' "Don't leave me." He whimpered, agony consumed his words as he gripped her hand tighter. Her body lay lifeless in the blood-soaked grass as Cassyus violently sobbed.
Bodies littered the ground as far as the eye could see, and the fields surrounding them were dyed a horrendous shade of reddish black that glistened in the sun. Severed limbs, shattered weapons, and broken armor were scattered across the decimated landscape. A pungent metallic odor hung heavily in the air, growing stronger with each gust of wind.
Arella shifted over and peered at the face that Cassyus was crying over. She looked down at herself, everything looked identical to the body laying right in front of her. Black hair was splayed in every direction, dull and coated with dirt and blood. Once vibrant and striking eyes now stared into nothing, all color and life drained from them leaving a faded haze behind. She blinked as she stared at the scene before her, unsure of what she was seeing. Reaching out with her pale greyish hands, she went to touch his arm and her hand evaporated like a fine mist dissipating into the wind. She stumbled back quickly, falling to the ground in disbelief. She scoured the terrain in dismay, looking for faces she recognized through the seemingly endless sea of remains. After what felt like hours of searching, she stumbled across a figure leaning up against a large rock face. She knew those broad shoulders from anywhere and sprinted towards him, only to be met with a revolting sight. Sir Kaylln stood against the boulder with a sword plunged into his chest, his armor dented and broken in most places. A massive slash had cut his abdomen almost clean through, letting his organs drip out of him like a butchered bear. Blood dripped from his mouth and fell into the puddle that lay underneath him. His face was virtually unrecognizable as his empty bloodied eye sockets bore straight through her.'
She jolted awake, screaming fiercely while she thrashed underneath her blankets uncontrollably. She quickly clamped her hands over her mouth to stifle the terrified shriek, her breath ragged and labored. Sweat beaded on her forehead as a chill ripped through her body, making her shiver despite being under the covers. Using her sleeve from her tunic she wiped away the droplets, taking slow deep breaths to calm her racing heartbeat. She stood up shakily and made her way to the balcony, opening up the doors to get some fresh air. She looked out into the midnight sky, stars sprinkled all across and twinkling like tiny gems in a dark ocean. An icy breeze kicked up grazing Arella's face and drying the perspiration that remained from her nightmare. She let out an unsteady exhale, hugging her arms around her waist in a feeble attempt to comfort herself.
'It was just a nightmare, it'll be alright. Just breathe.' She repeated over and over until a rapid knock at her door jarred her out of her thoughts. She walked back into her room, leaving the door to the balcony open as she reached for her cloak to cover herself before she opened her bedroom door.
Sir Deismon stood right outside with a panicked look across his face, his hand on his sword at the ready. "My lady, I heard you scream, is everything alright? Are you hurt?" His voice was hurried as his eyes washed over her. Arella sighed, feeling a bit embarrassed that she woke people with her screaming. Shaking her head lightly, she leaned against the door and gripped her shoulders. "Everything is alright Sir Deismon, a bad dream startled me. Forgive me for causing such a disturbance, please carry on." She smiled meekly in an effort to reassure him. He lowered his shoulders for a brief moment but did not seem convinced. He raised an eyebrow at her, scratching his chin with his free hand while keeping the other firmly on his sword.
"I am okay, really. I just had a nightmare and nothing more. Please continue on, I am fine. I'll be going back to bed anyway, it's still late after all." She said as she pretended to yawn. She wasn't even the slightest bit tired anymore and the mere thought of sleeping again was enough to make her shudder but she just wanted Deismon to leave her be. He shifted to lean on his left side and sighed lightly, nodding his head lowly. He bowed his head and bid her goodnight before turning on his heels to continue his patrol.
Arella exhaled and retreated back into her room, paying no mind to the now cold bowl of beef stew. She grabbed her walking boots, brushed her hair, and made her way back out of her room. Keeping to the shadows as much as possible, she pulled her hood all the way down as she slipped through the castle and out the back entrance. The cold night air blew up underneath her cloak, causing goosebumps to rise all over her arms. She grabbed the edges of her cloak and pulled them into her chest, wrapping herself in a makeshift cloak cocoon.
