Title: Before I Sleep
Rating: G
Character(s): Dagonet...well, and his horse too
Disclaimer: nope, don't own 'em
Summary: Dagonet returns to the fort after a very long journey.
Author's note: Inspired by Robert Frost's poem Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening. Written for the LJ community drabbleredux, the challenge "Endings".
Before I Sleep
The silence was deafening. A phrase that seemed rather contradictory. But, he thought, if silence could ever be deafening, it would be now. And to tell the truth, Dagonet didn't give much thought to it, or anything else, the idea had simply popped into his mind as they stopped for a moment in the woods.
Snow fell lightly about them, catching on Dag's cloak and in his horse's black mane. It had been a long journey, very long. All he wanted was to close his eyes and go to sleep. The cold didn't even matter anymore. The previous night, he would have done anything to be next to a warm fire with plenty of blankets, but now he didn't care…he was so tired.
Dag's pale eyes started to close; his head started to roll forward. A soft breeze whispered past him, almost as if the elements themselves were willing him to sleep. He knew he shouldn't, he had taken a large blow to the head and a jagged cut trailed down the side of his face, fortunately missing his left eye, which was now practically swollen shut. It had been yesterday, his horse slipped on some ice and Dag hadn't reacted in time. When he fell off, he struck his head on a rock.
His horse, Hector, was concerned when they were stopped for too long. He looked around, watching the snow nervously. Pawing at the ground, Hector snorted and shook his head. Dag jolted up before he fell asleep at his horse's movements, patting the animal on his neck with a gentle smile.
"I know," the man whispered in his native language, his breath making small clouds in the cold air, "You're right, we should go." Hector pulled at his reins and started walking forward again.
As they rode through the snowy woods, Dag watched the world through his tired eyes. Hector's rocking gait nearly failed to keep him awake. But his head hurt so bad. If he went to sleep, it would stop and there would be peace. Yes, in the end there would be peace.
Dagonet's vision blurred for a moment, he didn't have the strength to sit up straight any longer. They passed out of the woods onto the field of snow. A white paradise. The hills of the field seemed as if they had been covered in a blanket. There was no harshness to the vision at all, Dag nearly thought that perhaps he had died and this was heaven. Surely, nothing in the dark, cold place known as life could be this beautiful. He imagined he was a horse running across the field with his forefathers. Dagonet closed his eyes, smiling. Death was nothing he feared.
The snow beneath was so soft that Dag didn't even notice when he finally fell off of Hector, crashing into the white pillow. He didn't hear the voices of his friends running to him. They would save him. For now, the long journey was finally at an end.