Sweet Nightmares

Fear would be an understatement to what these nightmares instilled in her each time she relived them. Each moment felt so immensely real whenever she closed her eyes, as if that moment that had occurred in her life yet again.

Even after so long, she still never got used to reliving that particular moment every time she drifted into her consciousness, making her dread the thought of falling asleep. The painful throbs of that gash across her stomach all the way to the that strange sensation she felt in her heart when he had called out her name.

Everything seemed so real, not once did it feel like it was a dream. Finally, she opened her eyes, finding herself staring straight into a dark abyss of a room.

"Well, wasn't that delightful." She muttered sarcastically under her breath.

A subtle yet adamant migraine began provoking her after the wonderful experience, causing her to frown in disdain. Her hands unconsciously trembled as she reached for her temples, gently massaging them. The loud throbbing of her heartbeats did very little to ease her mild pain.

Instead, it did the opposite.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she leaned back against the leather plush of her chair, her eyes wandering aimlessly through the room, allowing them to adjust to the dark.

She was in her study, her desk messily adorned with countless stacks of paperwork she was attempting to catch up with since the day before. At the corner stood a candle stand, with only its waxy remnants left in place of the once brand-new candle.

Not an ounce of light shined through the room despite having incredibly large windows. Something was blocking them; but it wasn't the curtains that were to blame.

They were shadows... living ones.

"Kaiden must've sent you here." Her voice low and haggard.

Her statement received no answers.

"... Of course, he did." She concluded her own speculations, followed by a slight nod. "I have such a meddler of a brother."

Her gaze never left the creatures as it slowly began to stir, revealing their true forms that hid amongst their own shadows. She could see the beast clearly despite being perfectly camouflaged, its movement slow and calculated... almost like a serpent.

"Nox." She finally called out.

Instantly they reacted to her voice, leaving the warmth of the windows and surrounding the desk instead, with its translucent, cloud-like body, devoid of any true matter. Without saying a word, it simply stared at her, its supernaturally white eyes being the only part in its whole body that seemed real.

"... You have awakened, Lady Zeya." It spoke in a distorted and androgynous voice, devoid of any warmth nor emotion.

"Quite unfortunate but, yes." She deadpanned, rubbing her tired eyes to get used to the immensely bright sunlight that erupted from the windows as the creature moved away. "Yes, I am awake."

"You smell horrible." She complained, waving her arms in front of her nose as an attempt to diffuse the horrid stench. "Seems like you had a wonderful time doing whatever you wished while I was asleep."

"You were asleep for almost a whole day." It said, twirling around Zeya, casting a dark, translucent cloud around the desk. "We had nothing better to do without you, My Lady."

"Did Kaiden teach you how to say such flattering words?" She scoffed at the massive entity. "Maybe it would've worked better if you had put a bit of emotion into your tone."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, disrupting the eerie stillness of the study.

"Come in." She called out, her attention now at the door instead of the shadow creature. More rays of sunlight spilled into the room as the door opened, revealing the stranger in question.

"You're finally awake, My Lady." The petite woman greeted warmly at the door before she walked up to the desk, placing a warm cup of tea and a tray of freshly baked pastries on its wooden surface.

"Good to see you too, Claire." Zeya quickly flashed a small smile at the sight of a familiar face.

"It's already noon." Zeya stated as she realized the time, her gaze fixated on the steam that materialized from the hot liquid. "I did assume that I was asleep for some time however... I did not expect it to be that long."

"I would say this was the longest I've ever seen you asleep, My Lady." The maid said proudly as she watched Zeya pick up a tart to eat. "I suppose the medication this time is working better than the previous ones."

As much as Zeya wished to correct her naïve maid's thoughts, she finally decided against it when she visualize how Claire would've reacted if she had said anything. The last thing Zeya needed right now was to explain why the events of her already dead and buried past was still causing her so much torment even after such a long time.

'I'm sure it'll pass sooner or later.' Zeya hollowly assured herself, absent-mindedly taking the second and final bite of the painfully delicious tart.

"... Slightly better would be more appropriate." Zeya said instead, picking up the document she had left off with her other hand. "However, I should still plan on visiting Margaret one of these days to show my utmost gratitude. It is thanks to her that I still have some sanity in me."

She then proceeded to take a sip of the tea when she noticed an envelope placed next to the saucer. Sealed with what looked like to be her family crest on top the dried black wax.

"Is this for me?" She asked, placing the cup back down to grab it. Zeya looked at the maid as she swiftly turned around, her attention now on her right hand.

"Oh, yes! How could I forget?" She shook her head with a giggle. "It is from Young Master Kaiden. He dropped it of for you a few hours ago."

"Kaiden? He's here?" Zeya stood up abruptly but was stopped by Claire motioning her to sit back down.

"He was here, My Lady however, he left as soon as he could give me the letter, with instructions to hand it to you personally as soon as you were awake."

Her honest gaze instantly went to the corner behind Zeya where there was a pile of unopened letters. All of them written and sent by Kaiden.

"He seemed incredibly busy too, why, he couldn't even stay for some tea."

"I see... how odd." She furrowed her eyebrows. "Thank you for telling me, Claire. You may leave."

She bowed one final time before her departure, leaving Zeya and Nox alone in the room once more. Her attention now shifted to the letter Kai had left her, asking herself if she should open it or add it as a new addition into the pile behind her.

After some more thought, Zeya finally broke the sealed wax, removing the letter from the elegant maroon envelope. Blotches of fresh ink-stained Zeya's fingertips black when she unfolded the letter, revealing its contents.

'Just how rushed was he when he wrote this?' She wondered, staring at the blotched mess of a letter.

Zeya's confusion became more prominent when she didn't recognize the handwriting as her brother's. Unlike the usual neat writing and perfect grammar, this one was messy and incredibly cursive, with spelling mistakes found in almost every sentence. All of those aspects made the letter almost illegible but somehow, she still managed to decipher most of it.

"How strange." She muttered, deep in thought after reading the puzzling letter. "Should I be worried about you as well, Kaiden?"

There was a knock on the door again, this time it opened abruptly without waiting for Zeya's approval.

"What's wrong, Claire?" Zeya asked as soon as she saw the maid's facial expression. "And why do you look like that?"

"W-we have a guest downstairs, My Lady." She stammered, her eyes full of fear and distress.

"Well, who might this guest be that made you run all the way back here terrified?" She tilted her head in curiosity, her gaze fixed on the darting eyes of the petite maid.

"I-I don't know, My Lady." She stammered, clearly rattled by the sight of this so-called, guest. "But he is not an enemy for sure."

"Just how sure are you of this fact Claire?" Zeya asked while she calmly picked up her most prized weaponry, the sai. "You claim they are guests and yet here you are, trembling while you look as pale as a ghost."

"I-I was just surprised by their sudden appearance that's all." She sighed, tired by her master's hostility despite having to dealt with it for almost a century now. "But I know for certain that he is an ally. He was wearing the royal emblem on his arm."

"... What?" Zeya frowned, her composure completely disappearing at the shocking information. "Why would Father's men be here of all places-"

Zeya trailed off her words when she recalled her brother's letters, realizing that something was not right.

"Nox, please go clean yourself up." She finally spoke, this time in a much calmer manner which surprised both Claire and the foul-smelling monster. "I don't think this guest would appreciate you greeting him smelling like a dead corpse."