Mated to the Dragon King

Chapter 5

Fae

After Lou left the room, I was left with his mother. Something told me I knew this woman, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember her clearly. When she told me to call her mom, my heart jumped into my throat. It was then that the memory of this woman began to swirl in my mind.

"Fae, why don't we go dress shopping? It'll be fun I promise!"

I grinned at her and nodded in excitement, "Where should we go? There's that dress shop in the human world. Could we go there?"

Lou's mother smiled at me, "Of course we can, but wouldn't you want to check out the local fairy shop first? Maybe we can find something there for you, ya know, keep it traditional." She replied with a smile.

I shrugged my shoulders and thought for a moment. My own mother wanted a traditional dress for my wedding and we had picked one out years before she died. How could I not remember how she died though? My head began spinning and we had postponed the shopping trip until I was able to go without feeling ill.

When I snapped back into reality, I was met with mom's soft brown eyes staring back at me laced with worry.

"Honey, are you okay? Did you space out? Is it possible you remembered something?" Lou's mother reached her hand out.

My eyes shot down the floor and I took in a heavy breath. "It was very brief but nothing that I think is important..." I said while my hands fidgeted with the hospital gown.

"Sweetie, how about we just forget I asked about that and get you changed so you can settle back in?" She said in a soothing tone.

I nodded and gazed around the room to check for a change of clothes. Lou's mother seemed to have caught on and handed me a small bag.

"I threw away your old clothing and grabbed some out of your closet. I figured you'd want to wear your own clothes out of here instead of the hospital gown. But I wasn't sure if you wanted pants or one of your dresses so I brought both." she smiled at me.

I could feel the heat in my cheeks. How did this woman know me that well? I honestly wish I could remember more than what I had just seen. At this point, I was determined to get my memory back, no matter how painful the last few months have been. "I appreciate that mom, I really do. If its not too much to ask.. could you help me get dressed?" I asked shyly.

Her eyes lit up like I had handed her a box of potions from the apothecary. "I would absolutely love to help you get dressed dear. Now, let's choose which outfit you'd like to wear and get you changed."

I pushed through the pain of moving around the room to sit down and pull out the articles of clothing from the bag she had given me and, to my surprise, she had even gone as far as to grab my undergarments. Warmth enveloped my chest and helped alleviate some of the pain and pressure from what I could only think was a possible broken or bruised rib. Was this the connection Lou had mentioned before? Was he telling the truth?

I glanced up at Lou's mother with a puzzled look on my face. "Mom, can I ask you a few things about this mate bond thing? I remember a bit about those and Lou told me we were mates and now my chest feels lighter and less painful... Is that him sending me his energy?"

"Why, yes, it is dear. He's always been worried about you since you left and everything that happened to you while you were gone, he felt. That's why he was extremely upset because he could not feel you at one point, but the pain that was coursing through him made him sick for quite some time, so we have no idea what those bastards did to you." she replied.

I responded with an 'O' face and glanced back over at the two piles of clothes. One side had a pair of flowing purple pants and a long whimsical long sleeve top to match, while the other pile held a dark blue shin-length dress, one I remembered as one of my old-time favorites with a matching long cardigan. Both sets of clothing had matching slippers and accessories. I couldn't bear the thought of even having to wear anything besides clothes right now.

"Ah, this is a little overwhelming, I guess we can go with this one." I pointed to the shirt and pants. "I don't want anyone to see my injuries, especially these bruises."

"No problem hon. Now let me take this off of you and we can get you changed. I just need you to stand," she said and extended her hand to me.

I placed my hand in hers and pulled myself to my feet with way less pain than when I had sat down. I was already feeling a bit better. When I turned around and untied the gown, a light gasp invaded my ears. I glanced over my shoulder at her. "Is there something wrong?" I asked.

Her hand was covering her mouth and tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Y-yo-your wings... what happened to your wings?" she cried.

"I- don't remember. Is that why my back hurts so much?" I slowly turned my head in realization. I had thought my wings receded into my back, but now... they're gone?

Lou's mother sniffled and wiped her tears before attending to me. "We will get them back, I promise. We will get your wings back, sweetie. Let's get you dressed and out of here. I can't imagine you'd want to stay here any longer."

I nodded and lowered my head as she helped me into my clothes and shoes and even fixed my hair for me. Thirty or so minutes later, we were walking out of the hospital and out into an open field that stood between the palace and us. The sun was warm and full of calming energy. I can't believe I did not remember this place in its entire beauty. Dragons of all colors and sizes flew overhead and even sat around with fairies by their sides. I assumed they were mates just like Lou and I.

A high-pitched squeal invaded my ears, causing me to keel over and slap my hands over them.

"Natu, quiet down!" Lou's mother growled.

"I'm so sorry, Junie, but I am just so excited that Fae is back!" her voice seemed to only climb in octave as she spoke.

I glanced up at this Natu woman and narrowed my eyes at her. "Is everyone here going to be this loud?"