My Little Guardian

Chapter 5 - Autumn Leaves

The Summer had really improved her health again. Some days she could actually go outside to have some tea. But she had to be careful not to see her sister. The doctors had told her to avoid too many physical activities and that included playing with her little sister Anna.

Some evenings when the sun finally set at a really late hour in Norway, just before 11pm, she wondered if last winter had been a dream. What if her friend was just a work of her imagination? 

Now the Summer had ended and evenings were cooler and the air was humid from the rain. Autumn has come. And so did the bad days.

The change in weather made her feverish and she had a hard time breathing more often. Still on some days she spent time watching out from the window. The nature was full of colors and people of the dukedom were preparing for the fall feast. She used to love this time of the year but now it meant feeling sick all the time.

Some days she saw Anna playing outside in the leaf piles as their gardener kept the yard in order. And when Anna noticed her watching she quickly ran to her bed and hid under her mothers scarf. Then Anna would rush behind her door and knock it, asking for her older sister to come out and play with her. And Elsa would tell her to go away, waiting to hear her sister's footsteps going away from her door before coughing again. This play repeated itself every few days and each time their hearts sank and they drifted further away from each other.

Around November it finally happened. That morning Elsa noticed how the final leaf had finally floated down from the tree and she remembered her friend. And so she waited for the sunset.

She barely ate anything from her dinner. The excitement was thrilling and made her too anxious to have an appetite. She just announced that she was going to bed early because of feeling too tired. 

Once she was tucked into bed and faked to fall asleep her mother left her to sleep in peace. Elsa listened to her leaving the room before sitting up and staring at her window, hoping that she didn't imagine her friend. The sun finally set, painting her room in colors of orange and red. And then the darkness came.

Slowly she felt how her hopeful mindset washed away and she felt mad at herself. No one would come. She sniffled and then hiccuped as tears fell on her cheeks. Her crying was messed up by her coughing and she couldn't keep sitting up. She laid down, rubbing her eyes with her hands. How dumb had she been by believing her dreams of a friend being real.

"Hey. What are you crying for little lady?"

A familiar voice suddenly called and she turned to that direction. Her sight was blurred by the tears but she saw blue eyes glowing in the dark.

"J-J-Ja-Ja-ck?" She sniffled and coughed while still crying.

"Yes. That's my name. Now take a deep breath for me. Alright?"

Jack said and her eyes slowly got used to the darkness and she saw him smiling. She gave him a little nod and then grabbed a hold of his shirt, pulling herself up and hugging him. She breathed in and out for a while, until her breathing calmed down.

"You came back." She whispered and squeezed his shirt harder.

"I know I am a bit late, my apologies. There was something I had to do before meeting you." He said and touched her back. 

"No, I am happy that you actually came to meet me again. Do you have any nice stories from your journey?" She asked.

"Actually there are some but first… I brought you something." He said and placed something on her bedside table. It was some kind of flower.

"What's that for?" She asked. "It smells lovely and fragrant."

"This is a dried lavender flower. Lavender has a soothing effect and it will help with sleeping. I hope that it will lessen your fatigue. Oh… and I have other things too. They might help with your condition." Jack explained and he seemed a bit excited.