Here I am! Back from my holiday! I've written an entire chapter in two weeks, plus another from "Let Me Love You" plus a few pages of all my other stories. It's coming, I promise! Anyways, this is a multiple POV chapter: Eric, William and Snow alike. Have fun!
XX
Whatever it is that is making Snow have nightmares at night, it hurts Eric to hear it. It has been three months since they arrived back at Snow's castle, and she has not had a decent night of sleep since then. He has tried everything, everything to calm her, but it never helps.
"No, no...please..." she groans, as her beautiful face distorts in fear and pain. "Not him...no, please..." Her head thrashes on the pillow, and Eric takes her in his arms, trying to comfort her and wake her.
"Snow, my Lady, my love, it is alright. I am here." He strokes her black hair out of her face, rocking her gently. "Snow, please, wake up. Whatever you see, it is not real."
She screams, and her eyes fly open. "ERIC!"
He wraps his arms around her, and holds her close to his chest, shushing her, protecting her trembling body. "I am here, I am here, my love. You are safe."
"He killed you. He – you – I could not..." She cries hard against his chest. He has never seen her so fragile and breakable. It hurts his heart to see her in this much pain. "Are you truly here? I – are you truly alive?"
"I am, my love. Do not worry." He strokes her hair and kisses her head softly. Two months of nightmares have exhausted her. Snow had not been in session with her councillors for over a week now. The Huntsman had been taking her place, but her people are starting to question her strength. "Oh, my love, what are we going to do with this?"
"I want rid of them, Eric. I – I do not want to feel exhausted all the time. I want to be able to sleep...without...without those nightmares. Without having to...watch you die every night."
That is what she sees? Him dying? "Oh, my dear Snow. I will not die. I promise. We have been through everything together and we will go through so much more, and I will not leave you." She is still trembling with tears and fear, and he cannot even blame her. If he would see her die every night over and over again... Normally, he would know what to do; Go to Sahila. But his aunt – great-great-great grandmother – is gone. He does not know how to save her. How will he ever cure her of this? "I love you, Snow. I will always be here for you."
She grabs his arms and takes a deep breath. "I know." She lies against him for a moment, and then lifts her head. "I need to be back out there. My people are questioning me."
"You are exhausted, my love. I cannot allow you to go."
"I am the Queen, Huntsman. You cannot tell me what I can and cannot do."
"And I am the King. Or I will be in a few months. I will be your husband, and I am your lover. I can tell you, if it concerns your health." His arms circles her waist and he sits up against the headboard of the great four-poster bed, hauling her up with him. "Please, for your own sake, stay in bed for a few days more."
"Yes, and you said that already, a few days ago. How much longer am I going to have to disappoint my people? How much longer am I going to have to postpone our wedding? I want to be married to you, Eric."
His stomach twirls. She wants to be married to him. How long has he dreamed of her saying that? But he has not even proposed to her yet, and she is already talking about marriage. He has yet have to muster up the strength to kneel before her. He knows her answer, but it still unnerves him. The last woman he married ended up with her throat cut open. "I know. But first we need to find a way to heal you. You have not become any better in the past two months. This is not how I wish to see you. Your skin is paler than ever, your hair is losing its shine and your eyes...your eyes hurt me the most. The light is dimming. I do not want this for you."
"But what can we do, beloved Huntsman?"
A healer. She needs a healer. He hoped the dreams would diminish, but they have not. "This is it, I am taking you to a healer."
"No, Huntsman, please."
"We have to. I cannot bare seeing you so fragile any longer." He pushes her off him gently, and dresses into his Huntsman clothes. He still refuses to wear fancy clothing just because he is the Queen's lover.
"Eric, please!"
Eric leans into her, and his lips brush hers. Her cheeks heat up and her breathing speeds. He always has this effect on her, no matter what circumstances.
"Please, what, milady?"
"Please, I cannot go to another healer. The last healer I went to died, because of me. Your aunt died, because of me."
"Snow, do not keep that on your conscience. It is not your fault, it will never be your fault. And we are going to a healer. In this, you have nothing to say." He grins, and she cannot help but grin back. "There is my girl. Come on." He pulls her to her feet, helps her in her gown, and tries to ignore the paleness of her skin and the thinness of her body. With exhaustion comes the starvation. She has not had the energy to eat properly since they came back. When she is fully clothed, he turns her in his arms and kisses her gently, feeling her heartbeat speed up under his touch. When she wraps her small hands around his neck and starts undoing all the work he had done with his shirt, he grins, but stops her. "No, my darling. This will not help you now."
