"Please, not again... no... NO!" The Princess sobbed so loudly she had actually saved herself from her own nighmare, the sounds startling her awake with a rush of adrenaline. Her heart was in her throat, she could feel it pulsing, nearly gagging her with its frantic and uneven battering against the walls of her tight windpipe. She forced a few ragged breaths slowly through her nose... inhale 4 seconds... hold for 7 seconds... exhale for 8 seconds. Repeat. Just the way Walter had taught her. Nightmare... just another nightmare. More of a memory, really. One she wished time, or a well placed blow from an enemy, would wipe from her permanently. At least the hellish nightmares were less frequent now, replaced with other Hellish scenes of bandits, the horrid smell of hobbes and the wild eyes and claws of balverines, the weight of the impending crown... By comparrison, the latter dreams were a welcome change. The only other dream she hated more was when she was haunted by the faces of the occasional innocent she failed to save. Sometimes she wondered if their sad (or vengeful?) spirits tormented her intentionally as a reminder of her failures, or if it truly was her guilt-ridden concious that would not allow her peace.
As sweat covered her body, she tried to force herself to calm down and think of happier times. She reached out and felt Bishop in his usual place, guarding her in her restless sleep. Bishop's soft and slow kisses to her hand often made her think of her time in the castle. He was by far the best gift Logan had ever given her. This line of thought was obviously going nowhere, in terms of helping her sleep, as now she was thinking of the day Logan presented her with her best friend. "Oh, Loagn..." Princess Vianne sighed, "I wish I could understand where you've gone, brother. We were once so close, but now you are a stranger to me. Without your love and guidance, how will I ever truly be me without you?"
The princess could not hold back the warm salty tears that slowly rolled down her cheeks.