Eris Vanserra Fanfiction-A Land Of Lavender And Thistle-Book One

CHAPTER XXVI

Ruth

The rain had stopped, but dawn was still a long way from coming when I woke up. I did not wake up slowly, poetically as the maidens did in the books I've read. The books that aided me quite a bit in my last night's bedroom adventure.

No, I woke up abruptly and startled, feeling an immense amount of heet holding me in its cage. However, it took me moments to realize that it was not my strange power engulfing me again, but someone else's. And as I wiggled myself free of the hold of those strong, fiery arms and turned to the source of ditressed cries, I knew whom the invisible flames swimming in the air belonged to.

Eris' head whipped back and forth on the pillows, his hair damp with sweat lashing around to the movement. His half-covered body was tangled in the sheets, our legs still interlaced. He was muttering something, calling for someone. After a second or so, I registered through the commotion of his thoughts and the nightmare, that he was calling for his mother.

For a brief moment, I simply sat up and stared in panic as he thrashed in the bed, dreaming of whatever horrors haunted his past.

Then, I jerked free of my shock and surged for him, catching his hands as they began to hurtle around, punching at whatever chased him in his dream. My chest swelled when I managed to make out the tautness of his face, the pain in his features. It didn't take me long to understand that, whatever he was dreaming about, was not a product of his wild imagination and fears, but of trauma.

If anything, I knew what those dreams were like. And they were anything but pleasant and bearable.

"Eris. Eris, it's okay. You're not alone. You'll be all right. I'm right here." I said, repeating those words over and over again as I folded my fingers over his fists, ignoring the fire that began to lick his fingers, catching my skin as well.

Only, there was no pain. Where the embers of his magic touched me, I felt only harmless warmth. Yet he continued to shriek, to beg for whatever troubled him to leave him be.

"No. Father, please. Please don't leave me." he said, spasming and twitching as I tried to pull him to myself and embrace him.

It had been what Mama Amelia did when she found me wrapped up in my nightmares as a child. She never tried to shake me out of my nightmares, never shouted for me to wake up. Only held me, rocking me in her arms as she called to me gently, telling me I am safe and not alone. Eventually, through the misery of my dreams, I would always hear her raspy but soothing voice in the background, grabbing for it like it was a rope of life and letting it haul me out.

So, I continued my chants: "Shh. You are fine. You are safe, Eris. You are not alone. I am here. I am with you, Eris. It's all right. You are safe."

After some time of holding him and letting myself get surrounded by that magical fire of his, I listened to him begging in his sleep, calling for his parents to come for him, for his father to free him. And as I did, those words of his started to sound familiar. As though I'd heard them somewhere before.

At first, I thought my mind might have mistaken them for my own trauma, but then I remembered that at one moment, in the vastness of my mind while I lay asleep under Icelyn's care, I had heard a boy crying. I had heard him say these very words, pleading to be set free.

I soon realized that, somehow, I had a glimpse of Eris' fears, his trauma and pain. However, I deemed this was not a proper moment to ponder of how exactly that was possible, deciding to put that into those cases where magic earned questions for which there could be no answers.

I don't know for hold long I sat there, with Eris in my arms and my back to the pillows. He was shaking, his skin boiling as he kept his arms around me. Eventually, he fell quiet, but his muscles were still like stone where I stroked his back, threading my fingers through his hair, blowing cool breaths over his too-warm shoulders.

Then, while I stared ahead at the night sky visible through the balcony doors, Eris stirred.

A hoarse sound rattled from his throat before his head eased off my bare chest and Eris blinked at me, as if surprised to find me here. He was panting ever so slightly while he withdrew a hand from underneath my waist before tucking a loose strand behind my ear with trembling fingers.

Smiling at him, I placed my hand over his and let it cup my cheek, leaning into his warm touch. "Hi."

He watched me, still looking a bit bewildered. "You're here. I thought ... I thought I was dreaming." he rasped.

I closed my eyes, making slow circles with my other hand over his back. "You did. You had a nightmare. But it's okay now."

He shook his head, his arm curling tighter around me. "I thought that I dreamed of you. Last night ..." He paused as I opened my eyes to look at him. His chest rose and fell in deeper and deeper breaths. Good. "I thought what we did last night was a dream."

That brought a sly smile to my face. "That would have been one hell of a dream, don't you think?"

When he just gazed at me, I searched his face. He looked so vulnerable, so ... small and young. Jamila told me his age, and though I still couldn't quite place someone looking so young to be over five centuries old, at this moment, he appeared young even for human standards. Scared and in need of comfort. Unfortunately, I wasn't that good with comforting others, but I could try.

"In my nightmare," Eris whispered, "I heard your voice. The Darkness, it was coming for me. It was threatening to take me and it told me I would forever be alone, but ..."

He drifted off, heaving a sigh before he closed his eyes and rested his head between my neck and shoulder. I placed my chin on the apex of his head, focusing on the steadying feel of his chest moving against me.

"You told me I was not alone." I didn't give him a reply, only hugged him tighter. "Say something."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Anything," Eris said tiredly. "Tell me about yourself. It's ridiculous to think I barely even know you."

At that, I stiffened. To tell him about myself. How do I do that?

Lie, hissed a cold voice in my head. Lie, as you've lied for years.

I pressed my lips.

Then, "My favorite color is green. Preferably the shade of pine. My favorite food is strawberry cake."

He snorted. "What do I do with that information?"

"What do you mean? These are important things. These are the ways to get to know somebody as who they are now, at this moment."

"What about their past?" he said, voice aloof.

I refrained from flinching at the question. But, then I remembered something Giselle told me, when I first met her and asked almost the exact question.

"The past," I replied, running my fingers up and down his back, "unless you let it die, it will not let you live to see the future."

For some time, he did not say anything. Just when I thought he had fallen asleep, his breath tickled my shoulder: "My favorite color is red. Preferably that of rubies. My favorite food is sweet jalebi."

"Oh, I haven't tried that yet."

"You have to," Eris stated in a way that made it clear there was no room for negotiation. It made me grin. "There is a festival coming up in a few days. There will be jalebi for the entire Autumn Court." he told me. "What is your favorite drink?"

I mused a bit. "I'm not sure. Anything that has a mix of sour and sweet in it. You?"

He hummed, kissing my jaw. The gesture made my belly flip. I ignored it.

"Easy. Masala chai."

I peered down at him, smiling a bit sheepishly. "I haven't tried that, either."

"Then it is settled. You will try every dish this court has to offer." he concluded.

I laughed, the sound echoing through the bland song of the wind chimes. "Have you lost your mind? I will be as big as a bison by the last dish!"

He snickered, lifting himself up so that we were at eye level. He winked at me, smirking. "Fortunately for you, my lady, I heard sexual activities are the best way of workout."