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When Ael was given a private room at the sanctuary in Ecclasia, she couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. As much as she appreciated the healing and assistance from all of the clerics, she was definitely looking forward to regaining some privacy. It had been three weeks since she had awoken, about a month and a half since the attack, and she was finally able to move around and accomplish most tasks on her own.
Of course, this didn’t mean that she had fully healed yet. The clerics had done a wonderful job healing the various sprains and broken bones in her legs and soothing the bruises that dotted her stomach area, but her body was still finding its footing again after sustaining so much damage. The first time she tried to stand up, she swore she could feel every tendon in her legs shifting and screaming out in pain, and to this day she found her right quad muscle uncooperative. Even her abdomen was still sore and tight, stopping her from being able to stand up straight without great difficulty.
Naturally, she was constantly on the hunt for ways to distract herself from this discomfort. Some days it came in the form of twisting metal strips into various flowers and animals to give to the children in the courtyard, some days writing (and then inevitably scrapping) letters to her brothers, but on many days she found herself distracted by a certain muscular half-elf.
Except for the times when she had to go back to the mainland, Satina never seemed to be too far away. She always arrived mere minutes after Ael asked for her, and oftentimes she would stop by unannounced claiming she was in the sanctuary for one reason or another. Ael didn’t mind this at all, in fact, she found herself intrigued by Satina as much as she enjoyed her presence. She never would have guessed that the honest but incredibly anxious woman she had met at a bar one night would go on to save multiple lives (including hers) and be in close contact with The Queen. Satina seemed much more comfortable around her than she was when they first met and the pair had many great conversations about a variety of topics, but she still managed to blush every time she was complemented or their arms accidentally brushed, much to Ael’s amusement. Then there were the overheard whisperings among the clerics about the first week Ael was there, where Satina refused to move from her side.
It’s safe to say that Satina was still a mystery to Ael. And trying to solve it made for the perfect opportunity for distraction. So, when Ael asked Satina if she wanted to see her new room, she was excited when the other woman agreed to come by the following morning.
Ael woke up on the morning in question and pushed herself out of bed, unsure of how exactly to prepare. What do you do when someone is coming over to see your room in a purely innocent context? (A very pretty someone.) (With impressive muscles and mysterious scars.)
Gods, it had been years since she’d had to consider such things.
After a moment of contemplation, she settled on following her normal morning routine from before the accident. After all, it was just Satina, right? Nothing to stress over.
Ael grabbed her cane from the side of her bed and leaned on it as she made her way to the adjoining washroom. She cleaned herself up as much as she could with a damp cloth and rinsed her face with warm water. After returning to her room, she selected a dark pair of loose trousers, a cream blouse, and her signature brown vest. She wriggled into the pants while sitting on the end of the bed and threw the rest on top. Once she was dressed, she leaned over to the table that sat a few feet from the end of the bed and picked up a metal object she had set there the night before.
She had taken some of the thin metal strips she had been given and twisted them into the shape of a small flower. It was slightly misshapen, and the stem wasn’t as sturdy as one she would typically craft, but it kept her hands busy last night as the thought of Satina in her room twisted over in her head. She decided that she would give it to the woman in return for the shell bouquet that Satina brought back from her sibling’s wedding (which currently rested on Ael’s bedside table).
Just as she was about to place the flower back on the table, she heard a tentative but firm knock at the door.
“Just a second,” Ael called back, a smile stretching across her face. She stood up and started walking towards the door. Her first few steps were steady, but then her right foot caught on one of the bedposts. All at once, her knee twisted at an uncomfortable angle and her quad tensed in pain. She started falling to her left and desperately grabbed at the table for purchase, but the wood wasn’t heavy enough and went down along with her. She landed hard on her left side, the table digging into her still tender midsection and her shoulder slamming into the hardwood floor. She let out a strangled cry of pain just as the door opened.
“Oh gods Ael, are you okay?” Ael’s eyes were squeezed shut against the pain, but she recognized Satina’s familiar cadence as she heard her take a few steps into the room.
Ael grit her teeth and stretched out her right hand in a “stop” motion.
“I’m fine ,” she snapped, curling her body in on itself and turning her back to Satina. She tried to take deep breaths, but the combination of pain and frustration tightened against her lungs.
She could feel angry tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. It had been over a month since her attack. A whole month . And yet here she was, back on the floor in searing pain. Gods, she couldn’t even walk a few steps without her body betraying her. How was she supposed to live like this? How could she ever trust herself again?
Ael was so tired of hurting. And she was so tired of being weak. It made her furious.
Angry sobs wracked her body, tears streaming down her face without a care that someone else was in the room with her. Someone who was stronger, who probably had powered through without issue after receiving every one of her many mysterious scars.
Fuck .
Ael considered asking Satina to leave. She cleared her throat, tried to summon the words, but stopped when she noticed that she couldn’t hear much from the room other than her labored breathing. She gingerly tilted her head up, catching sight of Satina’s legs seated on the edge of the bed, quiet and unmoving. She quickly looked back down again and swallowed roughly.
Ael tried to shift onto her back, but her leg screamed in pain. She let out a sharp hiss before rocking back to her original position on her side.
“Um, actually, I think I might need some help. If you wouldn’t mind,” she muttered.
“Of course,” Satina whispered back, standing from the bed and kneeling down by Ael’s head. “Let’s try sitting up first. Is it ok if I lift you under your shoulders?”
Ael nodded, still not making eye contact.
“Okay, here we go,” Satina muttered while gently slipping one hand under Ael’s right shoulder, the other resting on her upper back. She bit back a groan as she felt the strong arms under her lift her up, tilting her until she was sitting upright, Satina’s hands keeping her steady. Ael let out a short breath and winced as her stomach throbbed with a dull pain.
