Sea salt and pomegranates

Six

I had a dream again that night. I was standing in a cave, water dripping down a crack in the stone, making a soft, repetitive sound that echoed amongst the cold walls. I was gripping Nektarios's hand, my grip tight and cold. He did not look at me, as if he refused to, his expression distant, a sense of foreboding falling upon me. I tried to call out his name, but nothing came out of my mouth, as though it was clamped shut.
His footsteps were loud, not silent as they usually were. He looked exactly the same, but I could tell that he wasn't. Questions raced in my head, but I continued to stay silent, before he looked me dead in the eyes, and said;
"Be quiet."
I nodded quickly, and followed him down the long, winding path of the cave, before we came upon something. It was Nektarios, yet how could he be in two places at once?
He was crouched up in a corner, looking frightened, not self assured like usual. "Fotis!" He called out, his expression pained as he struggled to walk towards me. I noticed purple bruises and red gashes against his usually clean and healthy skin. "You need to leave." He whispered. His skin was clammy and pale, making him look almost sickly, his dark hair sticking to his face.
"What? No!" I replied, shaking my head quickly in refusal. I would not leave him to die.
The figure that used to be Nektarios shifted, turning into a tall figure that I recognized as Calliope.
"I cannot do much, but I also must insist that you should leave." She had told me. "This is worse than I thought it would be."
I turned to Nektarios who was busy attempting to untie himself. I helped him and almost immediately gripped onto him tightly.
His breathing was labored, his heart beating rapidly. His eyes fluttered before they closed, and I soon after heard a noise.
"You two need to leave." Calliope whispered. "I can handle it from here."
I nodded, adjusting Nektarios's broken armor, dents on the helmet as if something tried to strike him. I then took off, gripping onto him for dear life. I was not as fast as he was, and holding him made me even slower, but I tried to quicken my pace.
Then I heard it.
The noise.
A rumble, as though something was awakening, something was happening.
"Go." Nektarios whispered, his voice hoarse, before his eyes closed once again.

I then woke up.
I was breathing heavily, in a cold sweat, my sheets sticking to my body. I remembered the dream as if it was a memory. I looked around me. I was still in the palace, in my bed.
I remembered Nektarios's face.
Full of fear and desperation.
It broke me.
I prayed to the gods above that I never had to see him that way.
It wasn't right, and I knew it.
I felt a sense of bewilderment, as though the word was quaking beneath my feet. My body was trembling, and I knew I couldn't go back to sleep.
Not yet.
I wanted to see Nektarios, wanted to hear him soothe me and wanted him wrap his arms around me.
I wouldn't go back to sleep until I knew Nektarios was okay.

I didn't sleep for the rest of the night. As soon as everybody else awoke, I decided to try to find the prince. Hopefully, he wasn't busy.
I found him in his room, brushing his hair before he turned to look at me. I was exhausted, though I hoped that I did not exactly look like it, and looked somewhat presentable.
He smiled, approaching me with a gentle look on his face. "Good morning, Fotis." His voice was as crisp and soothing as usual, but his bright expression faded when he saw me clearly. I wasn't sure if it was because I looked exhausted, or if it was because I looked worried. "Are you alright? You look tired and worried."
It was both, apparently. I should have known I couldn't hide it from him, he was good at sensing whether others were sad or not.
"I just didn't sleep well, I had an unpleasant dream." I explained, hoping he wouldn't question further. I bit my lip gently, looking down at him after I replied.
"What dream made you feel this way?" He had asked immediately after, to my disdain.
"Calliope was there...she led me to this cave, and you were in it." I explained slowly, taking a shaky breath. "You were tied up and wounded."
He didn't look scared like I thought he would, just perplexed and curious. "I see..." He mumbled. "Well, you have nothing to worry about, I can promise you. If you are still scared for my safety I can ask my mother."
I sighed, my shoulder relaxing. "Thank you, Nektarios."
He wrapped his arms around me, just like I had wished he would do. "Do not even mention it." He whispered in my ears, ruffling my hair with his fingers.
He pressed his lips against mine, and a tingling sensation came upon me. I kissed him back softly, yet passionately, smiling as I did so.
"You've always had a way of reassuring me." I told him.
He grinned, interlacing his fingers with mine. "How peculiar, I was about to say the same thing about you."
I grinned back at him, our foreheads touching. The orange of the sun shone down on us, making me revel in the Prince's glory, his smooth and lively olive skin dotted with pale freckles on his cheeks and nose.
He placed his comb down, before kissing me quickly again.
A soft, gentle peck, but one that showed his love.
He then sat down on his lush bed, soft pillows surrounding him. "It is the morning, let us relax before we do our duties.
I raised an eyebrow. "Relax?" I questioned him. "By doing what?"
"Well, if you need to so badly, you can rest here, seeing as you did not necessarily have the best sleep last night." Nektarios offered.
I shook my head, blushing. It would be embarrassing, and it would make me seem like a burden to him. "No, I am alright." I promised him. "I should eat something anyways." I continued, my stomach grumbling a moment before.
He chuckled, a hearty and melodious sound. Everything he did, even if he was trying not to do so, was graceful, and effortlessly so. I slightly envied him for that, but it was one of the features I also loved about him. Nektarios was a person of more cheerful and gentle nature, whereas I was always the more worried, less carefree type, as much as I loathed to admit it. "You go do that, then." Nektarios replied. He stayed perched up on his bed as he watched me leave. Maybe he was not hungry, or maybe he had already eaten, I wasn't sure exactly.

I left him, and slowly ate the food that the rest of us were given. It wasn't as nice as I wished it would be, but it was still food, and I slowly learned to appreciate it.
Selene still seemed upset, but she still spoke to me, which I appreciated, and was acting as if the situation did not occur. I knew that I atleast was not planning on telling her about me and Nektarios, but I knew that the secret wouldn't stay secret for very long, so it was bound to be told to her.
There had not been anymore murders for now, so me and Nektarios were able to spend time together as often as possible, as long as we did not get caught.
After I finished eating, I swallowed, my mouth dry. I bit my lip, in a daze as I thought about all of the issues I have brushed paths with recently. The Gods were obviously not on my side, weren't they?
I got up, still in deep thought. Other boys and girls gave me curious glances, but I didn't let that bother me, for I had more to think about.
I wondered if Nektarios worried about it as often as I did. He had been more confident and carefree than I ever would be, so he most likely didn't.
The main thing he worried about was his mother finding out, but that already happened. As for his father, he never really talked about him, so I was not sure what their relationship was like. I had asked once, but Nektarios brushed it off like he usually did when there was an issue, which made me concerned, but I knew he would never actually tell me what was wrong unless he had to, so I allowed him to keep his secret.

That night, I sat along the shore of the beach, and I spotted Selene. I reluctantly walked up to her, not sure how she would react, but I knew I had to speak to her about the issue we had. "Selene..." I greeted her awkwardly.
She turned her head towards me, her expression light, yet distant. "Fotis?"
"Look, I am so very sorry." I apologized. "I did not want your feelings to be hurt, but I did want to be honest with you." I hugged my legs to my chest, and she did the same.
"Thank you...for the apology." Selene sighed. "I will...need to have some space though, before we can talk again. I believe I had just taken your words the wrong way." She grinned again, making me feel more relaxed.
I nodded in response. "I understand." I got up slowly, looking at her one last time. "I will be here when you are ready to speak to me more often."