“And you’re certain there’s nothing more serious keeping them unconscious?”

“I am quite certain, my Queen,” Ephraim sighed, having been asked the same question multiple times now. The old doctor wasn’t the most even-tempered, and was likely only tolerating Leona’s nagging because he had known her since she’d been brought to the castle well over twenty years ago. She trusted him implicitly, which was why you had been turned over to his care in the first place. Still, the longer you took to wake, the more anxious she grew. And the more her anxiety rose, the more she pestered him.

“The only thing keeping the child asleep this deeply is exhaustion. Given where they’re likely to have originated from, I can’t blame them for that.”

Neither could Leona, disquieted as she was. You were such a little thing, nearly swallowed whole by the many blankets littering her bed. That morning, during the time she usually took for herself to hunt and burn off some of that restless energy that plagued her, she had seen you stumbling through the forest. Soaking wet and with haunted eyes she’d only ever seen on her fellow knights, you only stopped moving after she had dismounted her mare and touched your shoulder to get your attention. You had collapsed into her and had not woken since.

An investigation by one of her Kingsguard had later revealed the debris of a half rotted ship you must have floated over on. Whether you had surviving family with you or not was still unknown. There had been no others discovered, not even bodies. Though given the foreign clothing you were wearing, the Queen doubted any recovery efforts would be successful. Your survival alone was the thing of miracles. A sign if she ever saw one. Or if she believed in that sort of thing.

In truth, she had known of Selemant’s treachery for a few weeks now. With the complete collapse and subsequent takeover of Hevictus and its royal family, Leona had been expecting refugees and had given her border-men strict instruction on letting them seek asylum. There wasn’t much she could do for Hevictus without anyone left on the throne to call for aid but she could do that much.

As the days passed, she had not heard word of anyone making it to Galevire. Chillingly, you were the only one thus far.

Perhaps that was why she was so concerned about you. What news might you bring when you awoke? Who would you cry out for, only to be met with disappointment?

Leona was not a soft woman. She had grown up on the streets as a girl, fighting tooth and nail for a single scrap of bread before King Leonidas had chosen her as the Heir Apparent on a whim. Afterwards, she had served as a knight for several years until the old man had abdicated the throne. None of these things made her mother material, and despite knowing she would one day need to give up her place in return to a child not of her blood but of her choosing, there were no mentees under her roof.

Now you had been gifted to her on a silver platter. Leonidas, bastard that he was, was undoubtedly laughing in the afterlife. He had frequently tried to impress upon her the idea of Fate and how it could not be put off. Your very existence would delight him.

If only you would wake up. Choose life. Leona had not left your side since she carried you home, and she would remain there until you awoke.