Outside of Charlie's dreams 2 weeks have passed. Charlie still hasn't awoken from his sleep. His parents are now worried and frantic. Bridgette paces back and forth holding the small child in her arms. A light shimmer surrounds him as she syphons nutrients from herself to keep the baby healthy. Gustav is sitting at the table. Watching his wife pace back and forth, his face looks neutral but the bouncing of his leg under the table betrays his unease. After a while, Bridgette sits down at the table as well, her face pale. Gustav stands up, lifting his arm over the cup in front of Brigette, a pale white shimmer appears around his hand and water begins to fall into the cup. Bridgette drinks the water casually as she holds her baby close.

  Putting the cup down she looks over at Gustav with a grave expression. “What should we do? If he doesn't wake up soon his growth will surely be stunted.” she said looking her husband in the eyes pleading for him to magically come up with a solution. Gustav's face was just as grave, and his expression was full of contemplation. “I will go get the Northwater doctor and bring him here.” He says resolutely as he stands up and strides towards the door. Seeing her husband's sudden confident action, her worry eases slightly. But her heart was still pounding and she was more nervous than she had ever been. Even in the face of assassins and betrayal plots, her heart didn't worry this much. She didn't realize it before, but this small being in her arms consumed every fiber of her being. Without it, she fears she would never be the same again.

  Gustav now clad in a heavy cloak looks to his wife and son and opens the door. “I will return with the doctor, don't leave. The second bishop is only set to arrive in 3 days.” Bridgette nods gravely at her husband. Then he walks outside and closes the door behind him. Bridgette sits alone in the warm cottage, alone with her sick child. Tears begin to fall and drip onto the child's face. “P-please come home safe Gustav. I wouldn't be the same without you either.” Quiet weeps are the only bastion against silence in the household.

  Outside the cottage, Gustav mounts his house and kicks into a sprint. Wasting no time, he bolts out his territory and towards the City of Enlightenment Uriel. The place where the Northwater family reign as both Lord and Cardinal advisor to the Pope. With his cottage being within the walls of Uriel it doesn't take long for Gustav to reach the Gate to the city. Seeing a man dressed in a cloak running towards the gate, the guards all rise to high alert and ready their weapons. All of their bodies emit a shimmering pale light, making the wall light up unnaturally in the dark.

  Gustav slides to a halt and calls out in a booming voice, unnaturally loud for a normal person. “STOP! It is I Ex guard captain and Ex personal guard of Lady Bridgette Northwater, Gustav! I have come to seek an audience with the cardinal!” His voice echoes in the surroundings, causing all activity on the wall to freeze. Suddenly, a familiar voice echos out in response, “Come forward Ex captain! And slowly! I apologize for the rude welcome but these are tense times!” Gustav steps down from his horse and slowly walks towards the gate. “It is quite alright. I understand and applaud your caution Captain.” As Gustav approaches the gate, it opens just enough for a small squad of t soldiers to meet him outside of it. Pulling his hood down, they confirm that it is indeed Gustav. Being in a rush, he only tells them that he urgently needs to see the Cardinal. Being family of the Cardinal, they naturally don't make a fuss and leave him to go on his own. Within 10 minutes he is dismounting his horse in front of a massive manor. Bright blue paint on the outside with white trimmings. The grass is vibrant green and a small fountain sits still in the center. Being night time, there is no activity and the fountain is off, but Gustav pays no mind and loudly declares with his voice “I Gustav have come for the Cardinal.” Within seconds a short and hunched old man waddles out and opens the gate politely. “Come in, come in master Gustav.” he bows slightly as Gustav passes him. “Nonsense Gerold, I am no master. We are the same. But I must go. Thank you for letting me inside.” With that he turns and goes inside to get a doctor. The man named Gerold closes the gate and locks it, he stands next to the gate, feeling he would soon need to open it again anyways.

  Inside the Manor, Gustav makes his way to the dining hall where he can hear clinking of dishes and light laughter echoing in the otherwise quiet house. Knocking on the door then walking inside, with a straight posture he bows before the family who is in the middle eating dinner. “I apologize for disturbing you, Lord Cardinal. But I have something urgent to ask.” At the head of the table an old man sat, his mustache white and bushy but his head was bald. His face was scarred but it wasn't grizzled or mean, he looked kind and like a grandfather who would spoil his grandchild. Peter Northwater Cardinal of Uriel City. Looking at Gustav Peter simply laughed. Young Gustav there is no reason to be so formal! You are my grandson in law, come, you want to eat with us!” Gustav straightened his back and shook his head politely. “Thank you my lord but I came for the doctor. You see, young Charles has yet to wake up. And we are getting worried that he will slowly become less healthy. So we need a doctor's opinion.” When Reginald heard this, he stood up quickly, almost knocking the table over. “Charlie still hasn't woken up? Why have you waited this long to let us know? I will go get Demetre.” Before anyone could respond, Reginald was out of the room and darting towards the doctor's office.

