Dark.
Aladin opened his eyes to darkness. He gulped and turned his head left and right, looking around. Just darkness.
He felt bound again. He whined, tugging forward with his wrists. He was already tied.
To the tree.
A fig tree.
Again. Another nightmare.
"Hello?" Aladin whispered. But he did not understand why it was so dark. Why he could not see the forest.
There was light in the distance.
Aladin squinted. Sunlight. And then it kept coming towards him. It was advancing fast, and he had to turn away his head from the glare.
Flo-Florante?
"You are nothing," Florante whispered. Aladin trashed, breath held.
What?
It has never been him to torture Aladin like this. It has been his father. And twice King Linceo. And sometimes Laura. But never him.
Florante's hand was not soft. When he touched Aladin's cheek it felt old. Bony.
"You are lying," Aladin muttered.
"I never lie." Florante was smirking. Horrible. "I know you like me."
His stomach dropped.
Florante gripped his chin so hard it hurt. He forced him to look into his eyes, and instead of his trademark green they were black. Black like hell between Stars. "It is pathetic. You are pathetic."
Aladin cast his eyes down.
It was true.
"You like me. You love me." Florante was leaning in, and his breath was rancid. Aladin shook his head. "It is pathetic. It is so pathetic."
Aladin knew that.
But this was not Florante.
Florante would never—
"You are nothing."
"I know." Just to make him be quiet.
"You are nothing," Florante said. And he was saying that in the gentle voice.
And Aladin knew it was not true but it hurt him.
It hurt to hear it. From Florante.
Florante.
"You lie," he said. Not Florante, he reminded himself. This was only a dream. He would never.
He would never.
"I do not." And then those bony hands were around his throat. And he was squeezing and Aladin was gagging and he could not break free and—
"Liar," Aladin whispered.
He was thrown into oblivion.
~
"Nightmare?" Florante was already shaking his shoulder. The candle next to them was lit, its soft little flame casting just the perfect shadows. Just in time.
Aladin blinked at him. He was breathing fast, but he was fine. He was fine.
Just a dream.
YOU ARE READING
hiraeth (floradin)
Fanfiction"is that him? is that the boy you love? florante?" "he was the boy i loved." thank you so much to @acemikka for the cover!
