︵ . . CHAPTER SEVEN ❜ ━━━━ ₍ 🥀 ₎
arsonist's lullaby . .
The soft cackling of flames rang through her ears like gentle whispers. Rexha opened her eyes, looking up to see bright red flames and ashes painting the dark horizon as if was an empty black canvas. She lifted her head, sitting upright to find herself sitting in a bed of red roses.
The same flowers that associated itself with her.
The brunette slowly arose to her feet but only to find the ground disappearing into a complete, dark void. With a sharp gasp escaping her lips, she found herself falling into the chilling embrace of the blackness beneath her feet.
Darkness engulfed her lungs, enveloping her to swallow her whole. It closed in on her, filling her senses with nothing but dread. Her body helplessly thrashed and screamed for the lack of oxygen. Composure slowly slipped away from the grasp of her fingers.
It beckoned her to close her eyes, to give into it's lullaby.
At that instant—she opened her mouth, gasping for air.
𓆸
Flame-like eyes met ocean blue eyes.
Rexha jolted at the unexpected figure looming over her. She sat upright and grabbed the hilt of her netherite sword that she placed beneath her pillow for moments like this but before she could even react, a pair of hands grasped her shoulders to shake her back to reality.
The brunette shook her head, trying to catch her breath as she stressfully ran her fingers through the roots of her raven hair before looking up to see Tommy.
"I'm.. awake.." She muttered out, blinking as she locked eyes with him.
Tommy let out a relieved sigh, hands dropping down to his side. "Oh, thank god. You were thrashing around. It's like you were drowning in your sleep innit."
Rexha pursed her lips together and said nothing in response. That wasn't the first time that has ever happened to her. She had been getting nightmares and most of the time, it was her drowning in her sleep or hearing voices. This feeling, this dread that always seemed to follow her like a shadow was no stranger.
The brunette got up from her bed, taking the netherite blade she hid beneath her pillow and clipped it to her waist before taking her cloak that was hung by a peg on her side of the wall. Tommy walked after her, blinking as she prepared to leave or something.
"Where are you going?" The blonde inquired the woman.
Rexha shrugged her shoulders as a form of response. "Going out for some air."
Tommy went silent for a second before speaking in a soft spoke voice. "Can I come with you?"
She turned behind her shoulders, looking at him in confusion. Rexha debated on saying 'no' but quickly she changed her mind. She let out a sharp exhale as brought a hand to her face to pinch the bridge of her nose.
"If you insist, but take my other blade with you. That iron axe you have with you won't do as much against the mobs."
Rexha didn't hate Tommy. She could neverIt wasn't anything like that. She just despises the feeling the resonates within her whenever he was there. The throbbing pain in her head, along with the voices, it was a nuisance.
Rexha most definitely didn't want him to get taken away by the scythe of death either. She had already gave her word to Wilbur and she wasn't the type of person to break such words.
The two silhouette left the threshold and ventured off into the woods. Rexha took a deep breath, fresh clean air filled her lungs and sent her a wash of relief. She loved the fridgness of the wind. It would always provide her a sense of comfort admist the stress she'd feel from the weight on her shoulders.
She continued to walk through the dirt path, the heels of her boots crunched the dead leaves and small pebbles beneath her feet. After a couple of minutes or so, she came to a halt and ended up on the edge of a cliff.
Rexha took a seat, her legs dangling at the edge as she closed her eyes to relish herself in the peaceful night.
Tommy, on the other hand, mimicked her actions and sat down a few centimeters away from her by the edge of the cliff. His teeth chattered at the howling, ice cold breeze in the atmosphere as he rubbed his arms in an attempt to keep himself warm.
Rexha opened her eyes at the sound of Tommy's shuffling. A huff escaped her breath. She unclipped her cloak that hung over her shoulders and draped it around the young boy's shoulders instead.
"Here, take it."
Tommy immediately snuggled into the fabric of her black cloak for warmth. His artic eyes beamed with gratitude as he looked at her. "Thank you, woman."
Rexha shrugged her shoulders as a response to him. "You needed it. No need to thank me kid."
Silence broke through the atmosphere moments after their exchange, but it only lasted for a minute.
"You've been through a lot, haven't you?" Her ears perked up at Tommy's voice. It sounded genuinely soft to the air, it wasn't like his usual loud voice.
She let out a scoff, a grin curving on her lips. "I think I should be the one saying that."
Tommy rested his face onto his palms, his back arched and elbows propped onto his lap. "Are you okay?"
Rexha raised a brow at his vague question, "What do you mean?"
"You looked like you were in a lot of pain earlier, when you were having a nightmare." Tommy stated in a matter of factly manner. "You were gasping for air as if someone was choking you in your sleep. I honestly panicked innit."
"You shouldn't have seen me at my vulnerable state." The grin on her face faltered, lips pursed into a thin line. "I always had terrible dreams whenever I sleep. I don't think there was ever a time I had a peaceful slumber, so I'm not okay."
Tommy frowned, his face holding a look of sympathy. "I can't imagine how hard it must be for you."
"Don't pity me, I don't deserve it." Rexha shook her head at him.
The two of them had fallen silent not long after their exchange. She continued to sway her legs in a carefree manner as she admired at the moon. The sight of moonlit, dark horizon reminded her of the night she had set Exousia into flames and the day her mother died.
The instant when everything burned to the ground.
Rexha found herself humming a tune as she resurfaced the two memories in her mind, taking her back in time. She continued to do as such until she felt a sudden weight against her right shoulder. Cautiously, she opened her eyes and turned to her side to see the young boy, who had fallen asleep while leaning on her shoulder with a soft snore from her humming.
The physical contact between them made the same, foreign and painful feeling resonate from within her. She quietly wondered to herself if it was deja vu.
"When I was a child, I'd sit for hours. Staring into open flame."
Trying to shake off the uneasy feeling, she brought a hand to the top of his head and gently ruffled his disheveled blonde locks as she mumured out the lullaby that had struck her for a while now.
"Something in it had a power, could barely tear my eyes away."
Rexha wasn't sure where she heard it from, whether it was a known song in the first place or just a lyrical piece that she made up in her head.
'Please look after Tommy.'
Wilbur didn't have to tell her, she already had her intuitions to be able to do that.
She continued to sit still with the boy leaning against her shoulder by her side. Cosing her eyes, she watched as flames and roses took over the dark canvas of her vision.
"When I knew love's perfect ache,
but my peace has always depended on all the ashes in my wake."
Her nightmares weren't just dreams.
They were real.
︵ . . 𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗥'𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗦 ❜
rexha and tommyinnit interaction ey
also im currently editing blue bitch, so um, maybe check that out? :)