The Daughters of Merlin
Chapter 13: Saving Grace

Morgana had taken to torturing Grace, healing her just enough so that the girl would live, leaving her to suffer through the night, but not before allowing Mordred into the chamber for an hour each day. Grace no longer had her clothes, they having been burned and ripped away from her by Morgana. Her once beautiful, wavy white hair was now streaked with her own blood, nothing but a white and red rat’s nest. Her body was covered in cuts, burns, scars, and bruises. Her right leg was broken and her left wrist was also broken. But the worst of her injuries, the one Morgana never healed ever since she first did it a week ago (though Grace had lost track of the days that she had been trapped), was Grace’s left eye. There was nothing but a red, black hole, and when she cried, tears of blood would fall.

After Mordred had left, Grace curled up into a ball on the floor in a pool of her both dried and fresh blood. Grace had lost the strength to cry more than a few tears a day, far too weak to struggle from both the blood loss and the fact that the leather gloves and socks prevented her from using her powers, weakening her even further.

Though Grace couldn’t sing aloud, she gently tapped the melody to The Happy Little Angel, singing the lyrics in her head. Back home, before going to bed, she would always play and sing the song, the melody lulling her to sleep where she would not have any nightmares. She had done this ever since she first got the music box. And now, the lullaby was the only thing she had left. It was the only way Grace could see Virgil or Zana clearly. Otherwise, she would only see her mistakes. She regretted not spending enough time with Zana and Merlin. She regretted not telling Virgil about how she felt. Something she would never get to do.

Grace closed her eyes, unable to keep them open any longer. If only she could just fall asleep and not wake up again. This was the one thing she wished and knew that Morgana would be just fine with doing. Grace knew eventually Morgana would do it. It was far more likely than the Witch letting the young hybrid go.

Grace was just about to slip into beautiful unconsciousness where she would hopefully no longer feel any pain when she found herself brought back by a soft, quiet thump coming from the direction of where the small window was situated. Grace had to fight, taking her a few seconds, before she was able to open her eyes. Once she did however, she found that the room was empty like always.

“Oh, Gods, Angel, what have they done to you?” A familiar masculine voice whispered, only a few feet away.

Virgil. Grace mouthed. Had she had the strength she would have cried. Instead, a droplet of blood slowly made its way down the left side of her face, though Virgil did not see as it had been covered by her hair.

Grace couldn’t see him, but she could hear him moving. She felt him wrap his shirt around her before carefully gathering her in his strong arms. Virgil noticed empty chains lying near Grace and found himself glad that they were no longer attached to her, otherwise it would have been much more difficult for him to get her out of there. Morgana had removed the chains two weeks ago, knowing that Grace didn’t have the strength to fight nor leave.

Grace tried to keep her eyes open but found that she just couldn’t, slipping into unconsciousness.

Spark lifted Virgil out the window with her tail. Zana had cast invisible spells over them, so that no one could see them, though there really wasn’t anyone there to notice. The sky above them was pitch black, and though Zana could see well in darkness the only thing she noticed was a palace upon which she was rescuing Grace from. When Zana saw Virgil (which she could see being the one to cast the spell) her eyes widened at the sight of him shirtless, his shirt draped over her pale, naked, skinny, and broken little sister who already looked dead in his arms.

Zana slid down Spark’s wing, rushing over to Virgil and Grace. She looked at her sister in horror, tears gathering in her eyes. “Grace?”

“She was awake before. I think she’s just unconscious but we need to go.” Virgil replied, his brows furrowed with worry.

Zana nodded. She helped Virgil carry Grace back up Spark’s wing. Virgil placed Grace between him and Zana before wrapping his arms around Zana’s waist once again. Zana grabbed onto Spark’s spike which was in front of her, squeezing her eyes shut. “I hate heights.” She muttered before Spark took off.

Spark landed back in the enchanted forest. Once her three riders had disembarked, she shrank back down til she was a small, few inches long hedgehog once again. Zana scooped her up, placing the draconus on her shoulder.

“She’s really cold, Z. Colder than normal.” Virgil said, worriedly glancing down at Grace who he still held in his arms.

“Lay her down. Go get Dad and Arthur.” Zana instructed, kneeling down.

Virgil reluctantly set Grace down next to Zana. “What about Grace?”

