I Came Back To Our Little Camp To Find Him With His Head In His Hands.
I came back to our little camp to find him with his head in his hands.
"What's wrong?" I asked as I set the gathered food down.
"I hurt you," he whispered.
"I'm sorry?" What was he talking about?
"I caused you physical pain." He clenched his fists tight.
I could still feel the burn every now and again. I sat down directly beside him.
"I do the same thing to some of the plants I watch over," I told him, staring into the fire. "Sometimes, the best thing I can do for them is to cut an infected part off and burn it because there's nothing else I can do," I explained before he could ask.
"Still doesn't justify my behavior," he muttered.
"Well, I don't like the pain and it sometimes bothers me," I started, referring to the injury he gave me earlier, "but I forgive you."
He met my gaze before he asked, "Why?"
"You're going to make mistakes some as me, granted different from mine. But life and time are just that way - unforgiving. I think it's easier to get through a day if people are more forgiving."
He stayed silent.
"You going to be okay?"
He rested his head on my shoulder and whispered, "Yeah. Just processing."
"You're going to be okay," I told him, letting him take however long he needs to figure it out.
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"Tobias," I sighed.
"Yes, my king?"
"How long do you think we can honestly hold out for him to come home?"
"We're beyond that point, my king. The plant and animal mages are doing what they can to help."
I nodded. I'm tired and I know I can't rule without my brother to help me.
"And you're sure that this will work?" I questioned the tinkers I'd assigned to this position.
"Almost completely certain," the head tinker confirmed. He looked more wisened than the others. If my memory is right, he has been a tinker since he was a lad.
"If it does work," I started as I looked into it's hollow eyes, "it will save many lives."
It looked like the twelve that were already here when I came to power but it held some semblance to some of my brother's, as well.
"It's ready when you are, your majesty," the head tinker said.
"Hour thirteen," I stated with authority, "what do you see?"
The eyes lit up with a hollow orange color as it was activated.
"I see the fall of night," it replied. The wording was odd.
"Does it work?" I turned to the tinker who stood beside me. He was younger than the head tinker, his hair was comforting like the autumn.
"Well, it is dusk. So, I guess it does," he answered me in a meek tone. This tinker worked day and night on how it was supposed to work and behave.
"I'm not allowing it out unless you're sure it works," I told him in a tone that I would use with nightmare victims.
He looked down, still timid.
"Are you sure this works?" I repeated, still as patient as ever.
"Yes, it works," he affirmed, more certain now.
I smiled. There was the spark I was looking for.
"Thank you for your service, Hour Thirteen," I thanked, directing my attention to the waiting clockwork soldier.
"The night will not be long," it said.
I didn't like how empty it sounded but the tinkers told me that as it aged, it would start filling up with moments.
"The night is never very long," I told it. Day always follows night.
The ocean hissed and fizzed as it was slowly approaching high tide. It was freezing out but I just needed time to think.
Out further by the ocean, I could see some aquatic fae sunbathing. Their clothes very closely resembled how the beach and ocean looked at all times. The girls were in dresses while the boys were in suits.
This is one of the times I wish that I could be as carefree as they seem.
I'm not shirking on my duties, I just get tired of what inevitably comes during the night.
Speaking of the night, it was approaching and I had to go leave.
so wholesome
You are the first ever completely ethical vampire: you post the terms and conditions of trespassing, make it clear in the memo that said people are subject to be fed on… You can safely say that humanity’s stupidity has kept you alive for thousands of years.
A small kid ran into my arms, whimpering.
"What's wrong?" I kept my voice gentle and level. There was something that scared the poor kid and he trusted me enough to run to me with that problem.
"I had a nightmare," he answered as he tried buried his face further into armor.
I took the boy's arms off of me long enough for me to sit before he latched on to my neck.
Rubbing his small back, I asked, "Do you want to talk about it?" If he did, that would give me an idea of exactly what nightmare I would be looking for. If he didn't, I would have to try to find the right one and hope that it wasn't a dream that I was going after.
"I don't know," he whined as he clutched me a bit tighter.
I held him so he could look at me as I started, "Do you not know how to word it?"
He nodded.
I let him go as I stood up. "Well, I don't know which one I'm looking for but I'll do my best." I looked down at him, he couldn't be more than four years old. "Would you like to come?"
His eyes grew wide. "Really?"
I didn't try to stop the smile coming on. No matter the age, the reaction was always the same and it was adorable. I only offer if they aren't able to tell me about the nightmare.
"I don't want to hunt the wrong one and you would recognize it," I answered him.
He almost grew a smile but it died to a concerned look. My brows furrowed.
What was wrong?
"Would I be safe?" the little boy asked me in a small voice.
"It could be dangerous but you would be helping me stop a nightmare from terrorizing anyone else." I crouched to his level again. "However, if you want to go home, I won't think any less of you and thank you for bringing this concern to me."
"If I went to my mommy, would you stop the bad dream?"
I smiled. "Pinkie promise."
"I want to go with you. I want no one else to get any more bad dreams," the brave little boy told me.
"Alright," I said standing up before offering my hand to him, "hold on to my hand and stay by my side at all times. Okay?"
He beamed as he took my hand. "Okay."
"I made a promise years ago to a boy who's hair was color of autumn and eyes the color of spring," I murmured a reminder as I cleaned off my broadsword.
Gävlebocken 26/12/23
Zombie goat!
