The past two years swirled by me in an instant-my husband, Aedinius, leaving for battle, the news of his death, the pain and sorrow, the love and happiness I found in my servant master, Jareth. And Aedinius, battered, bruised, and torn, standing in front of me again.
I opened my eyes and saw both Aedinius and Jareth kneeling beside me. I feigned faintness, not knowing what else to do, and closed my eyes again. Aedinius lifted me up and carried me up to my room. Our room, I reminded myself. He placed me gently on the bed and laid beside me. He brushed my hair out of my face gently, his touch as featherlight as I recalled. I opened my eyes to make sure I wasn't dreaming.
I touched his face. He was really there. He was really there! I threw my arms around him and kissed him, crying. He winced in pain.
I stopped, frozen. He was close to tears as he rolled onto his stomach. It was then I saw the torn fabric of his tunic and the lashings on his back. He had been beaten. I pleaded with him to tell me everything.
Aedinius told me of how he had been wounded in battle, almost his entire battalion lost and he left for dead on the battlefield. He lay there dying, crying for the first time in his life because he would never see his wife again. A soldier from the enemy horde heard his sobs and came to him, just watching the tears stream down his face. Others joined, watching this fallen man cry. At last the group of soldiers parted and an older man-maybe a captain or general?-came to him and knelt down to his side.