Day 41 - Hours After the Battle
I woke to pain.
Not the sharp, immediate pain of combat. This was deeper. More fundamental. The kind of pain that suggested my body had filed a formal complaint about my life choices and was now presenting it in excruciating detail.
I tried to move.
Bad idea.
"DON'T YOU DARE!" Mo's voice, sharp and absolute. "You are on strict bed rest for a minimum of ten days, possibly fourteen, depending on regeneration rates!"
I opened my eyes. Found myself in what looked like a hospital room that Mo had clearly designed with "maximum efficiency" and "zero patient autonomy" in mind.
My partners were there. All of them. Looking various degrees of worried, relieved, and angry.
"You almost died," Nyx said flatly. Her dragonkin form was tense, tail lashing. "Your HP dropped to three hundred before we got you stable. Three hundred, Knox. Out of four thousand."
"But I didn't die."
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Kas exploded, and I saw tears on her face. "You stood there bleeding internally while they ran away! You could have collapsed and we could have lost you and... " Her voice broke.
I tried to reach for her. My arm didn't move.
"Yeah, about that," Yuzu said, her usual seduction replaced with grim practicality. "Mo has you on magical restraints. You're not moving until your organs finish regenerating."
"My organs are regenerating?"
"Three of them were failing," Mo said clinically, though her eyes were red-rimmed. "Your liver was processing divine essence it fundamentally rejected. Your kidneys were trying to filter corruption mixed with holy magic. Your lungs had three separate puncture wounds from blessed arrows. Your mana core was fractured in seventeen places."
"That sounds bad."
"THAT SOUNDS FATAL!" Mo's clinical mask cracked. "You were dying, Knox! You absorbed power that was actively killing you, and you just stood there like it was FINE!"
"I needed them to see me standing. To carry the message."
"YOU NEEDED TO NOT DIE!"
Through the bonds, I felt everyone's barely-contained terror transforming into anger now that I was awake. They'd been scared. Really, genuinely scared.
"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "I didn't mean to worry you."
"You collapsed coughing blood!" Kas's voice was shaking. "We thought... we all thought... "
She couldn't finish. Just buried her face in her hands.
Siraq's voice, from the doorway: "You terrified everyone, Knox. The children were crying. The warriors were panicking. Even Yorrik looked shaken, and nothing shakes Yorrik."
"I won, though."
"YOU ALMOST DIED WINNING!" everyone shouted in unison.
Okay. They had a point.
"How long was I out?"
"Six hours," Mo said, consulting her notebook with shaking hands. "Six hours of critical healing magic, three emergency mana transfusions, and enough medical intervention that you now owe the fairy healers seventeen favors."
"Where's Dewdrop?"
Everyone went quiet.
"She's..." Lira started, then stopped.
"She hasn't left," Pip finished. "She's been sitting on your chest for five hours. Refusing to move. Insisting that Papa Knox just needed rest and would wake up because he promised."
I looked down. Couldn't see her from my angle, but through our bond, I felt her, small, warm, absolutely certain that I was fine.
"Can I see her?"
"No moving!" Mo barked. "But..." She gestured, and Lira carefully flew Dewdrop up to eye level.
The tiny fairy looked exhausted but radiant. "Papa! You're awake!"
"Hey, sweetheart."
"Everyone was very worried, but I told them you just needed rest. Because Papa Knox keeps his promises and you promised story time, so obviously you were fine." She said it with such certainty that I felt something warm bloom in my chest despite the pain.
"I am fine. Just a little broken."
"That's okay! Mo has a schedule! You'll be fixed in ten days!"
"Fourteen," Mo corrected. "Possibly longer depending on... "
"Ten days!" Dewdrop insisted. "Because that's when Papa Knox is allowed to tell stories again! I checked the schedule!"
Through our bond, I felt her absolute faith that the schedule was law and therefore I would be healed by then because the schedule said so.
Mo looked at her notes, then at Dewdrop, then back at her notes. "The schedule does say minimal story time can resume on day ten, but that's assuming optimal healing and... "
"Ten days!" Dewdrop flew a victory lap. "See, Papa? Ten days and then story time! I can wait ten days! That's not even that long!"