She laughs softly, and releases him. "You saw through my scheme."
He lifts her up in his arms and carries her off. As he feels her heartbeat against his own, he can tell that she is dozing off. Good. Let her sleep. Sleeping is extremely good for her. He walks through the castle, trying to remember his way to the Royal Healer. It is still confusing, all the hallways, all the doors, all the side passages that does not lead to anything. He has been doing his utter best to remember the way, but for now, he only remembers the way from their room to the Throne room and back.
In his arms, Snow takes a shallow breath, and Eric closes his eyes briefly. She is having a nightmare again. Three months of nightmares, made him remember the signs. He knew exactly when she was having a nightmare and when it was a good dream. Those last ones have been getting more scarce. He so wishes he could help. How can he take all the pain away?
The answer is simple: he cannot. There is no amount of love and care that he can give her, that will take the pain away. And that hurts him. Deeply.
William POV
William sees them coming, the Huntsman carrying the Queen in his arms, the Queen looking pale and ill. Worry clouded his mind. From the moment they came back, she has been having nightmares and nothing helps. "How bad is it this time?" he asks as Eric reaches him.
"Bad. Two dreams within the last 20 minutes. Duke William, can you point me in the direction of the Healer? I am afraid I may have lost my way again."
William smirks inwardly. He knows he should not be so hateful, but he cannot help himself. What is it people say about old habits? It is quite amusing to see the Huntsman struggling to adjust to life inside the Castle. More and more prove that he does not belong here. "Of course. I will bring you there myself. Follow me." For Snow White, he tells himself. He will take them to the Healer for Snow. Within five minutes, they arrive at their destination, Snow moaning and thrashing in Eric's arms. William can tell it hurts Eric to see her like that, and he can relate. His heart is aching for her. His Queen should not be in pain. She is so pure and kind. "Milady? Snow? Wake up, Milady." He gently squeezes her arm while he knocks on the door. She calms down a bit, but does not wake up. The door opens and the old Healer stands in the doorway, nodding in recognition.
"Ah. Alright, come in, you three." The old man steps aside to let them in. "Put her down on the bed. Let us see what we can do." The Huntsman places the small woman on the bed, and the Healer starts examining immediately. William takes his place two steps away from the bed, staring at the Queen intently. "There is not much I can do. She is experiencing something known as post-traumatic stress."
"Post-traumatic stress?" The words taste strange in his mouth. Foreign. "What is that?"
The Healer puts his hand on her forehead, closing his eyes as if trying to sense what is going on in her head right now. "She has been through a lot. She is still experiencing the traumas of that. She needs someone she can talk to."
"She has the entire bloody Kingdom!" the Huntsman says, annoyed. "She has me. I am there all the time!"
The Healer shakes his head. "She fears she will hurt you when talking to you. You - both of you - are too close to her heart. She needs someone who can distant him- or herself from his own feelings towards her and approach this professionally. I have one name. One person who can do exactly that."
The Healer hesitates, and the Huntsman growls in response. "Tell us."
"It is not exactly a normal person. He is...not of this world."
William freezes. Not of this world? What is that supposed to mean? "So, he is dead?"
"No..." The Healer bites his lip, as if looking for an explanation. "People call him the Medicus. I have known him my entire life. He never ages. He never changes. Always the same man. The Medicus. I do not know why he calls himself that, or who he is exactly, but he can help. He can do wondrous things." An unknown person who calls himself 'the Medicus'? William snorts. Absolutely not! There is no such person entering the premises.
"Do it." The Huntsman says, looking up from Snow's face.
"Out of the question!" protests William. "We do not know what we are talking about."
"If he can help Snow, then call him here." Eric says.
"I will not let you bring a stranger into this household."
Eric stands up suddenly, his face contorted in anger and passion. "No? Normally, I would not misuse the power that comes with being the Queen's man, but you give me no choice. I command you to stand down."
William's blood boils beneath the surface. How dare he? A simple Huntsman ordering a Duke around? "I will not stand for this, you will apologize...!"
