Her name was Leyla. She was the one with emerald eyes.
Now that I saw them clearly, they weren't just green, they were alive. Gold flecks caught the light, like there was a fire deep inside, warm and steady.
She stepped forward, every move fluid, the silk of her robe whispering over the marble. There was no fear in her face. No hesitation.
"You frightened us, your Majesty," she said softly, kneeling beside the bed. "The court believed you would not wake. i- i was so frightened" Her voice was rich and warm.
I didn't know what to say. My mind was still caught between two worlds, the dust and gunfire of the alley, and this room of gold and silk.
She seemed to read that in my silence. Without asking, she reached out and touched my hand. Her skin was warm, Smooth and Steady.
Something that made me flinched, not because I didn't want her touch, but because I wasn't used to it. last time i felt the comfort of a woman's touch was my mother.
"You seem tired," she said. "Let me…"
She shifted, climbing carefully onto the bed beside me. The movement made the fabric fall from her shoulder, but she didn't seem to notice, nor care. Instead, she slipped an arm around me, pulling herself against me, drapping the silk blankets over both of us.
The warmth of her body bled into me. Her hair brushed my cheek, carrying that scent of jasmine. Her heartbeat was steady against my ear.
And that's when i couldn't hold it in, how long it had been since anyone had held me without wanting something in return.
how long had it been since i had felt human contact that wasn't an attempt to take my life?
Not since before my first deployment. Not since before the sand, the bullets, the endless screaming over the radio.
I froze at first. My whole body was wired to resist, to keep my armor up. But she didn't push. She just held me there, one hand at the back of my head, thumb stroking slow circles against my hair.
The silence wasn't heavy anymore.
My throat burned. My breath quickened I tried to swallow it down, but the tears came anyway, hot, sudden and impossible to stop. I pressed my face into her shoulder, the soldier in me screaming to keep it together, but it didn't matter. The dam had broken.
And i wasn't a damned soldier anymore. She didn't flinch. Didn't say a word. didn't demand an explanation.Just kept holding me, her other hand resting over mine.
Somewhere in my head, the system chimed faintly:
[Layla's Loyalty increased by +15.][Hidden Stat Unlocked: Emotional Bonding.]
But I barely heard it, nor did i held any interest in it at this moment. This rare moment of calmness and comfort. For the first time in years, I felt… safe.And that was enough to make me cry harder. i sobbed in her arms for hours.