Second Time's the Charm

Sunrise. It was such a mundane concept, and yet Aliana had never been so happy to see the bright orange glow rising over the eastern sea. After the terrors of the Long Night, watching the rising sun felt like a breath of fresh air into her lungs every time she saw it, like a physical reassurance that she had not only persevered—she had survived. All of them had. Well... not all of them. Ali's thoughts turned to Viper, her heart sinking to imagine the torment the poor woman must have gone through in her final moments. Although Viper had been no fan of hers, Ali wished there could have been some way to save her, if for no other reason than for Cerberus' sake. But thankfully all of the children had survived—well, the ones that had lived to begin with...

Sitting on the white sandy beaches, Aliana watched the sunrise. What sunrise was this now? The sixth? Seventh since the end of the long night? It didn't matter; never again would she take the morning light for granted. Ali drew in a deep, calming breath of the crisp sea air, letting the morning breeze fill her lungs and rejuvenate her body and spirit. Finally normalcy could return to their lives. Perhaps Chimera would be able to relax a little more now that their home was no longer infested with crystals and mushrooms, the strange growths seeming to have shriveled away into nothingness practically overnight. Once more, the island of Fenmyre had returned to its natural state.

With a gentle smile on her face, Ali watched until the sun finally peeked over the horizon, bathing the world in warm, golden-orange light. Only then did she release a relieved sigh. This wasn't a dream; this was all real. Rising to her paws, Aliana began to make her way back toward the estate, ignoring the wave of dizziness and nausea that hit her as she did. Since the sun had returned to the world, she'd been feeling more fatigued and achy, with bouts of nausea and dizziness, which she chalked up to the constant exposure to the mushrooms and crystals. Now that they'd been gone for a few days, surely she'd be getting her equilibrium back soon enough.

Or so Ali thought. Today, however, the strange symptoms seemed determined to prove her wrong. As she walked down the broken stone paths that led around the island to the estate, the ash and snow queen felt her stomach churn, the nausea rising greater than before, and knew she couldn't hold it back. She had made it all the way to the main entrance before her stomach lurched and she vomited, her body shivering and seizing with each retch. That's bizarre... she thought to herself while wiping her mouth with a paw. Had she eaten something off? She tried to put her mind past it, but on her very next step, a wave of dizziness hit her like a drop in her blood pressure, making the queen stumble and slump to a seated position. That was strange! What was going on with her? Tilting her muzzle skyward, Ali gave a soft, non urgent call for Siren. Though she was as skilled a healer as the golden queen, she didn't trust herself to do a self-diagnosis in her current state. She needed her close confidant's expertise.

"Aliana"