Chapter 16

Screams In The Night

Three weeks later, the sound of screaming cut through the castle like steel through flesh. Alexander jerked awake. He was drenched in sweat. His dream had been full of anguished yells.

It is only a dream.

The screams did not stop. Somewhere in the castle, a woman was scared. Not just scared, but terrified and in danger.

Rose.

Alexander leaped out of his bed, grabbing the small sword he kept beside it. His nightclothes were loose and in disarray, but he had no time to change.

Dignity be damned.

He ran.

His heart thundered in his chest. Visions from eight years ago threatened to overwhelm him. The sound of Rose's screams mingled with the memories of that night.

This cannot be happening. Not again.

"No! No! No!" Her voice was full of fear and anguish.

He tore down the passage that connected their rooms.

I have never been more thankful than I am now for this passage.

The screams continued.

"Please… don't do this!" The panic in Rose's voice cut through him like a knife.

He quickened his pace, crashing through the door to her room.

The light of the full moon filtered through the window, casting eerie shadows on the walls. He spun this way and that, searching for the danger the shadows hid. Yet, there was nothing to be found.

Rose lay in her bed, twisting and shaking. There was no intruder. She cried out once more, and Alexander felt his heart clench in his chest.

She must be having a nightmare.

He placed his small sword on a nearby table and strode towards the sleeping woman. Gently, he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Rose, wake up. It is only a dream," he called softly.

She continued to thrash, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Rose!" Alexander called louder as he gently shook her. "You are safe. Wake up!"

Something collided with the side of his head. The surprise, more than the force, caused him to stumble back and fall, grunting in pain. He hit the floor with a soft thunk.

Rose's eyes flew open as she jerked awake, staring around wildly. One hand was raised, clenched into a fist.

Carefully, Alexander moved towards the bed on his knees, shifting in the moonlight to allow her to see him more clearly. "It is me. Alexander."

"Alexander?" Rose's voice was confused and thick with sleep. "What are you doing here? And why are you on the floor?"

"I heard screaming. I thought you were being attacked and came at once." Alexander gestured to the small sword on the table, feeling his heart twist as he remembered the sound of her distress.

"I am sorry to have caused you such concern." Rose's face was half obscured by the shadows. "Yet, that does not explain how you came to be on the floor of my bedchamber."

"Ah, well." Alexander ran a hand through his hair, grateful that the dim light would hide the rising color in his cheeks. "I confess, I was prepared for danger because of intruders. I had not quite anticipated that you yourself would cause me harm."

"I… What? I do not understand." Rose sounded confused.

"When I tried to wake you, you… Well, you hit me." Alexander rubbed the side of his face.

"I hit you so hard that you fell on the floor?" Rose's voice held a hint of mirth. "Well, I must say, I am very impressed with the strength of my sleeping arm."

"In truth, it was less the strength of the blow and more the surprise that made me fall." Alexander paused thoughtfully. "Although, to say that your blow was powerless would not be wholly accurate."

"My father will be pleased."

"Your father?" Alexander cocked his head.

Rose nodded, though there was a sheepishness to her voice as she said, "Yes. He felt it was important we learn how to defend ourselves, in case of an emergency. Mother refused to allow him to teach us swordplay, so in the end, he taught us how to box."

"Boxing is not a very ladylike pastime." Alexander tried to imagine Rose and her sisters boxing, and found himself smiling at the image.

"Indeed, it is not. In truth, I am rather surprised Mother agreed to the lessons. Though I have never had to use them—at least not consciously." Rose reached for the bedside table. "It feels rather silly, speaking in the dark like this. Let me light a candle."

A moment later, candlelight filled the room, and Alexander found himself staring at Rose's tear-streaked face. Rose smiled at him, though he could see the brittleness of it.

"Perhaps you could teach my sisters some of your skills. It is somewhat comforting to think that they may not be so vulnerable." Alexander smiled gently.

"I am not very skilled. Though I would not mind sharing what I know with them." Rose bit her lip, and he saw her eyes begin to fill with tears.

"You are crying." Without thinking, he lifted his hand to her face, wiping a tear from her cheek. "Is it because you miss your family or something else?"

Rose shook her head. "I do miss my family. The dream… I… It has been many years since I last had it. I thought… Well, I hoped that perhaps I moved on."

"You had this dream before?" Alexander realized his hand was still on her face, so he hastily withdrew it. "Would you share it with me? I would understand what has distressed you so."

"It is only a silly thing." Rose bit her lip. "Ridiculous, really, that after all these years, it still has such an effect on me."

"Time may heal some wounds, yet that does not mean they do not still hurt on occasion." Alexander paused. "If you would rather not share your dream with me, you do not have to. But if you choose to do so, I promise I shall not make light of it."

For a moment, he thought that she would say no more, but then she began to speak.

"It always begins in the same way. I am running through a corridor. It is dark, and there are suits of armor all around me. I can hear my mother's voice telling me that I must not be late. My sisters laugh in the distance. I can hear them, but I cannot see them. A hand grabs me, holding me in place. I cannot see who it is. My sisters and mother are calling to me. I know that if I do not get to them, something terrible will happen." Her voice broke. "But I cannot move. I am held in place."

