Hey! I'm back with chapter 3!

Sorry for the later update. At least it's still Monday, right?

Thanks for hanging in long enough to get this far.

I'm so thankful to all my lovely readers, whether you drop a review or not.

Please continue to grace me with your attention so I can (try to) grace you with a well-told story.

Jude and Milla held Alvin carefully as they picked their way through the familiar area. The Sapstrath Highroad was normally a simple enough route to take, but with Alvin hanging like he were dead between them, a few steps felt like a million.

Rowen lead them with Leia at his side. She'd stopped crying before they'd left the inn and she'd held it together since then. She couldn't, however, hide her concern. Elize had insisted on walking beside Jude and Milla so she could help Jude and heal Alvin occasionally. She hadn't spoken much since she'd started doing so and Teepo was silent as well, which was disheartening to say the least.

The path was a scenic as always. Trees dotted the area and soft, green grass covered the ground. The sun warmed them as they finally came across the path to the Sapstrath Deepwood. They didn't go into it, though, it would just mean more time to get to Sharilton, and time was something they couldn't afford.

Out of no where, a sound of wings beating the air like a rug filled their ears. They looked up to see Ivar jump off his wyvern and land in their path. He grinned like the maniac he was and poised his hands on his hips.

"I'm going to have to stop you," he said, raising his head with purpose, "I can't let Lady Milla go to Sharilton. With everything that's been happening, it's far too dangerous for her. You're going to have return to the seahaven!"

"Ivar," Milla said, annoyed, "we don't have time for this. Get out of our way."

"But Lady Milla," he protested, "you could be in danger."

"That's enough, Ivar," she said, "I'm not afraid of a little danger."

"Lady Milla," he pleaded, "I don't understand. I've already lost you once before, I can't let you risk your life just to go into a town so riddled with chaos."

"We don't have much choice," Jude cut in, "Alvin needs help."

Ivar stepped to the side and saw Alvin, having been hidden from his line of sight by Rowen and Leia. His eyes grew wide and he shifted uncomfortably.

"He was poisoned, Ivar," Milla said, holding a calm tone, "We're going to Sharilton in hopes of finding an antidote."

Ivar shook his head. "That's why you can't go to Sharilton. A lot of people have been poisoned there in the last few days," he said, swinging his arms in an attempt to gesture, "If it's that Aldivynt stuff, he'll have to go somewhere else. They ran out of the antidote not long ago. Please, just listen to me. It's not safe and you're better off going somewhere else. I'll accompany you back to Nia Khera. We'll be able to get him help there."

"We can't afford to go all the way back there," Milla said, "If you're wrong and we can't get the antidote there, Alvin will die. Return to Nia Khera on your own. If it makes you feel better, we'll assume you're correct about Sharilton."

"But Lady Milla," he tried.

"No, Ivar," she said, her tone short, "I won't ask how you have this information. Just return to Nia Khera without delay."

Ivar kicked at the ground in frustration before turning back to his wyvern. He swung himself up on its back and flew out of their sight.

"And here I thought we'd seen the last of him," Rowen said, sighing as he folded his hands behind him.

Jude looked over at Milla, nervous. "Are we really not going to Sharilton now?"

"If Ivar's right about the antidote," she said, starring straight ahead, "Alvin will likely be too weak to travel again."

"But where else can we go?" Elize asked.

"It won't be too long before they have more antidote, will it?" Teepo asked, "Why can't we just go there and wait for them to have it again?"

"It could take days, maybe weeks, to make more," Jude said, knowingly, "The antidote for Aldivynt is hard to get a hold of. Almost all of its ingredients are rare, so it's safe to say that Alvin would die before they could treat him."

"That is likely," Rowen said, "Although, I have to wonder, why has there been a sudden influx in Aldivynt poisonings recently?"

"It's hard to say," Milla said, "but I doubt these attacks are exactly random."

Leia was silent for a time. An idea flashed in her eyes and she looked to Jude quickly. "What if we check with Dr. Mathis in Leronde? He's sure to have some."

Jude stared at Leia for a time. He glanced at Alvin. He had to admit, it was their best bet – and could, quite frankly, be Alvin's last shot. "That's a good idea, Leia. Let's go home and see what Dad can do, it's not like we really have much of a choice."

Jude and Milla made sure they still had a good grip on Alvin. Rowen and Leia waited for them to turn around before following behind them. They'd been walking for hours, already. It felt to Leia like they had wasted so much precious time.

Alvin woke up with a start and Leia jumped. Everyone else was equally surprised, but Elize was the only other one that acted as outwardly startled.

He managed to get his legs under him and stand on his own, pulling away from Jude and Milla. He seemed fine. The redness in his face was gone and his eyes were clear. He wasn't wheezing as he had been and his skin wasn't nearly as sallow. It was almost as if he'd never been poisoned to begin with.