She settled back onto my chest, her tiny weight barely noticeable but her presence everything.
"Now you need to sleep more," she announced. "Healing sleep. Very important. I'll keep watch."
"Dewdrop, you need rest too... "
"I'm keeping watch! Lira and Pip will help! We're taking shifts!"
Through the fairy bonds, I felt Lira and Pip's amused exasperation and absolute determination to humor the tiny fairy who'd appointed herself my guardian.
"Okay," I conceded. "You keep watch. Wake me if anything important happens."
"I will! I'm very good at keeping watch!"
She settled in, tiny hands gripping my shirt, and within minutes was asleep herself. Still technically keeping watch, just unconsciously.
Day 42 - Morning
I woke to discover that Mo's schedule was not a suggestion.
"Breakfast," she announced, appearing with a tray. "Nutritionally optimized for organ regeneration and mana core repair. You will eat all of it."
"Mo, I can feed myself... "
"Your arms are still under magical restraint due to the seventeen stress fractures in your bones from absorbing incompatible divine essence. I will feed you."
"That's... "
"Non-negotiable." She pulled up a chair with the determination of someone who'd planned for this exact argument. "Open."
Through the bonds, I felt Nyx's vicious amusement. This is your life now.
Help me.
No. This is hilarious. Also you deserve it for scaring us.
I opened my mouth. Accepted the spoonful of something that tasted surprisingly good despite being "nutritionally optimized."
"Good," Mo said, satisfied. "Now, your healing schedule for today: Six hours of regeneration sleep, broken into two-hour intervals. Between intervals, physical therapy exercises, don't look at me like that, they're GENTLE exercises designed to prevent muscle atrophy. Mana circulation practice to repair your fractured core. And limited visitation periods so you're not overwhelmed."
"I'm not fragile."
"You have three regenerating organs and a fractured mana core. You are LITERALLY fragile right now." She consulted her notebook. "Your visitors today are: Dewdrop for morning check-in, Kas for midday motivation, Siraq for afternoon updates, and Nyx for evening companionship. Everyone else gets fifteen-minute time slots during visiting hours."
"You scheduled my family."
"I scheduled your recovery. Your family agreed to follow the schedule because they love you and want you healthy." She offered another spoonful. "Now eat. You need protein for liver regeneration."
I ate. Because arguing with Mo when she was in "analytical caretaker mode" was futile.
Dewdrop appeared, right on schedule, flying in through the window. "Papa! You're awake! How's the healing?"
"Going well, apparently. Mo has everything under control."
"I know! I helped with the schedule! I made sure there was story time on day ten!" She settled on my shoulder. "Are you still hurting?"
"A little. But I'm okay."
"Good. Because everyone was VERY worried yesterday. Nyx was scary-angry, which is different from regular angry. And Kas cried, which I've never seen before. And Mo didn't sleep at all, she just made schedules and checked your vitals every fifteen minutes."
Through the bonds, I felt their reactions to this innocent revelation of just how scared they'd been.
"I'm sorry I worried everyone."
"It's okay! You were keeping your promise! The fighting was just the hard part!" She paused. "But maybe next time don't almost die? It made everyone very sad."
"I'll try."
"Good! Now Mo says you need regeneration sleep, so I'll keep watch again!" She settled into my beard. "I'm very good at it now. I barely even fell asleep last time."
She was asleep within three minutes, tiny snores barely audible.
Day 43 - Midday
Kas's "motivation visit" was exactly as I expected, energetic, physical, and completely ignoring Mo's protests about "gentle movement only."
"Okay!" she announced, bouncing into the room. "Time for physical therapy! Mo says gentle exercises, but I have a better plan!"
"Kas, I don't think... "
"We're going to do visualization training! Very important for warriors recovering from injury! You visualize the movements, and it helps your body remember how to do them!"
"That's... actually legitimate," Mo admitted grudgingly. "Fine. But no actual movement!"
What followed was Kas enthusiastically demonstrating combat forms while I "visualized" doing them with her. Which mostly meant watching her be incredible while lying in bed like a useless lump.
"See? You're getting stronger already!" she said after an hour of this.
