Chapter 72:
Engulfed in a Dream
Eva's group was finally allowed a rest once they had reached the border city of Lumin, situated in the north western border of the Khymal Empire. Vaan's injuries had healed enough to allow him to move on his own without assistance. Yulia's bruises had healed, but Eva was still watchful over her, keeping her close to her side as they prepared to enter the busy city of Lumin and rest at the well-known inn nestled in the outskirts of the city, surrounded by green plant life and a large forest of evergreen trees.
After sending their cart and horses off, Eva motioned for the group to enter with her, the exhaustion from the long journey beginning to reveal itself on her face. Her smooth skin had become familiar with wrinkles, caused by her scrunched facial expressions and her drooping eyes. Her usually high head began to drop down to her chest as she was continuously lulled into sleep near the end of their journey. It had seemed something distressing was on Eva's mind, and it was causing her to have difficulties sleeping, until she was falling asleep while leading the carriage. The strain Eva was going through was felt through all of the group too, as they all sighed in relief when they saw the brightly lit inn in the distance. Everyone's legs shook and minds wandered as they left the carriage, the urge to sit, but also the sudden necessity to stand, overwhelming all of them as they shakily walked inside the inn.
The heated air inside the decorated inn smelled faintly of cooked food and spices, making the inn feel homey and relaxed. The rooms were well-sized, separated into sections for guests with large parties, such as travelers and knights. The price was not low, but it was not a large expense compared to the inns inside the capital city, Durbrame, in the Yursear Kingdom. The halls were incricate and long, spaced out with rooms on either side of the halls. Situated at the southern end of the inn, their group overlooked the beautiful lush forest and a large freshwater lake. The owner of the inn greeted Eva with a large smile, filling her with compliments as he took them to a more secluded hall of the inn, allowing them more privacy as they prepared to rest for the night.
After placing his items in his small, single-sized room, Silas laid on the bed and closed his eyes, attempting to rest. For the first time since their new journey had begun, it was dead silent. There were no sounds of bugs, or voices, or even the yelling of Meredith as Holland teased him. Silas's fingers twitched against the soft fabric of the blanket as he tried not to let his thoughts go places he did not want them to. Still, his mind kept wandering back to the events of the cabin. Silas turned to his side, his breath tickling his hands as he brought them near his face. He looked at them, the hands that attacked Vaan, and almost killed Eva. He looked at their calluses and scars. He found himself disgusted with his hands. He pressed his hands against his face, as if trying to hide from the shame he felt, but he felt so overwhelmed with it, he pulled his hands away from his face and stood up.
Silas's legs shook a little at the sudden movement, but Silas ignored it as he walked to the door to the hallway. He opened it quickly and walked out, letting the door close and lock behind him. I need to get out of here for a moment. Staying here, I feel suffocated. Silas sighed as he thought to himself, shaking his head as he began to walk down the long hallway. How I behaved before, I shouldn't have done that. Anger is no excuse. After he lost control of himself after losing his family's trail, he felt ashamed of himself and embarrassed at his lack of control. As a trained soldier, he knew better, but as a person, he felt he could not have done anything else.
Silas would have reprimanded any of his soldiers for that behavior, but he was too weak himself to control his feelings. It was no wonder that Eva had distaste for him. He would do better from now on. He would be useful, he would find his family. He would not let his emotions control him again.
Stepping out of the side hall, Silas began to walk down in the direction of the girls' rooms, towards the western side of the second hall. The floor to ceiling windows reflected the white moonlight, shining a bright white light on the clean ivory tiles of the inn. Silas's shadow was stretched tall to his side, reflecting his slim figure as he walked slowly, step by step, lost in his thoughts and walking aimlessly.
As Silas walked down the quiet halls, he looked outside at the darkening sky. The dusky sky had already transitioned into night, and the white glimmer of stars shone in the sky like gems. The few clouds in the sky hung lazily to the side, allowing the night to creep through the mist.
Suddenly, Silas stopped, realizing he had wandered far away from his room, and he was now lost. Silas glanced around him, taking in the multiple doors on both sides of the long hallway, and the large, grand room at the end of the hall. In the middle of the large room was a pool, the water eerily still as the light from the moon brightened the room. On the other side of the pool were stone benches that had plush cushions resting on top of them. On one of the stone benches just out of view was someone's feet sticking out, dipping their long toes in the water in front of them.
Silas glanced around him, then glanced forward again. He felt uncomfortable going forward, but he felt he did not have much of a choice. He was fatigued and lost. If he attempted to get back to his room on his own, he would just get more lost. If the hidden person did not know the general direction his room was, at least they could probably point him in the direction of someone who worked there.
Silas steeled his nerves, suddenly feeling immensely uncomfortable, before he moved towards the pool one step at a time. As he approached, the room opened more and more to him, and he was able to see more of the large room. Though the person relaxing inside was to his right, Silas felt too uncomfortable to look that way, so he looked to the left side of the room. The left side revealed a quiet lounge area, full of large ottomans of different, vibrant colors and chaise lounges. To Silas's surprise, the left side was completely empty.
