AN: Sorry if the last Chapter was a little on the slow side, but some changes are happening and I needed that Chapter to be a transition one.
The dream re-appears, and a mystery gets a little deeper.
...
She was just up on the hill. He knew he could reach her this time. He HAD to, otherwise the cloaked man would kill her. He couldn't let her die. She meant too much to him.
Running he put ever ounce of strength he had to reach her. Suddenly the cloaked man appeared and Wheatley yelled out.
LEAVE HER ALONE! SHE DOESN'T DESERVE TO DIE!
The man simply pulled out his blade and thrust it into the woman's heart. She fell back as the man disappeared.
NOOOOOOOO!
"Wheatley! Wheatley, wake up!"
He shot up in his bed, breathing hard. Sweat was running down his body. He looked over and saw Eliza and Chell, concern written all over their faces.
"Wheatley, what happened? You were screaming quite loudly, we heard you in our room."
He rubbed his face.
The dream has never been that intense before.
Eliza sat down on the end of his bed. "You were screaming 'She doesn't deserve to die.' over and over again."
He rubbed his face again. "Yeah, hell of a dream."
"Sounds more like a nightmare."
Chell nodded in agreement.
"I didn't mean to worry you, really. I didn't even realize I was screaming in my sleep."
Chell climbed on his bed and hugged his arm. She seemed worried.
Wheatley smiled. "I'm fine. I promise. Just a bad dream." He kissed the top of her head.
"I'm sorry for being curious, but who was dying in your dream?"
He shook his head. "I don't know. I still haven't figured it out."
Eliza cocked an eyebrow. "Still? You mean you've had this dream before?"
He nodded.
"How many times have you had it?"
Wheatley shrugged. "I lost count a while ago."
She just looked at him. "You know, they say that if you have the same dream a lot, then it's likely to happen. Now, I don't know if that's true or not, but I sure hope it isn't."
Chell nodded in agreement.
"Well, we have to go, and I'm sure you need to get ready for your first day of scribe duty. Let's go, Chell."
Chell climbed down off of Wheatley's bed and followed her mother.
...
Wheatley got dressed and joined the other servants in the dining area. He wondered how often he would get to spend with them now. Suddenly the King's booming voice filled the air.
"Ah, home sweet home. GLaDOS, my darling, you look as beautiful as ever!"
Wheatley got up and walked toward the throne room. He wondered what the King was going to say when he noticed the Queen's bandages. As he looked around the corner he could see them.
"Thank you, Dear. How was your trip?"
"Lovely, but not as lovely as you." He place a small kiss on her cheek.
The Queen smiled. The King looked at her wrist.
"GLaDOS, my dear, what happened?"
"Riding accident. The horse got spooked and it threw me off. The physician says I'll be fine."
The King kissed the side of her head, on her temple. "I'm glad to hear that. Well, I better freshen up before breakfast. I'll see you in the Dining Hall, my dear." and with that he left the room.
Wheatley was relieved. He was afraid the Queen would tell him it was his fault.
"Rumor has it, the King isn't so faithful to his beloved Queen. Heard he'd slept with several dozen women while visiting other kingdoms just this year..."
The words of the man in the dungeon rang in his head. Wheatley wondered how true it was. He knew the King was gone a lot, but he always seemed to be happy to see his wife.
Shaking the thought from his mind, he returned to the servants dining area.
...
A few minutes after breakfast, Wheatley now sat in the Queen's chambers, writing everything she was saying. She was talking so fast, he barley managed to keep up. At the worst part was, the Queen had informed him that when she was done, he would have to re-write it 15 times more, for each of the kingdoms Aperture was allied with. After an hour of talking, the Queen left him to his work.
It was quiet being the only one in her chambers. Wheatley could hear every stroke the quill made on the parchment. With each word he wrote, he realized how lonely this new job was going to make him. He started thinking about Eliza and the kids, Daniel, and then his thoughts wandered to Vincent. God, he hated the idea of Chell being alone with him. He knew he had promised Eliza he wouldn't worry too much, but it was hard. There was something off about Vincent, he just couldn't put his finger on it.
After a few hours, Wheatley had almost half of the letters done, when the Queen returned to the chambers. She came over to the desk and looked at his work.
"Not quite as far as I'd like you to be."
Wheatley sighed to himself.
