Evaline:
Physically, I was fine.
That's what they kept telling themselves. That's what I kept telling them. But apparently, being "fine" didn't an I was allowed to do anything on my own.
I wasn't allowed to walk too much, wasn't allowed to train, not even wander too far within the mansion without at least one of them hovering close enough to catch if I so much as stumbled.
At first, I had tried to protest, lightly, half-heartedly. But that lasted all of five minutes before I realized sothing, none of them was going to budge. Not even a little.
And honestly…
I didn't try very hard after that.
Because if being forced to rest ant being wrapped in warm arms, buried against steady heartbeats, and kissed like they needed to remind themselves I was real... then maybe I didn't mind it so much.
River was always the quiet one during those monts. He didn't say much. Didn't ask questions. He just held like he was anchoring himself to as much as I was to him.
Sotis, I would wake up and find him already there, his arms wrapped around , his face buried in my hair like he hadn't moved all night.
And I would just stay there and let him hold as much as he needed.
Kieran was different. He hovered, watched, constantly checked on without making it obvious.
His fingers would brush against my wrist, my cheek, my hair... little touches that said more than words ever could.
And when he kissed , it was always soft, careful... like he was afraid I might disappear if he held too tightly.
As for Oscar, he didn't even try to hide it. He needed close.
Always.
Whether it was sitting beside , pulling into his lap, or simply holding my hand like letting go wasn't an option anymore.
And the way he looked at , it was like he still needed to constantly convince himself I was here... alive and safe.
I made sure to give back as much as they gave . Through soft touches, reassuring smiles, lingering kisses, or cuddles.
Because I knew... they needed it just as much as I did.
-
And then there was Lioren.
My heart softened just thinking about him. The mont I saw him after waking up, sothing inside broke and healed all at once.
He was growing fast. Almost too fast. And I had missed a lot of it. Fortunately, the holidays gave the chance to witness as he started taking his first small steps.
I knew I would be away from him again once holidays ended, so I wanted to make the most out of the remaining few days I had before I needed to return to the academy.
Every chance I got, I was with him. In his nursery, in the dining hall, in the garden when sun was out, or in living room.
Even just sitting and watching him as he tried to stand and walk on his tiny, unsteady legs.
That soft, innocent sounds of his giggles and babbling were kind of healing magic on their own.
But my sweet, little boy and my mates weren't the only ones who filled my heart with warmth and helped walk out of the shadows of those nights. There were my friends too.
All six of them arrived the very next morning of the night when I woke up.
I had barely stepped into the living room when they saw . And then... it was complete chaos.
"Eva!"
"Are you okay?!"
"Oh my stars-"
Before I could even respond, I was surrounded and pulled into a group hug so tight it almost knocked the breath out of .
And then I heard the soft sounds of sniffles and sobs. I froze, my chest tightening as I slowly pulled back to look at them.
They were crying, nearly all of them, or at least trying not to.
"I'm okay," I said quickly, my voice softer than I intended as I reached out to touch one of them, then another. "Hey… I'm okay…"
"You disappeared," Mallory choked out, wiping her tears angrily. "Do you have any idea how scared we were?"
My throat tightened. "I'm sorry," I whispered, and I ant it.
I always knew that sohow I had been lucky enough to find a great friend circle at Silver Moon, but it wasn't until this very mont that it hit ... they were not just people who were there to be part of my happiness, but they were ready to be part of my sorrow too.
They all loved and cared about ... deeply, genuinely. And it was the kind of care I had never known growing up. The kind that felt overwhelming in the best way possible.
They hugged again. Softer this ti, almost careful like I might break.
And I held them just as tightly, because I needed them too.
But the list of visitors didn't end with my friends.
Elder Ren and Healer Cao were my regular visitors. And though Healer Cao stopped coming after he confird all my physical wounds had healed, Elder Ren continued his visits every evening to work on my emotional and ntal well-being.
For which I was really grateful. His company had been always able to lift my spirits because I got to learn a lot from his experience of being a healer for over five long decades.
Then there's Elion. He visited a day after I woke up, announcing he wouldn't hold accountable for missing my job the previous weekend and I could have the coming one off too.
It was only then that I got to know just how big of a help he had been to my mates during the ti I was being held captive.
Just one look at my n's faces and I could tell their opinions on Elion had ca a far way over the past week. They had grown to both trust and respect him.
And then last but not least was the staff at the mansion.
It turned out a few of them, more specifically - Sera, Madam Elira, Vanessa, and Barbara - had witnessed my injured state the day I was brought back, and all of them freaked out from worry.
And though I had recovered now, they didn't seem to calm down or stop taking care of , especially Sera and Madam Elira.
But just like I welcod the care and love of everyone else around , I did the sa with them.
It was… overwhelming.
All of it.
The love. The care. The concern.
For soone who had grown up with nothing but pain, neglect, and sha... it felt unreal. Like I had stepped into a life that wasn't ant for .
But it was.
It was mine now.
And I held onto it... and gave back the sa love and care to all of them as much as I could.
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