Chapter 8- Death’s Edge
Crystalia is unable to feel anything as her limp form is battered with debris and shockwaves, leaving most of her bones broken and one of her sides completely torn apart. She feels her life slipping away as a familiar, comforting voice comes to her.
"Crystalia, stay with me, I'm here sweetie."
Crystalia tries to open her eyes but they refuse to obey; she strains to reply to the voice, "Mom? Is that you?"
"Yes sweetie, I'm here, Mommy's here."
She tries to speak again but her maw refuses to open; once again, she feels her life slipping away.
"We're loo..." The sounds around her fade as her world is overtaken by a darkness so complete and total she is incapable of seeing.
Crystalia is soon overtaken by a severe feeling of loneliness, crying as she begins to feel she has failed everyone.
"Crystalia, are you there?" Asks a familiar voice.
Crystalia looks up from her tear soaked paws and wipes her eyes, still unable to see in the complete darkness surrounding her.
"Are you there?"
"Yes, I'm here. Where is here though?"
There is no answer.
"Sorry, I can't hold this up for long!" The voice says after a few minutes, though the comment isn't pointed at Crystalia.
"Crystalia, we have one question- Do you want to live?"
"Yes!", Crystalia shouts, her voice wavering slightly with despair.
Crystalia's world is quickly enveloped with sound, a feint light shining from somewhere overhead. Crystalia squints, unable to make out any details of the area around her.
"Oh, by the gods, you're alive!"
"Mom?"
"No, but she's here too."
"Crystalia, sweetie, the doctors did everything they could to save you but..." Crimsa chokes through sobs.
"So I died?"
"I..." Crimsa begins, before Adinia interrupts.
"Yes, you did. I'm sorry, we couldn't stop it."
Crystalia coughs up a small amount of blood before she can reply.
"I'm fine now, right?"
"More or less," Comes a third, mysterious voice, "if you call bloody as hell and full of shrapnel 'fine'. Thankfully none of the metal made it anywhere near your heart or you could've been gone permanently."
Crystalia sighs in relief before another question comes to mind, "Can you fix me up?"
"Of course, the queen and your mother both wanted to see you as soon as we had you stabilized so we respected their wishes and allowed them to speak with you before we put you into surgery."
"Thank you", Crystalia says hoarsely, her voice suddenly waning.
"I think we should get her into surgery."
"Yes, please, do." Crimsa replies quickly.
"Out you go." Says the mysterious voice.
Crystalia feels a sharp pain in her upper left foreleg before she hears a large set of doors open and sees a bright light above her; her vision soon fades as her world becomes a dreamland, unbeknownst to her.
After once again roaming endlessly through the shimmering world, she comes to, slightly displeased with the end of her adventure. She feels a paw rest on her shoulder as she hears a familiar voice.
"Crystalia, what happened to you?"
"Nol, is that you?"
"Yeah, sorry for not introducing myself."
"It's fine, you wouldn't have known I wouldn't be able to see when I woke up- I sure didn't." Crystalia's vision soon begins to clear and she is barely able to make out the bronze and white form standing beside her. Crystalia strains to reach out a paw to clasp his but her body wouldn't respond through the drugs that had put her out for the surgery. Nol notices the look of slight disconcertment in Crystalia's eyes and he tentatively reaches out a paw, sliding his claws between hers, allowing their pads to interlock; Crystalia's eyes dilate as her paw locks with his, releasing a contented sigh before wincing as she attempts to smile.
"How's she doing?" A masculine voice speaks from behind Nol, causing him to dislodge his paw from Crystalia's, drawing a sigh of discontent from Crystalia. He then replies to the voice, "she's awake, still paralyzed, but awake nonetheless."
"Good", the voice comes again as a large, blurry figure adorned with a white coat steps to where Nol had just stood, "Hey, you're back sooner than we had expected."
"Who are you?"
"I am Doctor Kinin, sorry, your highness."
Crystalia attempts to look questioningly at him, instead wincing as a sharp pain runs through her body.
"Here, let's take care of that for you." The male says, reaching forward towards Crystalia's bandaged foreleg, "This won't hurt, much."
He pushes the needle under Crystalia's damaged scales, injecting its contents into the hide below, causing the young dragoness to wince slightly.
"There you go... that should fix your mobility issue." He states kindly. "We had to paralyze your body while we performed the surgery."
