Free Web NovelChapter 469: Chapter 469
The first thing Ragnar noticed when he fully woke was the bed beneath him. It was a midsized frame, sturdy but narrow, just barely wide enough to accommodate his large form without forcing him to hang over the edges.
The next thing he became aware of was the unfamiliar room he was in. It was bare, holding little more than the bed he lay on and a small wooden bedside table. No decorations adorned the walls. And, most notably, he was alone.
A small fire crackled in a stone hearth across the room, its soft glow pushing back the chill that lingered in the air.
His eyes felt dry and gritty. When he tried to move, he found it difficult. His body felt heavy, unresponsive, as though pinned down by some invisible force pressing him into the mattress.
He tried again, forcing his muscles to obey. After several strained attempts, he managed to inch himself slightly closer to the edge of the bed. The moment he did, pain rippled through him, causing him to grit his teeth as he drew slow breaths through the discomfort.
Though his body still throbbed with soreness, he realized he could move his hands well enough. It was the rest of him that refused to cooperate.
The sensation was unpleasant but it was nowhere near the worst pain he had ever endured. Slowly, the memory of his battle with the three fenrars returned to him.
His gaze dropped to his body, and he noticed immediately that he was no longer dressed in the bloodstained clothes he had worn that day. Instead, he had been changed into clean garments that were just as unfamiliar to him as the room he was in.
His broken leg had been treated and properly bandaged, along with the other injuries he had sustained. Whoever had tended to him knew what they were doing.
His eyes drifted across the room once more before finally settling on the food bowl resting on the bedside table. It had been placed within easy reach, close enough that he could take it without needing to strain himself much.
He wasn’t sure how long it had been sitting there, but the warmth from the hearth suggested that whoever had brought him here had not been gone for long.
As soon as the thought formed, the door creaked open.
A woman stepped inside.
Ragnar’s gaze snapped toward her. The moment his eyes settled on her, an image flashed through his mind, the memory of deep green eyes staring back at him.
"It’s good to see you awake," the woman said, stopping at the foot of the bed.
"Who are you?" Ragnar asked, his voice hoarse from disuse, the words rough as they left his throat. "Where am I?"
"This is my home," she replied gently. "It may not be what you are used to, but you are safe here. You have nothing to worry about. My name is Fala, and the clothes you are wearing belong to my husband, Callan."
Ragnar barely lingered on the fact that she seemed to recognize him. There were more pressing concerns.
"Were you the one who saved me?" he asked.
The woman standing before him had dark brown eyes and she was a vampire. It was highly unlikely that she had been the winged figure that had intervened during the battle.
Still, in his current state he had no recollection of what happened to him after the fight, so he asked anyway.
Fala shook her head immediately. "Oh no. That honor belongs solely to the woman who brought you here. I do not know much about her, but she was incredibly skilled. She is the one who nursed you back to health."
Ragnar processed this, though the answer only raised more questions.
"Where is she now?" he asked. "I would like to thank her."
"I do not know," Fala admitted. "She left a few hours ago and said she would return soon. While she is away, Callan and I will see to your needs. It is the least we can do for you, Your Highness, after you so bravely risked your life to keep this kingdom safe."
There was undeniable admiration in her voice.
She moved closer to the bed, carefully supporting him as she helped him sit upright, guiding his back until it rested against the headboard. Every movement sent dull waves of pain through him, but he endured it in silence.
"You have been here for four days," Fala continued. "Each day, she returns just to check on you."
Once he was settled, she turned to the bedside table, picked up the food bowl, and held it out to him.
"Here," she said. "I made it myself. You should eat something."
She kept the bowl extended until he finally relented and took it from her. "I reckon she will return tonight or early tomorrow."
Ragnar said nothing. He only nodded, and Fala seemed to take that as her cue to leave.
The hours stretched on in silence.
Later, Fala returned briefly, only to add more firewood to the hearth. On her way out, she collected the now-empty bowl without a word.
After that, Ragnar was left alone with his thoughts. freewebnσvel.cøm
He waited for his savior to return.
He remained awake long into the night, his gaze drifting repeatedly to the door, listening for footsteps that never came.
But she did not come. Eventually, he allowed exhaustion to lull him into sleep.
When he closed his eyes, sleep did not bring him rest. Instead, it dragged him back into the memory of his losing battle with the fenrars, the moment where death had seemed certain.
A moment that would have ended him had those large, dark wings not torn across the sky.
The room was illuminated only by the pale glow of moonlight streaming in through the window, casting long shadows that stretched across the floor and walls. For a time, everything remained as it was. Then, without warning, the air shifted.
The shadows along the walls moved, gathering together as though answering a silent call.
From one particularly dense cluster of darkness, a woman emerged.
She stepped forward soundlessly. The moonlight did not touch her fully; it clung instead to the edges of her form, leaving her features half-veiled in shadow.
Her gaze settled immediately on the bed.
