Surviving

Chapter 39: The Boy Who Did All That He Could

Aemond

Aemond was woken with Naerys slightly stirring against his chest, but what snapped his eye open instantly was the sound of a faint whimper coming from her.

He glanced down, seeing her face buried against his chest with tears sliding down her cheeks. The arm wrapped around her tightened as he shifted slightly to cup her cheek, forcing her face to look up at him, but she wouldn't wake.

Her cries started to grow with small whines slipping from her lips. Her skin was burning up as sweat started to form along her body. She tensed in his arms, sucking in a harsh breath as she started to babble under her cracked breath.

"Naer? Naer, what's wrong? What is it?" He whispered urgently with his hand shaking her head just slightly in its hold, but she still never woke. He leaned in close towards her lips trying to figure out what she was trying to say.

"Aem....Aem...Aem..." It was the only word that fell from her lips. Over and over, almost like she was pleading for him.

His head pulled back and he roughly grabbed her shoulder, shaking her a little harder to try and wake her, but still nothing. Her eyes remained shut, lips continuing to call for him in hushed pleas. His hand slid into her hair, supporting the nape of her neck while his thumb brushed against her jaw. "Zaldrītsos?"

Her eyes flew wide open, completely bloodshot with terror swimming in them with a harsh breath sucked in through her parted lips. Her hands flew to his chest, almost as if she would fall from his hold.

He could see her eyes searching all over the place, almost as if she didn't know where she was. He wondered if their return frightened her more than she let on. He remembered the way she looked at him with knowing, regretful eyes when he had to tell her it was time to return, but all she did was settle against his chest with his arms wrapped around her. But she never once fought him on it.

Her line of sight started to settle over to his sapphire, blinking rapidly before shifting abruptly over to his eye as she cried in a scratchy voice. "Aem..."

Her arms flew around his neck, pulling him closer to her as she buried her face into his neck. Her breathing was out of control and her whole body trembled in his hold as she whispered the same words over and over. "You're here, you're here."

But it sounded like she had to convince herself of that. He didn't know what she saw in her nightmare, but what he did know was that he was who she called for safety, for protection. He was who she called for.

He kissed along her temple, then trailed his lips along her cheek as his hands ran up and down her back to calm her down. He could feel her body settling against touch with her breathing starting to calm down as he whispered between kisses. "Shh...I'm right here...I won't leave you, zaldrītsos, I won't leave you."

Merely faint tremors remained as she started to slowly settle down with one of her hands slipping from her hold around his neck and down to his chest. One of his hands pulled away from her back to take her hand, pulling her knuckles to his lips.

"None of it was real." He spoke softly, kissing from each knuckle slowly. "Ziry istan sepār nykeā quba edrurys, zaldrītsos." (It was just a bad dream, little dragon)

Her head tilted back slightly, letting him see her lips parted with soft breaths slowly leaving her. He gazed down at her with a soft smile when she'd finally started to drift back to sleep peacefully.

"Nyke jāhor va moriot lua ao ȳgha." (I will always keep you safe) He whispered as his head dipped down with his lips just barely brushing against hers when he heard three words whispered softly by her.