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It was the softness surrounding her that made Isa wake, the warmth and soft sunlight peering in through a haphazardly made window heating her skin to just hot enough to be uncomfortable; the fur beneath her body kept the warmth tightly against her but still let her breathe, as she hadn't been able to in ages.
But the surroundings were unfamiliar, even if the comforting scent of honey and pine and earth permeated the space and made her feel safe, made her feel home.
As her silver eyes fluttered open, the sight above her was forest green canvas, gently flapping with the sway of a slight breeze outside. And suddenly the scent and the fur and the warmth made some kind of sense.
She was in Halsin's tent.
She wasn't sure why she was in Halsin's tent, but at least she knew where she was.
As the waking world greeted her, her body screamed. She turned her head slightly, wincing at the sudden sharp ache that pierced through her skull and radiated down the length of her spine. The pain was sitting unbearably along every inch of her; each muscle felt pulled and taut, each bone felt fractured or splintered. Her tongue was rough and dry like sandpaper and she felt as if she could choke on it if she lingered on her own any further. The worst part was, she couldn’t even remember what had happened to put her in this position.
Her sore and tired eyes found Halsin, kneeling beside her, his eyes closed and his lips moving rapidly as he spoke continuous and quiet prayer into the space. Dark circles nestled beneath his eyes showed her a glimpse of just how injured she was; he must've been working day and night to heal her, to bring her back.
A grunt left her lips as she tried to speak to him, her ribs protesting every breath.
"Isa–" A sudden gasp, a murmur, hazel eyes flashing open to find her awake. Large hands immediately laid gentle magic to soothe and balm, warm and rough skin touching her sandpaper bones and laying ease over the still morning.
His honey eyes found her silver and in them was great relief. Isa stared back at him with confusion. Halsin had never looked at her with anything akin to relief. Exasperation, most certainly, impatience, often, and on extremely rare occasion, understanding. But never relief.
"Hah–" she choked, trying to spill his name from her cottoned mouth.
He shook his head. "Don't move, little dove. Not an inch. I'll get you some water."
He carefully stroked her deep, silver hair, his thumb lingering on her cheek before his eyes left hers, as did his warmth, and he quickly left the tent.
She no longer felt like she'd burst from the pain, but she dared not move for fear she'd ruin whatever he'd done to balm it in the moment. As instructed, she laid completely still, her long ears twitching as she heard low voices just outside.
She could recognize Halsin's low timbre, Gale's frantic desperation beside it (he never could stand it when she was hurt), but couldn't make out the third. Halsin was sharp and strict with whatever he said, and his expression was one of pure focus as he reentered the space.
Isa stared at him, catching his eye as soon as he turned back to her.
"Alright, little dove, I need you to try to drink some water. I'll help you sit up, but please let me know if it hurts too much and where." He set a bowl full of water beside her before kneeling over her and carefully lifting her head.
His movements were practical and gentle, ensuring she wouldn't strain herself too much, and she was surprised to find him so much less of the brawn he possessed. He reached behind her to set a couple of pillows beneath her, adjusting every inch until she was the Paragon of comfort. As he reached for the bowl, she realized he was about to try and spoon feed her water. She glared at him, feeling undignified, but quickly realized that it hurt greatly to try to move either of her arms.
Halsin watched attentively as she tried to swallow the water he fed her, feeding it to her slowly so she wouldn't dribble any out. It took several moments for him to feed her the entire bowl and she leaned back into her pillows, giving her newly moistened lips a smack.
"What happened?" She whispered, her voice raspy from disuse and dehydration.
He looked away suddenly, nostrils flaring.
She glared at him. "What happened, Halsin?"
"You very nearly died. That's what happened."
Isa huffed.
He turned back to her, his face full of remorse and grief and something else she couldn't place...something that was too dangerous to place.
"What do you remember?" He said softly, acquiescing as her gaze only grew colder.
She thought for a moment, digging through her memories to try and find something familiar. Something that would've put her here, in the care of a man who couldn't stand her.
"Screaming," she looked away, swallowing hard. "I remember hearing screaming. I don't know if it was my own or... Oh my gods, Gale. It was Gale and Karlach and..." She looked up at him suddenly, startled at the grave look on his face.
"Do you remember anything else?"
"Just darkness."
He nodded and drew a hand over his face, sighing heavily, as if he'd been awake for days. As if there was a burden only he could bear.
"You three thought you could take on two minotaurs after two full days of travel," he began, unable to keep the bitterness from his tone. "I don't know what possessed you, Isa. You've been out for four days. Shadowheart and I have had to use every healing spell and sacrament we know to keep you alive."
Isa's eyes welled with tears. Even on her deathbed this man could not be kind.
"I'm sorry it's been such a burden to keep me alive," she spat. "You should've let me die. Let me follow the natural cycle you love so much. Let me rot in the Underdark like my kind deserves– "
"DAMN IT!" He roared, standing tall above her, his teeth bared in unfettered rage. “That’s not the point, Isa!”
Isa couldn't help but flinch. She'd never seen him in such a state. His fury was raw and powerful and she wondered briefly, in a moment of pure weakness, what it would be like to let that power ravage her. His eyes flashed with gold as he struggled to keep his wildshape from taking over. As he yanked his magic back under control, his chest heaved and shook as he desperately tried to control himself.
