Belle listened hard, but when the pounding in her head became louder than the birdsong, she knew it was no good. Her only hope was to see herself out of the woods.
She just...needed to rest a moment first. Her head was pounding, her vision a little faded. What harm could it do to nap for a moment and reclaim her strength? Then she would have the energy to see herself up and back toward the castle.
Just a few moments wouldn't hurt...
13
"Belle!"
The voice came from far away. It was murky and distorted. But it pulled at her, as if tugging her from below the surface of a lake.
As much as she liked that voice, however, Belle did not want to breach the water. She did not want to push through.
"Belle!"
She tried to sink deeper, her face turning away from the noise. But a force held her firm. Warmth came to her. First on the cheek and then around her jaw and neck.
"—elle... Wake up fo—"
The heat about her face suddenly made Belle aware of the rest of her body. Of how very cold it had become. Her skin was chilled, her heart seemed sluggish in her chest, and she could not feel her toes. Speckles of iciness were spattering her in the face and then rolling down over her shoulders...
"Belle! You need to wake up!"
Suddenly, the earth was shaking, and everything within Belle's body began to rattle. Hands had taken hold of her shoulders and were shaking her into consciousness. They were relentless. They would not let her stay buried deep in the murky haze of her sleep. They refused to let her drift back beneath the water.
Blinking, Belle's first vision was a face. Cloudy in the dim forest light and speckled with shadow as her sight came back into focus, Belle did not need the full image to know who it was. Her mind filled in the details that her eyes could not yet see. They painted in his brow, lovingly outlined his face, and turned his skin aglow.
The only surprise was just how wet he looked.
Hair was bedraggled about his temples, his lips were glossy with shine, and drips were falling from his nose.
Had Henry somehow fallen into a pond? Taken a bath without means of drying himself? Just what was going on?
"Belle?!"
When all Belle could do was watch Henry's lips forming her name, he seemed ready to shake her again. His eyes were dark and intense, his lips almost white as they pressed together in concern.
He looked pale and desperate. Was he sick?
"I'm...I'm awake," Belle said, realizing that her throat was sore. Dry and cold. "What's happenin'?"
"You don't remember?"
"I dinnae..." Belle scowled in thought, but her head just continued to pound. She reached for it, but Henry took hold of her fingers instead.
"Don't touch that. You will need a physician."
"Am I sick?" Was she ill? Was that why she was in the woods? She couldn't remember.
"You hit your head while riding. Come...we need to get you back to your father's castle and see you tended to."
The more Henry spoke, the more details fell back into place. Yes, she had been riding. She had been on a hunt. There had been a howl. The horses had bolted. She remembered it all in spits and spats. Right up until she had collided with a branch and been knocked from the back of her mare.
"The horse..."
"Yes, you fell from the horse."
"No..." Belle had to cough and clear her throat before she could finish the question. "Where is the horse? Where did she go? Is she alright?"
