A New Dawn

Consciousness returned slowly, like surfacing from deep water.

The first thing Celestina became aware of was warmth—the kind that came from blankets piled heavy and a fire burning steady somewhere nearby. The second was the absence of pain, or at least the sharp, screaming kind that had defined her last waking moments. There was still an ache, deep and persistent, that radiated through her ribs and skull, but it was muted now, manageable, the kind of pain that spoke of healing rather than breaking.

The third thing was the weight of a hand in hers.

Her fingers twitched, testing the connection, and the hand immediately tightened its grip. 

She tried to open her eyes but her eyelids felt like lead. It took three attempts before she managed to crack them open, and even then the world was blurry and indistinct. Shapes resolved slowly: wooden beams overhead, the flicker of firelight on walls, and then his face hovering above hers, haggard and beautiful and so achingly familiar it made her chest hurt in an entirely different way.

Her gaze drifted around the room, taking in details as her vision cleared. She was in Tally's home—she recognized the cluttered shelves of herbs and bottles, the worn but comfortable furniture, the sense of sanctuary that clung to the space. 

Very Slowly, She moved a hand in a Gargantuan effort, letting it fall to rest in his dark curls. 

"Leander"

Her voice Raspy. Exausted. But Alive.