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Warnings: m/m, Benn Trilett/Tahn Dorn, 100% writing this out of spite, no I did not spell Benjamin wrong. That is how the author spells it in Tahn, nightmares
...
"Where is the lady?" Samis demanded.
Tahn closed his eyes again. His leg was numb, but the wound in his back hurt terribly. He had never felt so weak. But there was no fear in it, no worry. He did not bother to answer. Samis had never been a patient sort, but this night he was in no mood to be ignored. He grabbed Tahn by the jaw with one hand and drew out his dagger.
"Where is she?" he yelled, pressing the point of his weapon at Tahn's neck. "You know I meant her for myself! Where is she?"
He couldn't speak. Unlike when he was actually interrogated he wasn't able to snap back at the man.
"You will tell me all I require, fool, or I shall make you sorry you ever saw the light of day."
But again Tahn did not answer him. He wasn't able to. His voice refused to work even to tell the bastard off.
"You will do what I tell you," Samis insisted. "You will help me find the lady and the children. You know you dare not disobey me again. You know what I will do to you."
He pushed his blade at Tahn's neck until he'd drawn blood. Not even trying to answer this time he bared his teeth like a wolf. This caused Samis to narrow his eyes coldly.
"What if I brought you flames, Tahn?" Samis asked cruelly. "What would you do then?"
A flash of fear ran through him. Fire was the only thing that he feared. Even with the help of the Lady Trilett he still feared it. A remnant of his past.
Fire was brought and Samis put it close to his face. And then the man started putting it against his skin. This made him scream in pain.
...
"Tahn! It's just a nightmare," said a voice.
A hand was shaking his shoulder and on instinct, he shoved the person away from him. There was a grunt of pain. Tahn was already drawing the sword that lay next to him before he got a good look around him.
Another voice ordered, "Tahn! You're safe. Look at me, Tahn."
Tahn looked up his hand still clenched around the hilt of his sword. A tall man stood there his dark hair fell into kind blue eyes. Eyes that he recognized as Bennamin Trilett, Lord of the Trilett Family. This was the man that Samis had very much wanted to kill.
The second person, the one he had thrown away from him was younger than both Tahn and Benn. He had light brown hair and soft green eyes. Like Tahn he had struggled with addiction to opium. Vari. The oldest of the children and someone who should have known better than to try and wake him during a nightmare.
Breathing out he calmed his racing heart. Then he sheathed his sword and ran a hand down his face. Exhaustion weighed him down.
To Vari, he snapped, "What the hell were you thinking?! Out of everyone you know how dangerous it is to try and wake me!"
Vari flinched and wouldn't meet his eyes. Benn glared but it softened after a few moments. It could have been much worse. Vari knew that. If it had been anyone else he might have accidentally killed them.
Benn moved slowly so as not to startle either man. A gentle hand touched Vari's shoulder causing the young man to look up at him.
Gently he said, "Why don't you go back to bed, Vari. I'll stay with Tahn."
"Are you sure, Lord? I do not mind staying with him."
Benn said with a smile, "Of course. Don't worry, your teacher will be safe in my hands."
Vari looked to Tahn for permission. Slowly he nodded. Vari wasn't worried about Tahn's safety. No, he was worried for the Lord who was putting too much faith in the assassin.
Slowly Tahn nodded his assent. He wouldn't attack the Lord. No Benn had brought something out in him that he thought was impossible. Feeling that he desperately tried to hide.
The young man slowly stood and moved out of the room. With that, he was left alone with Benn. Benn moved nearly silent as he approached Tahn. The assassin didn't move his eyes still on the door Vari had left through.
Benn kneeled down so that he was eye level with Tahn as he said, "Tahn you didn't hurt him. Don't worry. Vari just wanted to help you. He wouldn't even let me get close just in case you became violent from the nightmare."
Tahn said dryly, "He shouldn't have tried to begin with. He knows how bad my nightmares get. That one was particularly bad."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Questioned Benn softly.
"Absolutely not," replied Tahn.
There wasn't a chance in hell he would explain the nightmare. A hand touched his shoulder. It was gentle and trying to comfort him. Then Benn sat on the bed next to him removing the hand and leaning so that shoulders bumped. Somehow that was more comforting than the hand. More grounding.
"You don't have to talk," whispered the man, "But I'm not leaving you alone tonight."