9: Dark Before Dawn
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.
Summary: Her "happily ever after" unfortunately includes nightmares and painful memories (Hayden/Elen).
Ugh, I'm back to the angst, I see. Must be the impending school year.
She had many peaceful nights, when the greatest of her worries involved whether or not the children would manage to stay asleep all night. But every so often, she would wake abruptly from her own slumber, sweating and terrified, her breaths coming too fast and the bed nearly quaking from the force of her sobs.
Remembering cruel hands and sneering mouths.
She'd cry aloud, unable to see in the darkened room, her mind taking her back to the days, weeks she'd spent in conditions that would break any a human being.
Remembering burning chains and searing pain.
At those times she often forgot she was safe, far from that crumbling castle in the distant woods, separated from the living nightmare by both miles and years.
Remembering losing herself in emptiness as her will to live was stripped from her.
During those dark nights, she never spoke of what happened to her, beyond a few broken words. He never asked her to say more than she wished. He simply held her close until her sobs faded and her shaking ceased. Until she finally returned to sleep.
She would never cease to remember what had happened to her. But after each terror-filled night, she still woke to a new dawn.
Thanks to Nettle29 and RaisaVolkov for reviewing.