Enthroned Affection (GxG)

9 Embrace of the night.

In the dimly lit room, Ariella huddled in the corner, her eyes wide with terror as her father loomed over her, his face contorted with rage.

"You worthless little brat!" he spat, his voice dripping with venom. "You're nothing but a burden, a waste of space in this house!"

Ariella flinched as his words cut through her like a knife, but she dared not speak, knowing that any response would only provoke him further.

With a sudden, violent motion, her father lashed out, striking her across the face with a backhanded blow that sent her sprawling to the floor. She cried out in pain, tasting blood as it filled her mouth.

"Pathetic," he sneered, his voice cold and cruel. "I should have gotten rid of you years ago."

Tears streamed down Ariella's cheeks as she curled into a ball, trying to shield herself from the barrage of blows that rained down upon her. But there was no escape from her father's wrath, no refuge from the hellish nightmare that was her life.

As the darkness closed in around her, Ariella clung to a fragile hope, yearning for a glimmer of warmth and affection from her parents. If only they could show her just a little love, a small gesture of kindness to let her feel nurtured and valued. But as the blows rained down upon her, she knew that such dreams were futile in the face of their relentless cruelty.

Still, she held onto that flicker of hope, praying silently for a day when love would replace the pain, and tenderness would banish the shadows that haunted her every waking moment. Until then, all she could do was endure, her heart aching for the love she so desperately craved.

In the grip of the relentless nightmare, Ariella found herself trapped in a world of torment and despair. Desperate cries escaped her lips, echoing through the darkness as tears streamed down her cheeks, mingling with the cold sweat that bathed her trembling body.

Each moment felt like an eternity as she fought against the suffocating grip of fear, her heart pounding in her chest as if it would burst from her chest. In the depths of her subconscious, the echoes of past trauma resurfaced, haunting her with their cruel reminders of pain and suffering.

With every breath, she prayed for release, for the nightmare to loosen its grip and set her free from its cruel embrace. Yet, even as she cried out for salvation, the darkness closed in around her, suffocating her with its oppressive weight.

As soon as Ariella's sleeping form began to twist and turn, her face contorted in anguish, Queen Evelyn's instincts kicked in. With a sense of urgency, she sat upright, calling out Ariella's name in a desperate attempt to rouse her from the grips of the nightmare. But despite her efforts, Ariella remained trapped in the torment of her dreams, her cries growing more desperate with each passing moment.

The sight of Ariella in such distress tore at Queen Evelyn's heartstrings, filling her with a deep sense of helplessness and sorrow. Unable to stand idly by while the young girl suffered, she knew she had to intervene, to offer whatever solace she could in the face of such overwhelming pain.

With gentle hands, Queen Evelyn reached out to cradle Ariella's fragile body, drawing her close in a tender embrace. She murmured soothing words of comfort, her voice a soft whisper against the backdrop of Ariella's anguished cries.

As Queen Evelyn held Ariella close, her mind raced with a torrent of thoughts and emotions. She couldn't help but wonder if the nightmares that plagued the young maid were a result of the traumatic events that had unfolded in the past two days, or if they stemmed from deeper wounds that had yet to heal.

The queen's heart ached at the thought of Ariella enduring such torment, both in the waking world and in the depths of her dreams. She couldn't bear the idea that her actions, however well-intentioned, might have inadvertently triggered such profound distress in the young girl.