Hydrangea rolled over on what felt like something soft. Her heart began to beat faster when she remembered what had just happened.
The darkness, the heavy weight, the hands on her intimate places, the blow to her head.
She sat up hyperventilating. It was still dark.
"Hey…"
A scream escaped her lips when she saw that the man was still near her. She crawled backwards but hit a barrier. She screamed again and pulled her knees close to protect herself.
She closed her eyes—her body shaking—hoping that it would all go away. It was freezing and her nose felt like ice.
"Hydrangea."
She looked up and saw a silhouette in the darkness. No one in this country knew her name but him.
Her lip trembled as she tried to ask if it was him.
"Hydrangea, it's me, Bastian." He said in such a warm and gentle tone her fear melted away, only to be replaced by shame and regret.
She unwittingly released a sob and she covered her trembling lips with a trembling hand.
"Here… come here." He spoke softly in the dark and she closed her eyes and began to sob in earnest.
She felt his arms wrap around her shoulders and waist, she didn't resist, and she was slowly pulled back to the centre of what she now realized was the tent.
Her body shook with sobs and her throat was already beginning to ache from the awful sounds escaping her lips. Her head throbbed painfully and she remembered being struck.
The Sovereign unexpectedly began stroking her back and hair lightly. She sniffed and stilled at the sudden contact. She didn't know how to react, she attempted to stay silent but her voice still choked with sobs.
"Shhh… it's alright, Hydrangea." He whispered above her hair.
She shook her head and curled her wrists that were resting on his chest, "No-" She choked out between a sob, "It's not alright-" She inhaled sharply and her body began to tremble as she admitted the truth verbally; unbeknownst to her, her Crescent accent was filtering in, "I'm no longer innocent…" She inhaled broken and shaken breaths, "He hurt me."
The Sovereign kissed the top of her head and she looked up at him in the dark through tear filled eyes.
He lifted up her chin, damp from the tears that had streaked there, "He did not touch you. You are still innocent."
She blinked and sniffed a few times before his words registered.
"I… I… He-he… I…" She stumbled over her words, not even sure of what she was trying to say.
"Shh…" The Sovereign said into her hair as he moved her face to rest in the warmth of his chest, "Rest now. I'm here to protect you. Rest now."
She felt safer with his words and though she still sobbed into his chest, her body did relax. He continued in his gentle ministrations to her back, rubbing it consolingly as her body racked with sobs.
She began inhaling his scent, a delicate amount of sandalwood mixed with his own indescribable scent. Her eyes closed and as she focused on what he smelt like her mind eventually drifted off into a troublesome slumber.
Each time she'd awake, kicking and screaming for the man in the dark to stop touching her and for him not to hurt her, the Sovereign would rouse her and calm her down, saying, "It's but a dream, Hydrangea. Nothing but a dream. You're safe, you're safe."
She would close her eyes and focus once more on his comforting scent and his arms wrapped around her so tightly. She'd never felt safer.
"How did you find me?" She asked in a brittle voice once morning had arrived and she could no longer claim any shred of sleep. Her accent was still evident in her voice.
He sighed into her hair which made her scalp warm pleasantly, "Once I'd left the tavern, I saw that you weren't by Tree. I found you soon after, and…"
She had begun shaking when she remembered how foolish she'd been to leave the safety of her horse, "And?" She asked in a quiet, tremulous voice.
He rubbed her back, "And I saved you."
She nodded into his chest, "Wh-what happened to the man?" Her voice faded to a hush when she mentioned the person who'd so nearly caused her irreparable harm.
He stopped and she felt him tighten his arms around her, "He is gone."
"Did you kill him?" She pictured the Sovereign with his sword dripping blood and she clenched her fists in fear. It made her stomach turn.
"No." He answered after a long silence, "But he did not leave uninjured."
She nodded, a feeling a relief pouring into her tense being. Her shoulders were tight and her breath came out in quick, shape inhales. Her eyes darted at every sound she heard and her heart unceasingly beat at a rapid pace.
"Shouldn't we be moving on?" She asked when the morning light had turned to afternoon light.
"Not if you don't want to." He answered simply, his voice tired. She wondered if he'd slept at all the previous night, "Are you hungry?" He asked, changing the subject.
She shook her head; between the tears and the attempted assault, she had no appetite.
He rubbed her back gently, "Would it be alright if I left for a few seconds to make some soup?" He asked, still stroking methodical circles along her back.
She thought about it. Raising her eyes, something she had not done since the sun had risen, she met his. The brown irises were gentle and tired, filled with a warmth she'd have never thought possible.
'Maybe he had been saved.' She thought. But the thought felt bittersweet for some odd reason.
He looked sad, and the longer she held his gaze the sadder he became. A tear welled up in her eye and fell down her cheek. He stopped it, his eyes shifting from hers to her cheek for a second.
She swallowed her raw throat and said, "You can go."
He nodded and she felt his intake of breath as his solid chest expanded next to her.
He sat up and she stayed, laying on her side. He held her cheek with his warm hand, "I will be right back. You stay warm."
His words felt unfinished but he left, along with his warm eyes. She stared at the inside of the tent, her nose became bitterly cold and she pulled up the many furs and blankets that surrounded her.
It was much colder without him. She closed her eyes and her heart began to beat violently as she recalled that man's hands on her. A whimper left her lips as she sought refuge from her memories in the soft bedding.
Her lip began to tremble anew as she recalled that it had been her fault. She'd left Tree and that man had gotten ahold of her. Her brow furrowed as she found the reason for her leaving Tree, the Sovereign.
He's the reason, he'd left and been gone for nearly three hours. Her thoughts had been driving her mad.
A pout shaped her lips and she hugged the blankets closer, she suddenly felt very alone and very cold. She sighed sadly and rested her head on the pillow, her eyes stared numbly at the fabric as she processed her emotions.