Part Fourteen: A Brief Rest
May. 15th, 2020 04:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sigridharem“Yes, you are,” Sigrid said, amused. “Now close the door and settle down.”
Klaus grinned and did so, throwing himself down onto the bed face first. “Do I have enough time to take a nap before we have to go anywhere again?”
“Just enough, I think.” She put the finishing touches on Sasha’s braid. “I wouldn’t mind a rest myself either.”
“I made a few friends down in the kitchens,” Klaus said brightly. “I think they were pretty impressed that I served a Princess! How about you, Sasha? See anything neat on your walk?”
“Ah… not really.”
“Klaus, take your shoes off before you get mud on the sheets,” Sigrid said mildly, her hand still on Sasha’s shoulder.
“Sure thing!” Klaus rolled over and pulled off his boots, throwing them at the wall. “Hey, you aren’t mad I interrupted your private time with Sasha, are you?”
Sigrid smiled, reaching out and ruffling Klaus’s hair. “No, darling.”
Sasha touched his braided hair gently, then glanced at Klaus. “I might be.”
Klaus laughed and grabbed Sasha’s hand. “I bet you are! Did you even go for a walk or did you just circle around to try and get her all to yourself?”
Sasha’s cheeks reddened.
“You’re the worst!” Klaus proclaimed, throwing his arms around Sasha. “It’s a good thing you’re cute.”
Sigrid was tempted to defend Sasha’s honor, but seeing as Sasha himself was smiling through his blush, it seemed he rather liked Klaus’s misconception.
So instead she lay down on the bed, patting either side of her. “Are we taking this nap together, or are you going to flirt with Sasha instead?”
“Nap!” Klaus flopped down on her right side, then slid closer, burying his face in her shoulder. “You always smell so nice…”
“Mm.” Sigrid wrapped an arm around Klaus’s shoulders and kissing his forehead as Sasha lay down on her other side. “You smell like you’ve been drinking mead.”
“Not too much! Just enough to stay friendly!”
She felt Sasha’s breath on her neck, his hand brushing against hers. “Will someone wake us when it’s time to eat?”
“I’m certain of it.” She kissed Sasha’s forehead for good measure.
“…’d rather eat in the kitchens,” Klaus yawned. “That Lord guy seems like a jerk.”
Sigrid laughed. “He thinks I brought you both as a demonstration of power. Which perhaps I should have done, had it but occurred to me sooner! God knows Mother would approve.”
“If he didn’t think you were powerful to begin with, he’s even stupider than I thought,” Klaus grumbled. “And what was all that stuff with the guy who wanted favors because you freed him from slavery or whatever? Are we going to have to hear more about that tomorrow?”
She wanted to ruffle his hair again and tell him he didn’t need to worry, that he could do whatever he liked tomorrow and forget all about it, but… she had promised Sasha.
“Unfortunately, I believe so.” She hesitated. “Politics… can be quite ugly, darling.”
“Yeah, my aunt used to say she quit the city improvement council because it took three months to get a bench built.” Klaus yawned again. “Oh well.”
Sigrid sighed. “Yes, you should definitely get some sleep, Klaus.”
He laughed, nuzzling her neck and wrapping an arm around her. “Okay, good night! I mean… good afternoon?”
“Sweet dreams,” she said fondly, stroking Klaus’s cheek before turning to Sasha.
Sasha’s face was pensive, which worried Sigrid.
“It’s all right if you don’t feel like sleeping,” she offered.
Sasha shook his head, wrapping his arm around her just over Klaus’s arm. “It’s not that. Just…” He glanced at Klaus. “Thinking about tomorrow...”
“Have you changed your mind?”
“No,” Sasha said immediately. “It’s only that I don’t know what’s going to be said exactly, so…” He hesitated, then lowered his voice considerably. “If he says anything about me, you’ll give me a chance to explain, won’t you?”
Sigrid frowned. “Of course. I have a hard time imagining myself believing anything he could say about you.”
I’ll never forget that sight. Sasha bleeding out, tears streaming down his face while that woman stood over him, calling him names and Jalo just… blithely standing there with cleaning implements, as though this were routine.
Which it probably was.
“Okay.” Sasha exhaled, turning his face into the pillow.
Sigrid swallowed, resisting the urge to stroke Sasha’s hair again. He’d been so thin then it was frightening, hair matted and dirty. She’d barely recognized him when he returned to offer himself.
That was something nice to focus her thoughts on for now, at least. The way Sasha had beamed at her when she’d accepted him.
