Chapter Text
Anna's eyes were closed, her mind a reeling mess. She flinches as a loud boom of thunder shakes the palace, the lightning briefly lighting up her bedroom with a blinding flash. She opens her tired eyes, sits up, and looks around, her heart racing. The rain was pounding against the widows, and the thunder was relentless. But...it was just a storm.
It was just a storm.
So why...was she still so afraid?
Groaning in frustration, she falls back onto the bed, her hands covering her aching eyes. She couldn't sleep. It had been a few weeks since the events regarding prison and the Tower, and a few weeks since Gabriel found her and took her to this...fantasy world.
It had been weeks. But she was still on edge. Still nervous. Gabriel wasn't doing much better, she knew...they both were shaken.
"Oh..." Anna sighs, resting her hands to her chest as she stares at the dark ceiling. She couldn't help but blame herself for all that happened. If she hadn't been caught, Gabriel wouldn't have been forced to transcend worlds all alone...he wouldn't have had to run through a battlefield alone or...
Or lose his friends...
A few tears formed in her eyes, and Anna turns onto her side, her mind restless as grief struck her aching heart. She had gotten Lugaid killed. Regrin was dead because of all this...and Gabriel had almost died many times during it all...
What would she have done if her brother died because of her...
Anna sniffles, wiping some tears from her damp eyes. She closes them again, though when another pound of thunder roars, she flinches, a vision of her trapped again in the prison's walls appearing before her, the cell door slamming shut with a thunderous bang.
With a fearful cry, the woman sits up straight, shaking her head to clear the memory away. Sleeping was no use tonight. She groans again in frustration, running her hand through her long hair. She hadn't told Gabriel how bad she felt. He didn't need more stress, and she didn't want to worry him...
Anna could tell their past adventure had scarred him horribly, as he couldn't hide it like she could. But Anna didn't think less of him for how he felt. She knew he was brave. All for her sake, he escaped prison, traveled miles, transcended worlds, ran through a battlefield, escaped a demon Tower, fought a dragon, and then traveled hundreds of more miles to find her again and bring her somewhere safe.
Gabriel was the bravest person Anna had ever known. He was no fighter, but he was strong in his own way. But even the strongest people got scared sometimes...they both were scared after all this...they both were shaken and afraid, but they promised each other they'd be there for each other no matter what. They'd face this together. They'd heal together.
They were family, and Anna, no matter where she went with her life or how far away she was, would always be there to protect her brother.
Through anything.
Another loud boom shook the walls, and she winces, her heart racing. She couldn't stay here, she had to find somewhere quiet to rest...
So, she throws a blanket around her shoulders, and walks out into the dim halls, pondering where to go. Perhaps the basement library...the sound of the storm wouldn't reach her there. She walks quietly, as to not disturb anyone else sleeping, though not much could be heard over the raging storm. She steps down the palace stairs, the glow of golden sparkling gems on the walls lighting her way. And finally, she reaches the basement library doors.
They were wooden, and old, with carvings of candles and books on the front, lined with gold paint. She pushes the door open slowly, eying the room before her.
The library was the palace's personal one, as the main Sesidhbana library was much larger and down the road. But she liked this one, as it was small and cozy...and quiet. She would spend hours just reading down here. She saw tall bookshelves, lined with hundreds of books, old and new. Hanging ceiling lights with dim candles loomed above her, casting the room into a cozy soft light. The floor was red carpet, and the shelves a deep brown wood, the whole room easy on the eyes. She smiled as the scent of old books hit her, a familiar and homey sensation. She could sleep here just fine...
Stepping in, she walks towards the back, where some soft couches reside. She could try and sleep here-
"Anna?"
"AH!!!"
Anna whirls around, screaming, her heart flying out of her chest at a voice behind her. She staggers back, nearly running into a bookshelf in her tired daze, but gentle hands grab her, and keep her steady.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you!"
She blinks, and sees...her brother, Gabriel there, looking worried. He was in his pajamas as well, a book under his arm.
"G-Gabriel?! Lord above, you mustn't do that!" Anna whispers, catching her breath. Gabriel looks at her sadly, shuffling on his feet.
"I'm sorry, Anna, I was just looking for a book here, and I heard you walk in...I didn't mean to startle you!"
