Belladonna woke up a couple of times, saw Eli by her bedside a good number of times, sometimes, Lady Kestra would be by his side, other times he would be alone.
She observed his mouth move but she was too tired and worn down that she couldn't process what his words were or even hear them.
The pain was now gone but what gave her relief was seeing Eli alive and well.
What an immense relief it was.
____
The King was alive, and the castle was back to normal, as normal as it could get after what had just happened.
Everything was fine again in a couple of hours.
The people who had left in an attempt to escape had returned, the beast was still in its den, passed out, and the King was fine.
Everything was alright again, except for Collin.
His wife was dead.
He had lost everything, all in a couple of hours, a moment of distraction with good intentions in mind, and his world had crumbled down on him and left him with nothing but emptiness.
He folded his arms behind him, waiting at the door of the only person he trusted could help him right now. She was not in her room though, most likely because she was attending to the sick bride, the King doing much better than she was.
His ears perked when he heard the clicking of the heels against the floor and he turned around to meet the face that he had been waiting for, with his eyes that were reddened from tears.
"My Lady." He greeted, his quiet voice blending smoothly into the silence of the dimly lit hallway.
"Collin." Lady Kestra's voice sounded silky, despite how much stress she had just gone through.
She always looked out together.
She clicked her long fingernails against her forehead as if to chase a headache away.
"It is a surprise to see you here. You should be resting, taking care of your wife or something. Order and peace had been restored to all."
"Except for me, My Lady."
She met his statement with a puzzled look.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"The herbs did not work."
He dropped to his knees, his head hung low in a plead for mercy.
"Bring her back to me, please. I will do whatever I have to bring my daughter and wife back. Whatever you request of me, I will give. Whatever you ask of me, I will do."
Lady Kestra frowned.
"I am really sorry to hear about it. Your loss is very unfortunate. You are a good man and you don't deserve it." Her hand fell on his shoulder as she gave it a comforting squeeze.
He fought his tears, he wasn't here to cry, he had done enough of that and they didn't repair anything.
"Maybe that was her fate. You know that I tried my best," she waited for him to give a small nod before she continued, "but I cannot alter destiny, my herbs can only do so much."
Collin gritted his teeth, suppressing his need to grieve yet again.
"Please, my Lady, bring her back. Just like you promised with my daughter. Bring both of them back."
Lady Kestra took in a deep breath.
Desperation.
Desperation had made him so blind, he wasn't even trying to pick the pieces together and make any sense of it. Anyways, if he believed her and he was in a position where he owned her so much, then he would do anything she asked.
This was a different kind of control than the one she usually commanded.
It felt really good to have control over someone like this and not have to force it on them.
It was so much better when it was willing.
"There might be a way." She said, knowing fully well that there wasn't. The glint of hope in the old man's eyes was sickening.
How blind was he?
She felt pity for him but was it to the point that she would regret what she did?
No way!
Eli was alive.
That was all she needed.
Collin immediately thanked her and they had gone to his room together, where he had Raquel laid on the bed, cleaned and dressed. From here, it looked like she was only sleeping.
After that, without taking off her heels, she had performed an elaborate spell, which she knew was ineffective to bring her back or do anything, but effective enough for Collin to believe she would actually help him, and obey any of her following commands blindly.
Even more blindly than he had been doing.
Then she had made a couple of strange requests that Collin didn't question.
She had told him to wrap Raquel up in a long cloth, then have him carry her up to the top floor, the one above the King's floor.
Collin had been scared but she had assured him that the King wasn't even there. When he got to the top floor, she kept him blindfolded and led him into a room where he placed Raquel into what felt like a coffin.
Soon enough, she had led him out and they were back into his room.
"When the Red Moon comes, you will have your wife and daughter back. I wish I could bring them back tonight. It is only during the Red Moon that the portal between the living and the dead opens, we have no choice but to wait."
"What will I say when they ask of my wife? The Bride is always asking."
"Tell her what happened and say you cremated her." She brought forth a jar of ashes, he hadn't noticed that with her before, but he collected it without question.
"My deepest gratitude, my Lady. How can I ever repay you?"
"You are already doing well enough."
With that, she had left.
He put the jar on the table, and went to fix the bed. With a deep sigh, he let his grief slip away.
One could only grieve that which they have lost.
His wife wasn't lost.
She wasn't dead.
She was only sleeping.
Just like his daughter.
When the Red Moon comes, they would be awakened.
Only a couple of months was standing between him and his family.
A little patience and his family would be whole again.
Just a little patience.