Silas finally stepped into the room and turned his face towards the right. His eyes followed the long toes that were dipped into the water, then to the long legs that were extended to help their toes touch the water. Silas blushed lightly as he realized the long legs were uncovered, as the skirt that covered them was lifted high, resting comfortably on the upper thighs. Silas averted his eyes, instead choosing to look at the person's face. Though their face was downturned, their blond hair brushing over and covering their strong, relaxed features, Silas felt eyes snap up to meet his.
"Oh." Silas mumbled, looking down awkwardly, "I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd be out here, Eva."
Finally, Eva smiled, her always rouged lips now a plain, dull pink, her natural lip color, and pushed her hair behind her ear, revealing her tired, though relaxed face, "Odd, I was about to say the same thing to you." Silas suddenly felt very awkward at the sight of Eva. They had not spoken much, since he had lost his senses and almost attacked Eva, and the any time they had actually said anything to each other were short, stiff pleasantries. Eva looked at Silas with a tired smile before she opened her arm and gestured towards the open seat next to her, "Come, sit. No one else will join us. We were the only ones placed in this wing of the hotel, and everyone else in the group is sleeping." Silas's eyes widened in shock by Eva's openness and friendliness towards him, which caused her to laugh, her laugh throaty and weak, "Relax, it's been too long of a journey to pretend niceties. Let's just move on from it and drink." Eva said, leaning behind her and grabbing a flask, giving it a small shake that sloshed the liquid inside around.
How much of that has she drunk? Silas wondered to himself as he pondered on what to do. He did not really want to join her, but he was not sure how to get back to his room, and he was at a loss on how to leave without offending Eva. Feeling unsure, Silas nodded and walked around the clear pool, the moonlight coming in from a window in the ceiling reflecting the light off the water. Silas watched the water ripple as Eva moved her toes in the water, the small waves quickly spreading across the pool until they separated and disappeared.
Silas turned his attention back to Eva, who again gestured towards the open seat next to her. Silas nodded in acknowledgement and sat down stiffly, his back straight as a rod and his hands in tight fists on his lap.
Eva laughed again, this time her laugh was deeper, and she lifted her wet toes out of the water, the water dripping off her toes and tapping against the stone floor, "You're very uptight, do you know that? Just like your uncle." Eva laughed further, her head dropping back, as her face suddenly turned serious, "And just like my husband."
Silas opened his mouth to say something, but shut it again. Eva seemed suddenly lost in thought, as if what she had said took her back to the past. Silas and Eva sat next to each other like that, lost in the silence that surrounded them, for what felt like forever. Surprisingly to them both, the silence was very calming. Finally, Eva opened her mouth and said quietly,
"I never told you about my husband, did I? But then again," Eva paused and took another sip from the flask, "You never really told me about your wife or your family." Eva hovered the flask in front of her before she pulled it over to Silas, who refused it politely. Eva shrugged at the response and continued speaking with a slur, "But I guess we all have things we are trying to run from, don't we? At least, we do. Isn't that why you came out here? Because it's easier to run than to face the things we have to live with. It's the silence that's the worst." Eva mumbled, throwing her flask aside. It made a loud, tinny noise as it bounced off the floor and skidded towards the corner, "It's when it's quiet that you're forced to relive the moments you don't want to." Eva rapidly blinked, as if trying unsuccessfully to fight back tears, and got up. Eva rocked as she attempted to straighten herself, which immediately put Silas on alert. As Eva stepped forward, her skirt falling around her knees like a dropped curtain, she stumbled. Seeing this, Silas jumped up and grabbed Eva's arm, but she lightly pushed him away.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Eva slurred, freeing her arm from Silas's gentle grip, "I'm going back to my room, you should too." Eva began walking forward, but her drinking had caught up with her, because as she tried to walk straight, she could not find her balance and tripped, falling right into the pool. Silas's eyes widened in shock as he listened to Eva's weak scream before her body hit the pool, waves rising all around her submerged body, until everything became eerily still. Silas felt a scream rising in his throat, but he felt frozen in his spot. He blinked once, twice, as he thought he saw his mother's body sinking to the bottom of the pool, only to blink again and see Eva's familiar form sinking further into the clear pool.
As the silence set in, Silas's hands suddenly jerked, and before he knew it, he had kicked off his shoes and dove into the pool, using his arms and legs to propel himself deeper into the water. He watched Eva sinking further away from him, his frustration growing as he forced himself to swim faster, hoping to reach her in time. As Silas swam harder and got closer to Eva's limp form, he reached out his hand, splaying his fingers in an attempt to grab Eva's shirt collar.
As he clenched his fist, he realized he missed. He almost screamed in frustration as he realized he was quickly running out of air, and Eva continued to sink. Again, Silas forced himself forward, clawing at the water as he propelled himself deeper. Again, he splayed his fingers, extending his shoulder to the furthest it would go and clenched his fist again, this time managing to hold the corner of Eva's shirt collar. Silas pulled Eva up with all his might, his arm shaking as he pulled Eva up high enough he could loop his other arm around her waist.