"Oh, it's alright, I just-...wait, why on Earth are you down here this late?" Anna asks, now realizing they seemed to have the same idea.
"I was about to ask you the same thing..."
"Couldn't sleep?"
"Couldn't sleep."
They both look at each other a moment, before laughing, and smiling, the mood much lighter.
"The cursed storm was so loud, I just...I needed to walk, and get my mind off of it." Gabriel says quietly, holding the book in his arms closer to his chest. "You?"
"Yes, the same thing...though I didn't want to read, I just wanted to lay down somewhere quiet and try to sleep..."
"Oh, well you can join me here! I was just going to read, I won't bother you." Gabriel says, motioning to the seating area in the corner. Anna smiles, and pulls her blanket tighter.
"I'd like that..." She says, following Gabriel over.
She lays down on the long couch, and gets comfortable under her blanket. Gabriel was nearby, sitting at the table, a small stack of books beside him.
"You shouldn't not sleep, Gabriel..."
"Now you sound like Elderane!"
"Well it's true! You'll just feel worse in the morning..."
"I know...I just can't tonight." Gabriel says quietly, his smile gone as he stares into the dark distance. They could still hear the thunder raging above them, and Gabriel shudders. "The dreams are just too bad right now..."
"You should talk to Eldeane about that...he could help you..." Anna says, and Gabriel smiles at her.
"Oh, I'll be fine! It will pass...I just need to get my mind off it right now." He says, opening a book. Though he glances at her. "Are...your nightmares bothering you?"
Anna glances away quickly.
"...a bit, but they're not too bad! I'll be fine once this storm passes." Anna says, though she keeps her tone light. She can't worry him, especially now.
Gabriel nods, looking back to his book, his mind too dazed to catch her false tone.
"Well, just let me or Elderane know if they get worse, alright?"
"I will, Gabriel..." Anna says, her voice trailing off. She'll tell them later...neither need stress right now.
Gabriel nods, and looks back to his book.
"Well, you get some rest, alright? I'm here, so you know nothing bad will happen. We're safe in the palace."
"You're right...I'll see you tomorrow, Gabriel...goodnight."
"Goodnight Anna."
Anna looks at her brother once more, before pulling her blanket up, and closing her eyes. She could still hear faint thunder upstairs, but it was muffled and distant. Gabriel was right here, and he was right...they're safe here, in the palace...they're safe...
They have a good home, and a bright future. She was going to travel to a neighboring village in the mountains next week to continue her studies for a while, and Gabriel was enjoying learning about all Avantasia had to offer, it's magic and knowledge. They were happy here, and had a wonderful future ahead of them...
She just couldn't help but feel on edge...as if something was looming over them, a shadow she couldn't even see...
Like she was being watched...
She opens her eyes, but saw nothing. Just Gabriel reading, and just the library around them, safe and secure. She sighs, and closes her eyes again. She was being silly. Her nightmares were just making her paranoid...she'd talk to the palace healer about them later. For now, she needed to sleep...
There was a long journey ahead for them both...and she had to be ready to face the unknown.
~
Gabriel glances over, seeing his sister fast asleep on the couch. He smiles, and looks back to his book, trying to focus on it over the storm raging above him. Ever since the Tower incident, he had struggled to sleep during thunderstorms. It didn't matter, he was used to sleepless nights. He flips a page on his book, narrowing his eyes at what he saw.
The book he has found was old, and appeared to be a journal of sorts, written by a scholar from the era before even Elderane's father ruled. Gabriel chose it to try and understand more about what this mystic world was, how it came to be...but on this page, he saw something...familiar.
Drawn in dark ink was an image of...five flat rings, all layered on top of each other, a thread of stars connecting them all. The page had no words on it, but Gabriel couldn't help but stare. He's seen this diagram somewhere before...
But where...?
Along the thread of stars in the middle, they branched out like a tree, fading off into nothingness beyond the rings. Gabriel flipped through the journal more, but saw no other words about what this image represented.
He just rolls his eyes, and keeps reading on. Another mystery he'd never understand. He was getting used to the feeling by now, as he discovered that with the more he sees, the and more he knows...there's even more he doesn't know, and may never know.
He's learned to accept it. This world was strange, and mysterious. He may never understand it all...
But, he could try. So, he flipped another page, and kept reading, the diagram forgotten from his mind.