"ENOUGH!" bellows Eric, and he seems to grow taller as he does. "I am your King, and you will do what I tell you to!" William shrinks a bit despite himself. He cannot deny that the Huntsman is a bit scary when angry. "Now, stand down and for God's sake, shut up!" William bites his tongue, and stands back, albeit under protest. The moment Snow is awake, he will tell her of this insubordination. Eric the Huntsman is not King yet.
Eric turns to the Healer. "How do we call him?"
Before the Healer can give his answer, a familiar, strong voice echoes through the room. "What in the name of the Lord is going on here?"
Snow is sitting upright on the bed, looking paler than she did moments ago, and also looking more angry and confused than ever. Eric flies forward, sitting down next to her and rubbing her shoulders. "Are you okay?" To William's amusement, she shrugs him off, almost annoyed.
"I am fine. What is all this shouting?"
"We may have found a way to cure you." Eric whispers to her, and she looks at him as if he is talking a different language. "A man, the Healer claims he can help you. Please, let him."
She raises her brows, and then looks at the Healer, who nods. "Alright. Summon him."
The Healer nods again, and returns to his table, retrieving a piece of parchment and a quill. He quickly scribbles down the name. 'The Medicus'. "Chant this. Inside your head. Call him. Want him to be here. If we are lucky, he will hear us." He throws the paper into a bowl and lights up the parchment. William starts chanting, The Medicus, The Medicus, The Medicus. He really does not want to do this, but for Snow's sake.
A strange, loud noise fills the room, and wind whips through their hair. Which is completely impossible, seeing as this room has no windows. William draws his sword, standing ready to strike. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a man with long, brown hair appears, looking dishevelled and confused. He spins around and takes everything in. Then he sees the Healer and exclaims, "Oh! Ha-ha! Mr. Mundich, what a pleasure it is to see you again!" He jumps forwards and shakes his hand rather roughly. "So, we're here! How exciting! Which one of you called me here? Quite a strong call, too, heard it all the way back in...ehh...never mind that. Now!" He clasps his hands and lets his eye fall on William, breaking into a "Ooh, a sword! Haven't seen one of those since Stonehenge! But of course, you wouldn't know anything about that, would ya?"
William stares at the strange man with the strange words and the eccentric clothing. "Who are you?" he demands of the man.
"Me? I'm the Medicus!"
"Of what?"
The man spins around to the woman sitting upright on the table. "No, just the Medicus! And you must be Snow White, I have heard a lot about you, ey?" He shakes her hand roughly, making both Eric and William jump forwards.
"You will release the Queen at once!" William shouts while Eric pulls the man off.
"She's Queen already? My, my, time flies! Ey? And you must be the Huntsman! King Eric, am I right?" The Medicus slaps his shoulder and winks suggestively, making Snow giggle a bit. William starts to doubt the sanity of this man. "Oh, and Duke William, you are an amazing man! Well, this is all very exciting! Why am I here?" He stares expectantly at the four people in the room, almost with the innocence of a child.
"We all called you. We need your assistance, Medicus." Eric says solemnly.
"Well, yes, that's usually what I'm called for. What do you need me for?"
"Nightmares. Specific ones." Snow says and William sees her shudder. He wishes he knew what kind of nightmares they are. The only one who knows, is the Huntsman. Just the thought makes him seethe. He is still convinced that he should be the one for Snow. He will, of course, never try and convince her of that. He gave his promise. And Duke William is a man of his word.
Snow POV
The man startled her at first, but now he is more amusing than anything else. His fingers are long and they flail around a lot, as if he does not know where to put them. And his lean body, clad in the strangest clothing Snow has ever seen, sometimes makes strange, unintentional movements, as if he does not have full control of his own body. Maybe the man himself is a remedy, because she feels instantly better.
"Nightmares, eh? And who is tortured by these nightmares?" he asks, looking around expectantly.
"I am." Snow murmurs.
The Medicus stops, his eyes wide. "You?" he sounds so surprised that it is almost insulting. "What gave - ?" He stops, shakes his head and looks up. "No, sorry, that's not why I'm here."
"Can you help me?" Snow asks, her hand grasping Eric's tightly. She knows he really wants to help. She wishes he could. But he cannot, so they need someone else.
