idk if i've already done a nightmare chapter but whatever

and i haven't done a tewkesbury imagine in a hot second

———

The moon shines brightly above Basilwether, it's pale light finding its way into the young Marquess' room, it's lighting pouring from the windows to illuminate the room in a soft glow.

Tewkesbury feels the sleeping beauty next to him begin to stir, alerting him, as he is an extremely light sleeper.

He opens his eyes slowly, looking down at Y/n as he watches her hands tighten around his night clothes, her face tucked away in the crook his his neck, her cold nose brushing against his skin, sending a slight shiver down his spine.

Tewkesbury holds her closer, tightening his grip around her waist as she begins to mumble incoherently to herself.

He feels her tremble slightly in his arms, and he pulls away to see her brows furrowed and she shakes her head slightly. "My love," he whispers, his voice low and raspy from not using it for a few hours. "Wake up." He says, gently shaking her frame. "Darling, wake up, please. It's just a dream."

Her eyes shoot open, her shaking intensifying as she brings her hands to her face, rubbing her eyes. Tewkesbury looks at her with concern, hugging her again as her hands move around his neck, holding him close to her.

"Are you all right?" He asks gently, pulling back slightly to look at her, but their bodies still pressed against each other.

Y/n nods slowly, taking a deep breath. "Just another nightmare." She answers.

"Do you — Do you want to talk about it?" He asks, cupping her cheek with one hand as his eyes look over her features with worry.

She leans in his soft touch, a sign Tewkesbury has picked up is an affect of her childhood, where her parents neglected her and never really cared for her, never gave her the love he thinks she deserves.

Y/n presses a kiss to the palm of his hand, his eyes softening as she does so. "I'd rather not." She mumbles.

Tewkesbury nods with understanding and kisses her forehead, showing her that he is going to be there for her, through thick and thin.

A ghost of a smile paints Y/n's lips as her arms wrap around his torso, her cheek pressed against his chest as she listens to his steady heartbeat.

He presses a kiss to her head, making sure not to fall asleep before she does.

After about fifteen minutes, Y/n assumes Tewkesbury has fallen asleep as his chest rises and falls in a steady pattern. She traces small shapes on his chest, her fingertips sending butterflies in their path.

"In the dream," She whispers, "You had forgotten me. You had no idea who I was, you didn't even know my name, and — and you sent me back to my parents." She sniffles a bit, Tewkesbury's heart clenching in pain for the girl he loved.

"And you said," Y/n continues, her grip on Tewkesbury tightening, "You said that no one would ever love a broken girl like me."

At this, Tewkesbury pulls back to look at her, surprising her since she thought he was asleep, and she notices the tears in his eyes. "Darling..." He mumbles, brushing a strand of hair from her eyes as she shakes her head, not meeting his eyes. "I would never say that, you know that, right?" He says, a tear rolling down his cheek.

Y/n is quick to wipe it away, her eyes brimming with tears at the sight of Tewkesbury crying. She lets out a small laugh. "You're not supposed to be crying. I'm just being a baby about all this. It's fine, really."

He shakes his head quickly. "No, it's not fine. I care about you, so much. I never want you to feel like that, even if it's only a dream. I want to be your knight in shining armor to chase the nightmares away."

Y/n sniffles again, smiling at his statement. "Well, if I had a nightmare about spiders, I'd probably be screwed." She laughs to herself.

Tewkesbury scoffs and shakes his head. "I'm trying to be romantic and sentimental here." He huffs jokingly.

"I'm sorry! I'm just — Im not good at that part." She apologizes quickly, kissing his cheek, earning a smile from Tewkesbury.

He beams at her, making her cheeks flush slightly. "As I was saying, I'll always be here. And I'll always love you, if you'll let me." He whispers, pecking her lips quickly.'

"I love you too." She whispers, leaning her forehead against his, both with tired smile on their faces.

"Now, let's try to get some sleep, all right, love?" Tewkesbury says, tugging on the sleeve of her nightgown and hugging her closer again.

Y/n nods into the fabric of his clothes, finally finding her eyelids growing heavy, and the last thing she feels is Tewkesbury pressing another kiss to her hair, turning her nightmares into sweet dreams.