*Daphne*
I woke up with a start. I blinked hard into the darkness, realizing that it was still the middle of the night. I rolled over. There was no sign of light at all. Perhaps I had been asleep for even less ti than I’d realized.
I waited for my eyes to adjust to the dark. When I could finally make out Rion’s facial features as he slept, I realized that he looked extrely restless. His eyebrows were furrowed, and his jaw was tight as he slept. He was almost completely still except for the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Even though he was asleep, Rion’s breathing seed almost labored as well.
What could he be dreaming about?
I smoothed so thick wavy dark hair away from his forehead, running my thumb over the little wrinkle between his eyebrows, hoping to make it disappear. It was no use. My touch almost seed to make him even more rigid as he slept.
I pressed my palm to his cheek and just as I was debating whether to wake him up from what was obviously a nightmare, I heard a scream. It was so faint that it sounded like it was coming from far away. I pulled my hand away from Rion’s face, realizing that I had heard sothing from inside of his dream.
My hesitation was brief. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to know what this dream was about. It was clearly far from pleasant, but if I did tap into it, maybe I could help Rion figure out what he couldn’t rember about his birth mother.
I took a deep breath and smoothed Rion’s hair away from his forehead one more ti before reaching down to grasp his hand tightly in mine, preparing for what I knew could only be an emotional rollercoaster.
I shut my eyes and for what felt like an eternity, there was just darkness and crying. The cries almost sounded like so kind of bird at first, but then I realized that they were the sobs of children. I felt desperation well up inside of as I looked around, trying to find the kids who were obviously suffering a great deal.
I had a sinking feeling that I already knew who they were.
Seemingly on cue, a young Rion and a young Eva appeared in front of . They were very small. Rion looked like he was no older than five, which ant Eva was even younger than that. They were dressed in rags and had scrapes and cuts all over their bodies.
Rion was clutching Eva close to him, seeming to be trying to shield her with his small arms. He was glaring up at sothing, his huge eyes filled with tears but the stubborn expression I had co to love so much was set across his round face.
Eva was sobbing. Her hair was much thinner than it would be in her adulthood. The dark strands were wispy as they tickled her scraped-up cheeks. She was clutching onto Rion tightly, her small fingers digging into his arm.
I wanted to reach out and scoop the two children up in my arms. I felt my blood freeze when a familiar, dark chuckle t my ears. I whirled around and was face to face with Varge.
He obviously couldn’t see . He seed to be staring straight through . I couldn’t do anything to stop what was going to happen in this mory. I was completely helpless as he started toward my future husband and his baby sister.
“No!” I tried to scream but there was no sound, only an echo inside of my head as I watched in horror as the man descended on the helpless children.
I looked away, trying to remind myself over and over that this was a dream, but my senses were completely overwheld by Rion’s childlike cries as he ordered Varge to stay back in a shaking voice.
The horrid sound of flesh hitting flesh was unmistakable. Little Eva scread and Rion continued to fight, but he couldn’t for long. It was obvious that he was being overpowered, and I hated that there was nothing I could do about it.
‘It’s just a dream,’ I tried to chant in my head over and over.
“Willem, stop it!”
I looked up in ti to see a beautiful woman with long dark hair and a kind face. Her large gray eyes were wide with anger and fear as well. She scooped Eva up in her arms and grabbed Rion’s hand, pulling him along.
“Don’t you dare leave!” Varge bellowed. “You’ll regret it if you do.”
Rion and Eva’s mother didn’t look back, running through the darkness with her babies clutched tightly to her. Rion’s little feet moved quickly. He was easily able to keep up with his mother’s longer strides.
If I had been able to jump inside of the dream, I would have when I heard an ear-splitting roar. I knew what was happening even before I turned back to look at Varge, who had transford into the terrifying beast that Rion had told about.
Varge’s beast form was huge and ugly, with rough scales and curled claws. His dark eyes almost looked soulless as he tore across the darkness and snatched up Rion’s mother, leaving the two children on the cold ground.
This ti, I couldn’t look away as Varge started to crush the poor woman in his claws. She was gasping for air, but her large gray eyes were fixed on the monster with nothing but anger.
“You leave my babies alone!” she gasped out, struggling violently. She turned and looked down at Rion and Eva, who were staring up at her in horror and screaming for her. “Rion, take your sister and go! I love you both.”
