Chaos Realms|| Prism Arcs Book 1

Chapter 25

After dinner we left the children to their own devices as Haldis and I sat in the living room. Doors opened and clicked closed several times in the evening as their voices mingled, tones falling and rising in volume.

Eventually the soothing noise died down, silence resuming. Not long after my husband and I went to each of the children's rooms to check on each of them. Soothing their blankets down and placing a kiss on their brows, we retired to our own bedroom.

Sleep came easy, as I thought of the journey of motherhood that lay before me, something that I thought impossible to achieve.

Darkness greeting my vision when I awake sometime in the night. Not knowing what caused me to rouse, I slip from my lover's gentle hold, silently pattering through the house as if I was a ghost. Searching for an unseen threat.

Finding nothing out of the ordinary I give up my search, intending to head back to bed when I hear it. The smallest whimper. Following the sound, I find myself outside of Harper's door. Knives stabbing into my hear with each fear filled sound escaping the room that held my youngest daughter.

Quietly entering the room, a small bundle is thrashing heavily on the bed, blankets wrapped around the figure, getting caught and restricting her movements some. Approaching the sleeping child, I gently run my hand through the tangled mess of her hair, cooing quietly to try to sooth the nightmare away.

I froze as Harper startled awake. Her wild eyes roamed around the room quickly, seeing no threats present she relaxed, and threw herself into my arms sobbing. Cradling her small form close, I climb into her bed, using the pillows as a backrest as I settle her onto my lap.

Harper curled further into my chest as sobs wracked her body. Small fingers curled into my sleep shirt, as tears soaked the light fabric.

My cooing continued as I rubbed small circles on her back, and gently untangled her hair. An undetermined time passed as my daughter's crying slowly died down as her breathes eventually evened out. Taking that as my cue, I shifted to move from the bed while laying her on the mattress.

Small fingers mangled my shirt as they clutched in a tight fist, a small voice echoing uncharacteristically loudly in the silent room, "Please don't leave me."

My heart broke anew at those few words, "Of course not, little one." Gently moving her further on the mattress, I lay down, pulling her back to my chest. Rubbing her back in gentle strokes, small puffs of air calm into a steady beat of time and even out against my collarbone.

Soothing down the tangled mass of bed head one last time, I kiss the crown of my daughter's head, drifting off to sleep with a comforting weight pressed close.

The next morning as I woke, I glanced around the unfamiliar space in confusion, until a soft snore caught my attention. The memory of comforting Harper coming back full force.

My heart felt light as I slowly extracted myself out of my daughter's grip, replacing my empty spot with a pillow for her to hug. At the door I check to be sure that my escaping hasn't woken my youngest. A light sigh leaves my lips as I leave the room.

Venturing into the kitchen to prep breakfast, now that our household has doubled over night. As the food cooks strong arms wrap around my waist, a muscled chest contouring itself to the shape of my back. "Where did you go last night?" My husband's voice sounding scratchy in my ear, having just woke up.

"Harper had a bad dream." Haldis humming thoughtfully at my answer.

We stayed huddled together until faint sounds of movement broke through the atmosphere we had created. Haldis placed a kiss on the side of my neck, moving away to set the table as our children trudged out of their respective rooms, rubbing the sleep from their hazy eyes. Blinking slowly as they continued to wake, only to have been summoned by the smell of food.