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21. A Shadow in the Night

21

A Shadow in the Night

Sileas rouses from her sleep. She hasn’t felt this replenished in the longest time, despite the fever in her veins. She recognizes it without needing another person’s hand or a thermometer. She has been sick on her own enough times to know, and she passed out enough times to know how far she has come this time.

“I’m glad you’re awake”

She would have jumped at the voice, if she had the energy. She moves her gaze to the form she just noticed beside her. She gasps. “Your highness, I didn’t see—”

“It’s okay” she smiles, the kindest she has seen in since ever. She was knitting something that spilled over to the bed, and over her form. “I’m glad you woke up, Lotir and I were getting worried that you wouldn’t”

She looks away, ashamed, while rubbing her forehead. “How long have I been asleep this time?”

“Four days and you kept crying in your sleep. We didn’t want to leave you” Rogan smiles at her, brushing hair away from her face as she smiles even wider this time. “We’re scared of letting you sleep now. You might sleep longer this time.”

“Oh” Sileas blush burned through her cheekbones. She wanted the earth to swallow her whole and not leave a single limb. “I’m… sorry"

“Hmm, you can apologize or you actually listen to our advice and rest.”

Despite the fever in her veins, she can’t stop the urge. “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

Rogan sighs, no hint of disappointment in her face. Just warmth and kindness. A benevolent mother and queen. “Then you gave us no choice.”

Sileas stares, waiting.

“I’m going to annoy you for a while” She smiles, teasingly.

“You mean…”

“Yes, I’m going to follow you around as you work. I need the exercise anyway; the doctors fear my muscles would atrophy” Rogan stands as if to make a point. Stretching her muscles under the burned skin, the part of herself that she always covered even in public but was now in full view. Without a shroud to cover it. “That would be our deal.”

Sileas is convinced. She saw the part that Rogan gave to his son as she threatens her. Saw the slyness in Rogan’s eyes even if it was just an innocent teasing. Rogan is truly Eitr’s mother. Still the day to his night, but she could be a tease.

SIleas tries to smile, but it ends with a sad one filled with worry. Rogan knew she got her.

Eitr arrived three days ago. He wasn’t allowed to see her or even visit her. Even when she woke up, and forced to rest, he stayed in a well-protected wing. One that she recognized was filled with soldiers.

A wing of the palace that she can see from her terrace window, where a tower is the most prominent part of the wing. A tall lone tower that straddles a hill. It’s the farthest part of the palace grounds. It was confusing when she first learned about it. how come a palace is still called a wing, when its not even connected to the main palace anymore? Then Feina told her the story of the lone tower.

It's the tower where Eitr’s grandmother was imprisoned. His grandfather at the time was mad, and brought many women to his bed despite having a fated mate. he went against nature and married other women. To make sure his own fated mate won’t escape him, he imprisoned his mate in the same tower along with his children.

Then he died. The queen he married took the throne with her own children and sold Eitr’s father to slavery in another country. His other siblings were married off into horrible husbands, and the remaining brother was sold as a pleasure slave. There was so much blood in Royal blood. Just like Amertine.

Sileas can’t help but watch the tower. Even the distance that separates the palace, it stands ominously and overwhelmingly over everyone. Her wine swirls around her glass. She was allotted one glass by her doctor to relax her nerves.

Feina poured her one glass before leaving her for the night.

House arrest really doesn’t suit her. She never drank on her own before and now she’s forced to do so. Her nerves are jittery because of the lack of work. She wanted to argue and scream at everyone around her that pushed her to rest that she needed to work. She has to work.

Time was fickle and she didn’t have a lot of it.

She sits on the couch, taking tentative sips from her glass of wine.

A rush of wind pushes the terrace doors open. She jumps in surprise and spills her wine on her robe. She gasps at the cold liquid. She places the glass on the table and took off her robe. Bearing her skin to the soft light of the candles and moonlight.

The shadow watches. It stares at her from head to toe and for a moment it wonders why she hasn’t noticed its presence, and now she’s bearing her skin in front of it, a prey with no sense of danger. Easy to kill. Easy to forget.

“You really should pay attention.”

Sileas jumps in fright. Her hands wrap around her body in instinct, as she is only in her skimpy nightgown. “Your highness!”

He smiles, one that looks so much like the Queen’s that she can’t help but soften. “I was expecting a welcome party of my little loyal wife, but there I was, looking for a wife, but I got a little naughty vixen who worked herself to the bone and got sick for two weeks. No party and no wife.”

Sileas drops her hands. A sudden chill reaches her veins, “Forgive me, your highness”

“Eitr” he corrects. “It doesn’t suit you to call me that and its getting on my nerves”

Somehow his voice sent warmth all over her chest. A strange sensation that warred with the numbness in her veins. “E-Eitr” she tries his name.

He nods. “Good, now take a seat” he closes the terrace window and even draws the curtains. “We both need to talk about something, my dear dear Sileas” she noticed the stack of papers in his hand, seemingly pulled out of nowhere. “You’re a very brave wife, indeed.”

She sits and prays.

Gods please let this turn out the way I want to

But gods sleep often too.

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