Work Text:
The pressure on their chest was unbearable, the thick, sticky goo that was the emperor pressing their body down, pinning them to the floor as they tried to free their arms, to get their hands to their face.
A whistle.
They only needed one whistle.
With a pained grunt, they managed to free one arm, pushing through the goo that was pulling them down like quicksand, and they tried to bring it to their face, but they were to slow, and trapped again, pinned, helpless.
“Seems like you are not powerful enough after all,” they heard Belos voice in their ears as they felt him entering, invading their body, filling up their lungs. They clawed at their chest, clawed at the part of the mass that still surrounded them, unable to breathe, to speak, every bone, every muscle, every cell burning.
They got to their feet, or rather he made them get up, their body not their own, the muscles working but not listening to them.
His thoughts, the hatred, the spite, the vicious anger and revulsion, filled theirs, and they could barely keep fighting, part of them just wanted to curl up in a proverbial ball I their own mindscape because it was too much.
This world will burn.
I will burn it to the ground.
I will cure it of this sickness that is the witches and the magic itself.
I’ll cleanse the world of the Devil’s evil.
It wasn’t their thoughts, but they were in their mind, mixing, mingling with their own, and the pain, and the grief, there was grief that wasn’t theirs.
“Leave me alone,” they yelled, as they tried to get him out, somehow getting the use of their arms once again, fighting the invisible force to bring their fingers to their lips, to be able to make a sound that would get him out.
And they did, but then, he parted in two and pressed them on the ground. They struggled against him as they heard steps approaching. Familiar, decisive steps they would recognize in the greatest of crowds.
“No…” they thought. She didn’t know what she was getting into.
“How about, we give Edalyn a welcome?” the remnants of a man that was Belos said, pinning them against the wall, and they could not look away.
“Raine?” her voice travelled through the door and echoed through the room, almost eerie in the emptiness, “Raine! Where are you!”
“Call for her!” Belos demanded. But they wouldn’t open their mouth, they wouldn’t put her in that risk.
“Fine, I’ll do it myself then!” Belos growled, “DIE YOU PATHETIC BARD, FILTHY, SINFUL WITCH!” he yelled.
“Raine!?” the voice came through, “Raine! LET THEM GO YOU SNIVELING BASTART!”
She was at the door, as Belos’s goo rose, covering their face up until only their eyes were free and they could not move, they could not breathe they could not warn her as they watche the other part of him rush towards her.
“MMMPPPPH!” they managed, summoning magic into their voice.
“Eda!” they shouted, bursting through the matter of Belos as they watched her collapse to the ground
“No! No! Eda!” they surged upwards, fighting whatever the matter pinning them down was. The room was dark, and they didn’t know where they were, the pressure on their chest gone, but not really, the phantom feeling still there, and their body was burning, something rough under their hands, their ears ringing, and no sound could reach them.
Something touched their shoulder and they instinctively pushed the perceived attacker away, hearing the sound of a body meeting the floor, pulling away as the world around them slowly took shape.
The room was dark because it was night. It was their bedroom.
The thing holding them down was the blanket they tangled themselves into, not Belos.
The rough surface was just the branches of the nest, exposed by their moving.
And the person they showed away…
“Rainstorm? Raine? Are you with me? Hey, hey, focus on my voice,” they turned to the sound and met Eda’s concerned face, her hand hovering some 10 inches away from them as if she wanted to provide comfort, but was too afraid to touch them.
They nodded, unable to form words. They reached for her but hesitated.
What if she was hurt when they pushed her away?
“Need a hug? Want me to hold you?”
They nodded again and were almost immediately pulled forward, an arm and a nubbin wrapping around them. They felt hot tears in the corners of their eyes, as they clutched to Eda’s shirt, burying their face into her chest, their body shaking with cries. The memory of the dream still pressed hard on their chest, the smell of mud and rot caught in their nostrils, and the terror settled in their gut.
Her body falling to the ground...
“Shhhhh, it’s over, it’s over now,” Eda whispered, as she gently rocked them, pressing kisses to their hair, “you’re here, with me.”
Raine sobbed, relishing in her warmth and grounding themselves in her voice, slightly raspy from sleep, but ever-so-gentle, and her smell, a mix of apple blood, fire and feathers that followed her everywhere. They were a mess, they knew, but didn't care.
“Just let it out, Rainstorm. Need us to go through five things?”
“No, no,” they muttered, “Can feel you. ‘s enough.”
A low chuckle passed through her chest, “I know you’re here when even at a moment like this you find a way to be sappy,” she leaned her head down, pressing a kiss to their shoulder, and proceeded to hold them, as they relaxed once more, going a bit limp in her arms, occasional, runaway sobs still shaking their body but the worst was over, even as fear still nested in their chest.
She shuffled, getting herself in a half-sitting position, Raine curled up next to her legs, their head on her lap. She rested her nubbin on their shoulder, and combed her fingers through their hair, switching between humming and whispering sweet, comforting words. Not once did she say, It's ok, though. And they appreciated it. Because it wasn't.
They heard shuffling in the blankets and felt something warm and furry crawl up next to them. Their palisman. Fiddlestick prodded them with his nose a few times and they lifted their arm, pulling them close, as something small and soft landed on their shoulder, letting out comforting hoots.
“See, we got you,” Eda said.
“It was him,” Raine said, too weakly for it to be a spat, but the bitterness was still present in their voice.
“I know, you were tossing and turning and muttered his name a few times,” Eda’s voice was quiet, understanding like only the voice of someone who experiences similar night terrors could be.
“Sorry, I woke you up. And, you know, knocked you out of the nest.”
“Hey, none of that. Not your fault. There is only one to blame for this and he is, thankfully, dead.”
