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It was so vivid. He could smell the blood – taste it. Felt the reverberations running up his staff through his fingers, got a rush of satisfaction as the troublesome fairy collapsed to the stage, skull split open and oozing brain matter. He'd killed enough to know what that would look like, in detail, and his dream-self watched with mild interest as his thugs dropped the corpse entirely.
Pretty little bloodied fairy princess. The king was screaming something, but the dark monarch paid him no mind, staring at the brown eyes of his victim. Glassy, but so full of life only a moment ago. A pity she'd had to fight back. He'd admired her spirit, if nothing else.
Abruptly he did a double-take, the features of the fairy falling into place, becoming recognizable again under the blood and gore.. The jubilation of a victory against the fairy kingdom faded in an instant and he jerked away, dropping his still-dripping staff in horror.
Marianne-
The Bog King jolted out of sleep, choking on a gasp, as he felt someone's hands holding his shoulders. It took a second for his eyes to focus properly, to wake up enough to understand what was going on.
Those same brown eyes looking into his own, but bright and aware and lively. He could only blink at her, taking shaky breaths as he tried to sort out what was real.
“It was just a nightmare,” She murmured to him, smoothing the scales on his head. “It's okay, Bog. It's okay...”
Nightmare. Just- just a nightmare. Not real. None of it.
Bog reached up and pulled the fairy closer, tucking his face into the crook of her neck while the fingers of one of his hands tangled into her hair. Listened to her pulse, beating steadily against his cheek. Her breaths ghosting over his ear. The soft, clean, blood-free skin. Just.. needed to know. To make sure.
Marianne's arms encircled him in turn, looping around his neck. She was still mumbling to him but his thoughts were circling too quickly to hear more. His love was still alive, yes. Still breathed, still existed. Everything his senses told him now confirmed that. But it had been such a close thing... If he hadn't turned his attention from her that night – if that elf hadn't called to him when he did-
Fear of that outcome made him press against Marianne again, eyes shut tight. She stopped speaking and squeezed him in return, her fingers tracing the edge of his ear, the scalp scales...
“I love you.” It came out almost inaudibly against her skin, but he needed to say it to her, as though that would make up for the horrors his subconscious had wrought. “I love you.” He'd only just found her, only just gotten used to the idea of having someone in his life like this. The thought that he could have missed it all because of a bout of anger made him.. terribly sick.
It was a thought he couldn't bear.
Marianne hummed to him, running her hands over his shoulders until the shakes left, until the fear drained away and he was limp against her. Only then did she respond.
“It was that bad, huh?” When he clenched his jaw he felt her nod a little. “Yeah. Sounded like it. It's okay- you don't have to talk about it. Try to get some sleep, Bog. I'll be here.”
She made it so easy for him. No demands, no fretting. Just quiet reassurance. Simple touch to carry him through.
The Bog King did as she suggested, eventually, nestled up against her. As he faded back into restful slumber he could have sworn he felt her kiss his head. Light as a butterfly wing, and he knew he'd have no more night terrors that evening.