Miraric

17| Advising an Advisor.

After that night, nightmares became frequent for Edric.

They were the only thing that reminded him that he was never alone.

They were with him in every walk of his life -- while sleeping, they were the only thing that he saw, while doing daily tasks, while practicing, they reminded him to practice harder, to practice until his whole body was in pain, they were the only one that accompanied him like a loyal partner.

They were always there, reminding him again and again. But sometimes, when these nightmares had completely consumed him to his core, when he didn't even know himself anymore, he'd start grabbing his hair, screaming in agony and destroying things around him and then they seemed to stop only then.

But other than those peaceful moments, they were always there.

Even now, as seven springs had passed, Edric continued thinking about his father and his last words.

"Resrei, are you zoning out again?" It'd been seven years but Edric still wasn't used to the name he'd given himself to live in hiding.

He looked up, only to see a brown-haired girl looking at him, her dark eyes full of concern, her eyebrows raised. "Rei?" She shook his shoulders lightly, her light touch bringing Edric out of his thoughts.

Edric shook his head fiercely, looking around and taking in the bustling and hustling of the tavern that he was working at. There weren't much people, but the men here liked to talk until their drunk selves were unable to utter any words.

Edric's eyes landed on the table situated at the far corner, a man sitting there alone, his blond hair messy, his lavishing clothes revealing only one fact: he was from the Elisora palace. It wasn't the clothes only, it was the batch secured on his chest that gave away his identity.

Edric looked back at the girl. "Oh, Eris," he shook his head again and faked a yawn. He managed a smile. "Sorry, I didn't get much sleep last night."

Eris raised one of her plucked eyebrows. "You never get sleep,"

"It's not that I don't get sleep, I just sleep less than you," he rolled his eyes as he began to pour the heavy alcohol in a tankard, foam dropping from it and landing on the tray. He took the tray, his eyes fixed on the man.

"Is it that man? The advisor?" Eris looked at the same man, and wrinkled her nose when she saw the man winking at her, his eyes half opened, grinning like a pervert.

Edric nodded.

"I have no idea why a man like him is drinking here out of all places in Elysia,"

"Well, there's only one way to find that out," Edric said and walked towards the man, his steps cautious, making sure to not bump with the other other workers who were yelling at one another about the orders amidst the bustling conversations of the customers.

Edric tried his best to not wrinkle his nose when he reached the man and the smell of alcohol engulfed his sense. Edric smiled at the man, inclined his head to him, showing him respect as he placed the tray on the table.

"Eh?" The man giggled and snorted at the unexpected moment. "I ordered this?" He questioned himself more than Edric.

"This is on the house, sir," Edric said, smiling at him. "Surely, we can do that much for someone who is serving our gracious king?"

The man frowned, getting upset as he pushed away the tray using his fingers but failed to force any strength. "Don't even take his name," he grumbled, rolling his eyes. "He's the reason I'm drinking in this rotten of a tavern."

Edric raised one his eyebrows, liking where this conversation was going. "I'm a good listener. Would you care to share your pain with me? Sharing pain helps quite a lot. Makes you feel a bit better,"