Sega knew her eyes were open, but the room was so dark that her eyes could not make sense of it. She blinked, her mind reeling around the idea that she had gone blind, or that this was what the afterlife was really like. An endless void. Her head throbbed heavily, like it was encased in a wooden cast that was a bit too tight. Her hand shot out, groping on the darkness, the movement sent searing pain across her chest. A gasp tore through her dry throat. She sank back down onto the bed with a cough. Moonlight suddenly filled the room as a cloud carried on across the sky. She blinked as the pearlescent light illuminated the Captain’s Quarters. 

Her eyes found the Captain, sitting behind his desk with his fingers steepled against his lips. He glanced up at the sound of her cough. 

“It would be best for you to lay still.” Tekla’s voice was soft, but it still sent goosebumps down her spine. In the stark moonlight, she could only see the unmarred side of his face. It melted into a gentle smile, and for a moment he was a ghost from her distant memories. Her chest clenched painfully and tears swelled. She stared up at the beams overhead, struggling to compose herself before he noticed.

Like anything could escape the Captain. The smiled faded from his lips and he sighed before quietly rising from his chair. Sega closed her eyes as his heavy boots approached her. For a moment she felt relieved that she could hide her turmoil under the guise of her wounds, but she knew if anyone could see through her, it was the man standing over her. 

A sob suddenly escaped her. She turned her head away from Tekla as the tears forced their way to the surface, the emotions coming in torrents. After a long moment, she felt the bed dip as Tekla sat on the edge. She flinched as she felt a surge of energy move down her arm, and a swelling of heat near her elbow. She watched the shapes against the wall through her tears; the shadow of a hand moved away from her own shadow. 

“Somehow, we always seem to put each other in harm’s way.” Sega forced her voice to stay steady, but the result sounded drenched with sorrow. Tekla took in a sharp breath. She knew the blow had landed, but she didn’t care anymore. She turned to look over her shoulder at Tekla. He sat so his scar was facing her. 

“I nearly killed you, and you nearly killed me. Let’s call it even.” The sorrow in her voice quickly morphed with disgust. Tekla turned his good eye to look at her, filled with surprise. 

“How did you nearly kill me?” His expression was either very well managed, or genuine. Sega wasn’t going to risk guessing.

“You shouldn’t have come for me that night.” She stared into his blind eye for a long moment before looking into his healthy gold eye, the sadness that gazed back at her finally set her over the edge. She sat up, gritting her teeth past the blinding pain. “I never asked you to save me.” She snapped at him like a wolf, guarding its kill.

Tekla leaned back to give her room, but continued to sit on the bed. Sega could see his chest rising and falling quickly with his breathing, his eye searched hers. “You don’t have to ask. Ever.” 

It hit her like a slap of cold water. She knew she was talking to the real Tekla, and her lungs froze at the thought of how long it had been since she had seen him like this. Tears streamed down her cheeks on their own volition. 

“Do you think I blame you?” Tekla reached out as if to wipe her tears, but stopped a hairsbreadth from her cheek. He lowered his hand but continued to gaze at her in confusion. “…For what happened?”

Sega stared back at him.

“That I’ve been holding it against you all this time?” The words formed carefully in his mouth as he thought them over, his face paling.

She looked down at his hand as he closed it into a fist and gently placed it on his leg. 

All those decades ago, the first night of the long winter, was the night they lost everything. The kingdom was on fire, the streets filled with corpses and ruined homes. Sega often dreamed of the horses galloping past her out of the royal stable, their skin melting from their bodies. 

She never liked to remember. But Tekla’s scar was a constant reminder. She and Tekla had been out hunting in the woods, and when they returned, hell awaited them. Sega had her bow and a full quiver, and had bolted the moment she saw the dark form sweeping through the clouds of black smoke. 

She hadn’t cared about anything else then. Only revenge. Only to find that dragon that had decimated her first home, and was now decimating her second. She didn’t even stop to realize that Tekla had followed her until the dragon turned to face her. She shot three arrows into the dragon’s eye, and the dragon belted the street with a river of dark blue fire. 

Tekla had pulled her into a corridor at the last second and shielded her with his body. He took the brunt of the flames, in order to protect her. The dragon then smote Ash Chasm, and its name finally fit the description. 

Tekla stared at his hand, struggling for words. These were once the fine and long fingers of a boy from a noble family, grown into the calloused and strong hands of a brutal criminal. Finally he let out a quiet snort, looking away from her and lurching to a stand. 

“Fine. You and I are even. If that’s what you want to call it.” He glanced over his shoulder. “But you and I still have a debt to collect with Darkflame. I need you with me to do it.”

A wave of dread washed over Sega. Tekla sighed, his fists clenched and he abruptly turned on his heel and stalked to the window. 

“Lux has the location --” Sega clenched her eyes shut, her mind spinning. Flashes of Lux appeared in her mind. 

“We will need to find her den another way.” Tekla spoke blankly to the window. 

The memory shifted to Vigo dragging Lux from the smithy, the sound of his shouts cut off by a dense thud. 

“What did you do?” Sega pressed her hand against her stomach, nausea rising.

“As always, I did what was necessary to protect you.” 

Sega heaved her legs over the edge of the bed and pitched to a stand. She swayed dizzily, the room tilting. This is what it must feel like to have seasickness, she thought distantly to herself. 

Tekla spun to glare at her. “There’s nothing that can be done, lay back down and rest.” 

Sega’s face twitched with rage. Too many words flooded her mind, but none made it out. She turned and staggered for the door, nearly falling through it as she flung it open.

Several of the crew looked up, startled by the sudden ruckus. Sega stumbled across the deck towards the gangplank. A hand caught hold of her arm. She turned precariously to snarl at the person, only to find herself looking up at the tall form of Vigo, staring blankly down at her from the side of his eye. Her face fell blank, she looked down at his hand around her arm, dark dried blood cracked over his knuckles. 

“Where is he, Vigo?” Her voice was quiet, but Vigo’s brow twitched at the poison laced in her words. And the terror. He narrowed his eyes. 

He looked up as Tekla emerged from his Quarters, hands behind his back and face composed. 

“Please, Vigo. It’s best to enlighten her.” A smile ghosted the corner of his lips that only Vigo would notice. 

Without looking away, Vigo raised his voice for all to hear. “Buried at Thieves Den.” Tekla’s face relaxed minutely. 

Vigo glanced down at the strange sensation within his hand, as Sega collapsed to one knee, clutching the wound at her chest. Her heart pounded in her chest, her veins throbbed like fire surged through them, hissing in her ears. 

She couldn’t hear the sound of her name being called. Nor did she feel Vigo reach to scoop her up. All she could see was utter darkness, she could smell cold wet earth, her mouth filled with the bitter taste of blood and something sharp, like medicine. 

Tekla’s face flashed in front her vision, blurred and hard to focus on. One moment it stared down at her, tense with worry, the next it was livid and viciously barking orders. Her cheeks and throat felt like hot iron was laid against them, and then darkness consumed her again. A final thought leaked through the void.

These fever dreams are becoming too real. A dreamless sleep would be such a gift.