The Queen then walked across the room over to a cabinet and removed a book from it. Books were rare, and Wheatley had only seen one in his entire life. The Queen then walked to her chair and sat down. Opening the book she began to read.
Wheatley continued his work, but found it increasingly hard. He found himself watching her. He noticed the way the sun showed the faint traces of gold in her hair and made her golden eyes almost sparkle. She even seemed to almost emit her own faint light.
She truly looks like something out of heaven. Wheatley thought, a small smile on his face.
It didn't take the Queen long to notice his gaze on her.
"Seeing as how I've only been back for a short time, I am quite certain you have not completed your duties."
He looked straight down at the desk, trying his hardest not to blush. Although he didn't see it, the Queen let a small smile creep onto her face.
For the remainder of the day, Wheatley tried his best not to look up from the desk. He couldn't believe he'd been staring at her. Of course, he thought she was beautiful, a lot of people did, but he'd never quite noticed exactly how beautiful she really was.
Finally, by the end of the day, he finally got done with all the letters. He had written so much, his fingers and wrist hurt. The Queen walked over and leaned over his right shoulder to inspect his handiwork. Wheatley couldn't help but notice the faint scent of roses that she wore.
She even smells beautiful. He thought, before mentally slapping himself. Oh, God, I have to stop that.
Once the Queen was done inspecting his work, she stood up.
"Quite satisfactory."
Wheatley smiled. "Thank you, my Queen."
"You may return to your room. I shall see you in the morning."
He gave her a bow and exited her chambers.
...
Wheatley walked the halls rubbing his wrist. Although he wasn't sure exactly how much writing the Queen normally did, he expected he was going to be quite busy and his wrist quite sore.
One thing he hadn't expected though, was his reaction to the Queen herself.
She must have thought me foolish for staring at her like that.
He continued down the halls. The sudden roar in his stomach made him realize how hungry he was.
I haven't eaten anything since breakfast.
He decided he would head to the kitchen first and ask Daniel what he had. Upon reaching the kitchen, he knocked on the door. Daniel opened it.
"Oh, hey Wheatley. Get done with your scribe work?"
Wheatley nodded. "Yes. I'm quite hungry though."
Daniel laughed. "Well give me a minute and I'll bring you a plate of something."
Wheatley smiled. "Thanks, Daniel."
"Anytime." And with that the cook disappeared into the kitchen.
For Wheatley, it seemed like an eternity before Daniel emerged from the kitchen. (In reality, it had only been about ten minutes.) The plate of food looked tasty and he couldn't wait to eat. The cook had even gotten him a glass of tea.
"Everything looks so good, Daniel."
"Thank you." Daniel said with a smile.
Wheatley walked to the servant's dining area and began to eat. He didn't think he'd ever felt more hungry in his life. After he finished his meal, he returned his dishes to the kitchen.
He returned to his room. It was then that the exhaustion hit him.
Who knew writing all day could make you so tired.
He crawled into bed early.
...
Wheatley woke to the sudden sound of thunder. Looking out his window, he could see it was still the middle of the night. He groaned as he put his pillow over his ears. After a few minutes, and a few more shots of thunder, he realized it wasn't going to work. He decided to get up and talk a walk around until the storm calmed down. He walked out of his room, and tried to decide where to go.
Maybe I'll check the third floor again.
He shrugged. It sounded as good as anything right now. He began to walk down the halls and make his way to the third floor. He started thinking about all the things he'd been writing about in his journal again. He started up the stairs to the third floor. Just as he reached the top, he noticed the light go out.
The room IS still being used!
He quickly darted to the shadows and waited.
Nothing.
Nobody came out.
Do they somehow know I'm here?
After a few minutes, Wheatley saw the door slowly come open.
Wheatley covered his mouth to suppress a gasp.
What's the King doing in there?
He watched as the King slowly closed the door and silently walked to the staircase that lead to the fourth floor. Once Wheatley was sure he wouldn't get caught, he slowly approached the door the King had just left. He slid his hands over the wall until he found the crevice. It didn't budge. He tried again. Nothing.
Not knowing what else to do, he quickly made his way back down to the first floor. He just had to write this in his journal.
...
Well, seems like the King is up to something. What could it be? I would love to hear your thoughts. :)
Reviews are always welcome.