Aching back, raw lips, tired muscles under bruised skin. Alecto couldn't sleep. She was tired, damn near exhausted, but she couldn't sleep. There was a kind of tugging in her lower belly and a soft throb above her left eyebrow. Her back shouldn't be this sore, it was resting in a comfortable feather bed surrounded by soft duvets and handsewn heirloom quilts. She turned over, arching her back and screwing up her face. Some threads fell over the side of the bed, hanging onto the quilt for dear life. The muted greens were aged with the hundred years of spotted sunlight it had seen, and the stitching held together scraps of fabric. If the quilt could talk, it's stuffing (which was threatening to fall out all together) would tell of cold stone floors and rich tapestries, of an ornate living room and a life lived in poverty. It was one of the few things that the Carrow family had managed to keep during its fall from grace. They had once been powerful and strong and immaculate. Now they were falling apart. She kicked her legs in frustration, attempting to get comfortable. There must be a sweet spot, that was it, Alecto just had not found the right position to fall asleep in yet. She was missing something. Perhaps she was hungry. No. That wasn't it. Thirsty? Perhaps. Her feet hit the cold wooden floors as she got up and crossed over to her dresser. On it was an old style chamber pot, wash basin, ceramic jug and glass tumblr. She poured out some water into the glass and took a sip. As she did, the flash of moonlight on glass reflected in the mirror and drew her gaze. She was alright looking. Not as beautiful as she had been when she was younger, but her skin was clear and the only wrinkles she had were around her eyes. Tilting her head, Al watched her reflection, studying it. Her jaw had been broken now several times and had set much more squarely than it would naturally be. She wondered now if her face would change again before this war came to an end. Metallic. The taste was familiar and she noticed her lip leaking again. Her tongue flicked out and soothed the cut. It stung a little but it soothed her all the same. She had always associated her blood with royalty and purity. The taste had always thrilled her. This was what they were fighting for, pure blood, and not a drop should be wasted. The sight of her own reflection licking her lips reminded Alecto of her brother, and how he looked while taunting scum. The power he held in her mind was unrivalled. He was the master of words and deceit and blackmail. He was everything clever and she had nearly followed him to the end of the world because of this. She had certainly followed him into battle. Without him who was she? A scrappy woman brawling in bars and no doubt detention centres. A girl lost in her own anger and confusion and lust. When he was around, she was a shining angel, a goddess, a queen, a siren of beauty. And he was her king, her heaven, her cool drink of water. They were a perfect match, that's why they had come into this world together, not even death or birth could separate them. They did not just belong together, they were born to be with each other, they were two parts of one whole. And suddenly she knew that was what she needed, that was her only cure. He would be the only thing to dull the pain and ease the aching in her body. It was time to forgive him and let them be in their natural state once more, together. He was only one room away. Perhaps he had heard her footsteps as the floorboards creaked, but she thought it more likely that he had been lying awake as well. Unable to sleep without her. Unable to relax or think or breathe normally without her. No words were exchanged between the twins. None needed to be said. They curled around eachother and lay together like a two headed monster with too many limbs. It took precisely three seconds for their breathing to sync and their heartbeats to slow and match rhythms. Alecto closed her eyes as his fingers rubbed softly against her skin. As if a drug was secreted directly from his fingertips to her muscles, she sighed, relaxed and fell asleep.
