Chapter twenty two. Taeyeon, not one for patience on her best of days especially now that her wife was taken, was already frustrated with her body after only a few minutes of thinking way too hard about putting one foot in front of the other. Her ankles felt loose, as if her feet were connected to her legs by an invisible string. She’d never felt so unsteady on her feet in her entire life, never felt so weak and vulnerable even when that arrow was shot at her. To move she had to snap her lower leg out like a whip, let her heel drive into the wet ground on the descent, rock her weight forward from heel to toe, and then repeat the process with the other leg. Furthermore was the too tight and tingling feeling in her hands. She clasped and unclasped her fists as she shambled towards the palace path, testing the itchy pull of skin across her bones. Taeyeon was beginning to think her weakness and dizziness had truly everything to do with the blood loss and the awful state of almost being dead for a fair amount of time, just like her grandfather had said. Yoon ah, Yuri even her grandfather wanted to help her walk but Taeyeon glared warningly at everyone that attempted. She stopped next to a sturdy looking tree and wrapped one arm around the trunk, squeezing tight with the crook of her elbow. Her hand drooped, listless and weak, fingers curled like a claw. “Are you sure you can walk?” Hal-abeoji asked worriedly from behind. Taeyeon ignored him. He’d been hovering like a nervous bird, waiting for her to pitch forward onto her face and that is annoying her. She took a deep breath, waiting for her heart to stop pounding in her ears and return to her chest. “You will find her, child, I believe you will as soon as you are fully recovered." He said after a moment of silence. Taeyeon pushed away from the tree and started forward again, cutting off his platitudes. She felt the ground roll under her feet but she powered through determinedly. She would not stand and listen to the old man's weak reassurances, she was going to reach the palace, then her chambers and she was going to get ready to go search for her wife, having no intention of waiting untill she gets better. Taeyeon veered to the side, abandoning the lazy flow of the path in favor of a more direct approach. She pushed past a few pliable saplings, focusing on the slick leaves under her feet to avoid falling. She heard her grandfather's step off the path after her. She stepped out of the trees and he cursed. Leaves shook, she imagined his shaman cloak was snagged on a branch and his answer was to wrestle himself free. Now the general could make out the Empress's and Yuri's backs in front of her as they approached the palace through the thinning trees and undergrowth. And she picked up her wobbly pace, eager to reach her chambers and get ready to get her wife back. “Taeyeon!” her grandfather snapped. "You need to slow down or you are going to..." Before he could finish his sentence, Taeyeon was already crumbling to the ground, Yuri turned back quickly and ran to help her up. "I told you to be careful," he said. "Help her to the infirmary." He told the tan woman. Yuri nods and tried helping her but Taeyeon yanked her hand away from her. "I don't need your help." She said forcing her body up. "Why are you so stubborn?" Her grandfather asked, Taeyeon ignored both of them as she shuffled past Yuri. Her jaw was clenched tight, so tight she could feel the pressure behind her eyes. "Taeyeon, please let me help you." Yuri said not waiting for her approval, she reached out grabbing Taeyeon by the arm. The general whipped her heavy head towards her and glared dangerously, her gaze going to the fingers wrapped around her bicep then back up to Yuri. The massage was clear– 'get your hands off me or you will suffer the consequences.' But Yuri didn't care, unaffected by Taeyeon's empty threat, Yuri tugged at her arm holding her tight, her other arm grabbed the general's waist and began walking with her. The general tried to wiggle her body away from Yuri, but the latter was strong, and was holding her tight.Taeyeond wished so desperately, she could tackle her to the ground and smash her face into the dirt, she could, if only she was not weary, but she did manage to twist her hands in Yuri's shirt collar, trying to straggle her neck, but her rash movement without finding her equilibrium, made her stumble and fell to the side, dragging Yuri along with her. Yuri sidestepped awkwardly, trying to keep her legs from tangling with Taeyeon's as she fell, but Taeyeon refused to let go of her shirt. Yuri followed her to the ground, and Taeyeon immediately wrapped an arm around her neck to keep her pinned, nostrils flaring as her eyes blazed hot. “Don't. you. dare. ever. lay. your. hands. on. me. again!” Taeyeon warned the words spilled venomously from her lips, but soon black spots were exploding across her vision, the dizziness creeping in once again. She was breathing hard. Her grip was good for a few seconds, at most, and then her limbs would go slack, but she would not let go, she would not... Someone grabbed her beneath the arms and dragged her up and out, pulling her away from Yuri and lifting her back to her feet. “What is wrong with you, child?” her grandfather shouted in her ear. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders, the other around her waist, and Taeyeon sagged forward. His grip tightened. No doubt he thought Taeyeon was testing his hold so she might launch herself at Yuri again. In reality, he was holding her upright. “For heavens sake, Taeyeon!” her mother in law stepped between them, Taeyeon was still nursing a murderous glare at the tan woman. "She was just trying to help you." "I don't need her help. I can and will get myself to my chambers without her help, how dare she touch me without my permission?" Taeyeon panted. Her grandfather held his hands up, keeping her at bay. Not that he needed to worry. After her trek back here, Taeyeon had a general idea of how long it should take for her heart to settle, and it wasn’t happening. She could already feel numbness creeping up her legs, and she took a deep breath, trying to will strength back into her limbs. She could feel herself teetering on the edge of unconsciousness, and she wasn’t sure what made her angrier out of the two: the fact that she would do it in her grandfather's arms, or that it would happen where everyone could see her weakness. Nothing she could do about it now, in any case. Her vision had just tunneled, which meant her knees were right behind, and Taeyeon did not want to end up on her face. “Hal-aboeji” she said, “don’t drop me.” At least, that was what she meant to say. What she actually managed to get out was “Hal-aboeji, don —” before the ‘t’ turned into an embarrassingly thick tongued gurgle. Her legs folded, she swayed dangerously and for the fourth time that day she dropped to the ground on her back. ~~~ Her body must have woken up again before her brain. It was the only thing Taeyeon could come up with that explained why she was trying to sit up on the cot with a mouthful of water, watching Yoon ah talk. Taeyeon blinked. Hal-aboeji sat across from her, arms crossed, head tilted back as he listened. Yuri was on his left, head bowed, hands clasped together in front of her. She swallowed her water and pulled her body up from the bed, Yoon ah quickly helped her to sit. "How long has it been?" She simply asked Yoon ah, not once glancing at the two sitting not far away from her. "If the hour glass is working efficiently, I'll say twenty ni