Queen vs. Infection
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“Speaking of cooling down..." Astra trailed off. Then, with a rush of breath, she blurted, "undress."
Eydis's eyebrows shot up. Had she heard correctly?
"My, my, Princess," she purred, "aren't we a little eager to see me shed these fuzzy bunnies?" The sudden heat in her cheeks had little to do with her temperature and everything to do with the way Astra's g—The nightmare. That had to be it. Focus, Eydis.
Astra blinked, as if startled by her own words. A blush, as unexpected as a peony blooming in a snowstorm, crept across her face. Eydis found herself inexplicably drawn to the rare sight.
"That's not—I didn't mean— I meant you should be wearing something more..." Astra fumbled for the right words, her usual icy composure melting slightly. "Breathable," she finally settled on. "Silk.”
Eydis's lips quirked, suppressing a full-blown grin. "Silk, you say? Astra, have you been formally introduced to my finances? They just threw a collective tantrum at the mere suggestion and are currently staging a dramatic death scene in a dumpster behind the op shop."
"Fiancés?”Astra's brow furrowed in confusion for a moment before her lips curved into a subtle smile. "Finances is it? Maybe I'll have to send you an invoice for entertaining your delirious rambling at midnight."
"Billing me?" Eydis gasped, though it came out as more of a wheeze. "For your auditory hallucinations? My hypothetical husband's non-existent wallet is weeping in his theoretical grave at this atrocity!"
A fleeting smile danced across Astra's lips before her expression darkened. "Husband, huh?" she murmured, more to herself than to Eydis. With a sigh, she glided across the room to her wardrobe, retrieving a silken royal blue robe identical to her own.
"Put this on," she instructed, tossing the garment towards Eydis. "I'll get you a cold compress."
"Change?" Eydis groaned, a wave of dizziness making the room spin. "I can barely lift my head, let alone..." A sharp pain shot through her right hand as she tugged at her pyjama top. Each movement felt like reopening a fresh cut; the sluggish healing was a worrying sign.
Astra's eyes softened as she watched Eydis struggle with the buttons. "Imagine the sweat and... discomfort. Besides, wouldn't you prefer to air out those… bunnies?”
Eydis arched a brow. Too easy.
Astra's cheeks flushed, realising her slip-up. "I meant those... fashion crimes against humanity you're wearing.”
"So now I'm sweaty and fashion-challenged?" Eydis chuckled despite her exhaustion. Astra’s lips twitching into a reluctant smile.
Now that she had mentioned it, the itchy fabric felt like a swarm of fire ants against Eydis’s skin. "Care to lend a hand, dear roommate? It seems my fingers have temporarily misplaced their dexterity.”
Astra's smile vanished, a silent battle waging within her. Finally, with a huff of exasperation, she perched on the edge of the bed.
"Only because I can't bear the thought of those bunny pyjamas giving me nightmares," she grumbled, her voice a betraying blend of annoyance and a flustered warmth that Eydis found utterly…
Captivating? The fever must be addling her brain.
Eydis grinned, trying to mask the strange feeling in her stomach. "Who knew the Ice Princess had a secret weakness for adorable fluff?"
Astra scoffed, her gaze locking with Eydis's as her fingers fumbled awkwardly with the button. The silence stretched on and on. One minute. Two... Perhaps ten? Eydis lost track. Seconds ticked by like hours.
"Well?" Eydis finally spoke, unable to bear the prolonged silence any longer. "Are we going to have a staring contest, or are you going to liberate me from this furry prison? Tick-tock, Princess, the suspense is positively agonising."
“Are you sure?”
"Astra, I've been dressed and undressed by more hands than I can count. This is hardly a scandalous proposition." Eydis managed a weak smirk. Back in her realm, being pampered by handmaidens was simply part of the royal routine. After all, with her penchant for elaborate, lace-laden gowns, breathing was often optional, let alone fastening intricate buttons.
Astra's jaw tightened, her face darkening. “Of course. How silly of me to forget your... extensive experience in... acquiring such intimate assistance."
Eydis raised an eyebrow at the unexpected venom in Astra's tone. Before she could respond, Astra's fingers flew to the task, buttons popping open in rapid succession, revealing the curve of Eydis's décolletage, damp with perspiration.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
"You're not wearing—" Astra's voice was a low growl, the words catching in her throat.
"Undergarments?" Eydis retorted was a touch too sharp, a touch too quick, a touch too breathless. She tried to ignore the heat radiating from Astra's fingers, now hovering mere inches from her skin. “Did you mistake our bedroom for a battlefield, Princess? I assure you, I'm not expecting a surprise attack."
Astra's lips twitched. Then, as if remembering herself, she released a long-suffering sigh. "Fine.”
Her touch was feather-light as she released the remaining buttons, her eyes fixed on Eydis's face as if afraid to venture lower. Eydis, suddenly hyper-aware of every inhale, every tiny shift in Astra's posture, found herself inexplicably on edge.
On edge? The Queen of Shadows, who had devoured primal evils and reveled in the darkest corners of existence, was nervous? By the slow unbuttoning of a pyjama top? The absurdity of it all made her head spin even more.
The cold air kissed Eydis's skin as the final button gave way under Astra's hesitant touch. A question formed on Astra’s lips, but it died before it could be voiced, replaced by a sharp intake of breath as her fingers accidently grazed the bare skin of Eydis's midriff. A spark, not unlike the magic that coursed through their veins, ignited between them.
