The last thing Eadric could feel before blacking out was the incredible burning sensation caused by lungs filled with water and the notion of certain, impending death that accompanied it. As he drifted out of consciousness he couldn’t help but think about all the things he missed or didn’t do in his life. That led him to think how ironic it was that he was dying just as things were starting to go well for him. It seemed that the son of a peasant farmer was going to end his life a minor noble with nothing to show for it, drowned at the bottom of a river from his own foolishness. It struck him that he was going to perish without having truly learned how to live – or without having anyone or anything in his life worth dying for.<br/><br/>It felt like a significant amount of time had passed before Eadric became faintly aware of his surroundings. Instead of a burning sensation and cold, he now found himself surrounded by inexplicable warm comfort. Not quite awake yet not quite asleep – Eadric assumed that this must be the afterlife. Slowly, gradually, a faint set of lights came into being before him. These weren’t the fires of hell but rather were more akin to candlelight, which led him to a realization that filled his groggy consciousness with no small sense of relief.<br/><br/>"Do not worry," a gentle female voice drifted to him in sweet, almost musical waves of sound. “You are somewhere safe…”<br/><br/>Her reassuring words put his mind further at ease. Although he tried to speak his words were not able to take form just yet. Regardless, he reasoned that she must be an angel and therefore he must be in heaven, thanks be to God! Tears of gratitude formed behind his eyes. He was so overwhelmed with emotion that he missed the next few words spoken to him. The next words he could make out were “You are a very fortunate man, for all that. Do my words make sense to you? Nod, if you can, and speech is at all difficult."<br/><br/>By that time the room had become slightly more into focus and he now could make out a woman’s shape standing a small distance away. He had to blink more than a few times in order to see any detail. Even in the dim light he could tell that she was beautiful – just as he imagined angels would look. Eventually he cleared his throat and forced out the words that were burning across his heart.<br/><br/>“Oh sweet and beautiful angel of God, thank you for your mercy,” he spoke in his native Saxon tongue. “I know I have been less than a perfect Christian in my days, and I beg the all-powerful Lord for forgiveness of my sins. Would that you might come closer, that I may see your radiance with my own eyes?” His voice was weak but sincere as he rattled off raspy words from the bottom of heart.<br/><br/>It was at that moment that he realized that he was lying down and tried to sit up. Suddenly the presence of his head injury came sharply into focus with an intense stabbing pain. The room began to spin around him and a sense of nausea grabbed hold – forcing him to lay back down. It took a few moments but eventually the sensation passed. Utterly confused and still in pain, he looked over to his companion for an explanation. If this was heaven, why was he in such agony?<br/><br/>“I… I can’t move. I’m sorry,” he asked almost in a whisper, “where… where am I?”