Throne of Glass: unOrdinary Fanfic

(3) Of Deals and Devils Dens part 2

John hadn't always been afraid of the dark. Even when he was a kid, he'd take everything by storm, jumping head first into every challenge that was foolish enough to get in his way. His long running philosophy was, "I can (insert dangerous activity here)...probably."

However, when he had been sent to the readjustment facilities, Keon had taken it upon himself to, re-educate such ideals. The only thing worse than a late-bloomer was one who thought they were unstoppable.

But minds are easy to break, especially when most of the work has already been done for you.

Endurance can only take you so far, and after being subjected to three long months of the borderline torture, fear had regained its meaning with the ever present company of the abyss. It was suffocating, and it felt like the thick shadows were trying to swallow him whole.

When he returned home from the classes, he couldn't sleep without the curtains open to see the street lights or the glow from a nearby lamp.

Mostly he tried not to fall asleep at all, because then it was impossible to escape from the folds of darkness, and he would be subjected to the same nightmare over, and over, and over again.

Something was... different this time though. He was surrounded by the cold Black Sea like he usually was, but the shadows didn't pull back to reveal hidden enemies or remind him of his irredeemable actions. It was just, there.

Instead of the cold dread and eerie presence John has grown accustomed to expect from his dreams, he felt this enveloping warmth, protecting him from the wounds of his past.

And for the first time in three years, he felt safe in his own head.

Suddenly the scene shifted, and the darkness faded away in whispy streams of smoke, leaving a blooming orchard of pink trees in its place, a gentle breeze carrying the familiar sweet scent of peaches. Tall grass submerged the orchard field, the small gusts of wind made the foliage revolve in waves, stretching out and then gently curling in on itself in an endless pattern. Bright shafts of spring sunshine were broken by the overcast clouds, and he shielded his eyes from the radiant light. Musical laughter echoed from a small distance, and John turned towards the noise. He recognized that laugh!

"Sera!" He called out, rushing into a sprint and jogging towards the direction of her voice.

"John!" She yelled back playfully, and he saw a flash of magenta from behind one of the trees. Running over to where he saw her, he huffed for breath, but by the time he got there she had disappeared. Swiveling his head from left to right, he peeked behind the thick trunk of the tree and found only empty space.

'Where did she go-?'

A light weight suddenly launched at his back, carrying a surprising amount of momentum that almost made John stumble over. The sweet heady scent from earlier came full force, and he was enveloped in its intoxicating aroma.

"I got you." Seraphina purred into his ear, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. A mischievous smirk took over his features and (being the diabolical person that he was) he fell backwards, careful to not crush her under his weight.

"John!" She chided, trying and failing to push him over. "Did you really have to do that?" She attempted to shove him off of her, his tall bulky form making it a challenge.

"Sorry Peaches, gravity was increasin' upon me. Ain't nothin' I can do about iiiit-woah!" She flipped them over, his face pressed near the ground where the grass tickled his nose.

"Who's laughing now?" Seraphina said with amusement, particularly entertained by the blushing view. He craned his neck to look at her, unamused.

"That's just playin' dirty." John quirked a brow, used to Sera's underhanded tactics. She'd do something similar whenever they played competitive video games, including but not limited to; throwing her legs over his lap, messing up his hair, freezing time and tickling him to ensure a victory. It all seemed pretty unnecessary, she could destroy him in most games without much effort. John gathered she did it because she enjoyed watching him squirm.