Forgotten Memories

Chapter 16

"Did you sleep at all last night",Cole heard Arael ask sadly as she walked into his room. He turned to her and shook his head. Actually he had slept for about an hour but he had another nightmare and couldn't sleep again after that. His nightmares had become less frequent and for a few nights he hadn't had one at all. He had been hoping they had stopped but obviously they hadn't. Luckily, although his nightmares had returned, so had his strength and colour. He no longer looked sickly. Instead he looked like his old self

"Cole, you need to sleep",she told him softly. He looked away and out the window to avoid her sad and disappointed eyes. The skies were always blue here unlike in The Depths where it was always hidden behind heavy, dark grey clouds. There was also more plants and they were much greener than in his Kingdom. He actually found it quite beautiful and longed for days where he could stand in the sun and feel it's comforting heat whilst he walked amongst the flowers and trees they had.

"Come on, we're going to get some breakfast in you then we're going to go fly. You haven't been out to fly in so long that your wings probably don't even work anymore by now",she said before walking out of the room and to the kitchen.

He sat on a chair by the table and watched her move gracefully around the kitchen. She was even more beautiful than he remembered and he was quite upset that she thought she wasn't good enough for him, if anything he wasn't good enough for her. Her long blonde hair swayed as the moved around the room, her milky skin looked so soft he imagined touching her would feel like touching a cloud. Her bright blue eyes sparkled at him as she grinned at him several times. He smiled slightly when she placed a cup of coffee in front of him before turning back to the food. He slowly drank the coffee, curious as to what she was making, so he stood up and walked over to where she stood with her back to him. He grinned and grabbed her waist making her scream as he picked her up and put her down behind him as he took the knife and took over.

"Cole, just what do you think you're doing?",she asked, frustration and confusion obvious in her voice even though he knew she was amused by his antics. He didn't answer her though and pointed to the table without even turning around, implying she sit down. Hearing her huff, his grin turned into a smirk as she stomp over to the table. She was cutting up fruit and placing it into bowls and had bacon as well as pancake mix next to a pan. He quickly finished up the food before putting it on plates. Arael thanked him as he placed the food in front of her. They once again ate in silence but she hadn't expected anything more than it. He had been slightly more quiet than before, few words left his mouth as though he was afraid to say something wrong. Cole finished his food quickly. He was back to normal quickly because Arael was around.

"Go change and we'll go fly for a bit",Arael told him as she started clearing the table. He ignored her command though and started helping her to wash the dishes and put the stuff away.

"You're so stubborn",she muttered as he finished up and left to get ready.

Cole and Arael had spent most of the day flying after breakfast and Arael hadn't seen Cole look so happy in about a year. He still wasn't speaking much but she knew from the light in his eyes and smile on his face that he was happy. Even if it was a small amount of progress, she was glad it was there.

After they had had dinner Cole and Arael stayed to help the staff clear up before they both headed to their rooms after saying goodnight to their parents. Arael had gone off to hug all of them but Cole just stood back and nodded to them all silently. He was never much of a hugger. She shook her head and frowned at him for his hostility as they made their way up the stairs. He opened his mouth to say goodnight to her but she had closed her door before he could. Looking down he closed his mouth and made his way to his to room where he quickly showered and got changed.

The weather had been getting colder as they moved into March and autumn came along. The leaves had started turning orange and red giving everything a warm look when in actual fact it was quite cold. He always found that quite ironic.

Cole climbed into his bed and pulled the duvet up to his chin as he tried to get comfortable but he just couldn't. He gave up just as he heard a knock at the door and it slowly opened. Arael peeped her head into the room and looked around before her eyes landed on him. Their eyes met and she smiled sheepishly as she slipped into his room and closed the door. He watched curiously as she slowly shuffled her way over to him in her long pajama pants and strap top. She opened the covers and crawled under them as he looked at her with a dumbfounded expression. He wouldn't have thought she would get into his bed with him.

"I wanted to ask you something but I forgot. Please tell me though that you at least got some sleep so far tonight",she said as she turned to face him. He shook his head, still confused as to why she was in bed with him.

"Was it nightmares again?",she asked quieter than before as she looked away from him. He shook his head once more but realised she couldn't see him if she wasn't looking at him.

"No",he whispered. Her head snapped up and she looked at him with happiness in her eyes before it turned to sympathy and sorrow.

"Well go to sleep now, but I want you to tell me about what is bothering you in the morning",she told him before moving closer and curling into his side. He turned to face her and pulled her closer into his body as he closed his eyes, allowing himself to take in her scent to assure himself she was there and he wasn't imagining her.

"Goodnight, Cole",she said softly. He smiled to himself and sighed in contempt.

"Goodnight, little bird",he whispered before falling into a deep dreamless sleep.