The Archman

Chapter 30 - A Thwarted Advance, Part 1

Eira sits up abruptly in bed, clutching the sheets in her hands with white knuckles. It takes her a few seconds to regulate her accelerated heart rate and sporadic breathing as she slowly loosens her grip on the bedsheets.

"Troubling dreams, princess?" The Archman lifts his gaze from the book in his hands and shifts it over to Eira.

Eira continues to reclaim control of her lungs and heart, looking forwards with blank silence.

"Eira?" This time his words reach Eira, as she wasn't used to hearing him say her name.

She turns towards the Archman, who is sitting in his chair at her bedside, right where he was when she fell asleep.

"Ah...I'm fine." She says, trying to convince herself more than anyone else.

"Hardly seems like it." The Archman sets aside his book and briefly stands up from his chair before taking a seat on the end of the bed. "Do you frequently experience night terrors?"

"No, I don't..." Eira says quietly. "It wasn't a nightmare."

"Hm. You must have quite the exhilarating imagination." The Archman raises a hand to his chin as he ponders amusingly.

"I'm not sure that's it." Eira pushes her black hair out of her face, her fingers quickly getting tangled in the mess of dark locks.

"I'll get a bath running." The Archman says as he gets up from the bed, taking notice of Eira's jumbled collection of hair.

"Oh, no, I'm fine thanks-"

"I'm sure you are, but it's more for the sake of those in your surroundings." The Archman retrieves his black cloak from his chair and dusts it off.

Eira subtly lifts her arm up to inconspicuously inspect her hygiene. Even if she theoretically lacked any sense of smell, the large stains of sweat under both her armpits would make it quite clear that she wasn't at prime cleanliness.

Eira wished that she would produce a more aromatic perspiration, like the kind of rugged primal scent that the Archman had. Instead, she emitted a fragrance which inspired something more akin to livestock.

"I'll be back in a bit." The Archman pulls the hood of his cloak over his head as he exits the room, closing the door behind him.

~

The Archman turns a key in the lock on Eira's collar, opening up the metal restraining device and freeing her neck. Eira brings hand up to her nape and tilts her head from side to side to stretch the muscles beneath.

Resting a few feet in front of her is the familiar heavy enamel-covered bathtub. It is filled most of the way with hot water, which releases the occasional wisp of steam.

"The longer you take, the colder it gets." The Archman comments as he coils up the length of chain in his hands.

"Is that so? I wasn't aware." Eira retorts sardonically as she begins undressing. The Archman smirks and turns his back to Eira, continuing to gather up the chain.

Eira had gotten relatively comfortable being disrobed in the Archman's presence, though she still reserved a certain amount of awkwardness from his company.

This morning, however, she felt an unusual level of embarrassment as she looks down at the bathtub. This bathroom had been the precise location of her dream last night.

Her present circumstances felt very similar to her drowsy fantasy, the main exception being that in her nightly vision, she wasn't the only one getting naked. Eira feels her face flush with colour as she recalls the visuals produced by her slumbering subconscious.