The night was peaceful and quiet minus the few noises from the owls and some crickets chirping. In the distance, lanterns glowed dimly within the empty streets. Dozens of stone buildings of varying sizes dotted the terrain. It has been a while since Arella last walked around the city without an actual purpose, usually, she would go to the townspeople to ensure they have everything they need for their business or for seasonal preparations. The walkways were littered with dried leaves as the foliage started changing colors and dying. All of the flowers were wilting and lost their color, but even so, everything still had a certain beauty to it in Arella's eyes.
She walked up to one of the wells near the farmers' market and leaned against it, staring down into the black hole. The farmers' market was another part of the city a little ways away from the merchant village, mostly named for being the closest to the farm fields. A majority of farmers, stable masters, and shepherds lived in this area. A lingering smell of animals, hay, and dusty leather seemed to cling to the air all around but it didn't bother Arella, it was actually quite calming to her. The farmers' market was the quietest part of the whole city at this time of night, thanks to their early days the people here turn in much sooner than the rest. The buildings here were a little more modest and simple in design, more for practicality and functionality than for comfort. Little wooden stalls lined both edges of the stone walkway, it was for the farmers to sell the produce from their harvests throughout the middle of Solgra to the end of Austrimm.
Arella pushed herself off the side of the well and turned to walk alongside the stalls when she collided into someone's chest. She stumbled back and began stammering a whispered apology.
"My apologies, I didn't see you there. Forgive my clumsiness." She muttered, trying to deepen her voice so she wasn't recognized. Keeping her hood down to cover her face, she attempted to turn away when she felt a hand suddenly grasp her arm.
"I thought I had put you to bed a few hours ago My Lady. What are you doing out here so late at night?" A familiar voice spoke quietly. Cassyus gently pulled her back and twisted her back around to face him as he lowered her hood down. His eyes burned into hers, she swore she could see actual flames in them for a split second. She took her arm back and clutched onto the hood of her cloak to pull it back down slightly, she didn't want anyone else to see her out. Cassyus crossed his arms in front of his chest as he waited for her reply.
"I had some trouble sleeping. I came out for a walk to get some fresh air." She said calmly, hoping he wouldn't pry further as to why she couldn't sleep. His gaze didn't falter as he stood as still as a statue. "You were sound asleep before I even put you down, what happened?" He asked firmly, his face unreadable in the dark. She sighed, knowing she wasn't going to be able to get out of this without telling him the truth. "I had a nightmare that frightened me, I couldn't go back to sleep so I decided to walk." She said, keeping her eyes down as she spoke, feeling childish admitting it out loud.
They stood in silence for a little while, anytime Arella took a step to back away Cassyus would match her, making it clear he was not going to let her just walk away. "You are not going to let me move on are you?" She asked, lifting her eyes to meet his once more. He shook his head and gestured over to a small bench little ways away from the center of the farmers' market. He put his hand on her lower back as they strolled over to the secluded area, Arella huffed and yanked her hood down further down her face.
Arella sat down with Cassyus sitting on her right, his body tilted to face her more directly. "Do you frequently have issues with nightmares or sleeping?" His voice was still low but above a whisper now that they were away from the sleeping residents. She lifted her hand and twisted it back and forth as if to say so so. "Tell me about it." His eyes glistened with concern and curiosity. Arella turned to face him, her face grim as she recalled the details of her horrific dream.
"It seemed so real. A battle, the war, I am not sure which. Mutilated bodies were scattered all around and blood covered the ground, staining the dirt. I saw myself laying on the ground, blood pooling all around as my skin turned grey. I looked up and there was someone crouched next to my body." Her eyes met his, her face flushed red as she recalled seeing him hold her as he cried. She snapped her head down and quickly continued. "I scoured the landscape in a panic as I came across Kaylln, his body was...unrecognizable." She choked on her words as the image flashed to the forefront of her mind. Cassyus reached out and touched her hand gently. She swallowed and shook her head, shoving the image down as best as she could. "That was the last thing I saw before I woke up screaming. Gods it felt so real, I could smell the blood in the air, and feel the ground sink as I ran over it. It seemed more like a vision rather than a dream." Her voice wavered slightly as she stared out into the empty market. Her heart felt heavy as she struggled to get the images out of her mind. She felt like she was drowning, suffocating on the feeling that was she saw wasn't a dream but a premonition instead.