He looked back at the others and glanced around, trying to figure out where they were. When it dawned on him that they were headed back toward the seahaven, he habitually touched his head. "Why aren't we going to Sharilton?" he asked, "Did you guys already go there while I was out?"

"That's not important," Jude said. He crossed his arms and stared hard at Alvin. "Just a moment ago, you couldn't even talk, much less stand. What changed?"

"Maybe it wasn't Aldivynt after all?" Milla suggested, "What it was may have worn off instead of killing him."

Jude pressed his finger against his temple, squeezing his eyes shut. "I don't know. I feel like I should, but I just can't seem to remember what I'm missing."

"Don't fret about it," Alvin said, stepping over to him and laying his arm around his shoulders, "I don't feel so rotten anymore, so we may as well just move on."

Jude looked up at the side of his face and turned his head. "You still look kind of sick, but I guess it's safe to say you're at least better, now."

Rowen's eyes lit up. He started stroking his beard, letting the pieces fall together. After a moment, he nodded and folded his hands again. "What a wonderful happenstance," he said, "However, I, for one, am still a bit concerned for Alvin's well being. We should continue to Leronde and have him seen, even with his symptoms gone."

Leia, having seen the expression on his face moments before, nodded. "That sounds like a good idea to me. Besides, it'll be nice to see Mom and Dad again."

Alvin peeled away from Jude and looked back at them. He shrugged. "I'm fine with that."

Milla made eye contact with Jude. He still looked nervous, as if Alvin had never moved. She folded her arms and touched her chin for a moment. It did seem odd that he was suddenly so well after being deathly ill all day. She wasn't sure exactly what was happening, but something told her to keep an eye on Alvin, not that it wasn't already a habit.

They picked their pace back up and started for the Seahaven. Jude happened to the front of the party with Milla just behind him. She would occasionally glance back to be sure Alvin wasn't lagging behind.

For a while, he did fine. She began to actually believe that everything had managed to solve itself, that he really was well again. She sighed and turned her attention away from him and the party continued to move on.

Alvin felt a wave of nausea crash into him. He didn't make a sound, but he slowed down a bit. His head started to spin again and he pushed the feeling down. This wasn't happening – not again. He misstepped and caught himself, feeling the cold chills start again. He started to grab at his coat and found his hands were trembling. He tried to steady them, but they just wouldn't stop quaking. He felt the tightness in his lungs return and he wheezed loudly.

The party stopped and turned around, realizing they had been leaving him behind. Leia dashed back to him as his shaking legs gave way, sending him crashing to his knees. She dove in front of him and caught him on her shoulder so he wouldn't fall.

"Something," he wheezed, "isn't right."

Alvin pulled away from her sharply, catching himself on his hands and gagging and coughing his throat raw. Finally, a bit of relief came when he retched violently and expelled nothing but bile and stomach acid into the grass. His vision went foggy again and he began to fall over.

He felt Jude's steady, able hands on his shoulders and let him steer him away from the mess. He collapsed on his back, his head reeling.

Jude laid a hand on his face and looked up at Leia, who was still just a few steps away. He shook his head. "This is bad," he said, "His fever's worse now than it was at the inn."

Rowen made a soft cough noise to gain their attention. He stared hard at Jude. "If you don't mind, might I suggest you take his pulse?"

Jude held eye contact with Rowen for a moment before he remembered something that shook him. He grabbed Alvin's wrist, pulling a whimper out of him, and tried counting the rhythm. He stopped after a moment – what rhythm? He moved his fingers to his throat and waited, trying to see if he'd been wrong. He shook his head. Alvin's heart was beating hard and fast, but what worried him more was the sudden irregularity. Jude watched in horror as Alvin's skin took on the same gray cast as before.

"He's shaking," Leia said, taking his trembling hand and trying to steady him.

Jude slipped his arm under Alvin's neck and started to move him. He winced in pain and let out a soft cry. Jude didn't pull away. He pulled him up enough for Milla to get on his other side and help lift him. They started toward a shady spot at the edge of the highroad where a small, shallow stream was winding through the area.

Tears formed in Alvin's eyes. He didn't attempt to stop them, they just began to fall as he gasped for air. He couldn't figure out why he was crying, but he couldn't stop himself, either. It only made breathing harder and he tried to quit, but still to no avail.

Jude and Milla stopped, even before they were very close to the stream, and eased him to the ground. Jude tried to talk to him, to bring him out of his hysteria, but nothing seemed to work. He looked at Milla helplessly and she returned a similar lost look.

His tears stopped suddenly and his eyes fluttered shut.

That's that for chapter 3!

No jokes in the author's notes today, though...

I'll have to come up with a good one for next time.

Thanks for reading!

Please drop a review and come back next Monday for the update!