Crescent (Old Version)

+ Part 40 +

I didn't know whether I was awake or dreaming. Maybe not sleeping enough was finally taking its toll- the price for letting the nightmares chase me from one side of consciousness to the other.

Rosie was standing in front of me. Her smile was warm, her blue eyes were like ice. Her brown hair was a rope that hung limp down the side of one shoulder but her palms were open toward me, beckoning me toward her.

"Come and play, Brenna"

For a moment, my sister looked at me. Her knees bent and her arms became little wings at her side, like she was about to take off, and I would never be able to catch her, but she turned on her heel and ran down the corridor, and I chased after her.

She was laughing, a happy living thing, a sound that filled the halls, and down and down the halls she went. Until suddenly, the marbled halls turned into thick muddy trails of footprints.

The lights went dark, and deep down, I knew where we were. Rosie stopped at the door to many rooms. She giggled again, and I saw that in her little hands, she was holding an iron ring of a thousand skeleton keys. She grabbed one, and I reached forward to hold her but a red curtain materialized from the ceiling and fell over her like a cloak. And then she floated through the door.

I heard her voice again, an inky distant sound, tempting me forward, calling for me.

"Come and play with me, Perdita."

I opened my eyes, expecting to be in bed, but instead, I was surrounded by people. The fireplace snapped and crackled behind me, and Ceth's hand was a shackle around my own. He was laughing, and I realized that one of the ambassadors was telling a tale of some great creature that lived in their realm. I had missed the story completely, but I felt compelled to smile and pretend that I had been listening.

Breakfast still sat in a pile of cold mush on my plate, and my hand trembled as I went to take a bite with my fork, and I quickly hid the movement by fisting my hands in my dress beneath the table.

She had been here, it felt so real.

"Brenna." Ceth's voice was too close to my ear, and I jumped as I felt him grip my arm.

My eyes focused on him, and he stared at me for a moment, his green eyes mere inches from my own. "Yes?"

"I said that on Friday, we might entertain our guests with a private dance. Bruno has been bragging of your skill on the floor."

I knew that was a lie. Bruno wasn't one to exaggerate when it came to skill, and I knew for certain how he felt about my ability.

I was a piss-poor partner at best. "Did he really? That was kind of him-"

"Nothing too formal. Just music, dinner, talking. I know that in Cold's Summit, dancing is not an integral part of parties, but I think a private dance would be the perfect way to put your skills to the test."

I knew better than to argue or to tell him that I wasn't ready- which I knew I wasn't. Any pushback on my end would just make the matter worse, so I found myself smiling, tucking my hands into the neat folds of my dress. "As long as you don't mind getting your toes stepped on a few times, I would love to," I told him, chuckling even though I meant it.

Ceth brushed his blonde hair back and cut into the sausage on his plate, each movement precise, clean. Even with a butter knife, he made quick work of the meat, and I nearly wondered how easily he might cut through me if he tried. "I'll be out, actually. Our guests will have the day off, and I thought it might be the perfect time to practice before the other lords and ladies arrive."

So, I would be left to fend myself against the wolves. Perfect.

Renly spoke up from across the table. "It would be my honor if I could have the first dance, my lady."