The Black Death

XIX: Wine

The fire from the candles at the dinner table had gone out hours ago. The hour was late. Seldom for the sounds of guards changing shifts and a few rats running around, the castle was overcome by silence.

Most of the royals were long asleep by now.

Most.

Four empty bottles of wine lay scattered across the floor, some still had some drops left, which now were left for the rodents to enjoy. Visenya reached for the fifth bottle - the last one she got ahold of from the kitchen while the servants were busy cleaning up after dinner.

She examined the bottle closely, swinging it around, up and down, her eyes following the red liquid inside. But her thoughts were elsewhere. Perhaps examining the chaos that took place during dinner or boiling in the anger she felt in the throne room. Anywhere but here, enveloped by the silence of her room.

The window in her room was wide open, letting in the sounds of the restless city into her halls. The night breeze got rid of the comforting warmth. Visenya sat leaning on the end of her bed, looking up at the stars through the window sorrowfully. The night sky always reminded her of Laenor.

The day that her father left her and her brothers forever.

Visenya hated staying awake at night. The dark sky reminded her of the person she'd never see again. It reminded her of the person she was when they parted. How she cried and stayed awake each night, hoping he'd return. How each shadow made her heart jump, hoping it was Laenor. She often silently wondered if he, wherever he was, was looking at the stars the same time she was, if he was thinking about his daughter as much as she was of him.

Either way, the day had been hard; she was not about to sulk through the night as well. Least not alone.

Barefoot, with the wine bottle in hand, she carefully opened the door of her chambers. One of the older guards, perhaps older in age than her own grandsires, was assigned to guard Visenya's doors. She poked her head through the slit in the door to check if he was there. To her luck, the man looked as if he'd been long asleep, peacefully resting his head on the wall.

Visenya stumbled down the hall, her head spinning from the mix of darkness, alcohol, and adrenaline that was hitting her all at once. She squinted her eyes to make sure it was the right door she was about to knock on, since even drunk she realized knocking on the wrong door wearing only a nightgown and holding a bottle of wine could certainly look... Interesting.

"Baela..." she whispered in a sing-songy voice. "Baela, wake up." Visenya closed the door behind her and came closer to Baela's bed to wake her and try to get her to join in on the drinking.

Visenya started grabbing around the bed, her hands the only way to search for her half-sister's face in the dark when suddenly, a significantly bigger yet still familiar hand grabbed Visenya's to stop her from reaching for Baela, making her jump back and hit her head on the closet standing behind her.

Visenya fell down with the wine, spilling some on herself in the process. Two silhouettes got up from the bed and quickly rushed to her side, making Visenya pale in the fear that she stumbled into her parents' room rather than Baela's.

"Seven hells, what are you doing here?!"

"Jace?" Visenya's anxiety turned into excitement. "What are YOU doing here?" She tried to look at him through the darkness in vain, but a moment later, an all-too-bright flame took over the whole room. Baela held out a candle, still too asleep to really understand what was going on. Visenya looked back and forth at Baela and Jacaerys, quickly realizing the situation she had interrupted. She smiled to herself as Jacaerys helped her stand up from the floor.