Nature Abhors a Vacuum

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  The sound of a crackling fire roused Aiden from his deep sleep. His opened his eyes a little, revealing the blurry scene of a dimly lit log cabin. He was half-buried under thick blankets, yet he couldn’t stop shaking and his body ached. Tilting his head slightly, Aiden saw a cloaked figure crouched before the fire, stirring a pot of stew. He couldn’t see the person’s face, but noticed flowing, golden hair tumbling from beneath the hood.

  “Where am I?” Aiden croaked, barely able to speak. The figure’s head turned to regard him curiously, revealing a woman of remarkable beauty watching him with glittering green eyes.

  “Don’t speak, rest,” she whispered in an accented voice, moving to his side to make sure the blankets covered him completely. “You and your travelling companions nearly froze to death in the forest. You are safe, but you are seriously injured and very ill. Sleep, human.” Just before he drifted off into a tormented sleep, Aiden gazed into her eyes and saw they were large, angular and alien - the eyes of an elf.