A Royal Obligation
Chapter 50: Nightmare

Chapter 50: Nightmare

Kaelix tries to fall asleep but finds himself restless, hyper-aware of Eirik’s presence on the other side of the bed.

He lay on his side of the bed, staring up at the darkened ceiling.

A row of pillows divided them, a makeshift barrier to maintain distance, but Kaelix could still feel Eirik’s presence as if there were no divide at all.

He could hear Eirik’s steady breathing, could almost feel the heat of his body through the thin barrier. The awareness of the other man’s presence was like a physical weight on Kaelix’s chest, making it impossible to find any peace.

On the other side of the bed, Eirik lay with his back facing Kaelix, his body tense despite his best efforts to appear asleep. His eyes were squeezed shut, his breathing deliberately even, but his mind was far from calm.

He couldn’t shake the memory of Sadiki’s face earlier that night, the sorrow and pain etched into his features. It had been a look of silent accusation, one that haunted knew all too well.

"I’m sorry, Sadiki," he whispered into the darkness, the words slipping out before he could stop them. They were a confession, a plea, a guilt-ridden apology to the one person he could never truly comfort.

He hated this, this situation, this life he was trapped in. He hated the way he had to hurt the one person who had always been by his side. But there was no other choice. Eirik knew that. He had to play his part, even if it meant breaking his own heart and Sadiki’s along with it.

Eventually, exhaustion took over, and Eirik’s consciousness slipped into the grasp of sleep. But instead of the solace he sought, he was dragged into the familiar torment of a recurring nightmare, one that had haunted him for years.

In his dream, he was no longer in Zephyros. He was back in Valeidio, but the Valeidio of his mind was a twisted, distorted version of the homeland he once knew.

The streets were cloaked in shadow, and a pervasive sense of dread hung in the air. He was younger, barely more than a boy, and he found himself in a dimly lit room, the walls seemingly closing in on him as the shadow of a man loomed over him.

"Such a beautiful little prince," the man cooed, his voice sickeningly sweet and dripping with something far darker.

Eirik’s heart raced with fear as he recognized the voice, a voice he had tried to forget, one that had haunted his dreams for as long as he could remember. His skin crawled as the man’s shadow lengthened, creeping over him like a dark stain.

Suddenly, Eirik was no longer just a spectator to his own dream. He was reliving it, every detail, every sensation.

The man’s hands gripped his arms with bruising force, shoving him down onto the bed.

Eirik struggled, his body twisting and turning, but his movements were slow, as if he were trying to fight through quicksand. His voice, his screams for help, were trapped in his throat, silenced by some unseen force.

"No... no, please," Eirik tried to cry out, but the words never reached his lips. Instead, they died within him, swallowed by the overwhelming fear that gripped his heart.

All he could do was cry, silent tears streaming down his face as the man began to undress him, his touch vile and repulsive, sending a wave of nausea through Eirik’s body.

"I will make you enjoy it," the man whispered, his breath hot and rancid against Eirik’s ear. "Be a good boy and stop struggling. You are mine. Mine. I won’t let anyone else have you."

Eirik’s stomach churned with disgust as the man’s hands roamed over him, stroking him with a twisted sense of oownership

Eirik was helpless, unable to speak, unable to call for help. His cries were soundless, his pleas for mercy trapped within helples, tears streamed down his face.

Outside the nightmare, Eirik’s body reacted to the terror within his dream. He tossed and turned, his breathing quickening as his hands clenched the sheets. A soft whimper escaped his lips, followed by a choked sob.

It was a sound so full of pain and fear that it reached across the room, tugging Kaelix from his restless thoughts.

Kaelix had been lying awake, lost in his own turmoil, when he heard the sound. He turned his head, frowning as he saw the way Eirik’s body writhed, the soft sheets tangling around him like chains.

At first, Kaelix wasn’t sure what to do. Eirik was obviously in the grip of a nightmare, but Kaelix hesitated. He wasn’t sure if he should wake him, if it was even his place to do so. But as Eirik’s whimpers turned into soft, broken sobs, Kaelix felt something twist painfully in his chest.

The sight of it stirred something in Kaelix, something unfamiliar and unsettling.

Another sob, more heart-wrenching than the last, broke through Kaelix’s indecision. He couldn’t just lie there and do nothing. Throwing off the thin sheet that covered him, he reached out, crossing the line of pillows that separated them, and gently shook Eirik’s shoulder.

"Eirik," he whispered, trying to keep his voice soft and unsure. "Eirik, wake up."

But instead of waking, Eirik’s body reacted on instinct, turning towards the source of comfort he so desperately needed. His arms wrapped around Kaelix’s waist, his face burying itself in Kaelix’s chest as if seeking refuge from the horrors of his dream.

Kaelix froze, every muscle in his body tensing as Eirik clung to him, as if he were a lifeline, his grip tight, his body trembling with residual fear from the nightmare.

Kaelix wasn’t prepared for this, this sudden, unexpected intimacy... This closeness.

His mind screamed at him to pull away, to break the contact, but something held him back.

Inside Eirik’s mind, the dream began to fade as he felt the warmth of another body against his.

The man’s voice was gone, the sickening touch replaced by something solid and reassuring. Though he was still half-asleep, Eirik’s instincts drove him to hold on tighter, his voice finally breaking free as he whispered, "Please don’t leave me... don’t leave me."

Eirik’s voice cracked with desperation, the words muffled against Kaelix’s chest. The sound of it, the sheer vulnerability in Eirik’s voice, shattered whatever resolve Kaelix had left.

His heart twisted painfully. He didn’t know what Eirik was dreaming about, but whatever it was, it had reduced the usually composed prince to a terrified, vulnerable state.

For the first time, he truly looked at Eirik, not with the eyes of a rival, but as one human being looking at another. The mask of nonchalance were gone, replaced by something softer, more vulnerable.

Kaelix couldn’t help but feel a surge of protectiveness, a primal urge to keep this man safe from whatever demons haunted him.

It startled Kaelix, this sudden need to protect Eirik. Where had it come from? Why did he care? He tried to push the feeling away, to remind himself of who Eirik was, his rival, a man he was supposed to tolerate, not care for.

But as Eirik’s grip tightened and he burrowed further into Kaelix’s chest, Kaelix found himself unable to pull away.

Slowly, hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around Eirik, returning the embrace. It was awkward at first, unfamiliar and strange, but as the minutes passed, Kaelix found himself relaxing into the hold, his hand moving of its own accord to stroke Eirik’s hair.

He didn’t know what compelled him to do it, but there was something comforting about the act, something that felt... right. His fingers traced the delicate strands of Eirik’s hair, soft and smooth, and Kaelix’s expression softened as he watched the other man sleep.

In that moment, Eirik didn’t look like the infuriating prince who had been a thorn in his side since his arrival. In sleep, Eirik looked almost... angelic.

Kaelix’s breath caught in his throat as he realized how deeply he was staring at Eirik. He had never seen him like this before, and it was unsettling.

His hand, still stroking Eirik’s hair, began to move lower, tracing the contours of his face. Kaelix couldn’t stop himself, couldn’t pull away, even though he knew he should. There was something captivating about Eirik in this vulnerable state, something that made Kaelix’s heart beat faster in his chest.

But then, just as Kaelix’s fingers brushed against Eirik’s cheek, Eirik murmured in his sleep, his voice soft and full of gratitude, "Thank you, Sadiki."

Kaelix’s entire body stiffened. The name was like a bucket of cold water thrown over him, shocking him back to reality.

The warmth that had been building in his chest turning cold in an instant.