What Blooms At Midnight

Eleven

Throughout the night I had been transfixed by the beautiful young man in my lap, my heart having been so easily stolen by him without any effort on his part, the sound of his slow steady breathing guiding my own as I kept a silent vigil to ensure that he did not become uncomfortable again in the night. 

Sitting with him curled up in my lap resting so easily had touched my soul so much that I hardly noticed when the sun began to creep back up into the sky, the footman responsible for waking and dressing me every morning startling me with his brisk knock, the maid who lights the fireplaces scampering in behind him after wheeling in the tea service I had requested be brought to me upon our wake up call to ensure the room's warmth. 

I almost have to laugh at the surprise I see on their faces when they spy my Beloved cradled so closely to me, the sight of someone in my bed just as foreign to them as it is to me... They say nothing on the matter though, just smile and nod to me as they should as they flutter about the inner chamber of my rooms to help me start the day, my footman's only request being, "Shall I ready clothes for your guest as well, Your Highness?"

His question brings with it a stirring from within my lap, my Beloved starting to rub his beautiful face into my chest as he awakens, gentle whimpers falling into my shirt as his discomfort begins to make itself known as his last dose of my blood starts to wear off. 

...

Jasper

...

"Actually, I shall not be needing assistance this morning William... You are dismissed for the morning if you'll hand me a cup of tea before you leave." To hear Prince Edmund upon waking startles me just a touch, but his hold on me does much to settle me back down with an affectionate caress to my cheek, the dream I had had in the night seeming less like a dream the more my mind comes back to me in the brightness of the early morning light.

Waking with his arms around me should be startling... I should be alarmed having been held all through the night by a stranger, even if he did rescue me and had me tended to by his own personal Doctor... But it doesn't. I feel so alarmingly at peace as his thumb begins to gently stroke my cheek, a gentle "Good morning, Darling...Give me just a moment and you'll be more comfortable..."

At first, I do not understand what he means, my mind clouded by the sleepy fog still blanketing my eyes and how much it hurts to breathe with how much my chest aches... But then I feel it, the gentle pressing of something warm against my lips, my eyes finally opening to reveal a cup of tea being held for me in the hand of Prince Edmund as he smiles down at me with kindness in his eyes... And then I realize that he's trying to give me another dose of the medicine that gave me so much relief, the liquid in the delicate cup he's holding to my mouth the same dazzling swirling deep red that catches the light in such a strange way, "Slowly this time, alright? Not all at once."

It's hard to listen to his request, but after the first few sips, I realize that he's right, and I am able to find relief long before I am even halfway through sipping its contents and have no trouble turning away its rim when I feel as though I've had enough. 

...

Edmund

...

My sweet mate seems content to lay in my arms and stare up at me with wonder in his eyes, his cheeks rosey as he takes me in for the first time unclouded by pain or fear... Just true fascination as I bring my palm back up to his cheek and stroke the tender flesh under his eye, his body no longer wanting to pull away from mine like he had yesterday when he had tried to remove himself from my lap out of courtesy. 

"Prince Edmund...L-Last night... It was not a dream... Was it?" It isn't hard to know what he speaks off... When he had woken in my arms after Mother and Carilynn had invited themselves in to get to the bottom of his sudden appearance. 

Yet as I find myself saying, "No, Darling... It was not..." he doesn't shy away from me, only gathers himself closer to me before settling down with his head tucked into the crook of my neck, his hand finding the spot just above my heart where it had rested most of last night before he speaks and thrills me to my very core. 

"C-Can you explain it to me? What I heard? Wh-What does it mean that I am to be your companion if my parents allow it?" His question is an unavoidable one, but one that I am so willing to explain none the less if only to put his mind at ease as he lets me bask in the warmth given off so freely by his body. 

"Companion is another word for a soulmate, Sweet Jasper... The title implies you as a fiancee of sorts, but more special than that... The two of us would be allowed closer than that of a typical engagement... Like sharing rooms and spending intimate time together like we are right now... You would find yourself moved here into the castle so I can more easily care for you... For now, that is all it needs to mean my sweet, and only if you and your family are agreeable to it." He does not panic like I expect him to, instead only nodding into my shoulder and waiting for me to continue, "I know it is sud-"

"I-Is it why I feel drawn to you? Why I feel so safe right now in your arms, Your Highness?"