Hearing the strange noises coming from Darius' throat, Gareth knew at once that he was starting to choke on the blood, yet his convulsions made it next to impossible for him to try and lift him to force the blood from his throat. After a few more minutes, Darius' convulsions ceased and he started to vomit out more blood.
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Groaning as she started to come to, Calista's lashes slowly began to flutter as her fingers twitched. Feeling a sharp pain pulsing through her head, she moaned softly in agony as she raised a hand to her forehead only to find it completely bandaged. Where am I? she thought as a frown passed over her face; her mind was still cloudy and her eyelids still felt so heavy. "Gareth...?" she called out weakly. When he did not answer her, she slowly managed to force her eyes open and was shocked to find herself in her own room.

_________________


AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina cringed as Darius vomited. She didn't want to see it. She didn't want to see him suffer like this.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Darius continued to vomit for about a minute before he went completely limp on the bed. Laying the man on his back once more, Gareth then proceeded to wipe the blood from his lips. Turning to Rosalina, he noticed how shaken the woman seemed to be and felt a wave of pity envelop him. "Will you be all right?" he asked her softly.
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Trying to sit up on the bed, Calista felt a wave of dizziness assault her senses and she fell back instead. What happened? she wondered to herself as another moan of pain escaped from her lips as he placed a hand to her bandaged head. I was walking through the woods...she thought as she tried to retrace her memory. I was walking through the woods to look for herbs. I couldn't find anything. No, that’s not correct…something caught my eye...I was going to pick it up and then...and then...what? she wondered helplessly as her memory seemed to have gone blank.

_________________


AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina nodded a bit numbily. She kept her eyes on darius, taking his hand again.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Gareth gave Rosalina a thin smile when she nodded in response to his question, although he knew she did not see it. Placing a hand on her shoulder he gave it a gentle squeeze, somehow sensing that there would be no comfort for this woman until Darius awoke and was well again. "Call me if you need help again," he told her softly before taking his leave to go back and check on Calista.
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As she lay on her bed vague images started to return to her. She remembered being thrown to the ground and the pain she felt as the wind was knocked out of her. And then she remembered him---the one who had attacked her five years ago. She could still feel his bulky frame pinning her down, could feel his pawlike hands clasped firmly over her noise and mouth and then his hot breath upon her skin. After that everything went black. "Oh heaven..." she started to whimper as hot tears spilled from her blue eyes and slide down her cheeks. Yet once the memories started to return there was no mercy. The last thing she recalled was feeling him ravish her, a flash of pain and then nothingness.

_________________


AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina nodded and started to cry again, burying her face in her loves chest.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

As Rosalina buried her face against his chest, Darius groaned softly as he started to wheeze---still suffering the symptoms of the poison despite the healing brew Gareth made.
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Walking back into Calista's room, Gareth felt his heart constrict in sorrow as he saw his love staring blankly up at the ceiling with tears streaming down her cheeks. "Beloved..." he whispered to her as he quickly walked over to the bed and sat beside her. Gently lifting her into his arms then, he rubbed her back tenderly as she pressed her face into his chest and began to sob. "Shhh, my darling," he whispered soothingly to her. "It's all right. I'm here."

_________________


AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina paled. "Darius." she looked to his face and lips. "Can you hear me?"

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Darius didn't respond to Rosalina's question as he continued to wheeze.
------------------------------------------------------------
Trembling against Gareth as she continued to sob, Calista clung desperately on to the mage for strength and comfort. "Who did this to you, my love?" Gareth whispered.
"I don't know who he is," Calista whimpered, as she raised her head from his chest and gazed up at him with tear-filled eyes. "It was the same man that tried to defile me five years ago," she added in a hoarse whisper, her pale cheeks flushed from the intensity of her cries. "Oh Gareth. He had me!" she wailed next, her words coming out a bit slurred as she buried her face against his chest once more and began to sob harder. A low growl coming deep from his throat at her words, Gareth's jaw clenched in pure fury as he wrapped his arms tighter around the weeping maiden.

_________________


AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina bit her lip. Fearful for Darius and his weak breathing, after a moment she pressed her lips to his and breathed into him, giving him the air he needed.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

As Rosalina pressed her lips against his and began to breathe into him, Darius' wheezing slowly began to ease.
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Physically exhausted and worried and angered beyond words, Gareth pulled back from Calista after a moment, unable to contain his rage any longer.
"What on earth where you thinking Rose?!" Gareth exclaimed as he chided her sharply, a glare passing over his face.
"I'm sawry!" Calista wailed as she caught his expression as her words slurred together now worse than before. "I only wanted to help..." she wept, his booming voice only making the ringing in her ears all the worse.
"Your stupidity nearly got you killed!" he yelled at next.
"Ohhh..." Calista moaned softly as waves of dizziness and nausea started to sweep over her and Gareth and the room seemed to sway before her failing sight.
Watching as her head start to droop, whatever anger and frustration Gareth felt toward the woman left in a rush. Fearful that her concussion was more severe than he initially perceived, the mage felt a wave of remorse course through him for chastising her as he did while she was still weak. "Love, I'm sorry..." he whispered to the semi-conscious woman as he gently lifted her chin so she was staring up into his face. "It's just that when I found you lifeless on the ground, I thought that I had lost you. I know you want to help others, love, but I could have lost my whole world today. I can't live without you..." he whispered to her as he lightly caressed her cheek.
"It's oka-" Calista started to say when another round of nausea assaulted her and she let out a soft groan instead.
"Love, what's wrong?" Gareth asked her, worry in his eyes.
"I don't feel so good," Calista managed to slur out before a soft sigh escaped from her lips and her blue eyes rolled back as her lashes fluttered close. A second later her body went limp as she slumped forward and passed out cold against her mage.

_________________


AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina kept breathing into darius.

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Coughing slightly as Rosalina continued to breathe into him, a soft moan escaped from his lips. "Ro..." he whispered weakly, though he did not open his eyes.
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"Calista!" Gareth shouted as the woman slumped against him. Gently lifting her from his chest, he tenderly laid his love down on the bed once more. "I am so sorry..." he whispered to the unconcious woman as he lightly brushed a few strands of blonde hair back from her face. "I shouldn't have yelled at you...." he added before placing a kiss upon her upon her lips.

_________________


AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Rosalina sighed in relief. "I'm here my Darius. I'm here."

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)

Groaning softly again, Darius' eyes opened slightly. "Ro..." he whispered weakly once more. "What..." he started to say, wanting to know what had happened but couldn't get the words from his throat.
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After a few minutes, Gareth gently removed the bandage from Calista's head to examine her wound again. Seeing the bump start to swell, the mage cursed inwardly and quickly rose to grab another cloth. Once finding a suitable rag, he cooled it using a cooling spell before lightly placing the cloth against her wound and held it in place to reduce the swelling.

_________________


AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

"you were bitten, a brown snake." rosalina told him. then smiled sadly, but at the same time happy. "I thought I lost you."

_________________
Where do you go when your running away,
The cost of stopping is too great to pay.
~Amanda (saw this written in a washroom stall at a movie theater)