2 January 2013
She was dressed in a nightgown, sheer white cotton with pink and gold patterns woven into it. It was hot when she wore it to bed, but the castle was often cold. The fires lit in various rooms never made enough heat to reach her bedroom in - rather annoyingly - the top of the tallest tower.
Faye padded towards the guest's bedroom, the nightmare still fresh in her mind. Her breathing sped up involuntarily as she remembered the amount of blood that had been spilt behind her eyelids that night. She suppressed a shudder as she walked through the silent castle, the servants were in their quarters and the men of the houses that had gathered for the feast were all making merry down in the great hall. All except one.
There was a whine, almost a soft growl, from near her feet. His dog lay outside the door to his chambers. Of course, she was his guard dog. Valentine was a beautiful dog, brindle and black all over. Her brown eyes melted when she saw who it was that approached. Her tail started thumping against the cold stone floor and she sat down, waiting for her praise.
"Good girl, Valentine." Faye whispered to the dog, getting down on her knees and scratching the bitch behind her floppy ears. Valentine would have purred if she could, instead she gave a warm little yip at the girl.
"Come on then," the girl smiled, standing up and pushing the heavy oak door that the dog guarded open a fraction. The dog sped through the gap and waited patiently as the girl squeezed through. The dog stayed close to Faye's feet, skittering to the side whenever Faye was too close to her.
The darkness of the tunnel that lead to this room was velvety and smooth. It caressed Faye's senses as she walked through it, the path worn into her mind by hundreds of passages into this room. Even when he wasn't here, she would come down to this room and sit, absorbing his scent and the aura of the stone room.
Valentine barked into the darkness, a squeaky little sound that echoed back to them. Faye knelt next to the dog and stroked her soft fur. "Shh Val." Faye whispered into the dog's ear. She tugged the dog's jowls playfully, letting Valentine nip at her fingers.
Faye stood up and walked the final few feet to the door that lead to his room. She rested one hand on the worn wood and pushed gently. The hinges had been oiled recently, as they always where when he came to stay. Despite this room being on a lower level than the dungeons, there was a fire in the hearth of his room. The embers lit the room gently, subtly illuminating the bags and chests that he had brought down here.
"In, Valentine." Faye nodded. The dog scampered in and sat herself in front of the fire, warming her glossy fur by the dying embers. Faye shut the door gently behind her and walked to the hearth, she picked up a log of wood thicker than her thigh and dumped it on the fire, letting the embers crackle as the log shifted. The log caught fire rather unceremoniously. Faye moved closer and let the heat seep into her bones.
Once she could feel her face again, she stood up and left the dog curled in front of the flames. She walked towards the bed at the other end of the room, it was still warm over here. She peered into the mess of covers, hair and limbs that was spread over the bed.
His face was markedly handsome, rough and weather worn for a man of nearly twenty. He was larger than she remembered, more muscled and defined. His chest rose and fell slowly, carefully almost. His lips were parted and he made a faint wheezing sound as he breathed. His hands were both relaxed, no sign of discomfort in his dreams, his face was angelic and calm. She sighed, Nicolas was safe here.
Faye sat on the floor next to his bed, determined not to disturb his sleep. She thought back to the last time she'd seen him. He had been leaving with his father, Lord of the house of Cairon. They had been heading north, toward the wars. That had been nearly eighteen months ago; a lifetime ago. She had been a child of the court then, known nothing but the lessons she had been taught in her classroom. Since then she had grown up into - her mother insisted - a young lady.
He had been dashing even then. Eighteen and off to fight in a war, his hair down to his shoulders and glinting gold in the sunlight. His coal black stallion had been tossing its head too and fro, stamping and snorting, until he had raised his hand to its flank and the beast had calmed. He had a way with animals, she knew that better than anyone. He smiled at her as they rode away, his eyes bluer than the sky.
"Faye? Faye, wake up."
Faye pulled herself from her sleep. She hadn't been aware of falling asleep, she seemed to have slipped from her memories into slumber without question. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, blinking the dreams away.
"Faye." Nicolas repeated, kneeling beside her. His shockingly blue eyes held her gaze, a cheeky grin darted over his mouth. "Why are you here?"
"I had-" Faye stopped herself. It sounded too childish to say out loud.
"You had?"
"A nightmare." Faye admitted, casting her eyes down to her lap. Soft warm fingers caught her chin and forced her head up gently, Nicolas smiled at her and looked into her eyes.
"Wake me up next time you have a nightmare, okay?"
Faye nodded, a bubble of joy filling her. He was exactly as she remembered him, despite the physical differences. His kindness and understanding had not changed a bit. "I will."
"Good." He ruffled her hair and got to his feet. Nicolas held out a hand and hauled Faye to her feet. "Race you to breakfast."
Wake Me Up • Opuss № I