1. Amberstone | ✓

34. Haunting Nightmares

Iftia: Lyx Palace, Elianna's Bedchamber

• Elianna •

Elianna wasn't sure why she felt an urge to cry when Rowan refused to talk to her. It was as though she was used to having him being all warm to her that she hadn't known that it would be so painful when he treated her so coldly. Looking out of the window, she knew that it was late in the night and she turned in feeling unsettled and worried. Yet, weariness caught up to her and after a few tosses and turn, she drifted into sleep. 

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When she opened her eyes again, she woke up to pitch-black darkness. Unsure whether she had accidentally released her shadows while being asleep, she closed her hands into fists and the darkness dissipated. At the realisation, she saw that she was standing in the middle of a familiar town square. 

She stood in the middle of Floriv, standing in the exact same spot from ten years ago, looking at Jason, Lylia, and Marie. Their bodies were battered, bloodied and tied to the stakes. There was horror in their eyes as they looked at her. 

"Light the fire!" A man shouted and the fire burned with rage right in front of her eyes. She stared at Jason, and he mouthed the word, Go. 

"No, I will not go," Elianna cried. "Not this time." 

She sprang forward, reaching her hand out towards them but an unknown force pulled her back and away from them. A panic rose in her as she struggled, "No, no, no! Please don't pull me away. I need to save them!" 

The force pulled her farther and farther, and all she saw was their smiling faces at her before the fire consumed them entirely. Her hand remained stretched towards them and her tears blurred her vision. No! 

Elianna jolted up to a scream and registered that it was hers when she felt hoarseness in her throat. Burying her face in her hands, she panted laboriously to catch her breath. Since she turned nine, it was always the nightmares of the day of execution that haunted her. If it wasn't that day, she would dream about her mother or the Temple Keepers coming for her blood. 

Vexed by the thought that sleep wasn't going to find her anytime soon, she decided to go for a walk. She got down the bed and grabbed a stole from the hanger, draping it across her shoulder before she left her own room. 

Elianna travelled down the empty hallways, exploring Lyx since she hadn't had the chance to do yet because of her busy schedule in Lyx and the Royal Medical Department. Witnessing everything around her, she couldn't deny that Lyx was truly magnificent. Even when it was minimally furnished, it was adorned with several gold pieces against the dark background. The hallways were empty but the dark marbled ground still glowed with their own shine. 

She couldn't help but compare it to Heather Palace in Thethia. Those empty and dusty hallways looked vastly different from the luxury she was seeing now. Yet, in those hallways, there was always Lylia's steady, graceful footsteps and there was always Jason's gentle voice when he said goodbye to her after a day of training. A sudden hurt pierced through her heart as she thought of how great everything would be if days remained simple and peaceful. 

As she walked through numerous hallways and made an uncountable number of turns, she arrived at a door that looked different from others. The door was intricately designed with many gold pieces. The handles on the door were made with gold and had diamonds embellished on it. She wondered what this room is. 

Pacing around the entrance for a while, Elianna deliberated if she should enter and recalled clearly that no one told her about any restrictions in Lyx. Without a second thought, she pushed on the handles and entered the room. 

The amount of expensive furniture was way more than her assigned bedchamber. This room looked ridiculously marvellous, it had a large waiting area and a few other doors which seemingly led to different rooms. She slowly explored and as she neared another door, a wave of weirdness rippled from within. Magic energy stirred in the air chaotically as though someone within was struggling to control it. She reached her hand out and a faint white light glowed against her palm when the force touched her palm. A strangled groan also sounded from within. 

"Nngh!" 

She recognised the voice almost immediately. She looked around and realised that she might have come into Rowan's bedchamber. Just when she was about to leave, another painful shout sounded. 

She thought about the night when he had a nightmare when they were in Thethia. She stilled in front of the door, understanding that she shouldn't intrude his space but she couldn't seem to leave after knowing that he might be suffering. Sighing, she carefully creaked the door open and entered the room. It was as she expected, inscriptions lit from the ground and surrounded him as he writhed in pain on the large bed. Shadows seeped from her across the ground while she shut him out of the blinding lights and she walked towards him. 

"Please," he pleaded, his fingers clawed into the skin on his chest.

Elianna held him up into her embrace, wondering what it was that tormented him frequently at night. Humming the lullaby she learned from Lylia, she surrounded them with her shadows and a soft amber glow of warmth. The frown disappeared from his face and she tangled her fingers within his soft dark hair before lowering her head to plant a kiss in his hair. Her heart tingled when his breathing became steady in her hold, and a gentle smile formed on his lips. In her heart, she wished. Please sleep well, Rowan.  

These days, she thought about her feelings towards Rowan and when he ignored her today, she felt devastated. Not quite sure when he had held a place in her heart that she became awfully aware of the words he spoke and the things he did as she held onto every word and actions so meaningfully that they affected her deeply. 

She placed her hands on each side of his face as she leaned close to him and they lay close to each other, relying on each other's warmth to keep those nightmares from haunting them for the rest of the night. 

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• Rowan •

When he peeled open his eyes, he saw Elianna cuddling his head to her chest as she slept soundly in his bed. Blinking a few times to check if he was dreaming, but each blink only made the feeling more real. He raised his hand to hold onto her small waist and she moved slightly towards his hold.

A grin lifted from the tips of his lips and his head tilted slightly to look at her sleeping face. She mumbled softly in her sleep, seemingly wanting to say something but her words came out incomprehensibly. He gave a soft chuckle before burying his head into her chest once again. He got close enough for him to listen to her pulsing heartbeats. Closing his eyes, her scent of cotton and soap wafted through his nose and puts him at great ease. He lay there, savouring this moment of forever, hoping that time will not move past this instance. 

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