The first thing I felt was the pain - or the lack of it. My shoulder felt only slightly sore and when I wriggled it I could feel only a whisper of the agonising pain from before. The air around me smelt of fresh herbs mixed with lavender, and there seemed to be someone breathing next to me. In fact, the more I focused on the calm breathing the louder it became until I could bear it no longer and I  cracked my eye open to peer at the owner discreetly. Someone was lying on my sleeping bed, with their head resting on their arms. I lifted a hand gingerly and winced at the streak of soreness that rippled up my arm at the movement. Placing my hand on their face I slowly lifted the thick hair away from the perpetrator's eye's and gasped quietly as I recognised Cae's dark shaped eyebrows and straight nose. With strange courage, I outlined his eyebrows with my finger and trailed it down his face, tracing his sharp jawline and stopping at his chin just as his eyes opened. An emotion that I have never seen swam in his inhumane purple eyes, the colour so dark it seemed almost blue, as they seemingly looked right into my soul.

"You know if you want to touch me, you could just ask me when I'm awake, I might not deny you the honour," his husky sleep-filled voice flitted over to me sending unwanted shivers down my spine. 

"If you weren't violating my personal space in the first place, I might have not violated yours too," I whispered back, staring into those damned eyes. He lifted a hand to my finger still on his chin and with feather-like touches trailed his fingers down my hand, then my arm, stopping at my elbow. A beat passed between us, his eyes boring holes through mine. 

"Might have?" He asked with a dangerously raised eyebrow, I answered with one of my own.

"You'll now never know." Another beat of silence went by before I realised what was happening and felt unsure of playing this strange game, I shrugged his hand off and tried to rise off my back. That emotion disappeared with a blink and his eyes shuttered off, whatever had just happened hadn't been a game to him. I shook my head from the stupid thought and reached a hand for him to help me, he didn't even hesitate to grab it, arrange pillows behind me and support me onto them. I was definitely just imagining things. Just in time, a knock sounded on the door and Cae stood up to open it. 

"It's not often I'm visited by a fellow red-head carried in the arms of a handsome assassin. But when I am, I don't expect her shoulder to be redder than her hair. Now I know I shouldn't be asking questions with the whole need-to-know basis thing, but seriously honey! You couldn't be any more careful with that injury? I raise you for years in the art of healing and binding injuries, but what do you do the first chance you get, you go and bleed yourself out to near death! Stupid girl." A flurry of silver and red hair came buzzing through the doorway, her musical voice tinkling into the room.

"Oh wow, you are one thing I did not miss. You have way too much energy for me," I groaned loudly, she sent a glare that could melt metals my way before placing her basket on the floor. Cae eyed her with trepidation, still standing by the door hands resting on his bandolier too stiffly to be casual.

"Relax Cae, we can trust her. This is Terra, The Witch of Nature," When his eyes widened further at the title I laughed, "Don't worry it's just a nickname,"

"Are you sure?" Terra's eyes gleamed with laughter and I grinned at her,

"Stop Terra darling, you'll scare poor Cae out of his skin." I look back at Cae, "I'm surprised she didn't tell you this herself"

"He didn't care to listen so I didn't care to explain," Terra shrugged,

"Did he do his weird dog things again, with his growls and snarls," I laugh,

"Yes, he was shouting something about how stupid you were for jumping in front of an arrow," She looked at me sideways waiting for my answer, I glare at him for carelessly revealing the information, and shrug my shoulders at Terra,

"My mistake. I should have trained him better," he sent one of his growls at me and stormed out of the room with proclamations of guarding the door, sending Terra and I bursting into fits of laughter. When we had quietened down, I looked at her fiddling hands folding leaves and petals together with expert ease, and quietly said

"Looks like you still want to enjoy the 'fun of youth' as you had once put it, you look barely a day over 20," She beamed at me, her smile lines wrinkling with age.

"You don't lie to a witch, Little Star."

"You're not a real witch,"

"Looks like you're still in denial,"

"Yes, because there is no such thing as magic and witches, next thing you'll say is that the Aloja is real." I raise my eyebrows at her in a challenge and she slaps my forehead in answer,

"Don't disrespect your elders Little Star, my god. I stop our lessons for a year and you're already forgetting all your manners. Call in that dear boy to help me bind that shoulder again."

"I don't need his help," she slaps my forehead again,

"I didn't say you needed anything, I said I did. Now call him in and stop being so rude," He walks in with a smirk, having clearly listened from the door, I scowl at him and huff quietly to myself. He comes to my side and softly helps me up, pulling me gently to rest onto his shoulder. I didn't have the strength to pull away, and meekly remained limp in his arms. He held me surprisingly steady, and Terra said as much as she removed the bandages on my shoulder. Her red hair shone in the light and I lifted a weak hand to weave it between her strands. Silvery grey hairs peeked out from in between the fiery curtains and I let them shimmer in my hand. 

"So. Arrow?" She asked with a poisonous undertone in her voice. I drop the hair strands and poke Cae's thigh viciously enough that he winced and breathed a quiet 'sorry' into my ear sending a fresh wave of shivers down my spine, and I trembled at the sensation.