Helen Magnus (britishcharm) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2012-07-18 01:07:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, helen magnus, varric tethras |
Who: Helen and Varric.
What: Helen has a nightmare.
When: Late night/early morning.
Where: Helen’s house.
Rating: TBD, probably no higher than PG-13. Mentions of death and sinking ships.
Status: Complete!
She had hoped the dreams would fade with time, that it was merely a coincidence she had begun having dreams similar to those seemingly plaguing so many others. However, the dreams only came more frequently, grew more alarming as time went on. Lately, she had been afraid to sleep alone, knowing the dreams would return, terrified of what might be waiting when she closed her eyes.
This made her all the more grateful when the shooting pain she felt every time she took a breath started to abate. She was still healing, but her bruises had faded, her ribs only becoming unmanageable when she was overly active. It meant she was once again able to comfortably share her bed with another, provided it was only used for sleeping. Unfortunately, even having a calming presence so near was not enough to prevent her from dreaming.
She had almost passed the child huddled alone in the corner of the room, frozen in fear and hiding from the chaos that had erupted so suddenly when the reality of their situation had finally sunk in. He struggled against her grasp as she picked him up, holding him tightly against her chest as she started forward again, her only focus on his safety.
It was subtle at first, breaths coming more rapidly as the first hints of panic seeped into the waking world, and she curled further into herself, her free arm pressed painfully against her chest.
She held the boy close, bracing herself against the slant of the deck, whispering faint words of comfort. She had been too late. Pressing a gentle kiss to the top of his head, she whispered, “You’re going to be all right.”
She shifted restlessly, pulling the blankets closer.
There was a sudden blinding numbness, the darkness seeming to swallow her. Then she broke the surface, gasping for air as she searched frantically for the little boy she had held only moments ago. She had lost her hold on him when they hit the water, panic gripping her as she lost sight of him.
Her breath hitched as she fought the rising panic.
She held his tiny body close to her own, no longer able to feel the cold. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew he was already gone, but she clung to him desperately, a part of her still determined she would save him.
She was barely aware of being pulled from the water, realizing the boy was no longer in her arms. Little else seemed to matter.
Helen woke with a gasping breath, her ribs protesting sharply. She was cold. So cold. She blindly reached for the warm body next to her, ignoring the pain as she pressed closer, shivering violently, one thought dominating the rest.
She hadn’t kept her promise. She had failed him.