"Catarina, I'll need those…"
The words slow into nothingness the deeper Nicol walks into the study. When Catarina came for a social visit early that week, she bore witness to the chaos he was facing in his administrative affairs of the territory. His secretary was struck with a summer influenza, exactly when they were about to prepare the land for harvesting and work increased greatly.
Kind-hearted as she is, she offered to help, as she had undeniable experience in agriculture. While the young master knew that understanding how to cultivate the land and administer a domain were two completely different sets of skills, he did not have the heart to shoot her down, allowing her to assist him for the time being. Any mistakes she made, he reasoned, he could catch and correct before it became a disaster.
It all went better than expected. Catarina is not, by any stretch of imagination, an efficient assistant, but she did not cause any catastrophe to befall them yet, and she is still helpful, if only at clerical work. It is still a few tasks off his plate, and he appreciates it nonetheless.
On the third day on the job, however, work began to stretch late. When Nicol left her to attend to another matter, his makeshift secretary was going over orders, flipping through what felt like endless parchment that he now needed. In the quietness of the study, where only her steady breaths fill the space, he quiets and his eyes are immediately drawn to her sleeping form on the couch near the open window.
It is as if the world around him slows, everything blurring around him except her lovely form and the steady rise and fall of her chest. The evening breeze disrupts her hair from its place and in its chilliness, thanks to the changing season, she shivers in her sleep. He is drawn to her, his feet quietly stepping to ensure not to wake her, dark eyes never tearing away from her lovely visage.
Nicol takes great pride in knowing that Catarina feels safe enough in the walls of this manor to fall asleep wherever she please, without a care, without any worries or concerns. All he wanted was to create a world where the darkness could not touch her, where she is free to be herself in all her brightness and, he knew realistically to be the truth, with her reckless nature.
That would not always be possible, and he knows that to be so due to his own experience in trying to create such a world for his sister. There will be always reason to reach outside, and for outsiders to barge their way in. Nevertheless, in here, in the home that he and his family created together, he would always ensure her safety, her comfort, that she could blossom and rest without anything standing in her way, with the support of his magic, his wealth, his influence and every piece of his heart.
After closing the window, he lowers himself so his face is almost at level with her own and, with deft fingers, his gloves brush ever so slightly against her skin as he moves her hair behind her ear. He wants to linger longer but, in worry of disturbing her, he only allows his touch to caress the soft skin behind her ear for a brief moment.
Before leaving Catarina to rest without interruptions and return to his own work, he reaches for the soft lilac blanket resting on the back of the couch and places it over her with the utmost care. His heart stalls in his chest when her lips tug into a soft, content smile once she is warmer under the blanket which he recalls gifting her some time ago.
Nicol finds himself at the mercy of his heart when, despite his wishes to not wake her, he leans in to place a tender kiss to her smiling lips, his bottom lip filling the space between her own, the warmth of her breath fanning against his face.
"Sleep well, darling." He whispers as he pulls away.
I will be here to always ensure you can rest peacefully, to keep the darkness far away from you.