"And then my mother stands before me. She tells me that I have ruined everything. That I have brought scandal and shame upon them all. And still, I am restrained. I cannot run. I cannot hide." She wiped a tear from her cheek. "It is the disappointment on her face as she turns away from me. That she looks as though she had expected this and always knew I could do no better… And then… Well, then you woke me up."

Alexander stared at her.

Even in her dreams, she cannot help but think of others.

He watched the pain flicker in her eyes as she spoke of the disappointment she saw in the dream.

I understand what it is like to be a disappointment to those around you. Yet, at least for Rose, it was only a dream.

"I told you, it is silly." Rose dabbed at her eyes with the corner of her sheet. "What must you think of me? I am utterly ridiculous, to be so rattled by something so trivial."

Gently, Alexander reached towards her hand, taking it in his own. He half expected her to pull away from him, but to his surprise, she didn't. Instead, she let him curl his fingers around her delicate ones. The warmth of her hand in his was reassuring.

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze as he said, "I do not think it is a silly thing to care so much for one's family that you would do almost anything for them. It is no trivial thing to feel that we have somehow disappointed those we love most. It would have caused distress to anyone."

Rose tilted her head, staring at him as though she had never truly seen him before. Alexander resisted the urge to look away, instead holding her gaze and trying to keep his expression soft.

"But it was just a dream," Rose murmured, as though trying to reassure herself.

"It was. And now you are awake." Alexander ran a hand through his hair, trying to think of what else he could say. "And you have done everything within your power to secure your family's future. No mother could ask for more."

Rose's doe-like eyes met his own, her mouth slightly upturned in a brittle smile. She placed her other hand on top of their joined hands, gently squeezing.

"Thank you." She hesitated before adding, "I am glad that your family is at Glassley this week. It would have been most embarrassing to wake them all."

Alexander nodded, thinking of the invitation they had received a few days ago. They had all been invited to Glassley for a fortnight, but Rose and Alexander had felt that their presence was needed at the castle. The improvements and repairs were well underway and required direction.

"Though I understand your embarrassment, they would have felt as I do. Our main concern would be your safety." Alexander paused and then added, "Though having ascertained that you were safe, I suspect Olivia may have teased you, especially if she had seen you punch me."

"Perhaps she would have said you deserved it." Rose laughed softly.

"No doubt she would have." Alexander smiled wryly. "Though I confess, I do not think in this instance she would have been correct."

Rose laughed. "Perhaps not. Though I doubt that would have stopped her."

"Indeed, it would not have." Alexander rolled his shoulders back, feeling them grow stiff as he sat on the floor. "I shall need to think carefully about how to wake you up in the future."

"Do you plan to wake me up often?" Rose's voice was teasing.

"Only when is necessary." Alexander gave her a sidelong glance. "Although, it would appear that it would be best to do so from a distance. I heard that a bucket of water is a most excellent solution."

Rose's jaw dropped, and she shook her head. "I suspect it would be rather hard to carry a bucket of water and your sword."

"Perhaps I shall simply have the servants leave a bucket in your chamber for such an occasion." Alexander grinned. "I think it is a perfect plan."

"And I think there is a fatal flaw which you have overlooked." Rose's eyes narrowed.

"Really?" Alexander attempted to look innocent, although he was not certain that he had succeeded.

It feels as though my face has forgotten how to display emotions.

"Pray tell, what is this flaw?"

"Well, the aim of your plan is to avoid any blows from my sleeping self, yes?"

Alexander nodded. "Indeed."

"Yet, you fail to consider that if you throw a bucket of water on me, you shall be faced with the wrath of my waking self. And I daresay she has better aim." Rose reached behind her and threw a pillow at him.

He ducked, laughing. "Then it seems I must resign myself to come to harm."

"If you are determined to wake me up in such an unpleasant way, then yes." Rose laughed, too.

"And what would you propose, then?"

Rose looked thoughtful. "Perhaps you could simply yell. You do have quite a commanding voice."

"And if it does not work?" Alexander cocked his head.

"Then I fear you must risk your handsome face." Rose smiled.

"You think I have a handsome face?" Alexander asked.

Rose blushed but held his gaze. "Perhaps."

They fell silent after that.

She thinks I am handsome?

Alexander felt something warm stir in his chest. He rolled his neck and shoulders, shifting from kneeling to instead sitting beside the bed.

"You do not have to remain on the floor. It cannot be comfortable," Rose murmured.

"You wish me to leave?" Alexander asked, feeling a small stab of sadness.

This should not surprise me.

"No." Rose sounded surprised. "I do not wish you to leave. I would like you to stay, unless you do not wish to."

"I will stay." Alexander nodded.

"Thank you." She sighed. "But you do not have to remain on the floor."

"Where should I go, then?" Alexander felt his heart begin to beat faster.

Rose flushed deeply. "You are welcome to join me on the bed. We are married, after all."

Alexander hesitated. He looked at the bed and then at the woman before him.

"I promise, I shall not hit you again." Rose smiled, though there was an emotion in her eyes that Alexander couldn't quite place. "I daresay the bed is more comfortable than cold stone."

"Well, now that I know that you shall not harm me, I shall do as you ask." Alexander stood up, stretching his stiff muscles.

Rose shifted, making room for him to sit beside her.

For a moment, he hesitated.

I should just leave.

Yet, as he looked into her face, he found he did not want to. Instead, he breathed deeply and sat beside her.

It is only one night.It won't change anything.