"Thanks." Crystalia sighs, once again able to feel parts of her body.
The doctor steps back out of the room, once again leaving the two young dragons together.
Nol locks paws with Crystalia, drawing her attention to his smiling face.
He stands beside her for a minute before suddenly pulling himself forwards, gently kissing Crystalia on the cheek, causing her to blush a deep, crimson red.
She looks back toward the increasingly clear form hovering over her bed with a smile as she is able to make out a pair of sincere, amber eyes, "So, Nol, do you think you can do me a favor?"
"That depends; what is it?"
"My vision is still blurry as hell and I can barely feel my legs but if you could help, I think I'll be able to walk."
"Sure, what's the harm in trying?"
Crystalia rolls onto her side, pushing the covers that laid over her body to the foot of the bed and folding her wings against her back. Nol then reaches out a paw and helps Crystalia roll off the bed, where she lands on his right side. Crystalia reaches her left wing around his body, bracing herself against him as the two head for the door the doctor had left through. The sight that greets Crystalia's unfocused eyes is a shock to the still groggy dragon; her family is there, with the queen, Olin, and the three commanders of the battalions she had led into battle. First she is greeted by a couple whistles and widespread applause, soon followed by a few pats on her unsupported shoulder forcing her to entwine her tail with Nol's to keep standing as her brain still continues to work towards regaining fine motor control.
Olin is the first to speak once the applause dies off, "good to finally see you up and at-'em again."
Her mother and father remain silent, obviously struggling to hold back tears.
"Crystalia, I do believe the Commanders have something to show you if you'd follow them to the Grand Hall." Adinia says calmly.
"As long as I can take Nol here with me- I kind of need a crutch to lean on." Crystalia says earnestly.
"I see no problem with that. Do hurry along now!" Adinia replies happily.
Nol helps Crystalia keep her balance as she limps forward down the corridor, eventually reaching the open doors to the Grand Hall. The thunderous roar of deafening applause that greets the two as they enter the room startles them, causing Crystalia's eyes to widen quickly, clearing her vision.
"Ah. I can see." Crystalia sighs happily.
Her voice is drowned out completely by the chant of "long live the General" that pervades the entire room. Crystalia waves her free wing to draw the attention of her soldiers who cease their chant quickly, respecting her authority.
"Men, I won't glorify the battle we had yesterday, and I refuse to say that I sacrificed anything whatsoever. Instead, I wish to take a short time to respect the brothers-in-arms you have lost, to that extent, anyone who would wish to honor any of our fallen, please, come speak their name and give them what final respect you see fit."
As the next hour silently drags along, ten soldiers come up, each naming a different friend of theirs who had died in the battle, each giving their respect before Crystalia steps forward herself, seeing that no one else wishes to honor a fallen comrade.
"Now, I would like to know, who saved me from bleeding out on the field?"
A heavily bandaged, young male steps forward, obviously trying to not draw attention to himself. As he reaches the pedestal, Crystalia ushers him up onto it.
"And what would your name be, good sir?"
"My name is Tenral, Sir."
"Please, tell us what you saw."
"I do not remember, sir. All I can say is that I saw a fallen soldier whom I could still save."
Crystalia speaks only to the male before her.
"A very noble young soldier, Tenral."
Crystalia speaks louder to address the entire hall again.
"Men, give Commander Tenral here the respect he deserves!"
The grand hall is filled once more by whistling and applause as the young dragon slinks quietly off the pedestal.
Crystalia and Nol leave, dismissing the soldiers and heading toward the throne room themselves. Nol sets Crystalia on the large pillow that rests beside the throne as the queen returns.
"Crystalia! What are you doing here? You should be in the room resting!"
"I'm fine Adinia."
"No, you need to recover from your traumatic experience."
"Fine", Crystalia sighs.
"Make sure to stay with her, Nol." Adinia adds, surprising them both.
"I will, your highness." Nol replies.
The two head out the left side of the throne room, slowly working their way up the stairs to the queen's room.
"Crystalia, queen's student." She says to the guards, who open the doors without question.
"So, where's your place?" Nol asks once the doors close.
"Up." Crystalia replies dully, knowing the stairs aren't wide enough for the both of them.
"Oh, that..." Nol begins.
"...May be a problem?" Crystalia says, finishing Nol's sentence.
The two chuckle for a little before an idea hits Crystalia, "I could try to fly up."
"We really don't have another option." Nol replies.