And, over the next few hours, it really had seemed to the girl that that was all it had been.
Her father had first jumped out of his bed to hug her, near tears as he spoke of how terribly worried he'd been while she'd slept. Then, the man had readily believed the story Siel had told them, of how everyone in Silvershade had followed her in falling into an unbreaking sleep.
They'd then gone on to discover the shredded remains of the broken curse. The shockingly fresh pieces of lilies had still been plump and brightly colored when she'd first spotted them. They gave the impression of some toxic, vivid creature, flaunting its venom.
Elara had even felt a cold shiver run down her spine as she'd beheld its unnerving appearance.
That thing… had cause everything to happen, after all…
'Your senior brother is a beast-bonder, is he?' Sir Grif had asked, stroking his chin. 'Just like me, then! Without the time to summon another being, and with moments to spare before he too fell to the curse, sir Rin must've used his own familiar to destroy the cursed object. And for a curse this powerful, it must've been the heavy backlash he received that caused him to lose consciousness and fall to the floor.'
'Oh? Is that how that usually works?' Siel had asked, eyes rounded in wonder.
'Sir Siel, isn't sir Rin your senior brother?' Elara had asked teasingly in response. 'Shouldn't you be very familiar with his talent?'
'Ah, well, I've admired him ever since I was welcomed to the tower, but…' the boy's eyes darted, 'brother doesn't usually mingle – that is to say, he usually keeps aloof, off doing his own thing, so…'
'Alright!' Her father had clapped his hand then, interrupting the little tower magician's words, in an effort to spare him some embarrassment, perhaps. 'As the village head, I must offer you my deepest gratitude, sir Siel. If not for you deigning to take up this assignment, all of our beloved Silvershade would've withered away in our very beds. And what a stroke of fortune for us all that the curse released our life forces following its destruction!'
'But I digress. What I'm saying is that there must – there simply must! – be a celebration held in your honor!'
'Ah?' The boy had raised his eyebrows at Sir Grif's definitive words. 'While I appreciate the offer, I'm afraid I must – '
'But for now,' sir Grif had interrupted, 'I must burn the midnight oil and make myself busy bringing the news to our confused residents who've just awoken, and contacting neighboring villages to restart our supply channels. In the meantime, both you, and sir Rin, ought to rest up and recover, so that we may discuss these things further when the day breaks.'
'But sir – '
'Tomorrow, sir Siel! My head caretaker has declared that sir Rin's head injury should show improvement following a few hours' sleep. However, if there is any need for assistance during the night, or any trouble in awakening come morning, you simply must inform him. Until then, you must also rest up, sir Siel. Marla, please -!'
And Elara had watched the head maid appear and politely escort the boy to the quarters where his senior brother was sleeping.
…
The next few hours had been a blur of work for everyone in the headman's estate. Despite the dark, the whole of SIlvershade had been buzzing with activity, with confused villagers being informed of the circumstances they'd unknowingly survived, records being updated, and criers running from street to street. Sir Grif had employed the aid of swift-moving bonded beasts and communication mirrors to call for aid, and was himself confined to his office, busy writing letters and scheduling calls.
It had all been because of a terrible curse.
Elara had decided she wanted to support the families who might not have had any foods survive their month-long slumber. So, she had busied herself with raiding their estate's dry supplies.
She'd gathered the help of a few maids to go deliver them to the more impoverished households, so that everyone may have enough to carry them through what would most certainly end up being an unprecedentedly hectic day.
But none of it had been her fault after all!
It was a pity that Lana had apparently returned home to her own family before the curse had taken them all. It would've been a great help to have had her there with her. Since Elara had apparently been the first to fall asleep – nearly a month prior to everyone else, from what sir Siel had recounted – that girl must've missed her terribly.
Oh well, she'd meet her soon enough. She'd meet everyone whom she'd been worried about, and everyone who'd been worried about her.
Because, the damned curse had been broken!