A meeting [Closed]

[unyieldingmarch]

Who: Edelgard, Hubert, and Corrin
When: Early November, Nighttime
Where: Edelgard & Hubert's residence
What: Edelgard's bondmates meet
Warnings: Night Terrors, potentially discussions of death, torture, violence, and human experimentation.



Nights were sometimes easier for Edelgard than her days, and sometimes...sometimes they were much, much worse. She had been blessedly free of the night terrors that had plagued her sleep at times for the last few weeks, a fact she chalked up to her newfound Bonds, and the bundles of sensation that were Corrin and Hubert. They were pleasant, and she had moments where she reached her mind out to brush at them, taking strength and comfort from the connection.

However, she was to be proven quite wrong in her belief. Sleep took her as it always did, nestled deep in her blankets, snoozing lightly, but it did not take long for the nightmares to find her. Terrible dreams, sensations that left her numb, reminders of her past and the horrors that she faced in her childhood. She lay frozen in terror, body shaking, mind absolutely petrified, broadcasting through the bond a subconscious scream for help. She had no idea she was even doing it, as she could barely process anything through her panic. Needles, knives, and other implements of torment came for her, but she was so frozen with fear she couldn't even wake and cry out...

Comments

[bloodypath]

His motions pause at the touch to his mind. Even two weeks later, it was hardly less strange, but he's learning to take phantom sensations in stride. Her brush of concern was met with something halfway between content and pride, not quite either, and more of that warm regard that was always present in the back of Hubert's mind when he was around her.

"Gladly, Your Majesty. This is nothing."

Truly, war had been far harsher to him. He's dealt with worse than hot liquid during his training at the monastery, or even as a child learning his family's methods. As utterly terrible as the night terror had been, Hubert's grateful for the sort of understanding it bestowed. It was now a trouble he could endure with Edelgard, rather than standing aside, watching her carry it alone like in years prior.

"This is merely part of walking beside you on your path—one more obstacle to overcome."

[unyieldingmarch]

"Yes...well..."

She can't help but smile, feeling his pride and the burgeoning empathy between the two of them. There was plenty that had transpired between the two of them over the years, but the depth of understanding was totally different. This was a welcome change.

"We'll not be overcoming it this night, I think. And...if you don't mind, Corrin's only a couple of blocks away, so I should dress."

She did not want to greet anyone but Hubert in her cocoon.

[bloodypath]

Ah, a stronger smile. That was good.

"Of course. Do not feel rushed; I'll assure Corrin that you're unharmed."

Hubert returns the smile with a slighter one of his own, inclining his head in a miniature version of the bow he'd given not to many moments ago. The mage doesn't linger, shutting the door behind him; he's grateful for the chance to soothe his hands—his burns were starting to become sensitive, stinging with every brush of his shirt and the air itself—but he still had that mess to clean up, preferably before Edelgard's other Bonded arrived.