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  Peter looks at Gustav, with a deep look. “Is Bridgette doing ok?” He asks, breaking the awkward silence. “She is coping. And she is exhausted. With the baby not waking up, she has been syphoning her own nutrients to feed him. I've been trying to keep her healthy, but she always goes overboard and it's not like I can stop her.” Gustav sighs and shakes his head. Peter and tell the stress they both have been going through. He only nods his head, the previous jovial air around him turns solemn and depressing. Suddenly Gustav looks down to see a short little girl with the same bright green eyes as Bridgette looking up at him with both curiosity and worry. “Uncle Gustav is big sister Brigette ok?” She asks hesitantly. Gustav bends down and pats her head gently. “Yes she is ok. She is just busy with your nephew. Little Lordess Elizabeth.” He says gently to the little girl. When the girl hears the term ‘nephew’ her brows furrow. “What's a nephewUncle Gustav?” she says with a sparkle of curiosity in her bright eyes. Gustav looks up at the family sitting there in puzzlement only to hear clicking of heels approach from the table. Looking at the approaching figure, he sees a woman who looks strikingly similar to Brigette. The only noticeable difference is the slightly aged face and a small scar on her chin. The woman leans down and pats the little girl's head. “Elizabeth, don't trouble Gustav. I will tell you about your nephew later” the woman says gently. “Gustav when the boy wakes up, bring him here. It's criminal that a grandma hasn't seen her grandchild yet.” Gustav scratches his head embarrassed. “I'm sorry Lordess, I will. I already promised Lord Reginald the same thing. This is simply reaffirming my vow.” The woman known as Catherine simply laughs a melodious laugh. “Don't be so stiff Gustav. We are family!” Her laugh fills the quiet hall as everyone waits for the doctor to come.

  Within 3 minutes of the conversation ending, 2 sets of echoing footsteps can be heard from outside. Bursting in is Reginald and behind him is a short stocky man with a bushy mustache and short grey hair. “Come Gustav! I have the doctor!” with that they shuffle out of the dining hall. The man behind Reginald protested and struggled for an explanation before being pulled from the hall. As they walk outside, they see the gate keeper holding the gate open for them. As they pass the Lord only gives them a nod and rides off swiftly. Gustav flashes him a rare thankful smile before riding after the Lord.

  When they reach the main gate, no one cares to protest when the Lord himself declares to open the gate. And he and Gustav ride fast out of the gate. Some people thought they saw a small fat man trying not to fall off of the Lord's horse but no one could tell who it was. Within the hour they gallop up to the small quiet and dark cottage. The doctor slides off the horse last, slightly unsteady on his legs. “C-can someone please explain to me what's going on?” He pleads weakly as he follows behind the two large men. “Come Jerome, you must check out my Grandson!” Reginald declares as he strides towards the door. When the doctor named Jerome heard the explanation he immediately followed behind them in steady legs, instantly shifting into a professional from the bumbling old man. When they enter the house, they see the fire has died out and no one is inside. They slowly make their way through the house and open the bedroom door. Inside Bridgette coddles the small child in the bed as they sleep. However, Bridgette shivers in the cold night. Gustav and Reginald silently step inside and wake Brigette. She wakes up with sleep fresh in her eyes and her hair a mess. When she looks at her father then behind him to the short man at the door, she sits up straight. “Uncle Doctor! Please look at little Charlie!” She says immediately. Jerome steps inside and chuckles at the lady's childish bearing. “Young Lordessz after all these years you still haven't grown out of that nickname? You sound like little Lordess Elizabeth.” Bridgette puffs her cheeks and crosses her arms looking at the old man crossly. “I am a mother now. I'm not a child.” The doctor only laughs and gently touches the child's head. “Maybe you will convince me when your actions match your words.” With that the room fell silent as the man began to examine the child.

  Slowly he looks over the small boy, starting with a physical examination and then he gently paces his hand on the small chest. The boy's body begins to emit a pale glowing light. A few seconds later, the doctor gasps. “What happened to this poor child? His soul is heavily damaged!” When everyone in the room heard that they all gasped and their faces paled. “I-is he going to be ok? Will he ever recover? Should we take him to the Pope?” Not Bridgette but Gustav began to spit out questions. His face was a ghostly pale and his knees shook. The old doctor turned and smiled at Gustav. “Yes, he will recover. And no, nothing drastic is necessary. In another two to three weeks he will awake with a fully replenished soul. There should be no lasting damage. I have no idea how this happened, but luckily his soul will recover.” When everyone heard this they all exhaled in relief. Then Bridgette asked, “How do I keep him healthy? I can't keep giving him all my energy. I'm still not 100% recovered from the birth.” She said gravely. “I will bring you liquid nutrition supplements, that should be enough for a few weeks.” Reginald replied instantly. This made Bridgette feel at ease. Her heart finally lifted knowing her baby would be ok. An infectious and bright smile broke out on her face. And it slowly spread around the room until they were all smiling. Even Gustav had a grin on his face.