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Varis turned in bed for the fourth time in as many minutes. A slow inhale and exhale did nothing to relieve the tightness of his muscles nor did it help the pressure behind his aurum eyes. He sighed through his nose and hugged the blanket close around his large form before hooking his arm under the pillow, determined to force his body to attain some degree of sleep.
A minute passed. The Garlean found himself no closer to rest.
The blond man rolled onto his back. He glared at the elaborate fresco on the ceiling through the darkness of his bedroom. The distant sounds of the surrounding capital did nothing to aid his attempts. His gaze slid over to the clock to the right of his bed. He supposed he could get up; it wouldn't be his first day spent running on two paltry bells’ worth of sleep.
A feather-light touch traced a line along his left arm from the tips of his fingers to his bare shoulder. Varis turned his head to face the source of it as a gentle kiss was pressed to his scarred chest. His brows drew together in confusion at the sight of the blonde woman watching him. She rested her chin on his chest while her hand stroked his arm.
"What troubles my golden giant tonight?" the Garlean woman asked. The ghost of a smile curled her full lips while her pale blue eyes seemed to glimmer. "And why that look, my beloved? Have I done aught to offend you?"
His large hand easily cupped the side of her face. Her petite hand held it in place while she turned to kiss his palm. Light ripples of laughter filled the dark bedroom as she moved upwards to curl against his side as she had so often done before…
"But truly tell me, my darling giant. What keeps you from rest this night? Is it your grandsire again?"
Varis remained silent, staring in wonder at the woman who had always fit so perfectly against him. His voice failed him as his dry throat tightened into a knot. Her lips turned into an ignoble pout—a habit she had never shaken from their younger years—and she sat up just enough to cross her arms and rest her elbows on his chest.
"Don't try to protect him. How often did you dismiss the servants from our room so you could vent your feelings about him to me while you undressed? I've always told you to ignore him. You'll never impress a man who keeps changing his conditions."
Tears pricked at the corners of his golden eyes. Her pout eased into a worried frown. She moved further up on him as Varis turned onto his side. The woman held his face in both of her small hands and rested her forehead against his. When their third eyes touched, his world focused on her and the sensation of her gentle touch.
"My darling prince. My golden giant. My love. My friend ," she whispered. "What can be so bad that you won't tell your own wife?"
The dam broke. His emotions flooded out, overtaking the Garlean as he clutched her to his chest. Hot tears flowed down his face only to be caught by the golden strands of her hair when he buried his nose into her cool cheek. She softly hushed him, stroking his long hair while he wept into her and surrendered himself to long withheld sobs.
He confessed everything that had been plaguing him: the war effort, his grandsire's constant criticisms, her son's growing ferocity and silent rebellion.
At the last point, the woman chuckled and nudged his cheek with her nose. She pulled away just enough to smile at him when he opened his eyes. Her fingers brushed through his hair before returning to caress his face.
"Last I checked, I did not birth Zenos on my own," she teased softly. "He is our son, my dearest giant. He certainly did not get his stature from me."
The comment brought an amused scoff out of Varis. Delicate fingers wiped the tears from his face only for soft lips to kiss the damp trails.
" There ," she sighed. "Finally, the man I have loved since I was a girl. I thought time had stolen him away."
" Life moreso, my sparkling sapphire," he corrected. "How I have missed you."
She smiled at him. His face reflexively relaxed while his wife settled into his arms.
"I am here now, my golden prince. I cannot direct your war nor can I make your grandsire see sense, but I can listen as I always have. Regarding our son, however, I am well within my rights to ask that you…"
The smaller woman's words faded as Varis drifted off to sleep embracing her.
When the large Garlean woke the following morning, he found his bed empty and cold. Varis sighed; his eyes settled on where his wife had lain during the night. His heart ached at the reminder that he was now utterly alone following his wife's death. Fresh tears welled up in his eyes as he screamed his pain into the pillows.