Standard Disclaimer: Escaflowne and it's characters don't belong to me. I'm merely borrowing them. Any other characters are from my own imagination. I only write this stuff for fun, I don't make any money off of it, so please don't sue me.

Awakenings

Part Six

Things were not better in the morning.

Gaddes awoke feeling uncomfortably warm.  He twisted about until he was facing Celena.  Her face was flushed red and her hair was soaked and clinging to her head in wet clumps.  There was a slight wheezing sound as she breathed which immediately worried him. 

"Celena?"  He shook her gently to try and awaken her.  Her eyes opened briefly before closing again. 

"It was so hot last night," she murmured.  Her breath caught in the back of her throat throwing her into a fit of coughing which lasted several minutes.  Gaddes did his best to hold her as the coughs wracked her body.  She collapsed into his arms when it was finished looking completely wrung out.

"Why didn't you wake me up if you were feelin' sick?"

"I didn't want to bother you.  I've caused enough of a mess as it is."

He took a deep breath to try and calm his emotions.  He laid her back onto the pillows and smoothed the hair from her brow.  "You're never a bother, Celena."

He started to get up from the bed but she grabbed his hand, stopping him.  "Don't leave me."  She looked so small and fragile laying there among the covers, her large eyes shining with fever. 

"I don't want to leave, but I'll have to go and fetch a doctor.  I'll be back as soon as I can, alright?"

She nodded and let her eyes drift shut once more.

Gaddes reluctantly left the room in search of his sisters.  He found them in the kitchen making breakfast.  The smell of freshly cooked bread caused his stomach to grumble in response.  But there was no time for that now.  He pulled his cloak off the line and began to put it on.

"Where ya goin'?"  Alyssann asked.

"Celena's got a fever.  I need to get the doc.  Will you two keep an eye on her 'til I get back?"

"Of course," Genna replied with a concerned expression.  "It's not anything too serious, is it?"

"I don't know.  She was sleepin' soundly when I came up to bed last night.  I didn't wake her, thinkin' it'd be best for her to get some rest.  But, this morning…  Her temperature seems pretty high.  I think—yeah—it might be serious."

Alyssann could tell that he was reluctant to leave her.  "I'll run and get the doctor," she said. 

"Lyss…are you sure?"

She looked at him for a moment before nodding.  She untied her apron strings and removed it, hanging the garment on a hook on the wall.  "I was shocked when you told us the news last night.  I like Celena, truly I do.  I just don't know how I feel about you marryin' her."  She paused to take a deep breath.  "I know you love her though, so I'll try to understand.  You stay here with Celena.  She'll need you to be by her side."

He gave his sister a quick hug.  "Thanks, Lyss."

She grinned in response and pulled on her cloak.  "No problem.  You'll get a bill for my services later."  She gave him a kiss on the cheek and went on her way.

Genna placed her hand in her brother's and gave it a squeeze.  "Gaddes, I can tell what you're thinking, and it's not your fault."

"I wish I could believe that, Gen."

Her heart wanted to break at the tone of her brother's voice.  He had never sounded so defeated before.  If this is what love does to a person, than I want nothing to do with it, she thought decidedly. 

She had come to visit Celena but was solemnly informed by the housekeeper that the young miss had departed with her husband the day before.  So many thoughts and emotions raced through Eries mind in an instant:  shock and disbelief, curiosity, and then a sudden fury directed at Allen.  Something was not right in this house and she had a feeling Allen was at the heart of it all.  She asked to see him and was shown into the parlor to wait for him.  It wasn't overly long before he appeared.  He looked tired.

"What happened?  When I asked to see Celena, Luce said--" she began without preamble.

"Can't you guess, Eries?  You're privy to my sister's thoughts, aren't you?"

She didn't like the biting tone in his voice, but she chose to ignore it until she got to the bottom of things.  "Luce said….Celena was married, and that they left?  Was it Gaddes?  Allen, please tell me what happened."

His eyes flashed angrily.  "I found them together in her bedroom, embracing.  I took appropriate actions."

Her mind was trying to keep up with Allen's logic.  "So they married?  So quickly?  That was a bit overdramatic, don't you think?"

"Celena told me herself that they were lovers.  Her honor was at stake."

"And you, being the honorable knight that you are, have of course married every woman that you've ever slept with."

His face reddened slightly, though whether it was from anger or embarrassment was a little hard to tell at this point.  Eries figured it was probably a little of both.

"You know I haven't—I did propose—well this is hardly the time to bring up such matters.  This is Celena we're talking about.  And she's different," he insisted stubbornly.

Eries resisted the urge to roll her eyes; it wasn't princess-like.  "Where have they gone?"

"I don't know.  Gaddes' home, I assume.  I don't care.  I told them to go.  I don't want them here, Eries."

"Oh, Allen.  What have you done?"

"What have I done?  They were the ones that betrayed me, Eries."

She let out a frustrated sigh.  "Everything is always about you, isn't it?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're being selfish, that's what it means.  Did you even stop to think about what you were doing to her by pushing her away like that?  All Celena has ever wanted from you is your love and approval.  But, you've never been there for her until recently and all of a sudden you think you know what's best for her.  You are so stubborn sometimes."

"No more so than you," he said peevishly.

"I can't talk to you when you're like this.  I'm leaving.  Goodbye, Allen."  She made her way to the exit and paused at the threshold to throw one last comment at him.  "If you had any sense in that thick skull of yours then you'd go and apologize to the both of them and repair the damage you've caused before it's too late."

Eries arrived at Gaddes' house very late into the evening.  The driver of her carriage had wanted to turn back before the roads froze up but Eries wouldn't hear of it. 

When she arrived a surprised Alyssann answered the door.