The Medicus smiles reassuringly, looking almost normal as he does. "I can most certainly try. Do you want to start now?" Snow gives him a nod of consent and he nods, clapping his hands. "Excellent! Well, if everybody could just leave the room now..."
Eric protests immediately. "I am staying right here!"
"You'll do no such thing!" says the Medicus strongly, his face serious now. "None of you will!" he adds when William opens his mouth. "I need to be able to talk to Her Majesty freely, without pressure or expectations from people she knows. Snow...?" He looks at her for support and she nods.
"It is alright, Eric," she says, placing her hand on his cheek, "I trust this man, even though he is a bit strange."
"Oi!" exclaims the Medicus, before frowning and adding softly, as if speaking to himself, "No, wait, that's actually quite accurate."
Snow cannot suppress her smile. "See? He is a little goofy, but I honestly think he can help." She turns to William, who is frowning and shaking his head. He has been very...rebellious as a knight, from the first moment he was knighted, and she knows exactly why. Her relationship with Eric. But she has chosen to ignore it and thus, her decisions mostly cross his advice. As it will again. "It is my decision, William."
Both men nod, albeit begrudgingly and William is the first to move to the door. Eric, however, remains a bit longer. "I will be waiting, my love." he says softly, stroking her hands.
"I know." She reaches up, pulls him to her and kisses him passionately, maybe more passionately than appropriate in current company. "Now go. You too, good Healer. You have been of great value. I will make sure it will not be forgotten." The Healer bows his head and leaves the room. Eric kisses Snow one more time, maybe with a little bit more desperation than strictly necessary, before leaving, too.
The Medicus turns to her and sits down, his face serious. "Now. Tell me about those dreams. Everything, no leaving things out to spare my or your feelings. I won't judge, I promise."
Snow takes a deep breath. She does not remember the last time she could speak freely without having to worry about reputation or someone else's feelings. It feels liberating, and thus she tells everything, from beginning to end. From the cause to the effect. He just listens, frowning sometimes, but never interrupting anything, although he does swear loudly when she tells about Finn jumping to take her. She cries most of the time, but it does not seem to hinder him. He holds her hand or pats her knee exactly when she needs it, as if he knows her through and through. When she is done, her tears have seemingly been used up, and her cheeks sting from the salt. The Medicus sits quiet for a while, deep in thought.
"That's horrible, Snow, I can't imagine the pain you go through every night." he says eventually, and even his words seem to help.
"Why do you speak like that?"
"Like what? I'm not sure if I talk differently from you?" He is still staring in the distance.
"Well, you use 'can' and 'not' as one word, completely forgetting two letters. And 'I' and 'am'. 'That' and 'is'. So forth."
The Medicus frowns. "It's just the way people talk where I come from." Suddenly, his eyes become clear again. "Look, you definitely got something called post-traumatic stress. You've been through an extremely traumatic experience, and the nightmares are how you cope. Except you can't seem to cope. It should've been far less by now."
Snow moves her legs nervously. What does that mean exactly? Is he implying that she may never get rid of the nightmares? "Can you do something?"
"'Course I can! That's why I'm here, ain't I?" He winks at her and moves closer. "I want you to listen closely to what I'm about to say. I need you to trust me completely. Not just a little sliver of doubt must be present in your mind when I start treating you. Is that clear?" Snow nods, but she stays on guard. "Also, I want you to tell me when something is out of your comfort zone. If you don't feel comfortable with something I do, you have to tell me. That's extremely important."
Snow nods. "But what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to try and help you accept what happened and move on. It might be very intimate, it might not. That's why I need you to tell me when you feel uncomfortable. I don't want you to be uncomfortable."
Snow ponders a moment. Does she trust him? Will she allow him to help her in ways she cannot imagine? If it will help her get rid of the nightmares...? "Alright. I will do it."
"Then we can begin."
Maybe some of you figured it out, but I based the Medicus almost entirely on the Eleventh Regeneration of the Doctor and/or Matt Smith. I love him so much and this is kind of a tribute to his brilliance, as he is leaving next Christmas Special and I am going to miss him so much. I hope I did a bit justice and you enjoyed my Medicus. We haven't seen the last of him yet!
(And yes, the contractions (do you call it that?) are on purpose)