As soon as he had a firm grip, he pushed himself up, straining under the weight of pushing both of them towards the surface and running out of air. Silas looked at the surface of the water, as if pleading for the surface to suddenly sink down to them or for the pool to magically empty. Silas pushed forward, creeping towards the surface slowly as he pushed himself to his limit. Silas's arms shook with fatigue as he began to strain under the weight. The long journey had fatigued him so much he could not find any more strength to continue forward.
Silas looked down at Eva, then back at the surface, realizing he might not make it. Suddenly, Silas was faced with the fact that he might die. Even if he let Eva go, he did not know if he had the strength to get himself back up to the surface, and Silas knew he would never be able to live with himself if he let her die like this. Silas looked back at the surface once more before he closed his eyes, his body beginning to sink as Eva's limp body anchored him.
…
"Silas?" A voice that was so familiar to Silas called out, as a small, cold hand reached out and shook his chest, "Silas?" This time, the voice was more sing-songy, stretching the vowel of his name out until he grumbled in response. Suddenly, a weight dropped on his chest and a strand of long, curly hair brushed against his face, tickling his nose.
"What are you doing?" Silas asked playfully, slowly opening his eyes and looking down at the familiar brown hair with a smile. Her small hand fished under her hair and pushed it behind her head before she placed her head back on his chest.
"I was trying to wake you up!" Emmeline said with a brilliant smile, her ear pressed against Silas's chest as she rested her hands on either side of his waist in a light hug. She closed her eyes as she listened to his heart beat, her smile growing, "I missed this sound."
Silas smiled as he sank back into the grass of the field around them, listening to the sounds of the forest and Emmeline's even breathing. Suddenly, it occurred to him,
"Your breathing! It's even, and strong!" Silas shouted in surprise, attempting to sit up, but Emmeline used her weight to keep him pressed down in the long, soft grass.
"Of course it is, Silas!" Emmeline said with a sideways glare, a smile still on her lips, "Are you trying to say something to me?"
"No, of course not! I-" Silas paused, his mind racing to try to explain his sudden outburst, "I'm sorry. That was a silly thing to say."
"Don't say that." Emmeline said, still smiling, but her brows dropped slightly, "You're amazing, Silas. Don't disparage yourself so much." Silas smiled warmly as he reached out his hand, placing it against Emmeline's face. She covered his hand with hers and nuzzled it lightly. It was warm.
Silas wrapped his arms around Emmeline, pulling her even closer to him as she laughed, leaning up and tapping her nose on his chin.
"I wish I could stay here forever." Silas whispered, staring at Emmeline's large brown eyes that looked up at him, her small, rounded nose that crinkled when she was upset about something, her thin lips that always seemed to be curved into a smile. Even the familiar spray of freckles across her rosy cheeks brought an inexplicable feeling of sweetness he had grown to miss.
"Then stay." Emmeline said, kissing Silas gently on the lips with a quick peck, "It will only hurt for a little bit, then we will be together forever. No more pain, no more heartache. Just us. Here. Forever."
"I've missed you so much." Silas whispered, a tear coming to his eye. Suddenly, he had difficulty breathing. He gasped for breath and tried to grab at his throat, but Emmeline grabbed his hand,
"It's okay, I'm here now. You will never have to miss me again." Emmeline said, squeezing Silas's hand, "I promise, after this, we'll be together forever."
Together… forever? Silas thought to himself as Emmeline smiled down at him, using her free hand to stroke the wet hair that was sticking to his face away. What? Why is my hair wet? Silas thought as he tried to look up, but Emmeline held his face in place.
"Stay with me. Please, Silas." Emmeline said, her voice shaking as tears came to her eyes.
Silas nodded, closing his eyes as his body went limp.
…
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Thank you, Hunny, for your hard work ;u; This chapter kicked our rears this week, but my birthday was on Thanksgiving this year, so that really threw off all the plans for this week's chapter! But I got an interesting otome game from Hunny, so I still have to put time aside and play it ♥~
Unfortunately the four pages of material I wrote (including Malcolm's love interest reveal) are going into next week.... D: It didn't quite fit the mood, and I don't like to force things, so unless some ko-fi's miraculously appear, y'all will have to wait for next week >y< I feel most of you like Silas's portions more than Clare's (can't say I particularly like either, as either way they have to be written teehee), but that's only a speculation of mine.
I've got another side project in mind I may start fleshing out on the side. It's a rehash of one of my newer projects with a better plot direction, essentially a guy stuck in a variety of "otome games", but with a mix of survival, horror, yanderes, and other fun thinks Aunty Cat Masseuse enjoys ♥ That, well, that's too far in the future for now. If I actually try to work on it, Hunny will kill me >u< so.... until then!
Thank you all for reading ♥