DCW: Just a Nightmare

Writers: Eimi, Rochelle
Date Posted: 30th May 2007

Characters: R'mer, Eleada
Description: R'mer happens upon Eleada in a moment of weakness.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 3, day 10 of Turn 4

Eleada shuddered, and suppressed a whimper. She didn't want to be heard
scrambling along in her nightgown and light robe. She didn't want anyone
to see her in her shame, Cyclone's wingthird reduced to a trembling
wreck by a nightmare. Gliorith had been sound asleep when she woke
screaming, soaked in sweat and nearly hurting herself in the mad
scramble to rip the cover off the glows to illuminate the room. She'd
tried to sleep with Gliorith, but had laid there listening to the
screams inside her head, clutching Arieoss to her so tightly that the
feline had finally retaliated with her claws.

Finally she had pushed the furs away and snatched up her robe, hoping
that her mother would still be awake. Dyrada knew about the dreams, knew
about the fear of waking alone in an echoing weyr. She could sleep on
the sofa, listening to the soft snores of her sons, nieces, and nephews.

The halls weren't dark as she stumbled along, her hand on the rough
stone wall, but the subdued shadows created by the glows seemed to be
hiding pieces of her dream. Whispers, faces that built on memory after
memory until all she could see and hear were the screams and faces of
the dying men, women, and dragons.

R'mer had finally decided after a candlemark of tossing and turning that
it was just useless. He might as well find himself a cup of klah and
accept defeat. When he lived on the farm he never seemed to have this
problem. He slept like a rock, even with one ear out for livestock and
predators. After a hard days work and a nice long soak, he was more
than ready to sleep the night away. But here, it was too quiet and
too... different. He worked hard, but he had so much time in the
evenings to just... do nothing. There was only so many straps he could
make and oil, only so many times he could scrub Hanunth's hide. On the
upside, he was the most gorgeous bronze in the Weyr, but on the
downside, R'mer had way too much time to think.

Thinking, it seemed, was a troublesome business. Problems seemed so
much bigger at the Weyr, because they were not _solvable_! If a plow
broke, he could fix it. If an animal was sick, he could either heal it
or put it down. But how did you fix a girl who runs hot and cold, or
hidework you just don't have the ability to read? How did you fix the
fact that you could die in Threadfall, or that his family might be
starving or worse and he didn't even know... And how was it everyone
else slept so sharding peacefully?

Well, not everyone, it seemed...

The screams... Eleada shivered again, pausing for a moment beside a
glow, trying to find reassurance in it's steady light. She didn't see
who had come around the bend as she bit her lip, telling herself
fiercely to pull herself together. She was a grown woman, and a
dragonrider. A _wingthird_! There was no reason to be acting like a
child afraid of the dark.

"Eleada?" R'mer was surprised to find her out there that time of night.
And in her nightgown huddled up against the wall. "Is there something
wrong? Are you all right?"

She jumped when the voiceless screams said her name, spinning and nearly
knocking the glowbasket out of it's niche, unable to suppress a panicked
gasp. But her blindly searching eyes finally focused, confused relief
visible on her face at seeing another person, even as her heart promptly
dropped out of her chest. R'mer. Shards, not him! Not after her brave
words... She shook her head, trying to preserve her dignity even as her
relief finally caused her trembling knees to go out from under her.

"Whoa there!" He rushed forward and wrapped his arms around her to
steady her. Obviously there was something _very_ wrong!
"Let's get you up to the infirmary."

The feeling of arms around her steadied her, gave her something to focus
on long enough for his words to actually sink in. She shook her head
again, a layer of pride-induced panic masking the irrational fear that
had driven her from her weyr. "No." She whispered, her voice still
trembling. "Please, no." She struggled for a moment, trying to get her
instinct driven brain to form something believable. "It's not... It's
just... just a nightmare. No."

All this for a nightmare? Must have been some sharding frightening
dream! "Should I help you back to your weyr?"

Eleada didn't want to go back to her weyr, empty and silent save for
Gliorith's soft snores. She'd be alone again. But she didn't want to
stay in the hallway either, and didn't feel like she had the strength to
persuade him to take her to her mother's. "Mmm." She said indecisively,
leaning into his arms. Faranth...

He was surprised at the way she just kind of melted against him, but he
wrapped his arms around her and silently held her close. This certainly
wasn't the Eleada he was used to. She was usually so confident and
strong. Holding her like this made him feel like he was very...
important. It was a good feeling. Shards, he hadn't felt important in
a very long time. He rubbed her back soothing, whispering
encouragingly. "You're all right now, Eleada. Nothing can hurt you.
I'm here."

She wanted to laugh, but he was disturbingly right. He was there, and
the mindless fear that had been stirred by the nightmares and driven her
through the halls was vanishing. She clung to him for a few long
moments, feeling the fear drain away. His embrace was reassuring in a
way that his words were not. He was real, not the product of her dream
and fear fueled imagination. There was someone there.

Finally, reluctantly, she loosened her grip, letting her head drop so
she didn't have to look at his face. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "I
didn't want anyone to see me like this."

"It's all right. After all, you saw _me_..." And shards, he had never
wanted anyone to see just how much he struggled with his reading. "Come
on, let's get you back to bed." He gently turned her back towards her
rooms, keeping an arm firmly around her.

Reluctantly, she let him pull her along, still not meeting his gaze as
she watched the floor to make sure she didn't trip in her bare feet. A
flush of shame warmed her face, but she battled it down. She was
supposed to be the strong one, the confident wingthird. Not a nightmare
riddled wreck whose dragon slept too deeply to to notice. This wasn't
supposed to be happening.

R'mer guided her carefully around corners until they came to her room.
He held the door open for her and gently coaxed her in. "It's all
right, Eleada. You'll feel better when you're curled up in your own
bed."

She was more awake now, more than awake enough to realize what a fool
she was being. But it didn't change the sudden stark dread she felt at
getting into bed again, alone. "No." She told him firmly, breaking away
from him and going over to her sofa. Once there, she sank onto it,
trying not to dread the fact he would be leaving her alone in a few
moments. **If I have to, I can go to mother after he leaves.** "I... I
think I'm going to stay awake a while." She said haltingly, feeling the
blush rising again and aware that her forceful denial might have hurt
his feelings. "I... don't think I can sleep, after that."

"Well, do you want me to stay?" He hoped his voice didn't sound so...
pleading...

She should deny it. She should tell him not to worry, to go onto his own
bed. That she'd be all right... "Would you?" She asked softly, feeling
the blush rising again.

"Sure." He gave her a small, almost shy smile as he sank down into the
cushion beside her, tentatively wrapping an arm around her. "I can stay
as long as you need me to."

Last updated on the June 12th 2007

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DCW: Just a Nightmare