A Dove's Tale

Chapter 65

Midnight found me scrambling out of bed, wet with sweat and gasping for breath. Mother was still asleep. I knew I must have been thrashing about before I finally woke up, but she was just lying there, unmoving. The remnants of fear leftover from the nightmare seized my heart, and I hurried back to her side, feeling for a pulse, watching her chest rise and fall. She was alive. Just too sick and fatigued from a simple conversation to notice me physically fighting an imaginary Jack. I blew out a heavy sigh, tucked the blankets about her, and slipped outside.

The cool night air felt soothing on my flushed face. I leaned back against the door, closing my eyes and gulping it in. The nightmares were getting worse. They usually flared up after a traumatic event and then faded into occasional disturbances, but I usually had Mother to help me through them, too, waking me up before they reached the point they had tonight, holding me and telling me it was over. She hadn't done that in over a month.

There was no way I could get back to sleep now. Not until I calmed down.

I opened my eyes and pushed off from the door, leaving the dusty road for the grass pleasantly cool against my bare feet. Downhill was the river, starlight glimmering off the black surface, reminiscent of the pond last night, except for the ripples of moving water here.

And the distinct lack of roses and Prince Chevalier.

I sat a few feet from the edge, hugging my legs to my chest and resting my chin on my knees. It all seemed so simple here. I wanted simple. I wanted Mother to be well, the nightmares to be gone, and Prince Chevalier's arms around me. In that order. But I'd settle for just the first, even if it meant I had nightmares all night, every night, and I never saw Prince Chevalier again.

That wasn't how life worked, though. Not for me.

The sweat was drying, bringing goosebumps to my skin and making me shiver. I tucked my face into my skirt. It wouldn't be long before I had to go back inside to try to sleep. I needed sleep. It was tugging at the edges of my mind, threatening to pull me into its grasp even now, out here in the dark with the light evening breeze ruffling my hair and the hem of my nightgown. If I didn't get some sleep, I wouldn't be functional at work tomorrow. Prince Chevalier would probably take one look at me and lock me in his room until five o'clock.

I couldn't stop thinking about him.

"What are you doing out here?"

The familiar voice sounded weary and irritated, as if my presence wasn't entirely unexpected but was still cause for disappointment. I looked up to see Prince Licht astride his brown horse, Marron, frowning at me from across the river. His arrival didn't surprise me. I was too tired to be surprised.

"I couldn't sleep."

He directed Marron to a spot downstream where the river narrowed enough for them to jump it. I watched as the horse's muscles bunched and relaxed under his shining, rich brown coat with every movement, one with Prince Licht as he found the position he wanted and urged the animal forward. It was nothing like watching the horses I usually saw hooked to carriages or wagons, sometimes groomed to perfection, often covered in dust. Those were beasts of burden. This was beauty and power personified.

The pair cleared the river easily, and Prince Licht dismounted, patting Marron's neck before dropping the reins to walk toward me.

"You're not worried he'll wander off?" I asked as Prince Licht sat cross-legged beside me on the grass.

"I'm more worried about you," he said bluntly. "Do you even realize how dangerous it is for you to be out here alone at night?"

I dropped his gaze, feeling like a naughty child being scolded. He was right. I eventually realized that every time I came out here, after the fear lost its hold and I finally regained the ability to think clearly. There were times I'd even imagined someone watching me from the forest across the river. It would be easy for someone to snatch me up and steal me away.