A Kingdom of Bloodshed

*¬*Chapter Ten*¬*

Hearing his deep breaths waken me. Startling awake, I blink blearily into the darkness of the room. Kazimir fell asleep after telling me about Beatrice. His body exhausted from the emotional unleashing as well as the magical one. I must have dosed off too because it's still early morning; the room cast in shadows. Shifting my head, I see that he's fallen asleep with his head on my lap, my legs tucked against his shoulders and sides. He looks peaceful when he sleeps. His face relaxed and loose, not quarded or on alert.

Rubbing my eyes, I stretch slowly, trying not to wake him as he need his sleep. Grabbing the pillow beside me, I place it behind my back so that I can get comfortable, then I take the comforter and flip it over him, so that he's not cold. Looking towards my note book, I gently reach for it, placing it on the sheet and flipping it open to the page I wrote on. Mumbling the foreign words quietly to myself.

They still don't make any sense Flipping to a blank sheet, before I become too frustrated, I slide the pencil out of the curled spine and begin to sketch.

I draw Kaz as I saw him when he was consumed by his pain. The beauty and darkness I saw swirling together. The male that many would cower in terror from, but I walked towards.

I draw him the way I felt when I saw how powerful he was, the black eyes, dark room, muscles clenching and rippling from strength. When I saw Kazimir, I didn't seem someone of fear or evil, I saw someone of power, strength, beauty. Someone of inspiration and kindness. I saw a king. A king that is looking for a queen. A king in a world full of jokers.

I sketch and sketch and sketch until I end up with an image that I'm happy with, with something that I feel represents him to the depths of his being. I draw until my fingers cramp and I can't draw anymore, until the stars outside begin to fade as the sun rises. Until my eyes feel heavy with sleep and the pencil slips from my grip.

I draw until sleep pulls me under and I fall into the cocoon of her embrace hoping for once, to have a dreamless sleep.

⤗

Rolling over, I grumble in my sleep only opening my eyes when my hand smacks into the bedside table. "What?" I jerk awake, sitting up fast then instantly regretting it. My head spins. Groaning, I fold myself in half as I hold my head in my hands, "Ugh.. what the hell happened?"

"You fell asleep sitting up." His voice is warm, any hint of the previous breakdown nowhere to be heard. Groaning, I rub my eyes and try to open them but feel the heaviness of sleep still clinging to me. "What time is it?" He chuckles, "Only 8am." I blink and turn towards the window seeing the sun has risen and the sky is a pale blue. The bed sinks next to me as Kazimir sits down, "What time did you fall asleep?" I blink, "I don't know but I think it was probably around six. The sun had started to rise when I looked at the window last."

He balks at me, "You only got two hours of sleep?!" "Well yeah, after talking you passed out on my lap and I didn't want to disturb you, so I left you there, tucked you in and drew for several hours. Then I passed out and woke up now."

Sliding my fingers into my hair I grumble, wanting to go back to sleep but feel the last dregs of it fading away. Kazimir blushes, "I fell asleep on your lap?" I nod, "It's alright. It was an eventful night, you needed your sleep."

He shakes his head had laughs softly, "Thank you. For last night." I nod, then lean back against the headboard and sigh. Scrubbing my hands along my face, I keep my eyes closed for a moment. I hear the sheets rustle, then a slight intake of breath and then, "Did you draw this?"

I don't have to open my eyes to know what he's talking about. To know that my drawing from this morning is still on the bed, out in the open. "Yeah. Early morning, when you were asleep."