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Screams.
Fire.
Blood.
Wherever Orym looked it was all he could see and hear. His breaths came rapidly, chest heaving painfully as smoke from a nearby building permeated the air. The crackle of the fire that had set it ablaze was almost deafening, and his usually keen senses were being overwhelmed. In the distance he could just make out his comrades in arms, Derrig leading the way shouting orders as he took down one enemy after another. Will was at his back, supporting his father as he slew an opponent with practiced ease.
Orym had no idea what the Hells looked like, couldn’t even begin to fathom it, but right now it felt like they had descended on his home. And in Zephrah he had one job, and one job alone.
Defend and protect it with his life.
Orym raced toward the battle, drawing his sword and shield as he did so. With a cry he jumped into the fray, cutting down the black shadow before him. When the body dissolved in front of him he stood there stunned, but in a moment another shadow crossed his blade and he had no time to understand what was happening.
For what felt like an eternity, Orym darted through the crush of people, taking as many enemies as he could as he did so. The sound of metal reverberated as sword after sword battered his shield and clashed with his own weapon. As the ground grew slick with blood, he didn’t know if it was his own or a friend’s, the only thing he knew was that he had to stay up and fight. When Leyla fell beside him, her eyes glassy as blood pooled beneath her, Orym roared, driving his blade through the heart of her killer. Once more the man before him dissolved, and once again he had no time to think as another enemy took his place. Time seemed to vanish, replaced by the never-ending barrage of enemies who kept coming despite the efforts of the Tempest Blades. The only thing that existed was the battle, in all its nightmarish horror.
Throughout it all, Orym kept an eye on Will, trying to reach him through the chaos. He could hear his husband’s cries ringing out, even over the roar of the battlefield. Every time he heard it was like music to his ears, a signal that his husband was still alive.
But then something went wrong.
In a single breath the noise of the battle faded, though Orym could still see it raging around him. The closer he got to Will, the heavier his limbs became. Raising his sword felt like he was pushing a boulder up a hill, pain searing through his body. His breathing, rapid as it had been before, was now laboured and he couldn’t make sense of it. He had to get to Will.
Grimacing through the pain, he sprinted towards Will. The crowd parted, almost willing him forward and clearing a path so he could get there faster. All Orym could hear was the slapping of his feet on the ground and Will’s voice clear as day.
As he finally reached him, the first thing he noticed was the earth elemental towering above them and Orym immediately breathed a sigh of relief. With their leader here there was no way they would lose. He turned to Will with a triumphant grin, about to take up his usual position beside him, and that’s when it all fell apart.
Out of nowhere another shadow appeared, and before Orym could react it had struck, burying its sword in Will’s body. Will gasped, shock crossing his face, before he crumpled to the floor. Orym screamed, and then everything shifted.
Still reeling from seeing his love die before it him, it took Orym a while to realise what had happened. The sounds of battle were still there, but after a few moments his brain suddenly clicked that it was different to the one he’d just been in.
Looking around him he saw what seemed to be a basement of some sort and, as he blinked back tears, he could see that his allies were no longer the Tempest Blades. It was the Bell’s Hells, and they were fighting a monster of some kind. He could see Imogen backed against a wall, hands moving as she started to summon a spell that Orym could only hope would be destructive. Ashton was there too, wielding their hammer as he started shouting over to FCG, who in the blink of an eye suddenly turned into a tortoise. A tortoise who happened to be stood next to Dorian…
Without thinking, Orym started to run. He remembered this fight, remembered how tough it had been. There had been so many close calls, and his gut was telling him he had to move.
As he got closer Dorian turned, his bright smile flaring as he spotted Orym. Orym’s heart lurched once again, and he put on a burst of speed. He didn’t know why, but he had to get to him, even though he knew they’d both survived this fight.
‘Orym, get over here I need you!’, Dorian shouted as he returned his focus to the monster, hand-axe twirling in his hand as he went to attack it.
Just as he was about to move though the monster lashed out, striking Dorian in the face. Just like Will, he crumpled to the floor in an instant. Orym reached for his sword but realised it wasn’t there. So he could only watch helplessly as the monster started pounding into Dorian again and again and again…
Orym couldn’t understand it, they’d all lived through this fight. He even remembered how Dorian had gone out only to miraculously revive himself and keep fighting. So why was he watching this catastrophe happen?
Out of nowhere, an eldritch blast blasted the monster’s side, eliciting a shriek of pain from the creature. It whipped its head around trying to find the source, and Orym took that as his opportunity. Sliding underneath its legs he suddenly found he had his sword again, and on instinct he thrust upward. The sword found its mark, and with a piercing cry the monster fell dead.
Not even bothering to retrieve his sword, Orym scrambled over to Dorian praying he was alright. But it was too late. One look told him all he needed to know. Dorian was gone, and he had failed again.
