Chapter 60: Sleep Outside...Again.

Chapter 60: Sleep Outside...Again. The night was quiet. The air, cold. The kind of cold that should’ve cleared his thoughts. But Aramith couldn’t breathe. Not with her scent still clinging to him. Not with the memory of Kesha sniffing him three times in her sleep burned into his mind like some cursed brand. So he left. He wasn’t running away. He just... needed air. And apparently, so did someone else. Henndar found Aramith sitting alone, leaning back against the cold stone wall, staring up at the sky like it held answers. He didn’t say anything at first, just walked over and sat beside him. The silence stretched, comfortable in its own way, before Henndar finally broke it with a casual, "Perfect night for a chat, don’t you think?" Aramith exhaled. "Did you follow me?" "Follow? No, no. I simply knew." "...Knew what?" Henndar turned to him slowly, eyes gleaming. "That you would try to escape." Aramith stiffened. "I wasn’t escaping anything." Henndar smirked. "Oh? So you enjoyed getting sniffed?" Silence. A painful, horrible silence. He didn’t even care about how Henndar knew. Aramith looked away. "I don’t want to talk about it." "Of course, of course," Henndar said, nodding sagely. "But let me tell you something, son." He placed a firm hand on Aramith’s shoulder. "You’re at a dangerous age." Aramith frowned. "What does that mean?" "It means," Henndar said, "that women are like wolves." A pause. Aramith stared. "...What?" Henndar continued, completely serious, yet he was excited inside. Oh how long he’d waited to have such a talk with his son. "They test you. They watch you. And when they’re interested, they’ll mark you." Aramith’s eye twitched. "You’re saying she was... marking me?" Henndar nodded solemnly. "Three times, no less. That’s not just interest. That’s intent." Aramith regretted everything. "I hate this conversation." Henndar ignored him, eyes gleaming like a man about to share forbidden knowledge. "Son, let me tell you something my father told me. Women come in three types—" "Eh?." "—the kind who will kill you, the kind who will save you, and the kind who will kill you while saving you." Aramith frowned in confusion. "That makes no sense." Henndar laughed. "Exactly. And that’s why you’ll never be ready." "What?" "It’s funny how you’re running away from women already" Aramith groaned. "I just needed some space." "Ah. Space. The illusion of freedom." Henndar sighed dramatically. "That never lasts, you know." Aramith shot him a look, unimpressed. "That’s... not reassuring." "Wasn’t meant to be," Henndar admitted. He tilted his head, examining his son. "You seem like you’ve got a lot more than just space on your mind." Aramith hesitated. Then, maybe because it was late, maybe because he was just tired of keeping it in, he admitted, "It’s not just Kesha." Henndar smirked. "I should hope not. Would be a bit tragic if you were losing sleep over one girl already. I used to be a charmer, you know. And now you have that in your blood." Aramith ignored what Henndar said, exhaling sharply, but he wasn’t really mad. "It’s everything. The way people keep acting like I don’t have a say. Like I don’t get to choose what happens in my own life." His hands clenched. "She doesn’t even seem like a bad person. But I can’t trust her. I won’t. She’s the kind of person who’d try to control me." Henndar listened, nodding as if considering his words carefully. In truth, he was just giving Kethra more time to fall into a deeper sleep. No way was he sneaking back now and risking her interrogation. He’d rather have an entire army chase him down than deal with that conversation again. Aramith sighed, running a hand through his hair. "And I hate that she was right." Henndar raised a brow. "Right about what?" "The poisons," Aramith muttered. "Poisons?" "She knew the answer. I didn’t. And that bothers me. I should be the one who knows. I should be the one helping, not standing there like an idiot while someone else does it." Henndar hummed. "So, you’re mad at her for knowing something you didn’t?" Aramith scowled. "No. I just—" He huffed. "I don’t like what it means." "What it means..." Henndar was quiet for a moment. Then, with a completely straight face, he said, "So, the real issue here is that you’re struggling to accept that sometimes, women are terrifyingly competent." He seemed to be talking about himself. Aramith stared at him, unblinking. "That’s not what I said." "Sure, sure," Henndar nodded, grinning. "It’s just