Dream a little, Dream of me

We never got it right, playing and replaying old conversations.

"Now now." He said
"What?" She asked pulling on her fingerless gloves.
"I won this on a betting." He said grinning, his dark eyes dancing with amusement.
She took the notes from him.
"Look at you, flushed with ten whole vriinea." She said (vriinea is the currency I made up)
"What you're going to do with this, buy a horse?" She asked
"Alright don't crush my dreams." He muttered taking the notes back
"So, you didn't ask me to sneak out of my training sessions just to flex your winnings." She said raising her pale eyebrows
"What about your instructor?" He asked as they walked down the icy path
"Knocked out with a sleeping draught." She said grinning
"Great, Nursemaid?"
"Slowed her pulse."
"You got her." He said laughing
"Of course, I learned from the best." She said flexing her hands.
He laughed
"So honestly, why am I here?" She asked ruffling his hair as he darted away and she laughed.
He placed and arm around her shoulders.
"I just wanted to spend time with you."
"Spend time with me?" She asked
"Of course." He said smiling
"Well, What are we doing?" She asked looking at him
"We're going North." He said
"What?" She asked a bit harshly
"You don't want to?" He asked
"I didn't mean it like that, I just...do you want to? Will you be comfortable?" She asked
"I haven't been home in a while, it'll be a challenge but I don't shy away from a challenge." He said
"Then be it." She said
"Right, now hurry up." He said
"What?" She asked
"I said, we have to hurry up, now move or I'll carry you." He said
She laughed
"You'll carry me?" She questioned laughing
He sighed and made a face before grabbing her hand and pulling her with him.
They ran to the stables, idiotic grins stretched on their faces.
As they sneaked into the stables, Aleksander got a horse and threw her a satchel that she filled with Apples and two canteens of water. She then threw in some cheese and bread she had swiped from the kitchens. She fed the horse an apple as Aleksander helped the mare out. Then he got on and stretched his hand to her and she took it and climbed on.
Then they were off and galloping as the wind sung its merry and soft notes.
The journey was a whirlwind of laughter and singing and sharing of stories.
Then as the horse neighed in protest being tired, they found a barn and tied their horse to a ledge and laid in the hay. The barn's roof was broken leaving a large hole. As Lilliana bit into the apple listening to Aleksander tell her about his father's maps. His father was a soldier in the army. Lilliana had once been to the band camps and had seen the massive area, the base camp had been training soldiers and the small huts had been comforting.
"So you're saying you don't know your way around a map." He said
"Well my education never included maps."
"That is sad." He said before pulling out a map.
"How much do you know?" He asked before unrolling it and placing it in front of her and placing his chin on her shoulder as she cozied back.
"A bit. Like the directions of course, that's north, south,east and west." She said pointing
"Good, well do you know the difference between just north and burning north?"
"No." She admitted
"North is plain, simple and a direction but burning north is where our home is and by home I don't mean a place, I mean a person. With whom you feel at home, you feel at peace and you love that person." He explained glancing at her
"Why burning?"
"Because love is like a fire, you keep adding fuel which would be trust, to that fire, it keeps burning but the second the trust is gone that is that you stop adding fuel, the fire turns to ash on the wind, scarce and difficult to locate."
"Damn, that's deep." She said chuckling
"Love is complicated you know, all the romance and stuff is to one side, but the friendship and trust in love, that's complicated because it's rare to find love and also find trust and companionship." Aleksander said
"You like someone?" She asked
"Kind of."
"Well truth be told, I think Love is just bullshit." She said and closed her eyes.
"Sweet dreams." He muttered

Lilliana gasped. She took in deep breaths as her eyes adjusted to her surroundings.
Perhaps she was dying and these were just the side effects of something.
She was in that same room, the only change was that she had opened the curtains to let in light after she had felt like she was going to die in the dark.
She shut her eyes and Aleksander's face flashed, there was a smile on his face. He was giving her a small knife, her name had been carved on it in old fae or at least that's what he had said it was. She had kept the small blade with her even now she had it.
She took the thing out of her pocket, it was always with her, and she'd switch it from clothes to clothes.
She did love it.
And then she compared it with Eris's dagger.
The former was a reminder of home, a reminder of Aleksander, and the latter was a reminder of pain.
She sighed before putting the dagger aside and slipping the small knife beneath her pillow.

"I think I have a fever." Zane muttered
Isabella sighed.
"I'm not surprised you haven't been eating or sleeping properly." She said
"Please can you check if I have a fever?" He asked
She walked to him and placed her hand on his forehead, she kept it there, checking.
"You don't have a fever but something's eating at you." She asked sitting down beside him
"I feel guilty." He blurted out
"Guilty? Zane-
"I killed my men." He whispered his eyes glassy
"Zane it wasn't your fault-
"It is, I have their blood on my hands, I can't even speak to their families." He said
"You can, If you want to. No one will force you Zane." She murmured
"I am a murderer." He said
"Zane you had a duty."
"I killed so many innocent people." He said closing his eyes.
Isabella placed a hand on his shoulder
"Zane." She said
He opened his eyes a tear staking down his cheek.
"I know you think you have their blood on your hands, I understand how you feel, but Zane, these hands saved me." She said her voice breaking
He looked at her.
"I know you feel like a ruthless killer, murderer, I know you feel merciless, I know you feel heartless." She said
"I feel like I am cursed with death, I feel like it's always brimming around me." He whispered
"Don't you feel that?" He asked looking at her, his expression broken.
"Love, when I touch you, I feel you and only you. I feel Zane, the Male who saved me, who owns my heart, who has bewitched me, body mind and soul." Isabella said softly (idk why I used that reference)
He looked at her, tears in his eyes and hugged her. She returned his embrace and kissed the top of his head.
"Let's run away." He said
"What? No." She said
"You don't-
"Zane I'd love to be with you forever, to run away with you and share a life with you, but can you be at peace?" She asked smiling softly at him
"What do you mean?" He asked, his brows furrowing
"Will you be able to stay away-
"From you?"
"No, from duty, from your responsibilities" she said
His shoulders dropped and he sighed.
"I can't and that makes me a bastard." He murmured
"Zane, that makes you responsible and trust worthy." She said
"They trusted me to, I broke it." He uttered flatly
"And maybe they know, what you did it for. You told me that the relationship between soldiers is bonded by loyalty, you showed loyalty to your brother, you killed them for Eris and Lilliana." She reassured
He sighed again and nodded reluctantly
"How is my mother?" He asked
"She's better, she misses her too." She said
"Another thing I can be blamed for." Zane muttered under his breath.
"Zane, it's not your blame to take, if anything it's Eris' to harbour and coddle." She said running her hand through his hair.
"Maybe." He said

————————————————————————
I just love Zane and Isabella, these two own my heart.
And also just to spoil something, I will probably hurt this sweet couple.
And Eris was sulking and spying around in this chapter but it wasn't important enough for me to write it down. Also Lilliana in this chapter was in her past once again and we explored her and Aleksander's(her childhood best friend) friendship. We saw how he gifted her a small knife that had supposedly her name carved on its hilt. But it could be anything?
I loved writing the soft sweet explanations like how Aleksander explained burning north to her, that was deep. And Isabella's soft confession.
I know it might be annoying that you aren't getting any Eris x Lilliana content. But the woman herself doesn't want to think of him but that's impossible.
And what should be Eris and Lilliana's ship name?
And also Zane and Isabella's ship name?
And if you have any theories, please feel free to comment them.
I'd love to see what you all think?
(Please do, I'm very bored of homework)
I also saw the votes, I'm honoured and feel really happy,thank you all for making my day.