"Hector."

"Ngh... ow." I choke out.

Dad lets out a breath. He moves my hair back. Yeah, that hurt. That hurt a lot. Quite a lot. I'm half dead I feel like. I feel as if I had been run over by a thousand rhinos. He helps me sit up. I look at my wounds, they're bad. They are really bad. Hopefully I'll have them healed.

"It is good to see you're awake." He says.

"Define... awake." I wince. 

"Shh. Shh. It's okay." He says.

"Is... is it over?" I spit out blood.

"Yes, it is." He says.

I wince as I try to stand up. He puts his hand over my shoulder.

"Ow. Ow. Ow." I say.

"It is time for us to go home. The forest is in dire." He says.

"I will be back for them, right?" I ask.

"Before you know it." He smiles.

"Hector! Hector!" Varian yells.

I look up.

"Hi... kid." I cough.

"Are you okay?" Varian gasps.

"Well... it looks like a lot worse than it feels." I say.

I almost fall to the ground again. Yeah, that did not sound very convincing I feel like. I would be lying to myself if I thought that was convincing. Rapunzel and Horace... Eugene, run over. I wince as Dad lifts me up again.

"Oh my gosh! We need you get you back!" Rapunzel screams.

"Ow. My ears can only take so much princess." I wince.

"Oh, right, right, sorry." Rapunzel says.

"About going back to Corona... I'll be back, later." I say.

"What?" Varian and Rapunzel both say.

"We must return to the forest; it is in chaos." Dad says.

"How can a bunch of trees be in-" Eugene gets punched by Rapunzel.

"It can always rot." Dad says.

I look down at Varian.

"Are you crying again?" I ask.

"*Sniff* Whaaa? No." Varian clearly is lying.

Oh brother. I lift his head up.

"Don't worry, I'll be back." I wince.

"Promise?" He sniffs.

"Fine, promise." I say.