The secret of the Moondrop

Chapter 5: Something wrong

Arianna's POV:

Each day that passed, Arianna had started to grow more worried about Varian. The guards had recently reported that the boy spent most part of the nights awake, and that the only moments when he was really sleeping he was haunted by terrible nightmares.
Varian had grown paler and thinner, and the Queen was having an even harder time trying to communicate with him.
He always seemed nervous and afraid, as if he was waiting for something horrible to happen.
But what could that be? And what kind of terrible nightmares could a fourteen-year-old experience that he preferred to stop sleeping rather than to have them?
The Queen Arianna didn't know what to do, and she really wanted to help the poor boy.
She had already talked about Varian with her husband in multiple occasions, but he was as out of ideas as her.
Maybe a more understanding approach would do it, maybe if she showed she cared, Varian would open up and talk to her.

That day, Queen Arianna went to visit Varian in the morning.
Her heart sank a little when she saw the state in which he was. He needs my help, Queen Arianna thought, he's made a lot of wrong choices, but I'm not giving up on him yet.
"I don't think the handcuffs will be necessary anymore" she said out loud.
Everyone in the room looked at her in surprise: The guards, every prisoner close enough to hear what they where saying... but the one that looked more surprised was Varian. He looked at her with his big round-shaped blue eyes, suspiciously.
The guards escorted them to the same room they always went, the one with the big window from which they could see the sunrise.
Varian sat on the same chair as always, two guards standing at both of his sides.
Queen Arianna looked at them.
Show him you trust him, she thought.
"Guards, could you please wait at the door?" she said softly.
One of them opened his mouth to protest.
The Queen held her hand up to shush him. "He is just a kid, he doesn't even have weapons" Arianna explained "you wait outside, I'll call if I need help"
Stan and Pete nodded, eyeing Varian as if he could blow up at any moment.
When the guards were gone, she sat in her chair. Varian had said nothing, he was just staring at the floor.
"Why?" he asked, his voice quavered. "I kidnapped you, almost got you encased on the black rocks and tried to destroy your family... why don't you hate me?"
Queen Arianna was taken aback.
He didn't hate him, that was right, but should she? He had caused a lot of damage in her Kingdom, but he was just a kid, moved by pain and lost... and he was so lonely, and he looked so vulnerable. She just couldn't hate him.
"I want to help you, Varian" she said calmly. "But I can't if you don't tell me what's going on"
Varian bit his lip, avoiding her eyes and fiddling nervously with his fingers.
"You can talk to me" the Queen said as she put a hand on top of his.
She was expecting him to pull away like he always did, but he didn't, he just stayed there looking even more nervous (if that was possible).
"I can't tell you..." he finally sighed.
"Why?" She insisted.
Varian shook his head. "She would hurt me if I did"
Queen Arianna's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Who?"
His eyes scanned the room in fear.
"Varian, who?" The queen repeated "there is nobody in here, just you and me, you can tell me"
He didn't answer at first.
Queen Arianna remained still, afraid if she moved Varian would change his mind.
"Was she the reason you where so scared the other day?"
Varian nodded.
He looked at both of his sides before finally talking in a quiet voice.
"She says I will be hers in a few days, that I would bring her back to live and..."
He suddenly yelped in pain and away from her, his chair fell to the floor with a noisy thud. Varian clutched his arm, dropping to his knees.
"Varian!" Queen Arianna exclaimed.
She hurried to kneel next to him and took his arm, which gave her and unpleasant sense of coldness. Varian winced.
And that's when she saw it, a deep line that run from his inner elbow to his wrist, as if someone had cut him with an invisible dagger, to prevent him from talking.
Queen Arianna's dress and the floor were now both painted in the boy's blood, his face turned white.
"Guards! Come here!" She shouted desperately.
The two men ran in with their swords in their hands. They both dropped them when they saw what was going on.
"Quick, bring something to stop the bleeding!" she ordered as she hold an unconscious Varian in her arms.