Cassyus twisted and began rummaging through his bag, pulling out herbs Arella did not recognize. He pulled out a knife and cut a small square of thin, mesh-like cloth and started gathering the herbs into a small pile at the center of the square. He took a small piece of string and tied the herb filled cloth pouch closed.
"I have found that this helps with sleep. Its a blend of different herbs from all over Foristol, there is lavender, valerian root, chamomile, lemon balm and a pinch of mint. Brew some hot water and make this as a tea and it will help you sleep through the night. It will calm the mind so nightmares are kept at bay." He handed her the herb pouch and closed up his satchel. Arella took it in her hands gently, looking skeptically at the homemade tea bag. Cassyus sighed as he stood up, reaching for her hand to help her up. "My Lady if I wanted to hurt you or poison you, I would have done it already. You have two options, take it and try to sleep or don't and work it out on your own. I am just offering a possible solution, whether you trust it or not is up to you." His voice was coarse as it rang through her. She took his hand gingerly and lifted herself off of the bench, facing him while she held onto the tea bag.
"Forgive my apprehensiveness, trust is something I struggle with." She said plainly, staring into his eyes. "I'll let you know how it works. Once again you have my thanks, that is thrice in one day you have come to my aid." Shaking her head she chuckled lowly. "Gods you must think me some kind of damsel in distress at this rate." She joked as she straightened herself. He took her arm and began walking toward the castle slowly, hiding his smile at her comment. They walked back at a leisurely pace and once they passed out of the farmers' market they started talking in a more normal volume.
"So, now that you have come to my rescue for the second time today, why don't I hear more about you? How do you like the city so far? Where are you staying?" Arella asked. Cassyus stiffened for a moment, setting his face making it indecipherable.
"I am not that interesting My Lady, just a simple traveler like I said. Your city is incredible and the people are unique and welcoming. Diversity has set you apart from the rest of the world and it shows. Everyone seems cared for and genuinely happy which I haven't seen very often." He voice was monotonous as he spoke.
Raising her eyebrow, she lowered her hood and stared up at him with a questioning look. "That was an extremely diplomatic answer and not at all what my question was. You don't have to speak so formally or cautiously, it is just us out here. I will ask you, Cassyus, do you like the city so far and where are you staying while you are here?" She put a hand on his chest to stop him from walking forward anymore. He looked down at Arella in a way she couldn't explain. He took her hand and lowered it off of him but kept a hold of it by his side.
"My my, are you always so forward with your guests?" He asked, a playful spark jolted in his eyes as he squeezed her hand. "You never even asked if I was married Lady Arella, how shameful." She quickly grasped his left hand and held it up to her face, turning it so it was visible in the moon light. She smirked and pointed to the empty space on his left ring finger.
"Seems to me that you aren't, and if you were it would be you who is shameful for disrespecting your wife in such a public manner. I am merely having a conversation with an alluring visitor." Her eyes flashed with a flirtatious aura. She dropped his hand before addressing him again. "Will you answer my questions or not?" Cassyus ran his free hand through his hair and exhaled deeply, muttering under his breath something Arella could not make out.
"I enjoyed my first day in your city, it was lively and the people are very cheerful. Honestly from first impressions this city has been the most distinct out all of the places I've seen. Maybe if we keep running into each other like this I'll tell you about my travels." A warm smile slowly crept in as Arella felt her cheeks flush. "For now I think you should get back and try to sleep. I will still be here for when you need a remedy or just want to talk, as long as you'll have me." Cassyus said softly as he halfheartedly lowered his head.
She couldn't help the pounding of her heart at his gentle words and the feeling of his hand around hers. She pulled her hood back up and bid him good night before turning and making her way back to the castle's staff entrance. Arella turned and looked back to where Cassyus stood one last time before disappearing into the castle's dark walls.