The Awakening

"Elder Kiaren, she's waking up!"

Aunora's head swam, her consciousness bouncing around a sea of murky blackness. She longed to sleep more, but the dire situation she had left urged her to force herself awake.

Groaning and twitching her horse ears, Aunora slowly opened her eyes and weakly raised her head.

She was lying on a mound of blankets, snuggly wrapped in their comforting softness. Her leg was exposed, and she felt no pain from it. Bandages covered it tightly.

Aunora felt a flash of panic, but it subsided when she looked to her side. Nestled in a cocoon of quilts, Umbra was curled against her flank, silently sleeping. A wet cloth stretched across his forehead. His body felt significantly warmer than it had before, and his frostbite was nowhere to be seen.

Aunora flicked her long tail, laying it over Umbra's still form. She was thankful to see him breathing.

A gentle hand touching her neck jarred Aunora from her thoughts, and she glanced up. A waifish elven girl knelt by her, holding a bowl of strong-smelling liquid.

"Drink," she commanded, "it will help your injuries."

Aunora pushed the bowl away with her snout, rejecting the medicine. The pain she was feeling was bearable compared to the agony she was in earlier. Aunora had better things on her mind.

An elven woman approached her from the corner of the room, and Aunora recognized her as Kiaren, the village elder. Kiaren sat down before the two mercenaries, staring contently at them.

"I'm very pleased both of you managed to recover," she murmured. "When we found your bodies on the mountain trail, I was sure you were dead, especially the fae man." She gestured to Umbra, who was still sleeping, with a wave of her slender hand.

"It was a very close call," she commented. "Both of you were suffering from various wounds and hypothermia. I suppose you met the Monster of the Mountains, right? Were you able to defeat it?

Aunora smiled proudly, shifting back into her human form. She pulled the gem out of her pants' pocket, tossing it in front of Kairen, smirking shamelessly.

"Done and done." Aunora patted Umbra's head, her mood growing more somber. "Though, Umbra here did the slaying and stuff. I was...pretty injured at the moment."

Kairen's gaze went from Aunora and then down to Umbra, grinning playfully."I recall you saying that your partner was 'too much of a priss' to be your mate. Has that perhaps changed?"

Aunora flicked a lock of Umbra's silky hair out of his face, snorting. "Aw naw, man. I'd rather kill myself than date that dork." Aunora shrugged, propping her hands behind her head. "But, it's not that horrible to be his friend. There's a little more to his pretty face once you get to know him."

Retrieving a leather pouch from the back of the room, Kairen placed it in her palms. "I see," she said with a wink. "Anyway, our village thanks you dearly for returning our prized jewel and destroying the beast. I hope this reward will satisfy your needs."

Curious, Aunora pulled the drawstring of the bag. Inside, several stacks of paper bills were laid to rest, sectioned off with thin rubberbands.

There's gotta be like, hundreds of dollars in here! Aunora thought, mouth nearly watering at the prospect of what she could do with all that money. She squinted ar Umbra. Though I guess I gotta share with him.

"Wow, thanks," Aunora breathed, a wicked smile on her face.

"It's of no trouble." Kairen stood, her handmaiden joining her. "You two are free to stay here as long as you like to ensure your proper recovery."

Kairen and her elves exited the room, leaving Aunora and Umbra at peace. Soon after, the fae started to stir, groaning. Aunora scooted away from him, giving Umbra space.

Umbra shakily rose, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He blinked in confusion, trying to get his bearings.

"Where-what-"

Aunora clapped him on the back, hard. "We lived, Pretty Boy. Can't believe we did, but yeah, we did."

Umbra touched his forehead, pensive in nature. "After I collapsed, I have a faint memory of being carried...Was that you?"

Aunora clicked her tongue, cackling. "I'm not much of a load-bearing horse, but I have my moments."

Umbra suddenly threw his arms around her, taking the woman off guard. "You saved my life," he breathed, "I cannot thank you enough for this."

Aunora rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Man, look at us now, hugging and bein' all mushy. Freaking Matthew played us like a fiddle. Can't believe that stupid plan of his actually worked."

Umbra knitted his eyebrows. "Can we agree to never tell another soul about what happened on this mission?"

"Oh yeah," Aunora muttered. "I'm not giving Matt the satisfaction of knowing we were crying and cuddling all over each other."

Umbra awkwardly pulled away, seeing the bag of money Aunora had in her lap. "Is that the reward?"

Aunora smiled. "You bet it is. Several hundred, at least."

Umbra grabbed the bag, confidently standing up. "How about we go out to the fanciest restaurant in Alcorith and blow this cash? I mean, it's ours. We earned it with our sweat and blood. I refuse to share this."

Aunora came to her feet, rubbing her back. "I'm all for that."

Umbra nudged Aunora with his elbow, showing off sharp teeth. "Aunora, I believe this could be the start to to wonderful friendship."

Author's Note- aaaand the main arc is closed. There's still a mini arc awaiting, but this big stuff is done! :) thanks so much for sticking with me for so long. It means a lot to me, really.

Soo...let's do a little game! A ship battle! vote on your favorite pairing in the book.

-UmbraxAunora

-MatthewxUmbra

-AunoraxEsper