Work Text:
Throné's forehead felt as if it were on fire. Agnea fidgeted at her bedside; Throné had taken ill with fever as they arrived at Montwise, and they had barely made it to the inn before Throné collapsed. Throné's breathing had calmed now that she was asleep, and beads of sweat dotted her skin. Hesitantly Agnea brushed strands of hair from Throné's forehead, and already they were damp with sweat too.
"Oh, Throné," Agnea whispered. "Why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well…?"
A low moan slipped from Throné's lips, but she didn't yet wake. Heat rising to her cheeks, Agnea carefully peeled the damp clothing from Throné's arms and shoulders; they'd been a couple ever since Agnea had asked Throné to be her bodyguard and enjoyed a rather active sex life, so it wasn't as if she had never seen Throné unclothed before, but drying the sweat from her clammy skin felt like a different kind of intimacy. She was thorough in doing so, as it wouldn't do for Throné to come down with a cold right after battling a fever, and still Throné's skin burned beneath her skin.
When enough of the sweat was dried that Agnea was satisfied Throné wouldn't grow too cold, she pulled the bed sheets to Throné's chest, and she let out a deep sigh. During their travels with their other companions, illness had been a constant worry, and she had learned a little of the healing arts from Castti and Temenos. Again she touched Throné's burning forehead; however, she knew the best cure for fatigue was rest, and what she needed to do now was be patient and hope this fever wasn't a symptom of something more serious.
She laid her hands in her lap, fingers twisting around the cloth of her skirt. In her excitement to travel again with Throné, had she pushed Throné too hard? Throné was always telling her not to overexert herself, and she tried her best so that she wouldn't worry Throné, but seeing Throné so vulnerable now made her heart ache.
Again Throné moaned, and her brow grew furrowed. Her fingers twitched, trying to clutch the bed sheets, and her lips moved, as if she wanted to speak, but her moans only become louder. She began to thrash, and Agnea jolted. Was she having a nightmare? Carefully Agnea took Throné's hand into hers and saw how rough Throné's breathing had grown, and carefully watched the rise and fall of her chest with each breath she took.
They all suffered nightmares. Agnea knew that. All that they endured on their journey, fighting a dark god to end the long night and bring back the dawn - none of them would ever forget. Her eyes fell upon Throné's bare throat, now free of that horrid collar, and held her hand a little tighter. What nightmares Throné suffered, Agnea could only imagine. With her other hand, she reached out to touch Throné's forehead, lightly so as not to startle her awake, but gently enough to soothe her.
Eventually Throné's body began to calm, and her eyes slowly opened. She stared up at Agnea for a moment, and a slow smile crossed her lips. "Agnea," she said weakly. "You weren't a dream."
Agnea couldn't help but giggle. "Oh, I'm very real!"
Throné sat up, holding the bed sheets to her bare breasts. "Ugh…" she moaned. "What happened to me…?"
"You developed a fever and collapsed." Agnea's fingers tensed in her lap. "Um, I haven't been pushing you too hard, have I…?"
A sigh fell from Throné's lips, but still she smiled faintly. "No, not at all. I think I was just so happy to be with you again that I didn't realize how exhausted I'd become. I apologize for worrying you."
"Oh, no, you don't need to apologize. Now that you're awake, do you want me to dry your back too?"
Throné nodded and turned her back to Agnea, and Agnea pressed a cloth to the warm skin. Throné's back was covered in long, faint scars, and Agnea's heart hurt every time she saw them. There was no erasing the pain and suffering Throné had endured, so Agnea wanted to do what she could to bring joy back into Throné's life. The cost of Throné's freedom had been high and the memories of Lostseed still made Agnea's stomach turn, but when one dream ended, another began, and Agnea wanted to share that new dream with Throné. Gently she pressed a kiss to the back of Throné's neck, where that dark collar used to lay.
"I dreamed of that night again," Throné said in a soft voice, breaking the silence. "No matter where I ran, the stench of blood followed me, and the collar around my neck started to burn."
"Oh, Throné…" was all Agnea could say.
"I wonder if those nightmares are what that woman meant when she said she could still see a collar around my neck." Throné touched her throat and glanced over her shoulder at Agnea. "But then I felt your touch and remembered that I was free now."
"We all have nightmares," Agnea muttered as she wrapped her arms around Throné's waist from behind. "But when we wake, the dawn is always waiting for us."
Throné chuckled. "Thank you, Agnea. Though, if I truly am ill, perhaps you shouldn't get so close to me? I wouldn't want to get you ill before your performance."
Agnea released Throné, and Throné laid down on the bed again, resting her head on the soft pillow. Agnea took Throné's hand into hers and pressed her lips to the back of it. "When you're better, I'll give you a proper kiss, I promise," she said with a wink.
"I'll be looking forward to it," Throné replied, her fingers curling around Agnea's. "Will you sing for me?"
Agnea nodded and began to sing that gentle lullaby that she had sung for Throné before. The words was familiar on her tongue, and Throné listened carefully, her expression peaceful. Soon Throné drifted to sleep, and a small smile still graced her lips.
"Goodnight, Throné," Agnea whispered, and she bent to press a careful kiss to Throné's hair.