Revolution

Chapter 5: Nightmares and Cures

"Tate!" Althea whispered harshly as she shook him out of his nightmare. His eyes shot open and his arms thrashed around wildly, beads of sweat trickling down his face. For a moment he lay staring at her, his blue eyes wide with the terror of a lingering dream. She shook her head and gently pushed his damp hair out of his eyes.

"This is the third night in a row now." Althea scooped up his frigid body and cradled him, his jagged breath sharp against her neck. He immediately broke out in fitful cries and clung onto her shirt, balling the fabric in his hands.

"My mother-" his words choked painfully in his throat and tears spilled down his face. Althea had always felt regretful whenever she saw Tate cry. Perhaps she could have saved that woman just like she did with Tate. Maybe then he could fall asleep knowing he wasn't going to replay that night over and over in his head. Only, Althea had chosen not to do anything about it. And now the woman was dead.

"Stop crying," she hadn't meant to sound so rude of inconsiderate, but she wasn't planning on having a weep-marathon with Tate. The events from days before had poured over her like a bucket of ice and she realised the true extent of the suffering the kingdom was going through.

Although it was faster than she had imagined, Althea had come to terms with the man she killed. And watching Tate shake with agony only added oil to the flames she felt at the pit of her stomach. She didn't feel the least bad about murdering someone anymore. People like that man disgusted her. He was the reason Tate woke up screaming every night. The reason why he ate so little. The reason why he barely left their room.

No. Althea decided. If there was fault to assign, it was to be directed at the Royals. It was under their command that the soldier had done what he did. It was under their command that her village had been ravaged that night. She felt furious and decided that she definitely wasn't going to let Tate cry over something he couldn't control. "You're wasting your energy, no matter how much you cry, your mother won't come back."

The boy tensed against her shoulder before backing away to look her in the eye and angrily wiping away his tears.

"I could have-"

"What could you have done?" Althea demanded, then immediately softening her voice when he flinched at her angry retort. "If you want to do something to stop the Royals, you'll have to wait until you're strong enough. You can even train with me and papa," she picked up his hand, squeezed it between the two of hers and gave him a small smile, "I'll always protect you, we'll stay together like family."

Even as she said it, she knew her promise sounded weak and almost humorous. War was creeping upon them and papa had told her that 'if one thing is certain, it is that nothing is.' But her words seemed to be enough for Tate and his shoulders visibly relaxed.

"Now go back to sleep and don't wake me up again!" She demanded, releasing his hands and pushing him backwards onto the bed. She climbed in next to him and wrapped the blanket around herself. Minutes went by and besides the occasional adjustments of the blanket, everything was silent, Althea was certain he had fallen asleep. But she was mistaken.

"Um... Thea?" Tate whispered meekly, turning so he couldn't see her face.

"What?" She questioned, turning in his direction and opening one of her eyes so she could see his silhouette in the dark.

"I-" his voice cracked with fear and Althea felt a painful jab in her heart, "I'm afraid to sleep."

With little hesitation, she shuffled closer to him and clumsily rolled him over. Gently, she used her fingers to wipe away his tears and took his hand in hers.

"Don't be afraid, I'll always protect you." She murmured, squeezing his hand tenderly and kissing him on the forehead. It was something papa did whenever she was upset. Tate's eyes drooped and Althea could have sworn he was smiling for the first time in days.

Whether it was a coincident or not, they both slept peacefully that night.

***

Over the course of the next few months, more people came into the hideout, all wearing the same deprived expression. It was clear that they had gone though similar, if not the same events, that she had herself. Chief was always busy sorting out the chaos with leaders of other villagers and almost had no time to train her. Which was why she was glad she had Tate.

Althea felt a sense of protectiveness wash over her every time she looked at Tate. She had continued her training in a sheltered forest at a more rapid pace than before, never slowing down, even when Tate seemed to struggle. But it was ok, she had decided, he was a fast leaner. And besides, he didn't have the fate of the citizens weighing considerably upon his shoulders. She made sure he ate, though he never consumed as much as she did and he patched her up whenever she wounded herself. He had certainly gone back to his playful ways, but sometimes when he let his guard slip, Althea could see the distant look in his eyes. As if he had unanswered questions rusting in his head, begging to be answered.

Recently, Tate had been reunited with his squirrel whom he had named Chip. At first, Althea was against the idea of a pet, knowing that Chief certainly wouldn't allow it, but the longer she spent with it, the more she convinced herself that some rules could be bent. It even got to the point that Tate accused her of stealing Chip's affection for him. To which she simply stuck her tongue and ran away with the squirrel still perched on her shoulder.

Althea smiled as she happily recalled the memory and flipped to the next page of her book. Although she could only go into the forest for several hours a day, she enjoyed the moments when she did. The wind whispering in her hair, the birds singing teaching her the songs of the wild, the way the mosses edged up the tall rooted trees. Everything just felt free. Her peace and quiet was suddenly interrupted by something falling out of a tree and crashing on the ground next to her. Upon instinct, she drew out her sword and pointed it towards the object.

"TATE!" She yelled, unsheathing her sword and giving him an angry slap across the head.

"Ouch..." he laughed, rubbing his head and picked up the book that she had dropped in haste. "You can read?"

Althea huffed in annoyance, immediately snatching the book away from him. "Of course I can read, can't you?" She regretted it the moment the words came out of her mouth. Tate's face fell and he seemed to have a new found interest to whatever was on the forest floor. "Oh," All of a sudden, she felt incredibly ashamed of herself for making him admit his insecurities. Of course he couldn't read. It wasn't allowed in the schooling curriculum. Althea sat back in her original place and opened her book, "well, I suppose I could teach you."

Tate's face lit up immediately, she couldn't help but return his smile. "Really?"

"Of course, now come sit." He rushed next to her and eagerly sat down. "I will sound out the words, and then you sound them out after me."

"Yes ma'am."

"Ma'am," Althea repeated, her face spreading into a wide grin "I quite like that."