Completion of the Whisper

Chapter Seven.

The coldness in his eyes... it reminded me of my dream. It... couldn't be. He wasn't here... this had to be a dream, another nightmare. Shivering, I made a step backwards, then another one.

He watched me, his face impassive. Guarded. Cold.

Then, my body suddenly sprang into action, I turned and leaped for the door, I grabbed the handle, rattled, but it was locked. And before I was able to make another move, I felt him at my back, his chest heaving, his arms on both of my sides, caging me in.

"Adri... it's me", he murmured, and his voice sounded not like I thought it would.

It was calm. Soothing.

No coldness in there.

His warm breath brushed against my neck "Don't run from me... please."

I froze upon his words, remembering the last time he had sad something like that to me. On Marlibra in Wyntern Falls.

I took a deep, but shaky breath. "How can I... be sure, that you are you?"
"What do you mean?", he muttered, confusion apparent.

"Is this... a nightmare?", I whispered, and he tensed, drew away a bit and breathed "A... nightmare?"

"Yes...", I swallowed hard, leaned my forehead against the cool wood of the door "You have no idea how many times I saw your death. You... "

"What do you see in your nightmares?"

"You... dying in my arm, you impaled by arrows, you... you..."
"I?"
"Telling me..."
"Telling you what?", he asked, his voice low.

I closed my eyes, afraid to turn around, afraid to find out, of this was just another nightmare.
His hand found mine against the door and he slowly brushed over my skin. I shivered "Telling me, that it was all my fault. Telling me... that it's my fault, that I'm... worthless, that I took your life, that I... caused this."

His hand above mine flinched slightly, and he slowly turned me around, making me face him, lifted my chin as he noticed my still downcast eyes. Hesitating, my eyes met his. This was not the Nyshard I knew. This Nyshard here... he looked tired. Thinner than I remembered him, as if he had lost some weight. Surely, he had during his long sleep. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his hair had grown a bit longer, it fell him almost into his eyes. His eyes that... still held this gaze. Guarded. Impassive.

Why was he here? Why... did he come here, when had he woken up? Dylana had not mentioned something, she had just told me he was recovering. He watched me, closely, took in my features, maybe, he saw that my eyes still held a certain red tinge to them, even though I had tried to erased the remnants of my sleepless night.

He towered in front of me, and I almost flinched when he took my hand and placed it right above his heart, holding his own hand above it.

It beat wildly, but steady.

"Do you feel that? I am alive. I am alive, because you healed me, because you saved me."

His other hand cupped my cheek, and his thumb wiped away a lone tear that had escaped me.

Nyshard was in Ralanmar.

Something, I had never hoped to happen had just happened, and despite feeling relief, feeling hope... it choked my heart. He couldn't be here because of me.

Images from the night before flashed in front of my eyes, and there he was again, his bleeding, battered body, the coldness in his eyes, the words he said... 'You're no good... you're not worth it. I should have known it all along. My whole life... you took my whole life and pushed everything into dust. You are no light... you are the sun and I am burning in it until I burn to death.'