Thirteen years ago, Prince Kian Vienna's family was brutally assassinated. The crown was stolen by a powerful and cruel king from across the sea. Now twenty-one years old, Kian is setting out to take back the kingdom that is rightfully his and to sa...
The cold of winter had finally settled in over the few days we spent underground. I sat in an ill-pitched tent, huddled under a cloak. The first day of our travels had been relatively easy as it was mostly spent hiking downhill. There were only around twenty of us making the journey but we still didn't have many tents. Cayra and Areis were sharing and Tyri and I had decided to pair up.
I looked to Tyri who was sleeping comfortably, despite the cold. Her short black hair was splayed over the balled up jacket she was using as a pillow. When she was awake, she had used her power to heat our tent. I didn't have the heart to wake her up, even if I was freezing my toes off. Kian, the privileged twit, had gotten a tent to himself and probably more blankets than anyone. I sighed, resigning to the fact that I was going to have to have to find some way to warm myself up if I was ever going to get any sleep. I crawled out of the tent, deciding to see if Kian would be willing to part with a few of his blankets.
I fastened my cloak tight and pulled my hood over my head, then I yanked on my fur-lined boots. Tyri began to snore as I slipped out of our tent quickly, fastening the flap shut. I sprinted towards Kian's tent through the cold air. Areis, who was unlucky enough to be keeping watch, snorted at me as he watched me run by. I could barely make out his eyes through the pile of blankets he was huddled under. He looked like a living mountain of fabric. I rolled my eyes as I came to a stop in front of a tent with the royal emblem embroidered to its flap.
Kian's tent was large enough to stand up in, its walls made of thick canvas. There was an actual mattress lying on the ground and a small fire pit had been dug out, a hole cut into the ceiling to allow the smoke to escape. I startled as I heard a slight moan, Kian was lying under a single blanket, as if he had thrashed the rest of his covers away from him. His lips were turning blue and his skin was pale.
"No... please... no..." He mumbled as a single tear escaped from his closed eyes. I rushed to the bed, recognizing a nightmare when I saw one. In the beginning, many of Stockgrove's young children had suffered from nightmares almost every time they slept.
I shook Kian's shoulder, pulling more blankets over top of him.
"Please don't take me away from them..." He mumbled.
"Kian, wake up." I shook his shoulder harder. Slowly, he stopped shaking. His eyes began to open. He appeared disoriented at first, then gradually became more aware of his surroundings.
"Zora," He yawned, "What's going on?"
"You were having a nightmare. Don't you remember?" I asked, helping him to get up and move closer to the fire. I covered him in all the blankets I could find.
"Not really. Did I say anything in my sleep?" The color was beginning to come back to his face.
"Um... no. You didn't say anything, you were just shaking and you had kicked all of your blankets off." I lied, deciding not to make him suffer any more than he already had.
"Oh, okay. Well, thanks for waking me up then. What did you come in here for anyway?" he asked, with a smile. He looked very young in that moment, innocent. His hair was ruffled and his eyes were still clouded with sleep.
I couldn't help but smile back, "Tyri and I just needed some more blankets, but considering you literally almost froze to death I think we'll be okay."
Kian stretched his hands towards the warmth of the fire, "I'll be fine, you go get some sleep," He said, with a yawn.
"I don't think so. I'm staying here to make sure that you don't do anything else stupid while you're sleeping." I smirked, plopping down next to him.
"Fine, but I'm going back to bed," He shrugged, lying down.
"If you kick your blankets off again I'll tie them to you," I said, rolling my eyes at him.
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I woke up to the scent of honey and cedar, somehow over the course of the night, I had ended up falling asleep on Kian's shoulder. I sat up, careful not to wake him, and stretched my arms over my head. I could tell by the dim light shining through the canvas of the tent that it was early morning, most people probably wouldn't be up for another half an hour. Deciding to let Kian sleep while he seemed to be at peace, I slipped out from underneath my blankets and left the tent.
Tyri, who had apparently taken over watch duty from Areis, seemed to be the only other person awake.
Noticing my emergence, she smirked. "I'd wondered where you went last night, though it seems I shouldn't be surprised by the answer."
I glowered at her, "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing important," she said, shrugging. I rolled my eyes, hoping that she and Areis were the only ones who had noticed where I'd been. The last thing Kian needed was to deal with any rumors regarding any emotional ties to us. He couldn't look like he was playing favorites. "Just be careful Zora. He may seem naive, but Kian has shown that he is also very cunning."
I huffed out a breath, "Believe me, you have nothing to worry about."
Suddenly Areis came barreling towards us, "There are Drimorian scouts in the woods, heading straight for us!"
A/N
Sorry for the late update this week. I had a college essay due on Friday so I had to spend most of my focus on that, updates should be much more frequent over the next few weeks! In more exciting news, Skyfall has made the shortlist for the wattys! Thank you all for your continued support!
