#sylphiafae

Their voices still whispered in her ear when she tried to sleep. The memories of faces she feared she knew still flashed behind her eyelids - haunted, ghostly, angry. The taunting. The tempting. 

The embers of the fire danced lazily in front of her, drawing close to being dead on the few remaining logs of the fire. She could replace it, easily - and her skeletons who mulled about their nightly jobs could as well, but she left it be. She needed to go back to sleep anyways, but for now the bosmer prayed watching the dim, dying light would help lull her back into a peaceful slumber. 

Casil pulled her bare knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them before resting her head on top. The last two years had been a lot. Things were finally quieting down to some degree, but Casil knew it wouldn’t last long. Even if it wasn’t going to be broken again by some world-ending catastrophe she was some how supposed to stop, Miraak had interest in pursuing the political world - something she was not going to be joining him in. And while she did not begrudge him for that, it meant he would be leaving, and it meant he was going to be entering whatever drama the political sphere could only entail. 

Casil let out a muffled sigh, shoulders slouching as she sank down against the top of her knees. Miraak was going to be gone for awhile without her, and ‘awhile’ was a loose way of putting it.

A piece of the remaining firewood gave way and collapsed into the grate, bringing a brief flash of light with it before the embers that clung to it finally flickered out. Casil’s gaze grew heavy as the light dimmed more and more, trying to keep her mind off of thinking so she might sleep again. For a moment, she let her eyes rest, content to the dim orange glow outside of them...

Casil.

You took it, Casil.

But you’re not free.

You can’t truly leave.

You know that.

Qethnehzul.

You’ve been here for far, far too long.

Casil shuddered, jerking herself awake again. Her leg spasmed out reflexively, kicking into a bucket used for holding tinder. The bucket toppled over with a rather loud clatter, spinning around and hurling its contents with the momentum before it came to stop at the base of the fireplace. Casil winced and pulled back her foot, gripping it in pain and irritation for a moment. She could hear something shift upstairs, before the sound of someone getting out of bed. Casil closed her eyes. She’d woken Miraak up.

She tucked her foot back under her, sighing again and slouching even more as she heard her bedroom door open and footsteps traverse across the upper floor and down the stairs. She didn’t look up, trying to focus on the fire still until Miraak came to sit behind her. Her jaw tensed, half expecting him to ridicule or berate her for still being up - but instead, Miraak simply reached out and pulled her into his lap. He wrapped a blanket around the two of them, ensuring she was snug under it before he leaned back and rested against the base of the table.

Casil swallowed dryly, before leaning back against him. He could feel her shaking under his arms, and slowly he turned to press a kiss against her temple. “What is wrong, silyoli?” he asked softly, making sure Casil was plenty tucked into the blanket.

Casil made a half-hearted motion for ‘nightmare’ before turning and burying her face into his chest, trying to take comfort in the warmth of his skin. 

A frown tugged at the corner of Miraak’s lips. “Do you wish to talk about them?”

Casil paused, before shaking her head. ‘Masters’ she signed simply, keeping her face mostly hidden.

Miraak shifted, removing the blanket from his shoulders so he could wrap Casil in it and cradle her in his lap against his chest. She pulled the blanket close, snuggling into its warmth before returning to hide her face against his skin. For a moment, his tired eyes faced focused on the fire. “...They will say what they believe will frighten you most, even if it is not true.”

Casil pursed her lips, fingers worrying at the edge of the blanket. She nodded a little. She doubted that, ultimately, Hermaeus Mora had been, and probably was, not that different from the Ideal Masters.

“Those things are behind us, Casil. We are free to follow our own fate. They will try to make you believe otherwise. Besides....” He pulled her close, leaning down to kiss her softly on the lips. “I would not allow them to take you.”

Casil couldn’t help but smile a bit, her cheeks feeling rosy despite the dread heavy on her soul. Sleepily, Casil poked a hand out of the blanket, extending a pinky up. Promise?

Miraak smiled, before hooking his finger with her’s. “Now, get some sleep,” he said, shifting. He bundled up Casil tighter like a burrito, making her wiggle a bit before he scooped her into his arms and stood. Casil let him carry her back upstairs to their room before he plopped her back down on her side, keeping her bundled up before he snuggled up to her.