#a palace nurse smuggled him out but perished in a skirmish

[llondonfog]

twstober '22, day 5 & 6

Prompt: "Dream" + "Crown"

"Silver, wake up— wake up, child!"

He seizes back to life with a strangled shout on his lips and an indescribable depth of loss permeating inside of him that feels eons older than his seven years of age, eyes bright and shining with unshed tears as he clutches at the bedsheets like the last great lifeline in a tumultuous sea.

"Silver, look at me, come on now—"

He hardly realizes he's trembling in place were it not for Lilia's steady arms pulling him close, soothing away the shivers rolling like waves down his spine. Silver hiccups and tries his best to meet the fae's request, sniffling as Lilia clicks his tongue sympathetically after giving him a once-over and allows the young boy to bury his face against his shoulder after his initial examination.

" . . . Well, you certainly gave me a fright, attempting to do battle with the blankets like that!" His father's tone is light, an effective distraction to the small boy in his arms that could barely remember now the sharp urgency that had held his father's voice hostage only moments ago.

(How does Lilia begin to explain that Silver's thrashes and cries against an invisible enemy somehow were more terrifying than any war atrocity he had seen in service of the Queen? How does he begin to explain the highest place of honor this thin and shivering human child has come to occupy in his heart, dethroning all who came before in an act of loving regicide?)

" . . . What were you dreaming about, child?"

The images are already fading fast, sliding away from his mind like mercury, and he blinks away the watercolor scenes of a crowned figure toppling over, frantic shadows swarming his vision, and of a cold bitter light streaking his way—

"I- I don't know, I don't remember—" He hiccups again and shows no inclination to remove himself from his father's embrace, and Lilia swallows a sigh of concern to gently feather his fingers through the boy's pale hair, rocking them both slowly.

"It's alright, Silver . . . it's alright. They're merely dreams, they cannot hurt you here. . . Why don't we step away from the bed for a bit, hm? Malleus shared a rather delightful tin of tea last week while he visited, why don't we try that together?"

There's a moment of silence before Silver peeks up at him, eyes wet but with the faint trace of a smile lingering on his face. " . . . Last time you made me tea, father, you somehow managed to burn the tea leaves even though they're steeping in water . . ."

An affected gasp echoes between them as Lilia carries the boy out of the bedroom and into the warmth of the kitchen, leaving the sour taste of nightly fears behind. "Maintain your impertinence, my son, and we will discover it is not only tea leaves that I have a pyroclastic proclivity for!"

The soft laughter that follows is all reward— besides, when did a little smokey flavor not improve a dish?

#twisted wonderland #twstober #twst silver #twst lilia #lettie writes #unceremoniously dumps my hc for silver in this prompt #that he is the 'prince' from sleeping beauty #and during the fae/human wars his family was murdered #a palace nurse smuggled him out but perished in a skirmish #and we all know who found him...