that, historically speaking, men have struggled with that." He patted Aramith. Aramith groaned and shoved his father’s arm. Henndar just laughed. The night stretched on, their conversation shifting between serious and ridiculous, Henndar sometimes offering wisdom, sometimes just stalling for time. He only started to panic when Aramith finally yawned. "Well," his son muttered, standing up, "I should—" "Wait." Henndar grabbed his sleeve. "You, uh... don’t have more thoughts? More concerns? Maybe about, say, other women?" Aramith narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You’re acting strange, father." Henndar coughed. "Me? Strange? No. Just being a responsible father." Aramith shook his head. "Okay, I’m going back." Henndar watched, heart sinking, as his son walked away. As he watched his son’s retreating form, he braced himself, hoping he’d spent enough time. The door creaked open Then a voice, sharp and knowing, cut through the night. "Henndar." He stiffened. Kethra stood in the doorway, arms crossed, looking very awake. Henndar grinned weakly. "Darling." She pointed to the spot beside him. "You’re sleeping outside tonight." "What do you mean?" "Ypu know where the floor is." She didn’t even blink. Henndar groaned. "Again?" She didn’t waste her breath and just shut the door. Henndar sighed. Aramith, already inside, let the door shut behind him with a quiet, serious expression. He contemplated for a while before carefully taking two bedsheets, and two pillows, then sleeping on the floor. Henndar stood on a balcony feeling lonely. He exhaled dramatically, gazing at the moon with a forlorn expression. Then, with the weight of a thousand sorrows, he began to sing. Is it wrong to be free? To wander these halls, lost in memory, Leaving behind what should have been—A life of duty, or a life unseen? Two patrolling soldiers slowed their steps. "...Is that...?" one of them whispered. His partner sighed, shaking his head. "Again?" Henndar’s voice carried through the quiet courtyard, hauntingly beautiful. I wander in sorrow, chasing the night, Haunted by echoes of forgotten light.Every step feels heavy, every breath a plea,For a moment of solace, for a glimpse of me. The first soldier furrowed his brows. "How does he keep getting kicked out?" "I wonder the same." The second soldier huffed. "What does he even do?" They looked at each other, trying to piece together what crimes a man of such esteemed rank could commit so consistently against his own wife. Then, the first soldier frowned. "Are you... crying?" The second soldier straightened immediately. "No." Henndar’s voice deepened with feeling, the sorrow laced with a raw, aching vulnerability. Is it wrong to let my heart be wild, To dream of a past where I was a child?In the silence of regret, I sing my despair,Yearning for freedom, though none seem to care. The first soldier squinted. "You’re totally crying." The other soldier scowled. "A bee flew into my eye." "A bee? At night?" "Yes." "Inside your helmet?" The soldier nodded solemnly. They both turned back to Henndar, who now stretched his arms dramatically toward the heavens. My wife doesn’t love me, oh no, oh no...She kicks me outside when the cold winds blow...I gave her my heart, my soul, my name,Yet here I lie in sorrow and shame... Of course she now becomes my mother, Refusing to become my lover... The soldiers exchanged looks. "...We should keep moving." "Yeah." As they walked away, one of them muttered, "I don’t know if I pity him or admire him." The other sniffed. "It’s a damn good song, though." Back inside, Aramith lay on the floor, eyes squeezed shut. He could hear singing outside. He sighed, pulled the covers over his head, and muttered, "I should’ve just stayed asleep." While everyone else slept, Henndar spent the night wandering, appreciating the flowers, and inspecting the herbs. Kethra came out once to let him in, but she was surprised to see her husband weaving through the gardens with...a smile on his face? So he’s enjoying himself. She shut the door with a bang, and even though Henndar never heard it or saw, he felt a shudder within. The next morning’s breakfast was slightly different. Aramith was the first to appear there, long before Kesha who quickly sat beside him, happy that he saved her a seat. (It’s all in your head, girl). Next was Henndar, who smelled of flowers, then Kethra. Mozrael was with Lia, refusing to come join them. Breakfast was somehow tense, though no one spoke much. Then the day continued *as usual*.