"Your Highness!"

Eries pulled her cloak a little tighter as a cold breeze passed by.  "May I come in?"

"Oh, yes, of course," Alyssann replied, still in a bit of a daze.  "I suppose you're here to see Celena," she said as she stepped aside to let the princess pass by so she could shut the door behind her.

"Yes.  I wasn't sure that she and your brother were here, actually.  I had a rather rough accounting of things from Allen."

Alyssann took Eries cloak and went to hang it in the kitchen.  Eries followed.

"Would you like something to drink, Princess?"

"No thank you, Alyssann.  Do you think you could let Celena know that I'm here?"

Sher turned to Eries, a worried expression clouding her features.  "I…Celena is really ill with a fever, Princess.  I fetched the doctor this mornin' but she hasn't improved much.  Gaddes is with her upstairs.  He's barely left her side all day."

Eries was quiet as she digested the news.  "May I see her?"

Alyssann nodded.  She led the princess to the bedroom and knocked lightly on the door before entering.  Gaddes and another man, Eries assumed he was the doctor, were in the room.  Gaddes sat next to the bed in a chair.  He rose when Alyssann and Eries came into the room.

"Princess Eries…"

"Hello, Sargeant Gaddes."  She came to stand next to the other man, who was introduced to her as Doctor Keshal.  They stood on the opposite side of the bed from Gaddes.  She looked down at Celena.  Her complexion was pallid and a sheen of sweat glistened on her brow.  She appeared to be sleeping.  The doctor took a cloth from a basin and wrung it out before carefully placing it on her forehead.

"How is she?"

Doctor Keshal, an older man with thin white hair, answered her.  "Not well at all, Your Highness.  She's been in and out of consciousness all day.  It's the fever, you see."

"Yes, well there must be something causing the fever.  Have you checked for any sign of infection?"

"Of course.  Very astute, Your Highness."

The princess smiled grimly.  "My sister has studied medicine for several years now."

The doctor nodded.  "The problem seems to be in her lungs.  She's having a hard time breathing.  I've been treating the infection with herbs, but they're having no effect."

Eries sighed.  "Gaddes, can I talk to you in the hallway?"  He cast a worried glance towards the bed.  "It will only take a moment."  He nodded and followed her outside the room.

"How did this happen?" she asked him once they were alone.

"She was outside exposed to the elements when she should have been safe at home; hell, anywhere but with me."

Exasperated, Eries tossed her hair over her shoulder and put her hands on her hips.  "I've heard enough self-pity from Allen this afternoon to last me a lifetime.  Don't you start in on it, too."

Gaddes raised an eyebrow in question.  "You saw the boss?"

"Of course, why do you think I came here looking for you two?  As for Allen, he's being pig-headed as usual."

He responded with a grunt.

"I'm going to send a note to my sister explaining about Celena's illness.  She knows many physicians.  Perhaps she can recommend one."

"Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me, Gaddes.  Celena is my friend and I care about her, too."

Genna felt disoriented when she was awoken by a loud pounding on the front door.  It was, after all, the middle of the night.  And she had apparently fallen asleep on the couch in the parlor again.  Genna vaguely remembered curling up there with a book earlier, even though she hadn't really felt like reading.  The mood in the house was too somber for that. 

She was surprised when she answered the door to find Queen Millerna and several others crowding the doorstep.  The Queen had a determined look on her face, but she smiled in greeting.  Genna showed them in without hesitation.

"I'm guessing that you are Gaddes' sister Genna?"

"Your Majesty…how did you know that?"

"Eries told me all about her visit with you all.  Well, only when I pressed her for details, she never is one to idly gossip…"

One of the men cleared his throat loudly causing Millerna to smile.

"I'm not so subtly being reminded that I'm getting off track.  I've come in response to an urgent message from my sister regarding Celena."

"Oh!  If you wait here, Your Majesty, I'll run and get the princess for you."

Eries was sitting in the far corner of the bedroom embroidering; she hated to be idle.  Gaddes had fallen asleep in the chair beside the bed some time ago.  The doctor had left that evening, having been called away to more urgent business.  The princess looked up from her stitching to glance at the bed.  Celena was sleeping fitfully.  She twisted about in the covers letting out little whimpers.  Eries was just getting up to check on her when the bedroom door opened and Genna walked in the room. 

"Princess," she whispered so as not to disturb her brother, "Your sister has come.  She's waiting downstairs with several others."

Eries closed her eyes for a moment and said a silent prayer of thanks.  "Can you show them up, please?"

Genna nodded and went to get the queen. 

When Millerna came into the room Eries went to her immediately.  Her sister looked well for having been up and traveling most of the night.  She had a determined glint in her violet eyes. 

"Millerna…I'm surprised you came yourself.  But I'm happy you did; thank you."

The queen smiled at her older sister.  "How could you doubt that I'd come?  You so seldom ask for my help, Eries.  Besides, I know how much Celena means to you so we'll do our best to see her well again."

AN:  Thanks again to those that have commented.  It really does mean a lot to get feedback.  It's very helpful in that you guys pick up on things that I've overlooked and keep me on track.  Thanks sooooo much.  *hugs* 

Yes, I realize that part five was rushed…but I really wanted to get through it as quickly as possible so that I could move on to this part.  R and HS and Aerika S. brought up some very good points and I hope I clarified them a bit in this part.

I'm sure some of you out there (not mentioning any names but you know who you are ^_~)  will be happy to know that, yes, the story will go on to at least one more part.  That will definitely be the final part of this fic, unless I decide to do an epilogue of sorts.

Next up:  How does Celena fare under Millerna's care?  Did Eries finally knock Allen off of his high horse?  Can I get any cheesier?  XD