Eydis's heart pounded in her ears. What was this disarray? Undressed countless times? A truth, and a lie. Never like this. This felt… illicit. With a sudden clarity, she realised this was a losing battle from the very start.
"That's quite enough." Eydis reached out to capture Astra’s wrist. "I can manage from here, thank you."
Astra's expression flickered with relief – or was it disappointment? Eydis couldn't tell. Astra pulled her hand away, her voice barely audible as she retreated. "I'll be back."
Eydis slipped into the silk robe, the cool fabric a welcome relief against her flustered skin. The scent of sandalwood clung to the garment, a soothing distraction. Despite the headache, a drowsiness fueled by the encounter pulled at her eyelids.The erratic thrumming of Astra's pulse against her wrist echoed in her ears, disturbingly mirroring the beat of her own heart.
Magical anomaly, she told herself. An infection. A hallucination. Anything but the—.
Eydis tried to ignore the nagging questions. How had Astra's tea materialised so conveniently just as she woke up? Why had those crimson eyes, usually so cold, filled with genuine concern that stole her breath away? And why…
And why hadn't Astra simply used her telekinesis to help Eydis undress? But the Queen, as always, excelled at burying inconvenient truths beneath layers of denial.
Ice Princess? Not a blizzard, but a smouldering inferno. A walking, talking contradiction wrapped in silk and smelling of danger. This... whatever this was, it was uncharted territory.
And it needed to stop.
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Spieglein,
Spieglein an der Wand…
Oh, for the love of Hades!
As Eydis drifted towards sleep, the voice echoed again. A wretched mirror. Those nonsensical words she'd uttered to Pride. The memory slipped through her mind like sand through her fingers, leaving behind a chill cascading down her spine.
Cold. Bitterly, achingly, numbingly cold and...empty. Like being lost in Cerberus‘s icy touch—a brush with oblivion she'd barely survived. Had her poison taken effect a moment later, her fading power wouldn't have been enough to save her.
"B-burning cold..." Eydis shivered violently, her teeth chattering even as her skin burned with fever. She kicked the scratchy blanket aside, curling into a a foetal position, her usual regal composure shattered by a wave of conflicting sensations.
Through the haze, she sensed movement. A rustle of fabric, then a soft weight landed on her. Delirium-fueled irritation surged through her as coarse fibres scraped against her sensitive skin once more. She swatted it away with a feeble hand, a low growl rumbling in her chest. Unbearable.
A soft sigh, her bed dipped, a gentle touch on her forehead, the familiar scent of sandalwood. Eydis, half-asleep, grasped the source of the disturbance, but instead of pushing away, she yanked it closer.
A startled gasp, a soft thud, a muffled protest. A weight tumbled onto her aching body.
"Heavy," Eydis mumbled deliriously, her clouded mind barely registering the complaint as she instinctively wrapped her arms around the unexpected heat that had invaded her personal space.
Warmth. Glorious, comforting warmth radiated from whatever was pressing against her. It wasn't the synthetic heat of a blanket, but something smooth, pleasant, inviting…alive.
A sharp intake of breath, not Eydis's, followed by a startled attempt to pull away. Her response was purely instinctual—a tightening of her grip, fingers tangling in soft, silken strands of hair as she unconsciously arched her body into the living furnace atop her.
Eydis’s other hand roamed, tracing the smooth lines of fabric that felt like liquid silk against her fingertips. A sigh of contentment escaped her lips as the warmth surrendered, settling back against her.
Her cheek pressed against another smooth surface, not silk, but... supple skin? A jolt of surprise shot through her, momentarily piercing the fever-induced fog before it quickly returned. Then she heard it—the rhythmic thud of a heartbeat, strong and erratic, pounding against her ear.
A low moan, both hers and not hers, filled the silence. Eydis found herself falling, not into the now-familiar abyss that haunted her dreams, but into something else entirely—peace, perhaps?
A faint voice, like the rustle of wind through a lavender field, whispered against her hair. It brought back the memory of the fragrant blooms she greeted each morning in the obsidian fortress she called home. Mother was practical; she didn't tolerate frivolous things. Flowers were a waste of space, except for lavender.
"It's a herb, not some gaudy decoration," Mother would often declare with an air of defensiveness, then launch into a lecture on its medicinal properties and calming effects. Eydis had grown to appreciate the delicate fragrance, a splash of colour amidst the monochrome of her existence.
But now, another scent tickled her nose as she burrowed her face deeper into the silken warmth. Dark oak, sophisticated, intoxicating—she inhaled sharply. Then, the form she embraced vibrated, silken strands tickling her cheeks.
Was that... a chuckle?
The voice spoke once again, low and husky, faintly laced with amusement and a hint of... tenderness?
"Clearly, you're more accustomed to purring than hopping.”
Eydis found herself smiling as the soft voice lulled her deeper into sleep. Had she been fully awake, the comparison to both a cat and a bunny might have offended her, but now, the words simply washed over her, soothing her troubled mind.
She couldn't make sense of it, nor did she want to. Closer, she yearned, to the fire, the fragrance, the hypnotic rhythm that pulsed against her skin. It was all hers, hers to claim, guiding her toward a dreamless sleep—the first true rest she’d known in ages.