“How are you feeling? Do you want to stop here?” Satina inquired, kneeling next to Ael while keeping her hand gently on her back.
Ael finally looked over and made eye contact with Satina, who was clearly trying hard to cover her concern with a mask of calm.
“I think it would be good to get on the bed eventually,” Ael muttered. “But I’m not sure if I can stand right now.”
Satina nodded and looked down. “Um…I could lift you probably. If you wanted.”
Ael considered it for a moment. “That…if you think it would work, I think you should try.”
“Okay,” Satina whispered as she crawled over to squat by Ael’s left side. “I think I can loop my arm beneath your knees so I don’t hurt your thigh, if that’s okay with you?”
Ael nodded in affirmation.
“All right. Can you put your arms around my neck to get them out of the way? I don’t want to squish you.”
Ael chuckled lightly and did as she was told, trying to ignore how warm Satina’s upper body felt against her arm and how her fingers brushed the bottom of her curls as she braced her hands together.
Satina slid her left arm under Ael’s knees and glanced up to meet her gaze. “Okay, are you ready?”
Ael took a deep breath and nodded.
“All right. I’ll count down, but let me know if the pain gets to be too much.” Ael breathed out sharply and steeled her nerves. “Three, two, one…”
At that moment, Ael felt Satina’s muscles tighten around her as she was gingerly lifted from the ground. She winced as a red-hot spike of pain shot through her abdomen once she had been lifted a few feet up, and she saw Satina’s face twist in concern as she stalled.
“Are you-”
“I’m fine,” Ael hissed out. “Just get me to the bed please.”
Satina nodded and didn’t delay in lifting her the rest of the way, turning and gently placing her on the soft bedspread and helping her shift into a position on her back. Once she withdrew her hands, Ael let out a large sigh as she felt the sharp pain fade away, leaving a dull ache in her side and legs. After a few moments of this small relief, Ael reached back and was able to push herself back into a seated position, scooting up to the top of the bed and leaning back against the headboard. Satina moved to sit cross legged on the bed a few feet to the side.
“Thank you,” Ael said, looking over to Satina and folding her hands together in her lap. “You’re very…strong.”
Satina let out a nervous chuckle and rubbed a hand over the back of her neck, a blush creeping across her cheeks. “Of course, any time. Do you want to talk about it?”
Ael looked down and considered for a moment. She felt safe with Satina, but she wasn’t sure if she had the energy to communicate all of the feelings churning in her gut. “I don’t think so. Not right now, at least. I think I just need to rest.”
Satina nodded. “Of course.”
Ael looked down at her hands. “I’m sorry that I snapped at you earlier.”
“It’s okay, I understand,” Satina responded. “You were in a lot of pain.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t make it right. You didn’t deserve that.”
Satina smiled and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. I…” she trailed off while glancing off into the middle distance over Ael’s shoulder, her lips forming around the shape of words as she thought. Ael’s chest tightened, this time not in pain.
Gods, she’s beautiful .
“I know how hard it can be to adjust from doing things all on your own to having to rely on others,” Satina continued. “And you are incredibly strong, and capable, and I don’t want to overstep, but I also want you to know that I’m here for whatever you need, Ael.”
Ael met Satina’s gaze and gave her a soft smile, reaching out and tentatively placing one of her hands over Satina’s scarred hand resting on the bed between them. “Thank you, Satina. I really appreciate it.”
Satina blushed fiercely and glanced down at their hands. The two sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Ael spoke up once again.
“Oh wait, I have something for you!” She said, wincing as she tried to sit up further. “It must have fallen when I tipped the table.”
Satina withdrew her hand and gently rested it on Ael’s upper arm for just a second. “It’s all right, I’ll look for it.”
The bed shifted as Satina got up and moved to the end of the bed, righting the table and looking down at the ground. After a minute, she stood back up with the flower in her hand. Ael smiled.
“There it is,” she said. “It’s not perfect, but I was working on it last night and I thought you might like it.”
Satina grinned and moved back to her position on the bed, running the metal between her fingers. “This is amazing,” she breathed. “I love it.” She looked back up to meet Ael’s gaze.
As Ael stared back, she felt something stirring within her, unrelated to the pain thrumming in her stomach and right leg. It was something she hadn’t felt in a very long time, and it thrilled and terrified her in equal measure.
After what felt like hours but was likely just a few heartbeats, Satina broke their gaze and looked back down at the flower, unfolding her legs and moving to stand up. Ael was just able to catch a glance of her cheeks flushing with color before she turned her head to the side.
“Um, I should probably let you rest,” Satina said as she got off of the bed. “Do you need anything?”
Ael shook her head. “I think I’ll be alright. Thank you.”
Satina nodded sharply, keeping her head tilted downward as she crossed the room toward the door. “Okay, sleep well!”
“Wait-” Ael stretched her right arm out, just grazing Satina’s hand that held the metal flower. “Could you come by later? Maybe bring some more metal if you can get your hands on it?”
Satina stopped and finally met Ael’s gaze, the corners of her mouth lifting up into a smile seemingly without her knowledge. “Of course,” she said. “Anytime you want me, I’m here.”
Ael smiled. “Okay. I’ll see you tonight, then.”
“See you tonight,” Satina replied before moving to open the door, giving Ael one last smile before closing it behind her.
Ael sighed deeply once she was alone again. She closed her eyes for a few moments before tugging back the covers and delicately slipping under, turning slowly onto her uninjured side. She breathed steadily and tried to ignore her pain and focus instead on her exhaustion. When that didn’t work, her thoughts drifted. And of course, they managed to drift to the feeling of Satina’s firm arms around her.
Even when she wasn’t in the room, Satina still managed to be distracting. Just enough so that despite the dull ache pulsing through her body, Ael was able to slip away into a gentle sleep.