1. Amberstone | ✓

21. His Nightmare, Her Lullaby

3 days later.
Thethia: Mt. Plytois, House in the Mountains

• Rowan •

Two light knocks on the door and he watched as Elianna entered the room, holding a bowl of bitter concoction that she would always serve him with every night. As much as he liked her, the medicine she made was almost unbearably inedible. Holding his breath, he swallowed the medicine in a single gulp and tried to suppress the grimace. She took the bowl from his hand and placed a piece of dried fruit in his open palm.

He shuddered, unsure how long he could keep up to his act. The first time he received that from her, she told him it was sweet. He believed and ate it without a doubt. It turned out to be extremely sour and he decided that maybe it was just that one she picked. Subsequently, it was a nightmare of bitter-tasting medicine and sour after-taste. Rowan could only blame himself for teasing her too much a few days before and this was perhaps her way of being spiteful. Yet, she seemed so sincere whenever she handed him the sweet and he couldn't reject her at all.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"No, nothing," he almost wished he could cry but the weariness he felt was dizzying him and that he always felt as such whenever she gave him the concoction. When his vision blurred, she carefully pushed him back down to the bed and pulled the cover over his shoulder.

"Good night, Rowan," her voice sounded faint.

He mumbled a reply, "Good night, Eli."

His eyelids lowered and his vision darkened into nothingness. The last thing he heard was the quiet creak of the door and everything fell silent.

※

• Elianna •

"Got it!" Elianna raised her bow in excitement as they caught a rabbit tonight. Thunder leapt forward to bite on the prey's neck as they made their way back to the house with their catch for the night.

She removed the arrow and skinned the rabbit. Portioning the meat well and preserving it for tomorrow. Since they came back earlier than usual today, Thunder went back out to hunt, leaving her alone in the house with Rowan.

Elianna walked out of the kitchen into the living room. She lighted a lamp with magic and grabbed a book from the bookshelves. These were texts that Jason left for her. There were medical texts that were written in another language from other realms, but Jason had translated them carefully and there were also his notes of everything he observed and experimented. 

Elianna studied all of them very diligently, going through every essay that he wrote with passion as she missed him and everyone else. Out of every subject that she had been exposed to, she enjoyed medicine the most. It had to be because of Jason's fervent passion for the subject that also piqued her interest and there were many instances that Elianna dreamt of leaving Thethia's Royal Grounds and travel the realm, providing medical aid for the poor wherever she may land.

Even so, even when she's far away from the Royal Grounds now, that dream felt too far fetched from her. 

They were still searching for her.

Yesterday, when she went to town to get some clothes and necessities for Rowan, she overheard the guards complaining about capturing a princess that was lost for ten years. Thinking about the King still trying ways to grab hold of her made her seethed. 

I will kill you one day to avenge for all of them.

Elianna was too lost in her thoughts to realise that she had covered the entire house with her shadows. They blocked out whatever moonlight there was tonight, the only thing that shone was the faint glow of amber surrounding her. Again, she nearly lost control of her emotions until a strangled sound jarred her out of the intensity of emotions she was feeling. 

"Nngh!"

She turned towards the sound and closed her fists, withdrawing all the shadows and the silvery moonlight shone through the windows once again and drenched her surroundings in pale. The sound of someone struggling continued and she pushed herself off the couch and made her way to her room.

Elianna pushed on the door carefully and was stunned to see a large magic circle that was carved with light on the ground. The things in her room clattered at the wave of force that rippled through the air and she looked towards Rowan as he writhed in pain. Frantic, she ran towards him. 

When she tried to hold him, he groaned in pain and his nails clawed into his skin and tore it at the force of his grip. She couldn't explain but it pained her to see how much he was suffering. Using all the strength she had, she held his arm away to prevent him from digging into the freshly inflicted wounds on his chest. Using her shadow, she wrapped them in darkness and wrapped her other arm around him, positioning his head against her chest. Her hand smoothed over his short dark hair when she whispered softly, "It's okay, it's just a dream and dreams are not real. They're not real, Rowan."

Rowan eventually stopped struggling and jerked awake. Seemingly scared by the darkness surrounding him, his body tensed. She held him even tighter and he attempted to break free from her hold. Against his forceful push, she swayed but her arms refused to let go of him.

"Shh, Rowan, it's okay. It's me." She cooed, gently smoothing her hand over his jaw. "It's me, Elianna."

"Eli?" Rowan huffed, his voice filled with fear and confusion.

"Yes, don't be scared. Just close your eyes," she reassured him. "Go back to sleep, I'm right here."

She felt him relaxed. The tension from before was gone in an instant and his breathing steadied with each passing moments. She started singing the lullaby that Lylia would sing for her whenever she had nightmares. Slowly, the world surrounding the fell away and it was them within the space. The sound of her singing voice and his paced breathing; the feel of his warmth against hers; the scent of mint and sandalwood against cotton and soap.

※

• Rowan •

Why does she always place me at peace?

He was haunted by the same nightmare again. He could vividly remember that day: the smell of blood, that evil laughter, and his dead Mother. Since that day, he was never the same again. He was constantly haunted by what happened that day. He always went to sleep feeling unsettled and frustrated.

It had been a long time since he felt so peaceful. In the darkness he was surrounded in, he found warmth and comfort while her embrace enveloped him in a sense of security. The darkness was no longer daunting with the small glow of amber surrounding them. Following her beautiful voice, he fell back into sleep. There was no more nightmare that night. No blood. No evil laughter. No dead person. Just him and her.

He would give anything for this moment to last forever. 

※