"Kas, I haven't moved."
"Mental strength! Very important!" She settled beside the bed, her enthusiasm dimming slightly. "Knox... when you fell... I thought I'd lost you. I thought I'd never get to spar with you again, never get to train together, never get to..." She swallowed hard. "You're my first real partner. The first person who fought me as an equal and didn't try to make it about dominance or submission. Just... fighting because it's fun."
"Kas... "
"So you need to heal fast, because I have seventeen new techniques I want to teach you, and I can't do that if you're dead." She tried to smile, but her eyes were wet. "Promise me you'll be more careful next time."
"I promise I'll try."
"That's not the same as promising you'll succeed."
"It's the only promise I can make. I can't promise I won't get hurt protecting our family. But I can promise I'll always try to come home."
She was quiet for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. I can live with that." She stood, bent down, and kissed my forehead gently. "Heal fast, Knox. I miss fighting with you already."
After she left, Mo appeared. "That was acceptable emotional processing. Ten more minutes of rest, then mana circulation practice."
"You're tyrannical."
"I'm thorough. There's a difference."
Day 44 - Afternoon
Siraq's visit was quieter, more serious. She pulled up a chair beside the bed and just sat for a moment, studying me.
"You look terrible," she said finally.
"Thank you. That's exactly what every recovering patient wants to hear."
"I'm being honest. You look like death warmed over." She paused. "But you're alive. That's what matters."
"How's the integration going? The refugees?"
"Don't deflect. We're talking about you right now." Her expression softened. "Knox, you stood there bleeding internally while Paladins ran away. You prioritized optics over survival. That was..."
"Necessary?"
"Stupid. But also brave. But mostly stupid." She sighed. "The message is spreading. The survivors are telling everyone what happened. About the demon who destroyed the Empire's best force. About Matthias Dawnbreaker dying like any mortal. About divine authority meaning nothing against a father's promise."
"Good. That was the point."
"The point was also to survive. Which you barely did." She reached out, took my hand carefully. "Knox, my clan is safe because of you. The refugees are alive because of you. Ashenhearth stands because of you. But if you'd died making that stand..."
"You would have handled it. Nyx would have led the evacuation. Mo had plans... "
"Fuck the plans." The profanity was startling from her. "We would have lost you. And that would have broken something in all of us. Especially that tiny fairy who wouldn't leave your chest."
Through our bond, I felt her fear, her anger, her desperate relief that I'd survived.
"I'm sorry I scared you."
"Don't apologize. Just heal. And next time, because there will be a next time, remember that you're not just fighting for us. You're fighting with us. You don't have to stand alone."
"I do when the alternative is risking any of you."
"That's not how family works."
"It's how Papa Knox works."
She laughed despite herself. "That ridiculous fairy faith is actually keeping you alive, isn't it? You're too stubborn to die because you promised story time."
"Maybe."
"Definitely." She squeezed my hand. "The clan integration is going well, by the way. Since you keep trying to ask. We've established housing for everyone. The children are adapting. The warriors are training with yours. Kota has appointed himself your official messenger and takes the job very seriously."
"That sounds dangerous."
"He told me yesterday that when the Warden recovers, he's going to ask you to teach him 'Papa Knox energy manipulation' because it's clearly the strongest magic."
Despite everything, I laughed. Then regretted it immediately as my ribs protested.
"Easy," Siraq cautioned. "You're still held together with healing magic and stubbornness."
"Story of my life."
"Speaking of which... Dewdrop has been organizing the children. They're preparing something for day ten. Something about a 'welcome back Papa Knox' celebration. It's very elaborate and I'm not allowed to tell you details."
"That sounds ominous."
"It sounds adorable. Now rest. Mo's schedule says my time is up in three minutes and I don't want to face her wrath."
She left, and I lay there thinking about children planning celebrations and tiny fairies keeping watch and family that wouldn't let me stand alone next time.
Maybe that was okay.
Maybe I didn't have to carry everything myself.
Day 45 - Evening
Nyx's evening "companionship" turned out to be her curling around the entire bed in dragon form and simply being present.
