(Continued from here | Now for @prophecyguided !)
@pine-guards-chosen-one :
For now he did as told, consciously controlling his breathing, forcing it into a slower, more regular pattern. As Diamond shifted closer to sit with him, Indrid leaned his head against the other.
“Do you ever dream about your own death, Diamond? Because I have... Too many times... And tonight just happened to be a particularly bad one...” he said softly. “Being drawn and quartered is a terrifying way to go when you think about it. You’re dragged behind a horse to the gallows, hung until you’re very close to dead where they then cut you down, disembowel and behead you, then use horses to rip your body into pieces. Sometimes they don’t behead you and simply rend your head from your body with the horses...”
It was odd how distant and matter of fact his voice was as he spoke. He’d had plenty of others about being hunted or even attacked in their home. This was no different, even if it was one of the more gory nightmares.
Diamond sighed, tilting his head to lean against the top of Indrid’s under the assumption that their hair was probably at least as much of a barrier as clothing would be.
“Stars, Indrid. That sounds miserable. I’m sorry.” Not for the first time, Diamond found himself grateful that memories from his previous lives weren’t fully integrated into his physical brain unless he actively dwelled on them; the vast bulk of them didn’t tend to shape his dreams overmuch. Even so, enough of them did. And he could empathize far more with what Indrid was describing than he’d like, right down to the miserable, weary weight of repetition.
But Diamond knew better than to assume Indrid would need the same things that Diamond would want after a dream like that. “What do you want to do?”
