Victor is strange. Extremely strange. So estranged that I can’t even figure out what he’s thinking at any moment, and I thought I had a good grasp on people. I believed that Victor was some mental invention of mine come to life. He’s a bit older than me in appearance, with that jawline and that beard. He looks like he could pick me up wi--

“So?” He spoke up, voice almost slapping me back to consciousness. ”What is the first story?” I smiled at him, relaxing my shoulder as I straightened my back and paused before I began telling the story. I did not start yet. There was a glaring problem that I was trying to ignore by keeping my eyes closed.

“Before that… Please cover yourself? I can’t do this when you’re naked.” My cheeks were on fire. And they became even more so when I felt the ruffling of cloth and sheet behind me, and the bed creaked under our combined weight. Opening my eyes, I had figured her would no longer be right in front of me, back to my face as he was previously, and lo and behold, he was not. Turning to my left, I did see him, now, beneath the covers, on his side. He rested his head on his hand as he watched me. As he studied me, I shivered in place, those eyes seeming to pierce through me and shatter my very being.

"I suppose... that works." I told him. He did comply, which made me happy. Sighing, it turned into a chuckle, I had to hold back from really bursting out into a laugh. He quirked a brow at me, as I began to calm down.

"Once upon a time," I began. "there was an evil tyrant of a king. He was a terrible ruler, one that would imprison his subjects for even looking at him --!" Before Victor could say anything, out of the corner of my eye, I saw him open his mouth and raised a finger in protest -- it did not stop him.

"How did he know they were looking?" He asked, and I fell back onto the bed, over his legs, staring at the ceiling. I smirked to myself, thinking that he acted like a child at times.

"We'll say he had a spell placed on him," I replied. "So, this tyrannical ruler had a beautiful wife! Often called the flower of the kingdom and the sun to the world. However, she was not happy, being married to this terrible man. She plotted to run away soon, in fear of an uprising against the king. And as she was preparing to leave, her plan was foiled!" I could see Victor scowl.

"How was it ruined?"

"Her husband," I told him, "came into her room that night, demanding that they go to bed and attempt for a child. He wished to pass his rule onto an heir, son or daughter. She had to wait until the next day. As she was about to leave, a sudden rainstorm appeared! The path she had planned to use was wet, slippery, and dangerous to use until it dried up. So, Victor, what do you think she did?" I had to know how he thought the story would go. It was such a funny idea to me. How would this story end up in his mind?

"She had waited many days until the ground was dry, and the soil stiff enough to hold her safely." I nodded. "Good, good!" I told him, patting his head once so I could touch that head of hair. "After a few more days of preparing, waiting, and praying that the weather would hold up, the Queen reached the last day of waiting. Clear skies, a warm day in the middle of summer, and she had finally left! Sneaking out the back, she followed a trail along the wall of the castle, until she bolted for the exit! She ran from the castle without looking back, carrying her sack of food and drink."

Victor looked somewhat interested in the story, or maybe he was thinking about how the logistics of this worked. I was going off of memory about the story, and I was sure I was missing some details here and there that he was trying to fill in.

"After some weeks of living in the woods away from her castle, she began to run low on food. The river gave her water, but she could not hunt fish, but she didn't have the talent. She searched and searched for fruits: berries, apples, or some Napata -- do you know what that is?" Victor shook his head.

"I do not know the names of fruits, for I did not eat them before I was cursed to this form." He told me, and I felt a tiny pang of guilt.

"Well, It's a fruit that lives a distance from Linsey, the capitol. It began growing after the war with the Dragons, and people believe that Farias gifted the fruit to the Empire for surviving. I find that idea ridiculous, though." And Victor seemed to agree with a scowl.

"Anyway, she soon ran out of food and began to look for shelter, at least, as the rain was coming soon. The clouds darkened and she could smell the approaching storm. She found a cave, eventually, and went in. Upon entering, she saw a giant mountain of glittering gold and jewels. Silver draped over an entire section of it, and diamonds and other sorts of precious minerals were all stacked high in the cave. She stepped closer to it, seeing a bit of black in the tower of wealth. She touched it, and it was hot to the touch, and suddenly..." I paused, curling my pointer and middle finger over my eye and continued. "there was a giant eye, the size of her torso!"