"You scared me," she said quietly. "I've never been scared like that. Not in centuries."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize. Just don't do it again." Through our soul bond, her fear was a living thing... the absolute terror of losing her mate, her soul-bond, the person she'd chosen above all others.
"I can't promise that."
"I know. But I can promise that next time, I'm fighting beside you. No arguments. No tactical reasoning. I'm not watching you almost die again while I sit on the sidelines."
"Nyx... "
"No. This isn't negotiable." Her dragon eyes met mine, fierce and absolute. "You're my mate. My soul. Fighting alone to protect me defeats the entire purpose of having a soul-bond. We're stronger together. Period."
Through the bond, I felt her absolute conviction. And underneath it, the desperate need to never feel that helpless again.
"Okay," I conceded. "Next time, we fight together."
"Good." She settled more comfortably around the bed. "Now. Mo's schedule says you need emotional support and companionship for the next two hours. I'm providing both. Any complaints?"
"None whatsoever."
"Good. Because I'm not moving. Also, Dewdrop is about to sneak in for unauthorized visiting. I'm pretending not to notice."
Right on cue, a tiny shape flew through the window. Dewdrop landed on my chest, looking pleased with herself.
"I'm not supposed to be here," she whispered conspiratorially. "But I wanted to make sure Papa Knox was really okay."
"I'm really okay, sweetheart."
"Good! Because day ten is in five days and we're having a celebration and you need to be healed enough for at least one short story!" She settled into her usual spot. "I picked out the perfect story for you to tell! It's about a big brave protector who keeps his promises even when it's hard!"
"That sounds familiar."
"It's based on a true story! The truest story!" She yawned. "Now I'm going to nap here, and Nyx is going to pretend she doesn't notice, and Mo is going to pretend she doesn't know, and everything is perfect."
Within minutes she was asleep, and I felt Nyx's amusement through our bond.
"She has you figured out," my dragon mate observed.
"She has everyone figured out. It's terrifying."
"It's precious." Nyx's tail curled protectively around the bed. "Rest, Knox. We've got you. All of us. You don't have to keep watch. We're keeping watch for you."
For the first time since waking, I let myself fully relax. Let the bonds hum with love and protection. Let my family guard me while I healed.
It was strange, being the one protected instead of the protector.
But it was also nice.
Day 47 - Morning
I woke to Mo's voice and immediately knew something was different.
"Your organ regeneration is ahead of schedule," she announced, sounding both pleased and suspicious. "Your mana core is repairing faster than calculated. Your physical wounds are closing at rates that exceed normal chimera healing."
"Is that bad?"
"It's unexplained. I don't like unexplained variables." She checked her readings again. "Unless... Knox, have you been doing something I don't know about?"
"I've been lying here following your schedule religiously."
"Hmm." She made notes. "Dewdrop has been spending significantly more time in physical contact with you than scheduled. Her faith-based bond might be actively contributing to healing rates."
"That's possible?"
"I have seventeen theories and no way to test them ethically. But empirically, yes. Your recovery accelerates when she's present." Mo looked up. "Which means she's now part of the medical protocol. Fifteen minutes of Dewdrop companionship every four hours."
"You're scheduling my time with Dewdrop for medical reasons."
"I'm optimizing your recovery using all available resources. If those resources include a tiny fairy whose faith apparently has healing properties, then yes, I'm scheduling it."
Through the bonds, I felt Dewdrop's distant delight. She'd been promoted to "medical protocol." This was going to go to her tiny head.
"Your restraints are coming off today," Mo continued. "Limited movement only. No fighting, no heavy lifting, no magical exertion beyond basic circulation practice."
"I can move?"
"You can move carefully. Under supervision. With frequent rest breaks." She fixed me with a stern look. "Don't make me regret this, Knox."
"I won't. I promise."
She nodded, began removing the magical restraints, and for the first time in a week, I could move my arms freely.
It hurt. Everything hurt. But I could move.
"Don't get cocky," Mo warned. "You're still days away from full recovery. This is just phase two of the healing protocol."
"How many phases are there?"
"Seventeen."
"Of course there are."
Day 48 - Afternoon
The first time I actually sat up without assistance was a production.
