Your sword swung, slicing through the serpents head. war raged all around, but there you stood- well, fell to your knees, actually. a scream left your lips, eyes closing as the weight of everything came crashing down.

to ones who didnt fight, they whispered about their Queen. not even a moment after Madoc approached her, the snake started glowing, and out stepped Cardan. naked, but alive. and there was silence.

embracing him, you wept quietly into his shoulder before stopping and pulling yourself together and just holding him. the only thing you could focus on was how his face buried into your hair, his arms tightening around you to keep you grounded.

this all came back in a dream.

jerking and sitting upright, she gasped for air, eyes wide, hand clutching her chest. her hair fell around her in messy waves, sheets crumpled down to her waist. the shirt that she wore- one of Cardan’s that he had brought back from the mortal world- was fisted in her hand, her heart pounding in her chest relentlessly.

ever since Cardan had been turned into a serpent, she had had nightmares. each one was worse than the last, and it left her shook for the rest of the day. they were frequent, and even when she would have Cardan’s comfort, she still couldnt accept that it wasnt a daydream.

she looked down at her side where Cardan lay on his stomach, scarred back facing the ceiling since he never slept with a shirt. his black curls fell over his eyes, his face turned so his cheek rested on the pillow; his lips were parted, one hand tucked underneath his chest. the arm that was draped over her middle had slid down rest in her lap, his skin glowing in the soft moonlight

she took his arm off her lap and laid it by his face. then, she drew her knees up and hid her face in her hands. she sobbed, this nightmare worse than any of them before.

she didnt mean to wake him up. it was all she could do to not grow louder when she felt his warm hand on her back. she hid from him, not wanting to seem weak.