“There’s a reason why she doesn’t wear gloves or shoes. And if you’re around when I take them off you’ll most likely die. I suggest you start running.” Zana warned.

Virgil looked at her with wide eyes. After a few seconds, he steeled his expression before taking off in the direction of Merlin’s cottage.

Zana waited two anxious minutes before she finally began to undo Grace’s gloves. As soon as Zana pulled one of them off, water began to spill forth from her fingertips. When Zana pulled the other one off the same thing happened.

It wasn’t until Zana had pulled both of Grace’s leather socks off that the small girl’s entire body convulsed, causing everything within a ten meter radius to freeze over, all plants and trees which were within a five meter radius also shattered, creating a clearing around them. The only things left were Grace, Zana, and Spark. Thankfully, Virgil had barely been able to get out of range, avoiding having been turned into an icicle.

Zana shivered, shaking the frost off of her like a dog shaking off water.

"I hate when that happens." Spark said, doing the same thing.

Zana didn’t reply, instead gathering Grace in her arms, her body glowing a soft purple as she called forth her fire to bring warmth and to heal Grace’s bones as she began walking towards Merlin’s cottage. She was halfway to the cottage, having just left the last of the frozen area of the forest when Virgil, Merlin, and Arthur appeared, all running towards them.

“You found her!” Arthur shouted with wide and relieved eyes.

“Oh, Creator.” Merlin’s eyes widened and he gasped when he saw the blood crusted around Grace’s closed left eyelid. He lifted her eyelid up and saw that there was nothing but an empty socket. Both Virgil and Zana let out matching quiet whimpers of fear.

“You can heal her, right?” Virgil asked, looking away from Grace and up at Merlin.

Merlin glanced at Virgil before looking over at Zana. When their eyes met, Zana could see the clear answer in his eyes.

“What can you do?” Zana asked, trying not to cry but failing.

“I can heal the broken bones. Everything else . . . will have to heal naturally. My magic isn’t as strong as Morgana’s.” Merlin said, a tear also falling down his cheek.

“Then let’s do what we can.” Zana nodded.

They ended up having to cut Grace’s hair, and Merlin created an eyepatch for her to cover up her eye. He bandaged the rest of the wounds, treating them with herbs. Zana refused to leave Grace’s side as did Virgil. Merlin never questioned as to how Zana had found Grace. He knew Spark had done it, though the Draconus assured him that she hadn’t revealed too much information.

Zana sighed, looking over at the window of her and Grace’s shared room to see that the sun had reached its highest peak. It was the third day since they had rescued Grace and she still had yet to awaken.

“Time to change the bandages.” Zana said, glancing at Virgil who nodded before pulling down the blanket which covered Grace.

Zana had put Grace’s undergarments on her, a bra which was nothing but a tank top cut into a crop top and of course her shift (underwear). The rest of Grace was pretty much just covered up in bandages, the worst of it being her back. Virgil stood up with Zana, helping her gently turn Grace onto her side so they could see her back.

Because they were focused on her back, Virgil nor Zana saw Grace’s uncovered eye open before widening. They did see her reach her hands out to touch the wall and heard the small gasp that escaped her lips. Virgil and Zana quickly set her back down so that she was laying on her back again, allowing them to see her and her to see them.

Tears gathered in her eye. “Z-an-a? Vir-gil?” Grace croaked, her voice raspy and quiet from a month of not being able to work.

Zana gave a relieved laugh, leaning down and kissing her sister on the cheek, cupping her face in her hands as she leaned her forehead against Grace’s.

“I’m so glad you’re awake, Snowflake.” Zana said, a tear of her own falling down her cheek. “I was so worried.”

“I . . . thought I would . . . ne-ver see you . . . again.” Grace replied.

Zana pulled away, though her hands stayed on her sister’s face, her lips forming a huge, relieved smile. “You should’ve known you wouldn’t be able to get away from me that easily.” Zana stood up, pulling her hands away from Grace before giving Virgil a knowing look, causing him to blush slightly. “I’ll go get dad. I’ll be right back.”

Grace nodded, watching Zana as she left. Once she had, Grace turned to look at Virgil. She opened her mouth to speak but he stopped her by shaking his head.

“Don’t talk. You have no idea how glad I am to have you back safe.” Virgil clasped her hand in his own, kissing the top of it before looking into her eyes, caressing her hand.