Treyan's Promise | The Empire Saga Novella #2

Chapter Two

Present Day

The memory of Treyan's first true encounter with Alex pulsated within his head and then dissipated, leaving behind a throbbing pain behind his eyes that only dulled when he closed them tight. The pressure was soon countered with a splitting pain within his temples. Treyan battled the migraines through the fever while he tried to make sense of his surroundings.

His shirt had been removed, and beneath his aching body was a soft surface, much like a bed, and for that he was grateful. The wound in his back was still throbbing with infection, but it was no longer open to the air. He knew he was alive but very close to his end if he couldn't find a healer knowledgeable in the poisons of the dark arts. He could barely lift his arms or his legs—his muscles felt as though he had run miles while carrying a boulder twice his weight, and he knew irreparable weakness would soon set in if he couldn't get himself moving.

The air smelled sweet, as though seasonal candles had been lit or a pie was baking. Beneath it all, however, was an even more familiar scent - her scent. Like a warm caramel coffee. He could smell it emanating from the pillow his head rested on, from the blanket beneath him, and in the very air around him. She was close, and this gave him a much-needed sense of calm.

He tried to remember what exactly had transpired since confronting his brother in the library, but every time he tried to think back, pain rang through his head. Someone else had been there with him, and it was that someone who had attacked him unawares. Most likely, it was the mole within the palace who had betrayed them the whole time. And the same traitor who took his son...

His eyes clenched tighter at the memory. His son. His daughter. His twins. Their twins. Where were they now? They were but newly born when the chaos began, a plan, no doubt, enacted by his brother. His brother and his accomplice had taken their son away from them. Lexan. Where was Lexan?

Panic began to set in and he struggled to pull up into a sitting position. A pain greater than any he had ever felt ravaged through his back where the wound refused to heal. A scream escaped his lips and he fell back upon the bed, tears welling in the corners of his eyes as his body convulsed while tremors ran through him.

Hands were soon on him - four from what he could feel - and soothing words infused with authoritarian direction fell upon his ears. One voice he could recognize - hers - but the other was unknown, though he was sure he'd heard it before. But the one he knew, she was trying to calm him, her words like honey as she whispered soothing notes into his ear as the other gave instructions for where to hold him until his body calmed.

He felt a prick within the crease of his forearm, and soon everything ceased. His body calmed, and a feeling of coolness swept over him, as if slowly spreading from inside of him. His breathing deepened as he relaxed, but he dared not open his eyes just yet. The pain within his head was still too much to handle even without the possible light of day shining upon him.

Light pressure akin to a kiss landed upon his cheek before her presence removed itself. He was more clear-headed now, and he found that he was finally able to make out the words said within his proximity.

"Is there nothing else we can do?" he heard her ask, definite concern ringing in her voice.

"I've done all I know I can. There's something about his wound that I've never seen before. It refuses to heal... Why is it refusing to heal, Alex?" The feminine tone was accusatory.

"Your guess is as good as mine..."

"I think any guess you have is definitely better than mine right now."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Her hushed voice became harsher, defensive.

"How about you start with where he came from, where you've been, and how you've had a child, all within the span of the last 48 hours since I've seen you."

The air was thick with silence before he heard Alex reply to the stranger.

"I told you. It's complicated."

"Uh huh."

"Look, right now we need to get him better, and then somehow we'll be able to figure all of this out—"

She was cut off by the sound of an infant crying.

Lexan?

No... no, this was the other twin. His daughter. Sarayna.

His first born.

He had never felt greater pride or deeper regret when his children were born.

His first born was female.

And now he had no idea where his son was at all.

He wanted to rage. A fury should have flowed through him as quickly as his anger made his blood flow. Something numbed his senses- whatever they gave him to calm the pain was calming his anxious nerves as well.

The injustices Reylor had done against him, the Empress, and the Empire were innumerable. No drug could numb that. As soon as he was well enough, he would return to his Empire with his Empress and his daughter. Together they would retrieve their son, and his brother would pay...

Thoughts of vengeance floated through his head as he sensed he was drifting off to sleep.

Within his dreams, he thought of his mother and how she had cared for him and his brother when they were young. She would sing a lullaby in their native tongue to them when they had difficulty sleeping, and even to this day the melody clung to him like a warm blanket, and the memory wrapped him in the golden warmth of memory as he drifted away...

He awoke with a gentle hand on his brow, brushing hair out of his face, finally coming to rest on his cheek. The skin was soft, the touch comforting.

And then he heard it.

The lullaby.

She was humming the lullaby - no words, but the melody was something he would never forget. Treyan needed to know how she knew the song, or where she had heard it before, but every time he tried to open his mouth, nothing but dry air came out in a hacking cough that rendered his body into another fit of spasms.

A hand was soon behind his head, and a cool glass was pressed against his parched lips as the most refreshing water he had ever tasted fell upon his tongue. He drank hurriedly, trying to satiate a thirst he didn't realize he had. The cup was removed from his reach well before he was done with it, and he heard a reassurance in her voice as she told him that everything was going to be alright.

She was close - so close - and he couldn't stand the distance any longer. He knew it would hurt, but he had to see her. Gathering what strength he had, he relaxed his clenched muscles, and only then did he open his eyes.

The room was dark save for a lamp on a bedside table, but even then, the light was partially blocked by the back- lit form leaning next to him.

He tried to focus but the refraction of the light against his unused eyes made details difficult to discern. He wanted nothing more than to see her, but even his own body refused him that simple pleasure.

"Alex...?" he whispered dryly. He had to see her, to touch her, Just the confirmation that she was there, with him again, next to him - that was all he needed to get through this.

"Shh," she reassured him. "Rest now." She leaned down and gently kissed his forehead.

The rest was darkness.