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Horatio was worried. He worried quite a lot, in fact, about Hamlet.
Hamlet hadn’t slept in days, he looked awful . Horatio glanced over at him and frowned.
Sitting cross-legged in a chair, staring off into the distance, was Hamlet. He had dark circles under his eyes, almost as dark as the clothes he wore. His eyes were glossed over, as if he were in another world. The sleeplessness was getting to him.
“My lord?” said Horatio finally, breaking the silence.
Hamlet blinked at the sound of his voice, snapping to attention. He met Horatio’s gaze. “What say thee, Horatio?”
Horatio sighed, letting out a deep breath as he said, “You look unwell, my lord. Perchance you would sleep more, and you would—”
Hamlet cut him off. “Tired and weary as I may be, I cannot sleep. There is much to be done, Horatio, and too little time.” He paused as if he were about to say something more, but decided against it.
“Please,” pleaded Horatio. He walked over and knelt beside Hamlet. “You would fare better if you would allow yourself rest.” Taking Hamlet’s hand in his own, he murmured, “You must care for yourself, my lord.”
Hamlet looked down, pressing the fingers of his free hand against the bridge of his nose. “Oh, Horatio, how I long for death! I do not wish to spend the rest of my days wandering through the wearies of life, fated to lonesomeness evermore.”
Horatio smiled softly, intertwining his finger’s with Hamlet’s. “Never will you be alone as long as I am by your side, my lord.”
Hamlet squeezed his eyes shut, muttering, “These thoughts have been weighing in my mind for quite some time. They’ve troubled me, Horatio. I can feel a darkness brewing in my mind, a darkness I cannot fathom to know what it may be.” He frantically blinked his eyes open and looked at Horatio. “I say these things to you alone, in confidence. Do not breathe a word of what I have said to you to anyone.”
“Never shall anyone hear of this, my lord,” promised Horatio. He paused. “What might these thoughts be, if I may?”
Hamlet shuddered, averting his gaze. “Thoughts of vile things, dreadful and frightening. They plague me when I lie in bed at night, spreading to haunt my thoughts during the day. They’re nightmares, Horatio. Terrible, terrible nightmares…”
“What sorts of nightmares?” murmured Horatio, running his thumb over the back of the other’s hand. “Is this what’s kept you awake?”
Hamlet nodded slowly. “I fear others,” he whispered, “but most of all, I fear myself.” He sighed, trembling slightly. Horatio felt the muscles in his hand tense. His brow furrowed in worry.
“What of it troubles you?”
“I fear that I may forget myself, that I will wither away until this darkness consumes me,” he responded quietly. “How I wish to be dead, Horatio! Then I’d be free of these horrors.”
“My lord!” cried Horatio. “You need not fear, for I will stand by your side always. No matter what may come, I shall remain your loyal and trusted companion, your poor servant ever.”
Hamlet chuckled. “No, Horatio, I’d change that name with you.” He sighed, glancing down at his hands.
“My lord,” said Horatio, smiling. “For as long as I am with you, I will assure that you do not betray yourself.”
“Thank you, Horatio,” he said softly, a ghost of a smile evident on his face. “Those words mean more than you will ever know.”
Horatio held his hand gently, placing a soft kiss upon the back of it. “It is my sworn duty and my truth, my dear lord.”
“And what shall you do when I am dead?” uttered Hamlet wretchedly. Recollections of the duel entered Horatio’s mind. He winced.
“When you are gone, my lord, I shall stand by myself.”
The edge’s of Hamlet’s lips tugged into a wry smile. “And you think yourself enough?”
“Aye,” he responded. “I will grieve for you, but I shall live.”
He paused before adding, “And as long as I should live, you would live within my heart.”
Hamlet nodded, shoulders sagged in exhaustion and eyelids half-closed. Rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hand, he muttered something under his breath that Horatio couldn’t quite make out.
“Rest, my lord,” said Horatio, voice soft and soothing. “We shall talk on the morrow.”
Hamlet nodded reluctantly, allowing Horatio to lead him to his chambers. Horatio wrapped one arm around the prince’s waist, helping him up the stairs. Hamlet leaned into his companion’s touch more than strictly necessary, but neither of them minded.
Hamlet lay down in his bed, letting out a soft exhale. He glanced at Horatio, who was seated beside him.
“Would you not leave me alone in this hour of night?” he asked, gingerly reaching to press his hand to Horatio’s cheek. Horatio smiled, responding, “Never, my lord.”
Hamlet nodded gratefully, laying his hand on his chest. Horatio watched as his eyelids fluttered shut, wondering with a sigh.
Perhaps , he thought to himself, something more than friendship is at play here .