirmary might notice a large boulder carrying a correspondingly large tray on top of his carapace. The tray is laden with sandwiches of all kinds.

There is also a kind of hamper slung off to one side filled with ice and cold drinks.

"Room service, folks," Naraht says cheefully. "Anyone hungry?"