It was late at night when Angelica went home with her father. On her way back, she kept thinking of the strange night she had with the King. There was something different about him that she couldn't quite put her finger on, yet strangely, she did like him despite the warning signs that frightened her.
Speaking of frightening, she remembered Lord Rayven's dark eyes. Could she never forget how he looked at her with such... hatred? Or was it anger? She couldn't tell, but it was evident that he didn't like her. Angelica couldn't blame him because of how she'd reacted after seeing his face.
"Angelica. I don't want to see you with any other man. It would be best to consider your reputation now that you have the King's attention. Don't ruin your chance," her father told her when they arrived home.
Angelica wanted to protest and tell him he shouldn't have left her alone with the King if he had thought of her reputation. What if the King didn't like her? Then no other man would be willing to wed her. But her father always thought he was right, so she didn't bother with a fight.
"Alright, father," she said and hurried upstairs to be alone for once.
Her handmaiden, Eva, had already put fire in the fireplace and prepared her nightgown. Now she was making her bed.
"Eva, help me get out of this dress," Angelica said.
The corset was crushing her ribs, and she longed to breathe normally. Eva hurried and helped her out of the fancy dress she had been wearing. Beauty was indeed a pain.
After putting on her nightgown, she crawled into her bed with a book. Reading helped her fall asleep.
"Do you need anything else, My Lady?" Eva asked.
"No, thank you. You may go to sleep." Angelica said.
Eva nodded and wished her goodnight before leaving. Angelica was about to crawl under her blanket when she saw her brother standing at her door.
"William, why are you still awake?" She whispered.
He shrugged. "I couldn't sleep."
"Is it the dreams again?" Angelica asked.
William nodded.
Her brother had been having strange dreams since he turned seven. He was now ten.
"Come," she patted the bed, and he crawled up and sat beside her.
"What did you see this time?" she asked.
He looked at her with worried eyes. "I saw you being chased by monsters."
She smiled and stroked his hair. "There are no monsters.".
"I know," he said, but he still seemed concerned.
"Were they frightening?"
He nodded.
"Did I get away?"
"Yes, but..." he paused and frowned.
Angelica became curious. "But what?"
"You ran to something even more frightening," he said, his voice lowering as if he feared something more frightening would hear him. He was scaring her.
"Well, don't worry. You've had these dreams many times before, and none of the things you've dreamt about has happened," she assured.
He sighed and nodded.
Angelica didn't know how to help her brother escape those dreams. They seemed to become more vivid and disturbing each year. She had told her father, but he had disregarded her concerns. "They are just dreams," he would say.
YOU ARE READING
Heart Of Darkness
FanfictionThey whispered in town about him. They called him a beast. They called him cruel. They called him ugly. People were repulsed by his face. They treated him like a deadly disease, avoiding him like the plague. They didn't dare talk to or in front of h...
