A Court of Silent Suffering

~ 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓻𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓷 ~

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.　　　.   　　˚　　 　　*　　 　　✦　　　.　　.　　　✦　˚ 　　　　 ˚　.˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　 　　 　　

The road into the village was well known to Elara now. The pebbles dug into her feet, but she kept running through the small town, hair flowing through the space behind her. A few tears left marks on her face, but she convinced herself it was because of the lack of air in her lungs. 

She wasn't upset.

She wasn't crying.

This had happened before- she had been told to get out. She had been forced to leave. 

She had always come back.

 .✦　˚

More houses pass by in flashes. She stops running now, outside the bakery. She gasps, trying to take in more air. It wasn't the running that was doing this- wasn't the running stealing the breaths from her body.

It was the gut-wrenching sobs coming from the deepest, darkest part of her. 

Her legs gave out from underneath her and she collapsed. Her knees come to her chest, and she curls inwards against the side of the building. The cries don't stop, not as she feels someone fall to their knees beside her. Not as she feels the warmth of a mother envelope her. Not as she hears Maisy's and Aster's voices call out to her. Not as she hears her friend start to cry with her.

She feels the darkness rising inside of her, that rushing black on its way.  She closes her eyes a last time, the motion pushing more tears over her waterline.

Instead of falling into unconsciousness, she drifts slowly into it as if it were a dream. 

 .✦　˚

Her hand flies to her mouth, firmly keeping in the screams of terror that want to escape. Sweat forms on her brow as tears pool in the corners of her eyes. Back in the high lord's manor, she would wake up after her nightmares only to be scolded by Tamlin for making such a disturbance. Lucien had been more sympathetic if he got to her first, keeping out the high lord and comforting her for a while. 

Elara tries to still her body, to stop the shivers that raked across her hands and arms. She pulls up the impossibly soft blanket to wrap it around her shoulders. 

"Ara?" A soft whisper pierces the dark. 

"Maie?" The nickname came from Elara's mind naturally. A small hum of agreement sounds as Maisy moves through the doorway to shut the door.  

"I'm sorry- did I wake you?" She kept her voice soft, as if speaking too loud could disrupt the moonlight streaming through the window. 

"No, no I just came to talk. If that's ok" Maisy sounds hesitant.  

Elara opens her arms as an answer. Maisy climbs onto the small bed, laying next to Elara as the blanket wraps around her. 

They just lie in the dark for a few minutes, heartbeats and breaths syncing. 

"I just- I have this feeling. Like the world's been holding its breath for a long time- and now it's suffocating. It feels like time is up somehow." Elara looks over to the other girl.