Chapter 22: Mother pressure
Eren’s fingers traced the silver scar along his collarbone—a reminder of three nights past when the dreams had turned violent. He’d woken thrashing in his sheets, sweat-soaked and disoriented, convinced he was fighting alongside her on Thornvale’s blood-soaked fields. With each passing night, the line between dreams and waking life blurred further.
The siblings finished bathing in comfortable silence, lost in their own thoughts as steam curled around them. Walking down the corridor toward their chambers, Eren reached for Naia’s arm, gently pulling her into a shadowed alcove between two ornate pillars. The spot was hidden from view, where the thick stone walls would keep their whispered words from reaching curious ears.
"Don’t tell Mother," Eren said firmly. "Promise me."
Naia’s expression softened slightly, though concern still lined her features. "I told you before that I won’t tell mom," she said, squeezing her sibling’s arm reassuringly.
"Not yet," Eren whispered, glancing down the corridor to ensure they remained alone. "I need to understand it myself first. Just trust me, Naia. Please."
Naia studied her brother’s face for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "I understand," she said quietly. "When you’re ready to talk about it, I’m here. Just... be careful, Eren."
✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧
The great hall bustled with morning activity as servants laid out platters of bread still warm from the ovens, bowls of honey-sweetened porridge, and pitchers of watered wine. The palace was slowly returning to its rhythms after months of wartime austerity.
Elysia sat at the head of the long table, maps and reports pushed to one side to make room for her meal. Her eyes tracked Eren and Naia as they entered, noting how they moved in unconscious synchronization. For all their differences—Naia with her warrior’s directness, Eren with his quiet intensity—they had grown closer during her absence.
"Join me," Elysia commanded, gesturing to the seats beside her. She dismissed the advisors who had been hovering nearby, creating a bubble of privacy.
As they settled, she poured wine for each of them, diluting Eren’s more than the others—a motherly habit that persisted despite her child’s age.