The Dragon Prince

Iron

Getting to sleep had proven impossible. When I'd first arrived to my room after what had felt like the longest day of my life, I'd been exhausted. But after seeing Aideon, and his revelation about my parents, I was left wide awake.

My sense of time was eroding, lost in the ever present glow from the Tree of Beginning. Thankfully the thick curtains kept most of it out of the room at "night".

I wondered how exactly the Fae kept time with the realm in a perpetual state of darkness.  I decided to ask Ash next time I got the chance. 

I rolled over in bed with a groan, opening my eyes.  I sat up slowly and rose from the plush mattress heading towards the bathroom, every muscle in my body deciding to ache in the process.

I'd just finished up in the bathroom when I was suddenly hit with a pang of nausea so intense it made my entire body shudder, causing me to go crashing onto the floor.  Wave after wave of chills washed over me, my mind started to go numb from the sheer overwhelming pain.

My stomach felt as if I'd swallowed hot coals, and it was forcing them back out through every pore on my burning skin. 

I knew I was screaming but I didn't care,  I needed whatever was happening to me to stop. I needed something. I needed release from this absolute hell. I attempted to make my way to the enormous bathtub, inching my way across the cold stone floors. Through my pained stupor I knew that if I could reach it,  I'd get some relief from this cruel torture.

After what felt like hours, but was in reality probably only a few minutes, I reached the edge of the large tub. I slid into it, whispering a silent thanks to the gods through my strangled breaths and tears. I reached out to one of the carved stone levers, hoping against hope that I'd chosen the right one. 

Refreshing cold water cascaded down the waterfall, filling up the tub and enveloping my overheated body. I let out a sigh of relief at the feeling of my aching body starting to relax, the spasms beginning to slow. As the water rose, I allowed myself to sink down into it,  my consciousness beginning to slip away.

I heard footsteps enter the room, but made no move to see who'd come in.  I didn't have the strength to turn my head. 

"Arya!?"

A voice called out.  I smiled inwardly, unable to move the muscles to actually form the expression. What a nice voice, I thought. It sounds so familiar.

A face appeared above me, it's mouth moving frantically as the darkness at the edges of my vision closed in. Golden  eyes framed by shadows.

Then,  nothing.

**************

The world was in a haze.

Sometimes I would wake for a moment,  my vision cloudy, to see figures hovering above or around me. Other times, I would awake to sheer and utter darkness. I couldn't move,  I wasn't even sure I was alive. My sleep plagued by nightmares of my parents being tortured, of a gorgeous white haired man with pointed ears screaming, and a large black wolf with bared fangs.

I felt as though my body were on fire,  as if I were walking through the center of a flame filled forest.

Eventually,  the heat started to subside,  only coming in short radiating waves.  The nightmares faded,  finally letting my mind rest. The darkness began to feel almost welcoming between the bouts of heat and suffering.

I was finally pulled from my delirium by the feeling of something cold and moist dabbing my forehead.  I forced open my heavy eyelids, squinting in the bright light that came rushing into my vision. A dark shadow hovered over me, causing me to panic.  I lashed out at it with my arms, causing whoever it was to leap back a step from wherever I was laying. 

I sat up quickly,  immediately regretting it as a shooting pain from my side sent me doubling over.

"Arya!" I felt a hand touch my shoulder, I bit my lip to try and mask the pain, looking up to see who it was that had spoken.

"Ash..." my voice came out in a harsh whisper, my throat parched.

Ash gave me a goofy grin as he cradled the back of his head in one hand.

"You're finally awake." He reached out to brush a hand over my cheek with a relieved look.

I gave him a weak smile as I glanced around the unfamiliar space. I was in what I could only assume was an infirmary, the shelves that lined the four walls filled with glass bottles with suspicious looking contents. A small table sat next to the bed I'd been placed in, where a tall glass of water sat next to a few open containers identical to the ones on the shelves.

I started toward the table, but before I could reach out my hand, Ash grabbed the glass and handed it to me.

I looked up at him gratefully and took it, draining it dry within seconds. I let out a relieved sigh.

"Where are we?"

"This is the clinic." A slight frown crossed his handsome face, he sighed deeply before continuing.

"I heard you screaming, so I ran to your room as fast as I could. When I found you, you were almost unconscious. I brought you to the healer and you've been in and out for the last week. I was starting to worry you weren't going to wake up..." He finished with a pained look, eyeing me carefully.

I gave a start as I took in what he'd said, "A week!? what happened!? I still feel like shit." I crossed my arms over my chest as a slight chill came over my still aching body.

"Well... Erriam believes it was iron withdrawal." He said quietly, avoiding my gaze.

"Who's Erriam?"

"Erriam is our best healer. He has his own part of the castle so he can be on call if the queens need his assistance." He looked at me beseechingly. "I should have known, I should have thought of this Arya. This is my fault." He shook his head and rested his face into his hands. I reached out and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"None of this is your fault Ash, how were you supposed to know? What is iron withdrawal anyway? Isn't iron toxic to Fae?"

He brought his gaze back to mine, this time with a more somber look. He took his time answering, as if he were choosing his words carefully.

"I've heard stories of changelings who were born in the human world coming home to the fae realm." He paused, shaking his head slowly. "They're fine for the first few days, but then the withdrawals hit. They'd been around iron their entire lives, building an immunity to it, and their bodies started to crave it. It's almost like a drug at that point, but when they come to the Fae realm their bodies go into shock."

I let out a barking laugh, startling Ash, causing him to knock into one of the shelves behind him.

"So you're telling me I'm a recovering drug addict?" I said with a smile, amused by the look of horror plastered across Ash's face.

"No! Gods Arya you could've died. This is serious. I've been in here with you for the last week just hoping you would wake up."

I let the grin fall from my face, slightly regretting the ill timed joke I'd made. I'd apparently almost died, and Ash had been by my side the entire time. I gave him an apologetic look, before a thought came to me.

"Ash..."

He raised his hand to stop me, giving me a strange look. He walked back over and kneeled down in front of me.

"Arya, I should have known what was going to happen to you. I take full responsibility for putting your life in danger. For this, I'd like to offer you a favor, to be called in at a time of your choosing." The memory of my deal with Aideon came crashing through my mind as I looked into Ash's golden eyes, my mind on fire. I felt panicked. My breath hitched, and I scrambled for words.

"Ash I... I can't..."

"Please, Arya." His eyes were filled with sorrow and what seemed like conviction as he stared back at me, unblinking.

I nodded and felt a familiar tug at my chest, a whoosh leaving my lungs and taking the air that had occupied them with it. Ash didn't seem phased at all as he stood and took a step back.

"I'm going to get Erriam. I was supposed to tell him as soon as you woke up. He's not going to be too happy with me." He finished with a grimace. He headed for the door, and as the thought I'd had before he offered me his favor returned, he'd already disappeared through it.

I'd forgotten to tell him about my parents.