"You twist my words," he said, defeated. He sat down heavily beside her, looking far older than his age. Each line on his face was suddenly deeper and his voice broke as he tried to convey his efforts. "I only meant to say you must be more careful. It upsets me deeply that you think I would wish you dead, that I wouldn't do everything in my power to keep you alive. I have, Isa, and I'd do it a thousand times over."
Isa stared at him, tears tracing silently down her dark cheeks. Her eyes flicked across his face, trying to tell if he was being honest with her. The entire time she'd known him, she had been aware of his dislike of Drow. His scorn was consistently obvious, after all. But there was something here she'd never seen in him and a switch suddenly flicked in her mind. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t realized it before now.
He was scared. Scared to lose her, for some reason. Scared to let her know him.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, not entirely sure what she was apologizing for, but knowing that if the rift between them would even be healed, she needed to tell him.
He looked up at her, bewildered, his eyes puffy and red with sleep deprivement and heavy emotion.
"I should not have lashed out at you. Not when you have spent four days bringing me back from the cusp, even if death does sound better these days," she huffed sardonically. "I have not been kind to you, Halsin, and have probably proved your opinion of my race. I have been a great burden upon you. Please, you may move me back to my tent and I shall infringe no longer upon your kindness."
Halsin stared at her, his eyes wide in shock as he seemingly scanned her for head trauma.
"No." He said softly.
She raised a brow and turned to meet his gaze. "No?"
"You were just gored and shoved off of a seventy foot cliff, Isa. Even if I wished to move you..." he shook his head. "Your bones are set and your wounds are closed but this deep magic takes time," his expression softened and he reached forward slowly, carefully brushing a lock of her dark silver hair out of her face. "I shall get you more water."
His gaze did not deter from her for a moment. She parted her lips as if to speak, but thought better and pressed them shut. Hazel eyes flicked down to her lips and she watched his pupils grow wider before he suddenly stood and left the tent once more.
Isa sucked in a deep breath and tried to ignore the flurry of confusing feelings following her brain and instead, took the time to look down at her body for the first time. There was a fur laid gently over her to cover her, and she peeled the layer off slowly, taking stock of her skin beneath. She was in only her undergarments, her dark flesh exposed. A deep, fresh scar spread across her abdomen – likely where she'd been gored – and the rest of her skin was littered with smaller scars and scrapes. She flexed her fingers and toes, feeling her muscles shake with the effort. At least she could still feel everything; there was some small comfort in that.
She sighed and leaned back, tracing her fingers over the tight skin of the large scar absentmindedly.
It was then that Halsin chose to re-enter, his eyes growing comically wide at the sight of her nearly nude form uncovered.
"I told you not to move, little dove." He tutted, setting the water aside in favor of covering her up again.
As the fur settled over her skin once again, she felt a pang of brief disappointment. She wasn't sure what she was disappointed about, but it lingered in the space regardless. Halsin's eyes fluttered shut and he set his hands over her body once again, murmuring spells she was unfamiliar with, even with her own preternatural healing abilities. The aches and pains she had begun feeling again upon moving were soothed once more as Halsin released his tether of magic into her.
He then brought the bowl back to her, tilting it for her to drink. She drank it much faster than the first, her body craving the moisture desperately.
"Can I have more?" She asked quietly as she swallowed the last bit.
He smiled and she felt a pang of affection for him. "Not yet. Though it is a good sign you want more. If I give you too much too fast, your body will reject it. You know this, little dove."
She nodded. "Yes but in my delirium, all I want is more."
His eyes flitted down to her lips before catching her gaze again. "A feeling I am familiar with." He said softly, and not entirely subtly.
She studied him for a moment, tracing the lines of his face with her eyes and committing them to memory. She found him infuriating. He was stunningly handsome, and so kind to everyone. Everyone except her. She wasn't sure what she had done to earn his indifference, his scorn. She sometimes hated the skin she was born with – the color that made people hate without reason.
She worried her lip between her teeth, desperate to ask him why he hated her, what she had done that had been so wrong –
His hazel eyes were intent on hers and they softened, ever so slightly. She knew she was forgiven, at least for now.
“I must go get Gale,” he chuckled, standing to his full, ridiculous height. “He’s been chewing his fingers off with worry. He should get to see you awake. It’s been a tough few days without your wit, little dove.”
“Thank you, Halsin,” Isa said sincerely. “You have done me a great service.”
“Please, do not fret yourself. You need to focus on your recovery. After all, we expect you to be chopping heads from the Absolute soon, my friend.” With that, he gave her a somber smile and left the tent, allowing Gale to immediately brush past him.
In a flurry of royal purple robes, Gale’s deep, brown eyes scanned her figure in desperate worry, his hands tentative on her skin as he hovered over her.
“Isa, thank the gods you’re alright. Scared the absolute wits out of me. I’ve never been so worried in my life–”
Isa smiled at his attention, nodding at his questions, grateful to have her friend at her side. Grateful to have her Gale at her side.
But she kept thinking of Halsin, and how warm his gaze had felt on her skin.