Dralan [On Hold]

Forty-Six

Leyla

Awaking next morning to a gentle hand touching her cheek, her eyes fluttered open and she looked up, sleepily.

"My dahna," Her Dralan's voice murmured beautifully in her ear. She couldn't help but hum and smile as he brushed a golden curl away from her face and brushed her cheek with his thumb again. "There's a letter for you."

The words took a moment to register in her tired mind, but once they did, she blinked and abruptly sat up. "A letter?"

The Dralan stood fully dressed besides the bed, wearing a red jacket and black breeches. He must've gotten up before her. As she sat up, he took a seat on the edge of the bed and pulled an envelope out from his breast pocket. Scribbled onto the crisp parchment was her name. She didn't recognize the handwriting.

Who on earth would write her? All her relatives were gone, perished. She had never had the likes of friends as she had always been moving from city to city in fear of being caught by a mihr hunter. Her only friend was Bhria, but she lived here in the castle. She couldn't think of any person who would write her or even know how to find her!

Perhaps reading the quiver of shock on her face, the Dralan took her palm and lifted it to his lips. Kissing the top, he put the letter in her hand. "Since we left Amascahr, I have been keeping in touch with Lord Amasgohn to make sure they remained safe and protected. During our correspondence, I asked about the Lady Kahtrina and her recovery."

Leyla's heart froze up. "Oh." Of course she hadn't forgotten about the tragedy. At the mention of her name, her gut fell heavy. "How... how is she?"

"You can read her letter and find out yourself."

Her eyes widened. The Lady Kahtrina had written to her?!

Before Leyla could snatch the letter open, the Dralan pulled it back. Confused, she frowned up at him and saw him press his lips tightly together. "What is it?"

The Dralan took a moment before he replied. "You never got a chance to see her before we left."

"I know," She answered. "They wouldn't let me."

"They were acting on my orders. I didn't want you to see... what had been done to her."

An uncomfortable ache stretched inside her heart. Leyla had to swallow a lump before she hesitantly asked the question she had long feared the answer to. "What happened to her?"

The Dralan shook his head and clenched his teeth. She suddenly smelt anger wafting from him in thick waves. "I won't ever tell you the specifics, dahna, but take my word when I say it was bad."

When his body began shaking with fury, Leyla automatically reached out and touched his arm. She rubbed him soothingly, taking his pain. He eased under her touch and let out a calm breath.

"This letter is not written by her personally," He finally said and held the letter out to her. "It was written by one of her Kischmirs who has been helping her recover. Due to her injuries, she's not... able to hold a quill," His body tensed up ever so slightly again and he bit his teeth together. "Or talk. As I understand it from Amasgohn, she is only capable of pointing to letters on a piece of parchment. The Kischmir wrote this letter for her from that. The letters may not be hers, but the words are. They are for just you, Leyla."

Unsure of how to feel after his confession, Leyla shakily took the letter. She looked up at her Dralan for a long moment, watching him give her a reassuring nod, before she looked down again and slowly pried the letter open. She tore through the seal and gulped as she unfolded the note.