Orym fell to his knees, great, wracking sobs taking over him. As he wept, the scene faded into darkness, faint whispers echoing round him, taunting him.
‘It’s your fault’
‘You could have saved him’
‘If only you’d run a bit faster’
‘What kind of husband lets their partner fight alone’
‘He didn’t have to die’
‘He needed you, and you let him down’
Eventually, Orym couldn’t take it anymore. Curling into a ball, he started rocking back and forth, muttering to himself, ‘I wasn’t fast enough, I wasn’t fast enough, I wasn’t fast enough…’
He didn’t know how long he lay there, but eventually the whispers stopped and were replaced by a voice he knew well.
‘Orym wake up. Wake up it’s only a nightmare’.
Opening his eyes, Orym shot up, gasping for air. He could feel the dampness of his tears, cool against his cheeks in the night air. Moonlight streaked through an open window, and right in front of him was a very worried looking Dorian.
‘Dorian!’.
Orym couldn’t stop himself as he wrapped his arms round Dorian. It took a while for the tears to stop completely but Dorian didn’t say anything, just stroked his hair tenderly. When he finally stopped, Orym looked up to see his boyfriend’s uncertain smile, eyes creased with concern.
‘Are you alright now, do you need anything?’.
‘Gods I thought I’d lost you’, Orym whispered as he wiped his eyes.
‘Lost me? What do you mean?’, Dorian asked with surprise.
‘Dorian I..in my dream it….’.
As Orym started to shake, Dorian pulled him in close and kissed his forehead, ‘We don’t need to talk about it if it’s too much. I understand, there are quite a few nightmares I could never share’.
‘No, it’s fine’, Orym took a deep breath, trying to centre himself, ‘If it’s you I can do it’.
‘Ok whenever you’re ready’.
Closing his eyes, flashes of his nightmare flicked through his mind. It took a while for him to speak, but eventually he did.
‘I was back in Zephrah, the night where we got attacked. It…it was so real I didn’t even realise I was dreaming’.
Orym clutched the sheets beneath him, eyes fixed downwards as he spoke.
‘I was fighting for my life, trying to reach Will but there were so many. I finally managed to get to him but I was too late. I watched him die. Again’, his voice choked on that last word, tears threatening to spill once more, ‘Then in an instant I was somewhere else. You and the others were fighting a monster, and I was trying to get to you. You were so relieved to see me, but then the monster…it was too quick. You fell and..and..’.
‘And you watched me die’, Dorian finished softly, ‘Oh Orym, I’m so sorry’.
‘All I could hear were voices telling me that I could have stopped it, I could have saved you both’, Orym’s voice trembled, ‘Maybe they were right. It was my fault, I wasn’t fast enough’.
‘Orym, don’t you dare say that’.
Dorian grabbed Orym’s arms, startling him into looking up once more. Dorian’s tone was heated but there was a heart-breaking agony etched on his features at Orym’s words.
‘I never knew Will, but if he loved you half as much as I do I know he would never blame you for what happened’.
‘But…’.
‘No buts, you are one of the best fighters I have ever fought with, and I count myself lucky every day that I have you there to protect me when things go wrong’.
‘I mean I’m the only fighter you’ve ever fought with’, Orym pointed out, but he said it with a small smile as he started to relax.
Dorian shook his head with an indignant snort, ‘That’s what you took from that? And here I was trying to make you feel better’.
‘No, really you did make me feel better’, Orym hurriedly said, ‘And I love you so much for listening to me ramble’.
‘Well, that’s ok then’, Dorian grumbled, taking Orym in his arms once more, ‘Do you think you’ll be able to go back to sleep or not? It’s still a long way from dawn yet’.
Orym nestled in as Dorian threw covers over them both, ‘I’m not sure, but you can go back to sleep. You shouldn’t miss out because of me, and knowing this group it will be a long day tomorrow’.
‘When is it ever not’, Dorian agreed with a yawn, ‘Still, you should try and get some rest, now let me think…’.
After a moment, as Orym gazed up at Catha and Ruidis, Dorian started to sing. Orym had never heard the melody but it was almost like a lullaby, ushering away the pain to be replaced with a soothing warmness. Before he knew it, he was drifting off into sleep.
As Dorian finished, he looked down and saw the slow rise and fall of Orym’s chest. Satisfied, he brushed Orym’s cheek softly and gave him a sweet kiss on his forehead.
‘Sweet dreams Orym, and never forget I love you with all my heart’.
As Dorian rolled over to find his own rest, Catha’s light enveloped them both in a gentle embrace. Orym smiled, and this time he didn’t have nightmares, just the sweetness of knowing how loved he was and how lucky he was to have found it twice.