She was woken by a light shake on her shoulder. She stirred, but didn't open her eyes. She was shaken harder, and she tried to ignore it again, not ready to leave the dark covers of sleep and continue living in the cold barren world. Finally, someone forcer her eyelid open with their fingers. Miryanna's hazel green eyes was met by an icy blue one. 

that's one way to get someone up

"Are you awake?" Iphnis asked. 

Miryanna shook him off and sat up slightly, leaning on her elbow, and yawned. "Yes no thanks to you," She said irritably. 

Iphnis gave a ghost of a smile before standing up and walking to Karayan's bedside. 

Miryanna stretched and yawned again, also standing up and joining Iphnis. 

"How is he?" She asked, running a hand through her tangled hair. 

"He hasn't changed much," Iphnis replied. 

"Is that good or bad?" 

"Right now, good." 

Miryanna nodded. "I wish we had a doctor who could better see to him, but I know of no one who would do it." She said regretfully. The enormity of what she'd done settled more firmly on her shoulders. She wondered if Roric would still be her friend, and Wis for that matter. Andarin had helped her and let her use this room, but he didn't condone her deed. She sat down heavily in her chair and buried her face in her hands, tears springing to her eyes. "What am I to do?" She asked tearfully. 

Iphnis knelt beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder, "You're going to stick with it. You're going to see it through. You're going to be stubborn and stalwart, not flinching from doing the right thing though your peers laugh or scorn you." 

Iphnis has been the catalyst for this whole affair and one has to ask why. Up to this point he's been given little to no development, we know like nothing about him. So why?? Gnomes aren't supposed to care about humans and that is a distinguishing feature for him but there's no known motivation. He seems to be calling the shots, and on whose authority? I haven't established a Higher Power or anything, so who's in charge of all this moral talk? ??? ugh

Miryanna took her hands away from her face to look at Iphnis, "But did I do the right thing?" She gestured to Karayan, who was lying still and pale and looked like he was dead, but for the slow rise and fall of his chest, "You know what atrocities he's committed. You know what the Sorceress twisted him into. Does he deserve to live? Should I have left him to die?" 

"No. Because if you had, you'd have looked back on that day a few years, months, or even weeks hence and thought to yourself, why didn't you help him? After what he'd done for you and your friends, you just scorned his pleas and rode off." 

how do you know so much?

Miryanna hung her head and looked down at her hands. How much she'd changed since she first ran away. At first, it'd seemed like one grand adventure, full of danger and fun, but now all her previous fancies seemed to dim and tarnished. Yes, she had changed from the girl she was to the woman she was now. 

i hate growing up too

She sighed deeply and was about to say something more, when a cry from Karayan startled her. He was tossing violently and groaning in pain. His face was hot with fever and Miryanna grabbed a damp rag to cool his face. His thrashings calmed somewhat, but he still moaned and muttered incoherently. When he was finally lying still, and his mutterings all but ceased, he opened his eyes and looked up at her. 

Miryanna gasped, when she realized that his eyes no longer glowed, nor were they the vibrant red they had once been. They were more of a chestnut color, still unnaturally red, but no longer like to gemstones or blood. And they were no longer bright, but dull and glassy. He held her gaze for what seemed like a long time, but no hint of recognition showed in them. Finally, they rolled back in his head and he slipped into unconsciousness again. 

Hmmmmmmm