Alger woke with a start. His chest felt tight and he sucked in a few deep breaths. Scanning his surroundings, he saw that he was in a bland, featureless room and he sat up slowly, eyes squinting slightly to see if he would feel any pain.
"Yay, you are awake!" Meiko smiled and rose from a plain wooden chair near the door.
Alger exhaled sharply with relief. "Meiko! Oh Gods… Please tell me I've just had a nightmare…"
"You've just had a night mare." Meiko sat down on the edge of his bed and gently pushed one of his long golden locks over his slender shoulder.
"Please mean it." Alger bit the inside of his cheek.
"Ah sweet…you had a bad fall. I can't lie. It's lucky that I was at the same inn as you were or it could have ended badly." Meiko's eyes narrowed slightly as she held back her tear
