The Girl from the Sea

Chapter 7: Sleepovers in the Palace

We wake to someone's hand on our arm, and in one quick motion we have grabbed them by the throat, knocked them down, and straddled their chest, squeezing, squeezing, squeezing —

"ALYSE!"

The name cut through the fog in her mind, and Shale blinked, staring down at Cole's prone body. She released her grip immediately, scrambling back, and Cole rolled away, gasping and clutching at his throat.

"What the fuck?" The same voice asked, demanded really, and Shale looked up. It was Mira, staring at her with shock and something else in her eyes. She took a step forward, her earlier animosity apparently gone for the moment. "What happened to you?"

"I-" Shale stammered. Mira waved her hand.

"Stupid question. But you couldn't do that five years ago. You were a brawler— you could hold your own in a barfight, gods spare the queen, but you could never go from sleeping to choking the life out of someone-"

"I'm fine, really," Cole coughed from the floor.

"-that fast," Mira finished, and recognition sparked in Shale's mind. Interest— that was the other thing in Mira's gaze as she stared at her. Like Shale was a puzzle she hadn't cared about solving until just now. She took a step closer, and Shale instinctively drew back.

"Look—" Cole cut in, his breath caught at last. "We've all had a day."

"Shut up." Mira waved a hand in his direction.

"Nope! No thank you, not this time." Cole announced, getting to his feet and pushing in between them. "Mira— go home."

Mira opened her mouth to protest, but Cole stopped her with a gentle, flat-palmed whack to the face. "I've seen that look before, and I don't like it. Take a week off or something, I've got her."

Mira rolled her eyes, fixing Shale with a look that said "this isn't over" as clearly as if she'd said it out loud.

"Home," Cole repeated firmly, pointing his finger in her face, and this time she went.

Cole turned back to Shale with a tired grin. "Well, since your murder attempts were unsuccessful, you're still stuck with me, and because you owe me for life for trying to choke me out just then, I'm making the executive decision that we're having a fucking sleepover tonight."

His eyes lingered on her for a moment, an unspoken opportunity for her to veto. She didn't, still too shaken from the dream and the not-dream to protest the idea of being alone. All night. In the dark.

"Alright then." Cole nodded, holding out his hand. "Let's get you back upstairs, hm? I'll tell the queen to send dinner to your room—she might come with it—and we'll find something to do. Sound good?"

Shale nodded, her throat swelling for reasons she couldn't explain. "Sounds good."

"Alright, do you remember the way back to your room?"

She shook her head.

"No worries, I'll walk you back."

He did, grabbing a passing guard on the way and sending them to communicate the message to the queen.

"It's okay, you know," Cole stopped her at the door, his voice low; his tone serious. "If you never remember her."

And something about those words burst the dam that had been groaning and creaking under strain all day. Shale was sobbing before she had the chance to take a breath.

"Hey," Cole whispered, catching her up in his arms. "It's okay. It's going to be okay."

"I'm scared," she whimpered.