“No!” Rion scread.
He was crying, but it was clear that he knew he had to listen to her. With great difficulty, he turned and grabbed Eva and dragged her away, springing into the darkness.
I was grateful that their mother had sent Rion and Eva away when she did. Varge was cruel as he killed her, digging his sharp claws into her soft body as she scread.
I wanted to yell and cry as well when Varge dropped the woman’s lifeless body and she fell into a heap on the ground.
A cacophony of deep voices suddenly filled the darkness and Lycaon mbers started to surround Varge, dropping to their knees and bowing low in front of the beast.
“Long live the dark lord!”
They started to chant over and over in low, almost monotone voices.
My eyes snapped open, and I gasped as I sat up. My hands were shaking as I lifted them to my face.
A thin, hazy ray of light ca in through the part in our curtains, signaling that it was nearly dawn. I looked down at Rion, who was starting to stir. His dark gray eyes were partially lidded as he turned his head to look up at . When our gazes t, he smiled softly.
“Hey,” he murmured.
“Hey,” I said back, my voice shaking slightly. I swallowed thickly.
Rion noticed imdiately and sat up quickly. “Daphne? What is it, what’s wrong?” He took my shaking hand and peered into my face. “You’re so pale. Did you have a bad dream or sothing?”
If my stomach hadn’t been turning with nerves, I would have laughed. I ignored his question and asked one of my own. “Um, how did you sleep?”
He pursed his lips, confused by my question. “I slept fine. Why?”
I could tell by the odd look he was giving that he wasn’t lying. “Do you really not rember your dream?” I asked in a low, cautious voice.
Rion furrowed his eyebrows. “I don’t think I dreamt last night,” he said. “Although I guess if I did, I just don’t rember it.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, once again conflicted as to how I should proceed. I knew I couldn’t keep this from him, no matter how much I wished I didn’t have to remind him of such painful and horrific things from his past. I moved so that I could face him better. “You definitely did dream last night. I saw everything.”
Rion’s hands tightened on mine, his expression grave. “What did you see?”
I felt tears start to fill my eyes. I bit my lip and looked down at the quilt. “You,” I murmured softly. “And Eva. You were both just little kids and Varge—”
“Varge?” Rion asked. I could hear the tension in his voice, but he stroked my cheek gently with the back of his fingers, seeing how difficult this was for .
It made want to laugh without humor. He was the one who had suffered through such a traumatic childhood, and he was the one comforting .
I swallowed hard. “He was hurting you,” I said, my voice cracking as tears started to trickle down my cheeks. “You and Eva both. How could he do that? You were just babies!”
“Shh, it’s alright now,” Rion said but I could see a haunted look starting to grow in his eyes. He reached out and grabbed so he could wrap his arms around anyway. “Hush. I’m not hurting anymore, Daphne. He can’t hurt anymore.”
“He... he didn’t just hurt you and Eva,” I said, trying and failing to make my voice strong.
Rion waited, his gray eyes intense as he watched carefully.
“Varge killed your mother,” I said, choking a bit toward the end. “She was able to hold him off while you and Eva escaped. She saved you, and he killed her once you were gone.”
Rion cursed, his gray eyes wide and blazing with rage and unbridled hatred. He dropped my hands and balled his own into fists as he started to shake. “That bastard is going to pay.”
But his face imdiately softened again when he looked at .
I was starting to cry even harder as Rion once again pulled against his chest, rocking back and forth and murmuring soothingly to . “It’s okay now,” he repeated over and over.
He said that, but how could I believe that now that I knew what had happened to him and Eva? My heart felt as if it was literally breaking for them.
Varge was going to pay. I would make sure of it as well.
It took several more minutes to get a handle on myself. “The Lycaon mbers were in your dream too,” I added as if everything I’d said previously wasn’t horrid enough. “They were bowing to him and calling him the Dark Lord. I can’t help but feel as if Varge has been planning sothing hugely catastrophic for a very long ti now.”
Rion stiffened as he digested this, his gray eyes flashing angrily.
“He’s obviously extrely powerful,” I continued, my voice still trembling. “Even though the battle you and Eva fought against him was hard, it still seems strange to that you were able to get away.”
Rion didn’t answer, and I could tell that he followed that logic as well and it was clear that he didn’t like it. “If Varge really is the Dark Lord, what are we going to do?”
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