The Gifts We Share [A Medieval AU]

Chapter Twenty-Six - Nightmares and Understanding

Mark doesn't want to go back to his room. Being with Seán is so much better than being alone, and his grief fades away when he has someone to talk to. However, the king has work to do, so the two part ways and go back to their own corners of the castle.

Falling asleep that night is nearly impossible. When his mind isn't wandering back to Seán, his thoughts remain focused on his mother and the pain that he just keeps pushing down. Actually drifting off ends up being no better than lying awake.

Mark jolts upright, his shirt sticking to the cold sweat on his back. He clenches his blanket with stiff fingers as he tries desperately to get his breathing back under control, the darkness that shrouds the room not helping his panic.

His parents and Thomas walking ahead of him, calm as they grow closer and closer to the beast that awaits them with an open mouth and glinting eyes.

Mark chases them, unable to catch up. He tries to channel his magic and use it to stop them, but nothing happens.

The beast chomping down on them, the sound of crunching bones filling the air and blending perfectly with Mark's screams.

Mark shudders, drawing the blankets closer as he attempts to calm himself down. With a shaky hand, he reaches blindly for the side table and pulls out his mother's journal, cradling it close to his heart. It was one of the items he grabbed on his way out of the house, but he hasn't dared to open it yet. Does he read his mother's words now in a desperate attempt to find comfort?

Gingerly, he opens the book and starts to read. She describes everything; from her budding romance with Mark's father to her every day routines that she adopted upon arriving in her new home.  Everything is there. She explains the fear of escaping Rubellus and how Mark's father made an agreement with the king and queen of Viride, asking for protection, secrecy, and the maintenance of the Rubellus genealogy in return for loyalty and submission to their laws and way of life.

Mark reads her words, tears pouring down his face and strangled sobs escaping his throat. His father had asked that the king and queen of Viride, Seán's parents, were the only ones that knew. Not even their children knew. The pieces of the puzzle fall into place perfectly, and knowing about what happened brings him an equal amount of relief and pain.

When his head hurts from crying, he sets the book down again and buries his face in his pillow. That journal would probably be incredibly beneficial for Seán, but at the same time he doesn't want to share it. He wants it to remain special, for his eyes and his eyes alone.

He lifts his head and tucks the book gently into the side table once again. Seán doesn't need to know every little detail about his mother's life, or how they got to the kingdom of Viride. Some things can remain private.

With an aching head and bloodshot eyes, Mark settles into the pillows again for a few more hours of restless sleep.