Just before she drifted off, she thought she heard Sasha whisper, “I love you.”
But perhaps it was only the beginning of a dream.
Klaus grinned and did so, throwing himself down onto the bed face first. “Do I have enough time to take a nap before we have to go anywhere again?”
“Just enough, I think.” She put the finishing touches on Sasha’s braid. “I wouldn’t mind a rest myself either.”
“I made a few friends down in the kitchens,” Klaus said brightly. “I think they were pretty impressed that I served a Princess! How about you, Sasha? See anything neat on your walk?”
“Ah… not really.”
“Klaus, take your shoes off before you get mud on the sheets,” Sigrid said mildly, her hand still on Sasha’s shoulder.
“Sure thing!” Klaus rolled over and pulled off his boots, throwing them at the wall. “Hey, you aren’t mad I interrupted your private time with Sasha, are you?”
Sigrid smiled, reaching out and ruffling Klaus’s hair. “No, darling.”
Sasha touched his braided hair gently, then glanced at Klaus. “I might be.”
Klaus laughed and grabbed Sasha’s hand. “I bet you are! Did you even go for a walk or did you just circle around to try and get her all to yourself?”
Sasha’s cheeks reddened.
“You’re the worst!” Klaus proclaimed, throwing his arms around Sasha. “It’s a good thing you’re cute.”
Sigrid was tempted to defend Sasha’s honor, but seeing as Sasha himself was smiling through his blush, it seemed he rather liked Klaus’s misconception.
So instead she lay down on the bed, patting either side of her. “Are we taking this nap together, or are you going to flirt with Sasha instead?”
“Nap!” Klaus flopped down on her right side, then slid closer, burying his face in her shoulder. “You always smell so nice…”
“Mm.” Sigrid wrapped an arm around Klaus’s shoulders and kissing his forehead as Sasha lay down on her other side. “You smell like you’ve been drinking mead.”
“Not too much! Just enough to stay friendly!”
She felt Sasha’s breath on her neck, his hand brushing against hers. “Will someone wake us when it’s time to eat?”
“I’m certain of it.” She kissed Sasha’s forehead for good measure.
“…’d rather eat in the kitchens,” Klaus yawned. “That Lord guy seems like a jerk.”
Sigrid laughed. “He thinks I brought you both as a demonstration of power. Which perhaps I should have done, had it but occurred to me sooner! God knows Mother would approve.”
“If he didn’t think you were powerful to begin with, he’s even stupider than I thought,” Klaus grumbled. “And what was all that stuff with the guy who wanted favors because you freed him from slavery or whatever? Are we going to have to hear more about that tomorrow?”
She wanted to ruffle his hair again and tell him he didn’t need to worry, that he could do whatever he liked tomorrow and forget all about it, but… she had promised Sasha.
“Unfortunately, I believe so.” She hesitated. “Politics… can be quite ugly, darling.”
“Yeah, my aunt used to say she quit the city improvement council because it took three months to get a bench built.” Klaus yawned again. “Oh well.”
Sigrid sighed. “Yes, you should definitely get some sleep, Klaus.”
He laughed, nuzzling her neck and wrapping an arm around her. “Okay, good night! I mean… good afternoon?”
“Sweet dreams,” she said fondly, stroking Klaus’s cheek before turning to Sasha.
Sasha’s face was pensive, which worried Sigrid.
“It’s all right if you don’t feel like sleeping,” she offered.
Sasha shook his head, wrapping his arm around her just over Klaus’s arm. “It’s not that. Just…” He glanced at Klaus. “Thinking about tomorrow...”
“Have you changed your mind?”
“No,” Sasha said immediately. “It’s only that I don’t know what’s going to be said exactly, so…” He hesitated, then lowered his voice considerably. “If he says anything about me, you’ll give me a chance to explain, won’t you?”
Sigrid frowned. “Of course. I have a hard time imagining myself believing anything he could say about you.”
I’ll never forget that sight. Sasha bleeding out, tears streaming down his face while that woman stood over him, calling him names and Jalo just… blithely standing there with cleaning implements, as though this were routine.
Which it probably was.
“Okay.” Sasha exhaled, turning his face into the pillow.
Sigrid swallowed, resisting the urge to stroke Sasha’s hair again. He’d been so thin then it was frightening, hair matted and dirty. She’d barely recognized him when he returned to offer himself.
That was something nice to focus her thoughts on for now, at least. The way Sasha had beamed at her when she’d accepted him.
Just before she drifted off, she thought she heard Sasha whisper, “I love you.”
But perhaps it was only the beginning of a dream.