"The mountain shifted, and soon the gold began to fall down its body like a waterfall. Riches and all fell to the floor around the queen, and she fell back onto her butt. Panic overwhelmed her and she couldn't move. As it stood to its full height in the giant cavern of a cave, it revealed its darker-than-night feathers, black fur that turned to grey at the ends around its forelegs, and scales that looked like obsidian!" There was a sudden bang on the wall next to Victor's head and I squeaked, followed by a loud, angry man's voice.

"SHUT UP YOU LOUD FUCKING WHO--" Victor suddenly punched the wall back, leaving nothing but splinters in its wake as the wall formed a hole around where his fist had been. I squeaked in surprise, covering my face as splinters fell around his pillow and in beside me.

There was a buzz in the room, a fly, it seemed, as it flew from the neighbour's room, breaking the silence. Victor spoke up only a second later.

"Continue Eleonor. I am intrigued." I stared at him blankly. He just punched a hole into the wall like it was nothing! Blinking, I nodded slowly and began to recount the story, slower and not as loud. The man never fussed for the rest of the night.

The story had a simplistic plot from then on out, something straight out of a novel. Or at least that was what I was going for. I couldn't remember the story well after Victor scared the socks off of me, so I just gave it a conventional romance story. The dragon couldn't care about the Queen for a bit, but after she pleaded, he allows her to stay. They grew closer, and the Queen fell for the dragon after a wolf wandered in and attempted to kill her. However, it was stopped by the dragon. She promises him that, if she helps end her previous husband's terrible reign, he will be free to rule the kingdom as well as all its riches. Or so the story was supposed to go.

"Why did she so easily betray the kingdom? Sounds like a failure of a ruler to me." I explained the intricacies of romance, especially when it involved a dragon, and what that did for a woman and her heart. He didn't understand, I don't think.

I sighed, though, when I realized how late it was.

"Victor, I think that was a lot of a single story. I'm gonna go and grab a room and get you when I wake up, okay?" I told him, but when I went to stand up, Victor grabbed my shirt with his foot and yanked me back as I squealed.

"Too expensive. You'll sleep in here." My face became hot. TOO hot. It became so hot that my blush drifted from not just my face, but to my upper torso as well, I could feel it! Oh, Farias protect me...

"S-Ser Vict--"

"Victor. I am no ser."

"Victor... could you please allow me up? I'd like my own room!" I begged, covering my face. Shuddering as he leaned up and over me, his golden eyes piercing into me as he did, he looked at me as one would look a meal and I couldn't help but stare, beet-red, up at him.

"No." Came his reply. I felt a shock run down my spine. "I smell many things on you, Eleonor. You smell of repressed talent, fear, hunger, hunger, and anxiety. Now, tell me, what am I to do when I can smell everything from you, unable to sleep?" his slitted eyes narrowed down at me, and I couldn't hold back anymore. "Fear." I flung my head up and tried to bolt for the door, but again, Victor grabbed me, but he held me by the wrist and pulled me back.

He wasn't going to do anything, I knew that -- or I hoped so at least -- but I was still scared. I was sad. I didn't want to leave Knaw Salong, but I was about to. Whether it was my choice to do so or not I didn't remember, nor really care. I didn't have a home here anymore, so I might as well move away.

After a long, long time, I told Victor all my fears, worries, and pains. How I was afraid of leaving, afraid of father, and the world outside Knaw Salong. It might not have been the best idea, to vent to him, though. Also, he was either one hell of a listener or he simply did not care.

He mimicked what I did to him earlier as well -- patting his head -- and I realized that I'd never had this done to me before. He was gentle, and I realized far too late that I was enjoying this, and he'd already caught onto it. He was getting good at it too, which made me even more anxious.

"Victor... you can stop now." I told him, but he didn't, and I felt tears welling up in my eyes again. Staring into his chest, I sat there for a long time. I don't know how long, but neither he nor I slept. As embarrassed as I was to sit there, awkwardly getting my head pat, I grew fond of the moment. I don't think Victor had any thoughts of fondness for me, that wasn't something I had thought of, but the idea was pleasant nonetheless. I don't know when, but I felt my consciousness drift away slowly. His hand on my head, his beard tickling me, it was all so pleasant and surreal.

And soon, everything went black as I passed into the world of dreams. Quiet. Happy. Dreams.