"I woke up. I woke up and you were gone."
Dorian awoke to a cool breeze with a frown. A frown that merely deepened when he noticed the balcony doors wide open, flapping in the early autumn gust. He closed them up with his magic, huffing at the thought that he was woken up this way. Wanting some warmth, the King extended his arm across the sheets but was confused when he found it empty.
"Witchling?" He muttered before he sat up and rubbed his eyes.
The spot next to him was cold and seemingly unused, very different from what it should have been, considering how he and Manon had spent part of the night. At the sight of the untouched pillow, Dorian made a move to grab it bringing it up to his nose, expecting it to have her scent.
Nothing.
There was no trace of her at all. Not even the soft smell of the hair product she used which he liked so much.
A hole opened up in his stomach as the weariness from waking suddenly left him. There was no cloak hanging on the metal hangers next to the door, no knives scattered on the bedside table, no Wing Cleaver on the couch. "Manon?" He called, but as it looked, she had left a while ago.
For some reason, the King felt compelled to walk to the drawers, opening the two he had separated for her. They were empty and dusty, like no one had used them for years. A hasty look to the wardrobe, where a fourth had been filled with her dresses, was in the same condition. Why would she take the clothes? She only kept the dresses because he liked when she wore them for balls or other special occasions.
"Manon?!" He said once more, louder this time, as he made his way to the bathing room. A single toothbrush, a missing towel, a lack of hair products next to the large tub. It was as if she had vanished. Vanished from his bed and his life, all in a few hours.
Panic made his magic flare out, and he ignored the icy footprints he left behind as he hurried to his door. The two guards outside his door startled, both bowing as they noticed what had caused the commotion. Dorian didn't waste time as he spoke, "when did she leave?"
The duo turned to each other and the one on the left, Altair, answered him. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty?"
"The Queen, when did she leave the room?"
The befuddlement on their faces made Dorian question his own sanity. "Forgive me my Lord, but no one except you has been in or out the whole day."
What?
What?!
Manon and him had walked through this very door, with these two very guards on this very spot only a few hours before. "You haven't seen Manon at all?"
The guard on the right, Birk, raised an eyebrow. "Manon?"
Dorian burst out running, going through the hallways and down two flights of stairs, ignoring the shouts of his guards and the yells of shock coming from the night staff as he hurled past them. Chaol jumped nearly a foot in the air when Dorian slammed his door wide open, the First Hand grabbing his sword as he sat up.
The King didn't care, immediately going for his friend. "She's gone."
Chaol groaned as he noticed it was only the King, but his eyes were narrowed with concern, the dark orbs taking in the craze in Dorian's eyes, the ice following after him. "What?"
"Manon is gone. We were sleeping next to each other and she just…disappeared. Everything is gone."
Chaol huffed and rubbed his chest. "Who is Manon?"
Dorian felt like he was about to faint, the world slipping out from underneath him. "The witch, Chaol, the Queen."
"Witch? Dorian, you're making no sense."
The King felt his gaze spin and he flung out a hand to stabilize himself. An urge to puke so strong overcame him, so strongly he didn't hear Chaol call his name, didn't see anything but black and red and white.
Dorian gasped as he opened his eyes, his arms and feet flailing in shock as he lost his sense of time and space. Only one thing cracked through his muddled thoughts, a name.
"Manon!"
"I'm right here. It's fine. Relax."
A sob of relief left his mouth as he turned to his side, reigning in the magic, focusing on that perfect face and the moonlight hair and those burnt gold eyes. "I woke up," he gasped, going for her, "I woke up and you were gone."
The hug came from her, and he held her tightly, taking in her scent and the smell of her hair. "It was just a bad dream," she muttered and he relished in the sound of her voice. In the feel of her body against him. She was here and it was fine.
"No one knew who you were," he told her, still holding on, "I thought I was going to die." It certainly felt it. To have his whole reality turn on him like that. It had been more than just a bad dream.
It had been a nightmare.
Her hands stroked along his back and he concentrated on the touch, closing his eyes as he buried his face into her neck. "Always so dramatic, princeling."
Dorian barked out a laugh, relief and love pouring out of him like molten lava. "If you ever feel the need to go somewhere in the middle of the night, at least let me know."
The witch inched back, but he tightened his hold, wanting to hold on for a little longer. She didn't fight it and he lay a kiss on the spot where her neck met her chin in thanks. "I'm not going anywhere, Dorian."
"I know," he muttered. "I know."
Really enjoyed writing this one, hope you enjoyed reading, too!
