Chapter 615: Promises Kept
In a dream, Ashlynn floated in the blissfully cool waters of a pond near the river Luath, staring up through the canopy of cedar and hemlock leaves that blocked out most of the stars, leaving only bright slivers of silvery moonlight to illuminate the tranquil forest around her.
"You see, my darling?" Nyrielle said from nearby as her lithe figure slid gracefully through the water with barely a ripple. "The hardest part is learning to relax, but once you do, you’ll float as naturally as a leaf on the water."
For their first day spent sleeping together, Ashlynn had asked that they have ’nothing between them, in bed or in their dreams,’ and Nyrielle had obliged when she pulled Ashlynn into a memory of her choosing to protect her lover’s dreams.
Their night had ended with hot kisses and a bite on Ashlynn’s thigh that would be hidden from view no matter what she chose to wear during the festival the following evening. After that, Ashlynn had wrapped herself around Nyrielle like a large spoon cupping a smaller one, holding her for the first time as the sun rose outside the castle.
At first, watching Nyrielle reminded Ashlynn of Jocelynn when she was very young and trying to stay up late for Midwinter’s Night celebrations. No matter how much Nyrielle resisted the pull of sleep, her body betrayed her, slowly going still as sleep overwhelmed her as if she were a young child staying up past her bedtime.
Moments later, however, she let out a slow, shaky breath as if her body had truly died, giving up its last breath of life. A cold chill crept over her and her flesh began to lose it’s pale, alabaster luster as it became sunken, dull, and lifelessly gray. Even her glossy hair lost its softness and shine, turning brittle and straw-like where it brushed against Ashlynn’s skin.
The moment Ashlynn felt it, she also felt the echo of Nyrielle’s heartbeat within her chest grow quiet, until it became faint and distant, beating weakly less than once a minute. It was a sensation she’d felt countless times before, but now, while she watched her lover wither away, the sudden loss of strength in Nyrielle’s heartbeat felt like a knife twisting in her own heart.
Nyrielle’s greatest fear was that Ashlynn would be repulsed by what she became when the sun rose but Ashlynn realized there was something far more terrifying as she watched the transformation overcome Nyrielle. Her arms tightened instinctively as she refused to let go of the woman she loved and she had to fight every instinct she had to stop herself from reaching out to the forest beyond the fortress walls for the energy to save her lover’s life.
The next instant, a different fear gripped her as she forced herself to relax her hold on Nyrielle’s sleeping figure, afraid that her tight grip would hurt her suddenly fragile-looking lover. For a moment, Ashlynn held her breath, afraid to move in any way that might harm the sleeping vampire. It wasn’t until nearly a minute passed that Ashlynn was finally able to make her trembling muscles relax, pulling Nyrielle’s emaciated figure into a soft, tender embrace.
"I’m not leaving you, my love," she whispered. "So don’t you dare leave me," she added as she gently brushed Nyrielle’s straw-like hair aside to bestow a tender kiss on her lover’s leathery cheek.
How long Ashlynn spent alone in the darkness, cradling Nyrielle’s fragile body and listening for the slow, steady, barely audible beat of her lover’s heart, she couldn’t say, but eventually, the darkness of sleep overtook her and with it, the sound of vast feathered wings, beating softly in the night as they carried her away to pleasant dreams.
"You’re close, my darling," Nyrielle said when Ashlynn found herself standing beside a large pool under the silvery light of a full moon, underneath the canopy of soft green leaves and needles of the Vale’s majestic trees. "I, I hope I didn’t frighten you," she added softly as she stepped close to Ashlynn, wrapping her dark, feathered wings around her lover along with her arms and holding her close.