A Royal Obligation
Chapter 40: Comfort or Confront

Chapter 40: Comfort or Confront

Prince Eirik lay on his bed, his body stiff against the softness of the sheets that felt foreign beneath him. His eyes were fixed on the ceiling.

The lanterns cast a warm, flickering glow, painting the room in gentle hues, but even their light could not penetrate the darkness that had settled over his mind.

Sleep, elusive and distant, refused to claim him. Instead, his thoughts swirled in an unrelenting storm, dragging him back to memories he had tried so hard to bury. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to silence the voices that whispered in the shadows of his mind, but the past was relentless, sharper and more vivid with every passing moment.

He could still hear that man’s voice, the sickening lilt of it as it slithered through his thoughts like a serpent.

"I will lock you up where no one will touch you or see you but me."

"You’re mine, mine, mine."

"Stop struggling. I promise you’ll enjoy it."

The words echoed in his head, twisting his stomach into knots, making his skin crawl. Eirik’s fingers clenched around the edge of the blanket, the fabric bunching under his grip as he tried to push the memories away. But they clung to him, wrapping around his mind like chains, refusing to let go.

Sadiki’s face flickered in his thoughts, a brief, steadying presence amid the chaos. He knew that just beyond the door, his loyal guard stood vigilant, his presence a comfort even from afar. But it wasn’t enough. The distance between them was a chasm that Eirik could not cross, not here, not in Zephyros where their every move will be watched.

In Valeidio, things had been different. Sadiki would have been beside him, their bodies curled together in the darkness, offering more than just physical warmth. Sadiki had always been his anchor, the one who understood him without the need for words, who knew the fears that plagued him and the desires he kept buried deep within.

But that kind of closeness was a luxury they could no longer afford. Not here. Not in this palace where every action was scrutinized, where the wrong move could mean disaster. A single misstep, a single moment of weakness, and he could lose Sadiki forever.

Eirik shifted restlessly, trying to find comfort in the sheets that were too smooth, too unfamiliar. How was he supposed to sleep without Sadiki by his side? The nights in Valeidio had been long and difficult, but Sadiki had always been there to chase away the nightmares, to murmur soft words that eased the tension in Eirik’s chest.

But now, as the shadows pressed in around him, the only voices that filled his mind were the ones that haunted him.

"You think you can escape me?" the sickening voice taunted, its tone low and possessive, sending a shiver down Eirik’s spine. "You think anyone else could ever want you the way I do?"

Eirik’s breath hitched, his chest tightening with fear and disgust. He knew the voice wasn’t real, that the man who had uttered those words was no more, but it didn’t matter. The memories were as sharp as the day they had been etched into his mind, and the fear was just as suffocating.

"You’ll never be free of me. No one will ever love you like I do."

The words twisted through his thoughts, filling him with a sickening dread. He had tried so hard to forget, to move on, but the past had a way of catching up with him, of dragging him back into the darkness no matter how hard he fought against it.

He turned onto his side, pulling the covers up to his chin as if they could somehow protect him from the shadows that lurked in his mind. His thoughts drifted to Sadiki again, to the way his guard had always been able to chase away the nightmares with a single touch, a single whispered word of comfort.

But Sadiki wasn’t here. And Eirik was alone with his thoughts, alone with the memories that clawed at the edges of his sanity.

A bitter smile tugged at the corners of his lips as his thoughts shifted to Kaelix, the crown prince of Zephyros, the man he was to marry. The very thought of Kaelix, with his stormy eyes and quick temper, filled Eirik with a mixture of dread and resentment.

How had his life come to this? To be bound to a man who seemed more like a petulant child than a future king? And all for the sake of his people, a people who might never understand the sacrifices he had made for them.

His fingers clenched tighter around the blanket, his knuckles white with the effort. How could he marry Kaelix when his heart belonged to another? How could he share a bed with someone when the very thought of it made him want to recoil? But duty was a cruel master, and Eirik had long since learned that his desires mattered little in the grand scheme of things.

"You belong to me," the voice whispered again, its tone darker, more insistent. "No one else will ever have you."

Eirik bit down on his lip, the sharp pain a welcome distraction from the voice in his head. He knew he shouldn’t listen, knew he shouldn’t let the memories take hold, but it was hard. So hard when they were all he had to cling to in the darkness.

The faint sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway, pulling Eirik from his thoughts. He glanced toward the door, expecting the steps to pass by, but instead, they stopped right outside his chamber. His breath caught in his throat as he heard the soft knock, the sound almost hesitant, as if the person on the other side was unsure whether to enter.

Eirik sat up slowly, his heart pounding in his chest. Who could it be at this hour? His mind raced through the possibilities, Sadiki, come to comfort him? Kaelix, here to confront him? Or perhaps one of the servants with a message? Each possibility seemed more unlikely than the last, yet none could explain the knot of tension that had suddenly coiled in his stomach.

"Enter," Eirik called out, his voice steady despite the turmoil inside him.

The door creaked open, the light from the hallway spilling into the darkened room. Eirik squinted against the brightness, trying to make out the figure that stood in the doorway. As the person stepped inside, Eirik was shocked and wondered why they come to visit him by this hour.

His mind reeled, trying to make sense of what they could possibly want, but the answers eluded him.

The figure moved closer, the door closing softly behind them, and Eirik felt the weight of their gaze on him. The air in the room seemed to thicken, the silence stretching on, each heartbeat pounding in his ears like a drum.

The figure finally came into view, "Hope I’m not disturbing your sleep?"