The Offering

Chapter Sixty Seven - Daella

"Yes, let him sleep." He nods with a serious expression before turning around and sitting on the edge of the bed. I sit beside him one arm behind his back, smoothing my hand up and down.

"Aeris, are you alright?" I ask, watching him closely.

He turns, looking down at me he places a hand on my cheek smiling happily.

"You are so beautiful, did you know that? I swear I have never seen anyone as beautiful as you." He says, thumb grazing my cheekbone.

"Thank you." I smile back at him.

He stares down at me, smile fading and eyes turning glassy.

"I couldn't help them." He says softly. "I couldn't stop it from happening."

"That isn't your fault." I tell him, touching his face so he looks at me instead of staring off into the void.

"All this power, this constant, burning fire inside of me and it's useless." He clutches at his chest, gripping his shirt with enough force to tear it. Tears well in his eyes as he looks away dropping his hand to his lap, staring at nothing, seeing something that haunted him.

"It isn't useless Aeris, you are strong and powerful and you keep us safe."

He shakes his head. "I couldn't keep them safe."

"No one could have stopped it from happening, you cannot blame yourself, none of you are to blame. Prince Arden and King Callin are to blame, no one else." I tell him, willing him to hear me, to believe me.

His expression turns dark as a tear falls, trailing down his cheek in a single line. His hands pull into fists on his knees as he stares at his nightmares.

"They will suffer. They will scream and cry and beg for mercy. I will make sure of it." His words are dark as he makes his promise.

I sit helpless and terrified he is going into a dark place I won't be able to pull him out of. Another tear slides down his cheek and I wipe it away. He blinks turning to look down at me.

Dark eyes full of pain and anger.

"They won't be able to hurt anyone else, I promise, they won't ever hurt you again." He reaches for me, taking my face in his hands and leaning his forehead against mine.

"It's alright Aeris, it's going to be alright." I tell him softly.

"There will be a funeral tomorrow...or I suppose today." He whispers, looking towards the window as the light starts to grow with the rising sun. "And then, Demwyn will be crowned the day after and he will be in charge of our futures."

"You still have your brothers Aeris, you still have family." I remind him and he blinks, looking down at me.

"And I still have you." He kisses my forehead.

"Yes, you have me." I place my hands over his as they hold my face.

"Your ears are cold." He says softly, fingers touching my ear lobes gently.

"A little." I nod.

"You must be freezing." He says looking down at me as if he has just realised what I am wearing, a thin nightgown that is useless against the frigid morning temperature.

"I'm alright, you're keeping me warm." I smile up at him.

"Come on." He says standing and taking my hand, I stand beside him as he pulls back the covers and holds it back for me. "In you get." He says nodding at the bed.

I slide in behind Alvaryn and Aeris gets in behind me lying on his back he stares up at the canopy not blinking. I move closer to him and he shifts, wrapping an arm around my shoulders I rest my head on his shoulder, feeling the heat radiating from his skin.