Mo supervised with her notebook. Kas spotted me like I was lifting weights. Yuzu had healing magic ready "just in case." Nyx loomed protectively in dragon form. And Dewdrop cheered from my shoulder like I'd just won an Olympic event.
"You're doing it!" the tiny fairy announced. "Papa Knox is sitting up! This is very exciting!"
"It's just sitting up, sweetheart."
"It's HEALING sitting up! Very different! Much more important!"
I managed to get vertical without passing out, which felt like a genuine achievement given how everything protested.
"Heart rate elevated but stable," Mo reported. "Blood pressure acceptable. No signs of internal bleeding. Good."
"Can I stand?"
"Absolutely not."
"Tomorrow?"
"Day ten. Maybe. If your regeneration continues at current rates."
Day ten. The day Dewdrop had decided story time would resume. The day the children were planning their celebration. The arbitrary deadline that had somehow become law through sheer tiny-fairy determination.
"I'll be ready," I said.
"You better be," Dewdrop said seriously. "Because I've been waiting very patiently and I picked out the perfect story and everyone is very excited!"
Through our bond, I felt her absolute certainty that day ten would happen exactly as planned because she'd decided it would.
And somehow, that certainty was helping me heal.
Mo was right, Dewdrop's faith had measurable effects. The bond we shared carried something more than just emotional connection. There was power there. Not divine, not exactly. But something close.
Something that said promises mattered, faith had substance, and tiny fairies could influence reality through sheer determination.
I'd have to think about that later.
When thinking didn't require so much energy.
Day 49 - Evening
The second-to-last day before the deadline was when I finally understood how scared everyone had been.
Lira and Pip came for evening visitation, and instead of their usual chaos, they just settled quietly on either side of me.
"We thought we'd lost you," Lira said finally, her usual cheer completely absent. "When you fell... Pip and I, we felt it through the bond. Felt you fading. And we couldn't do anything except watch the healers work and hope."
"I'm sorry," I said quietly.
"Don't apologize," Pip said. "You kept your promise. You won. You protected everyone. But Knox..." Her tiny voice cracked. "Please don't cut it that close again. We're not strong enough to lose you."
Through our bonds with them, I felt the depth of their fear. They were small. They knew they were small. And the idea of losing the person who made them feel big, who treated them like they mattered, who'd married them despite all reason...
It had terrified them.
"I love you both," I said. "So much. And I promise I'll try to be more careful."
"That's not a real promise," Lira pointed out.
"It's the only one I can make. I can't promise I won't get hurt protecting our family. But I can promise I'll always fight to come home."
They were quiet for a moment. Then Pip flew up, pressed her tiny forehead against mine. "That's enough. As long as you fight to come home, we can meet you halfway."
"We're family," Lira added, joining her. "That means we protect each other. Even when one of us is being a stubborn idiot about standing alone."
"I'm learning."
"Good. Because we're not going through that again. Next time, we all stand together. Even the tiny ones."
"Especially the tiny ones," Pip corrected. "We might be small, but we're fierce when it matters."
They settled into my beard, and I felt their love and determination and absolute refusal to let me face danger alone next time.
My family was small, chaotic, impossible, and completely determined to keep me alive despite my best efforts.
I wouldn't trade them for anything.
[RECOVERY STATUS: DAY 9 OF 14]
[ORGAN REGENERATION: 87% COMPLETE]
[MANA CORE: 62% REPAIRED]
[MOBILITY: SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED]
[DEWDROP'S FAITH: MEASURABLY CONTRIBUTING TO HEALING]
[TOMORROW: THE PROMISED STORY TIME]
[MO'S SCHEDULE: SOMEHOW ACTUALLY WORKING]
[KNOX'S STUBBORNNESS: FINALLY COOPERATING WITH RECOVERY]
[FAMILY'S RELIEF: PROFOUND]
Tomorrow was day ten.
Story time was scheduled.
A celebration was planned.
And somewhere inside me, something small and warm and unprecedented was growing... a spark of something that shouldn't exist, powered by a tiny fairy's absolute faith that promises mattered.
But that was a problem for future Knox.
Present Knox just needed to heal enough to tell one story.
Everything else could wait.