“I know. It’s just…like…like he is still here, sometimes. I know he isn’t I know he is gone…I just…I don’t know that in my dreams.”
“Takes a while to recover from something like that,” Eda said, “I’m so sorry. I wish I could help more.”
“Eda,” they smiled, weak but it reached their eyes, “you are doing something just by being here,” they scratched fiddlestick and lightly rolled their shoulder to address Owlbert, “all three of you are.”
“And we’re happy to be here. Also, don’t worry about waking me up, titan knows how many nights we spend with me crying my eyes out while curled up next to you, or you taking care of my curse issues.”
Raine sighed, “Titan, we’re messed up.”
“But at least we’re messed up together,” Eda said and they turned their head up a bit.
“That is so dark and sappy at the same time. I like it.”
“And one day,” Eda bent down, and pressed a kiss to their temple, and then another, to their hairline, “we may get to the point where we can be just sappy. Used to think it would make me wanna gag, but honestly, it’s a nice thought.”
Instead of an answer, Raine just smiled, and let go of Fiddlestick just for a second to make a grabby gesture at Eda. She bent down, so they were basically face-to-face and they stretched their neck to place a kiss on her nose, getting the tiniest, semi-broken, giggle out of her. Kisses on the lips were all fine and good, but somehow, every other type of kiss became even more of their thing in the months since getting back together. Especially on nights like these.
Eda started rubbing circles on their back, at one point, grazing over the bit of skin where their scar was, and they winced. Fiddlesticks immediately started to eye her with a bit of suspicion. He was as protective as a palisman could be. They scratched him comfortingly, mentally reassuring him that, no, they are not being actively hurt by Eda.
“Scars?”
“Yeah. Not sure whether it’s you know, actual pain or just psychological after effects but, you know,” they shrugged. “Whatever it is, I could use some of that potion of ours.”
“But let me guess, you don’t want me to leave your side?”
“Nope.”
“That can be settled," Eda ran her fingers over the areas with no scars, "Owlbert? Can you bring me over some tincture for Raine? You know which one.”
As the palisman left, Eda returned to caressing their hair, “Now, how about, I tent to your scars, and then I use that sleeping spell, hm? Just to lull you to sleep, you need it, dear.”
“I’ll oversleep under a spell,” they said.
“As I said, you need it. And if you don’t think I’ll use this as an excuse to cuddle next to you…”
“Pffft, like you need an excuse. We both know you’re a bigger cuddlebg than me…”
They knew that they were a bit unfair, as, at any other point, Eda would argue against it because she wouldn't have the heart to bicker with them in this state. And truly, this time, she simply smiled and, as Owlbert flew over and brought the tincture to her, she just winked, “I don’t see you complaining. Now, which ones are bad?”
“Chest, back, arms and the shoulder,” they said and started to unbutton their pyjamas.
“Got it,” Eda nodded, “Can you give me some light? Owlbert, hold this for me?”
She was quickly done with the scar on their back and then laid them down. They were so tired, unwilling to move much. She started to gently rub the tincture into their chest. It smelled of herbs, crushed tree bark, and just a hint of abomination ooze thrown into that. The lift on the mixing magic ban allowed for rather quick developments and it soon turned out that mixing abomination mud with soothing potions, multiplied the effectiveness of the potions.
They relished the effect, not even trying to suppress a relieved moan as the tincture fully took the gentle, cooling effect. Eda smiled, as she would lean down and pressed kisses around scarred areas.
“Is that it?” she asked, once she was done with their upper arm, “How are the hand and legs?”
“Fine,” they said, “could use some on my face.”
“There,” she ran her hand down both their cheeks, wiping most of their tears in the process and pressing a kiss on each of their cheeks and then another one, on their nose, “Now, how about we get you settled for bed. Do you want me to do that anti-nightmare spell as well?” she asked as Owlblert brieafly turned into his staff form so she could cast the sleep spell.
“I thought it took a lot out of you and Owlbert?” Raine yawned.
“Doesn’t matter,” she said and Owlbert let out a soft hoot in support, “As long as you sleep peacefully.”
“Yeah, thing is, I get very little actual rest when you use it. So, not this time. Just, the simple sleep spell, hold me close?”
Eda looked at them pensively and, under the dull light of their own light spell, they could see the gears turning in her head, “I might have an idea that may help.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, ok, so, you mentioned the smell of feathers and I know you love fluffy things?”
“Ok…”
“How about, I hold you close in my harpy form tonight? Hm?”
“Eda….” They looked up at her in disbelief.
“It was just a suggestion…”
“No, no, I would love that but…that would be hours in the harpy form. What if you need an extra elixir…or…or I know you have that mice deal you hate…and…”
“Hey, hey, Rainstorm,” she calmed them down, “It’s ok. I’m willing to do that, ok? For you, I’d eat all the mice in the forest.”
Raine blinked, “That is…the weirdest romantic thing you ever said and that is saying a lot. And…I would actually like to sleep hugged by harpy Eda…”
“I knew it,” she allowed herself a bit of a snicker as she transformed, enjoying the utter adoration in their eyes. “Now get over here.”
She lay on her right side, pulling sheets and blankets close to make a nice padding for Raine. She threw her arm over them, and they clung to her, burying their hands into her feathers and resting their head against her chest, breathing in deeply.
Finally, she threw one wing over them, cocooning them in the smell of feathers, forest, fire and apples, and they felt pure comfort despite the nightmare they had barely over an hour ago. Fiddlestick was wedged between the two and for once, the two palismen that tended to squabble curled up next to one another.
The sleeping spell started to take hold, like a lullaby, bringing them towards sleep.
Tears were still dry on their face, but they were warm, and it was soft, and they were in the arms of the witch they love.