Prompt# 144 - Sunrise - Ryst’s Dream - Tekia - original

[tekia.livejournal.com]

Title: Ryst’s Dream
Fandom: Original
Prompt: Sunrise
Warnings: none.
Rating: G
Summary: Ryst always wanted a friend, someone she could trust.

Sudan had left on his quest weeks ago, leaving the throne in his younger sister’s care. The princess found that the court would not respect her place without her brother to glare them into submission. Daily she suffered their verbal attacks in silence, turning her anger toward other projects, projects that would help her keep control while her brother sought their savior.
Ryst walked down the dark corridor, her heels making soft clicks on the stone floor, her hand trailing along the cold grey wall to her right. She had walked down this hall a thousand times, following her father before making the trip herself. She smiled as the familiar memories came over her, the soft brush of cool air on her face, the scent of candles and of her father’s own personal scent.
She paused just outside the circle of light spilling out from the doorway at the end of the hall. She closed her eyes, breathing deep and gathering her magic around her like a cloak. Then she entered the room, immediately smiling and relaxing. This was her room. This was the only place where she could truly relax, truly let her guard down.
She sat at the old wooden chair that her father used to sit upon and pulled a parchment toward her. Her quill flew over the page, filling it with dark script. Once the page was filled, she paused once again and eyed the fine print. She nodded once and stood, pulling the paper with her as she stepped toward the chalk circle on the floor.
Ages ago, her father had drawn the circle and she had never remade it, trusting her father’s magic to hold throughout the ages. She held up the paper and let her magic fill the paper, fill the chalk. Soon the room was filled with bright light, swirling colors, cool air. She lifted her face up to the dark ceiling, letting her magic ebb and flow around her.
Her lips parted and she chanted the words she had wrote, and the paper began to burn in her hands, the ink igniting and eating away at the threads of parchment. Soon all that was left was thick smoke that hung in the air. Her magic mixed with the smoke, making the room shift with colors and shadows.
The chalk at her feet glowed with the fire from the paper, raising off the ground by several inches, reaching the hem of her skirt and moving with a life of its own. Slowly, her light eyes opened, reflecting the glow in the room. She couldn’t see anything beyond the light, so powerful it was.
This was as far as she had ever gotten. Always, after this, the magic fails. The colors explode into darkness, the candles blow out. She always loses control of the magic and it disperses back into the chalk circle.
She clenched her fists and pushed at the magic, forcing her will onto it, commanding it to do her will. It had to work this time. It had to work.
Then it did. She felt a sudden pressure on her shoulders just before the light of the summoned magic faded with a slow weakening. She opened her eyes wide and gave a small laugh. It had worked, but what had it done? She didn’t see anything different about the room. Her smiled died and her shoulders slumped.
Then a heavy hand fell on her shoulder and she gave a yelp. Spinning on her heel, she gasped up at the man standing in the room with her. He was tall, impossibly tall compared to her own short height. She had to crank her neck back to look up at his face. Deep black eyes looked down at her without a readable expression. His face was hard and set, making fear course through her.
“W-who are you?” She edged away from him, eyes searching the room for something to defend herself with.
He tilted his head to one side, his face finally showing an emotion, if only confusion. “You summoned me, and ask me this?” His brow lowered and he took a step closer, towering over her.
Frightened, Ryst took several steps back and reached for the table. She looked around the room, just then realizing that he blocked the only exit. Licking her lips, she thought frantically.
“I-I was summoning a demon.”
His lips twitched before he bowed, mockingly. “And you have summoned one.”
Her eyes went wide and she felt her blood turn cold. “But you’re-”
He followed her away from the circle, ignoring the chalk as if it weren’t there, and once again crowded with his height. “I’m what?”
She gulped and hugged her arms over her chest. “You’re not a cute little pet like creature.”
His look of dark malice turned into one of dumbfounded shock, his jaw dropping nearly comically. He stood fully from his hovering and stared at her as if he thought she had lost her mind. Flustered, she waved a hand.
“Lady M said that this spell would summon a pet demon, not unlike her own.” Suddenly, Ryst felt ashamed of herself, and she bowed her head.
She hadn’t any friends, and she had been a fool to trust Lady M. She bit her lip and found that it took more will than what she had to look back up at him. Tears threatened.
He resumed his hovering and touched a finger to her chin, tilting her head back to look up at him. She blinked away the tears and forced herself to meet his dark eyes.
“I’m sorry. I’ll return you.”
“You won’t.”
She paused, nonplussed. “Why not? I brought you here against your will.”
Before she could continue he stepped away and began exploring the room, touching and inspecting. “Against my will? No, I wouldn’t say that.” He turned to face her. “What were you hoping for when you summoned me?”
She flashed a smile that was almost not there. “A friend.” She turned away, hiding. “I can’t afford to trust anybody that gets close to me. I thought that if I summoned a demon pet, I’d be able to have a friend.”
He wasn’t listening. His attention had moved to the door. Ryst had closed it when she had first arrived and now the demon was throwing it open.
“Where does this lead?”
“Outside.”
His eyes lit up like nothing before. It took her breath away. Covering her gasp with her hand, she followed him up the long corridor and up the stairs.
“What’s the outside like, there?”
“There?”
“Here.”
“Oh, um, it’s still early, so maybe the sun is raising. It’ll be clear skies today.”
His steps sped up and she had to all but run to keep up with him. Worriedly, she fidgeted behind him. “Are you sure you don’t want to return?”
“That place is horrible. Dry and dark and empty. I’ve heard that this place is full of light. You have a sun.”
She smiled, reluctantly. “You’re like a child.”
He spun about so abruptly that she stumbled into him. Backing up, she held out her hands to hold herself upright and he caught her about her upper arms, holding her close.
“This is a dream come true.”
Wonderingly, she gazed up at him. “Then by all means, head forth.”
He smiled and tugged on her arm, pulling her with him. They exited the corridor and entered the castle. He paused, looking around him. Sunlight from the early morning was just beginning to spill through the large, open windows. He made a beeline for the nearest window and Ryst followed, a smile still playing on her lips.
Until she noticed members of the court pausing to stare. She lowered her gaze to the floor once again and felt a flush coming to her cheeks.
Lady M probably had already told the others of the spell Ryst had foolishly cast. The whole of the court would be laughing at her. She twisted her fingers together and fought her melancholy thoughts.
The demon turned to her once again. “Take me outside. I want to see the sunrise.”
Giving a start, Ryst nodded and quickly took the demon outside, to her mother’s garden. From there, the sunrise was always the best. The demon watched, touching a finger to the dew on the leaves of the rosebushes surrounding the walk.
He really was like a child given a gift.
She sat and watched him, somehow gaining a calm within herself that she hadn’t known she could ever have. Once the sun was fully risen, he returned to her, sitting beside her on a stone bench under an arch covered with ivy.
“I will stay here.”
She put a hand to her chest where her heart was beating wildly. “Will you? And where will you live?”
He frowned at her. “You are the one that summoned me. You must take responsibility.”