He continued, watching the tears roll down her cheeks with an unshakeable glare.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry."
The minute he retracted his claws and she sensed her freedom, Kestra scrambled away from him, falling to the ground, her blood staining the beautiful stones before she stood up almost immediately, making all attempts to move away from him as quickly as possible.
He stood up too, but he didn't go after her. Instead, he shook his head, the weakness finding its way back into his veins, the pain leaving him temporarily as he settled back into logical himself.
Anger no longer swindling in him, his emotions no longer slamming into one another uncontrollably, he was more in control of himself now.
The shift was obvious.
The glare wiped away from his face and a sorry look took its place.
"Kestra."
She looked up at him and shook her head.
"I'm fine."
"I am so sorry. I apologize, I---" he walked closer to her and she moved away, pulling one part of her slit over her cut, when she sensed he was looking at what gaze fixed on her.
"It's nothing." Her eyes said otherwise though, they were glistening with tears. "Just a waterskin of the lake's water and I will be fine." Then she added with a chuckle, "maybe a couple of spells too."
He didn't try to move closer now, instead, he swiped his hand over his face, letting out a tired sigh.
"I know you were only trying to help. I do not know what I was thinking. I did not want to hurt you."
"I know."
"You are my friend and---"
She shut her eyes and stifled a hiss unsuccessfully at the word that she detested, making its way into their conversation.
Ignoring the pain in her thighs and the one that rubbed against her feet, she walked to the shore of the lake and sat down, realizing too late that hadn't brought the waterskin with her.
Too bad her magic couldn't lift water from the lake and bring it to her.
Someone was kneeling by her side soon enough though, the waterskin in his hand, filled with the blue healing water.
He tended to her wounds and apologized.
He was sorry for many things and he let her know that.
He was sorry that his curse had kept her life on hold, he was sorry that he was such a burden, he was sorry for every wrong thing his curse had made her go through.
He made promises too, the most important one being that once the Red Moon comes, he would repay her with anything that he could provide for her so that she could finally live her life the way she wanted.
Then, it was back to apologizing again.
He was sorry for many things, so many things, except the thing that she really wanted him to be sorry for.
How dare he, despite everything they had been through together, give his heart to someone else?
How dare he?!
_____
"I will be back.
Your Eli."
Belladonna folded the letter and tucked it away.
She had lost count of how many times she had checked the letter. It was the first thing Anok had given to her after she had woken up and requested to see the King.
She had noticed how his usually stable and beautiful penmanship had looked a little rushed, and further inquired from Anok if he knew anything more.
He had been quick to tell her about Neq'tar and the rumours surrounding the forest.
"I am sure the King will have no problem finding his way though, you don't have to worry, Lady Bell."
But she was worried, she couldn't help it.
Anok told her about the sleeping dragon.
Pamela.
Belladonna hoped that she would stay asleep.
"Shouldn't the people be trying to escape? The dragon could wake up at any moment and the King is not here, no one is here--- this doesn't feel wise." she had protested.
"We don't have to run, Lady Bell. I am sure the King will not let harm come to us. He will be back soon."
She had refrained from arguing after that, instead, she joined those in the kitchen to help with the work at hand, the labour being minimal.
Anok had wanted to stop her from stressing herself with that, but she was too stubborn.
At first, the kitchen had been a little silent when she came in, but quickly enough, they all started talking freely around her, some of them turned out to be some of the people she had met in the hall before they had to run in fear of the dragon.
They asked how she was doing and they were happy to see that she was doing better.
Her act of bravery had been largely spread amongst them and when they got comfortable enough, her praises hardly left their mouth.
Then, they talked about what they had lost, their family members that had been injured in the short time of chaos.
Belladonna encouraged them to write complaints and send them in. They didn't seem to be happy with that and they explained to her that some of them couldn't read nor write.
Moved by sympathy and the need to help them, she promised to help them with their letters immediately after breakfast.
The topic of the conversation moved to their next fear, the unknown that they feared might happen soon.
"The dragon is still in the den?" One said, serving the food on different plates.
Some people were wheeling in trolleys, some fetching water, some attending to the food on fire, some getting the plates ready, while the others were arranging the plates of food in the available trolleys.
Belladonna was a part of the latter group.
"I heard too." Another chipped in, staring intently at the pot on the stove.
"What if it wakes up and---"
"You don't have to worry about anything." Belladonna clapped, right after placing a bowl of food on a trolley that was immediately getting rolled away.
The food was for the injured people in the hall.
"Do you think the King will just leave you to the open arms of danger?" She added with a smile, as she looked around at the agreeing faces in the kitchen.
"Our King would never." One said and voices blended into one another in total agreement.
They started talking about other things.
Belladonna wished that she could go around the Capital, to listen and try to help with everyone's troubles too but she knew she couldn't.
No matter what had happened, there was no way she could just forget that there were some people still out there, after her life.
They must know that the King is no longer in the Castle.
With her.
Now more than ever, she had to be careful.
Very careful.
"....I heard they died." Someone's voice made it to her ears, along with the gentle clank of the fork on the stainless steel tray.
"Who?" She asked, and having found her place now, they share their thoughts with her without hesitation.
"The people the King captured, the ones that were after you, My Lady."
Wow.
Was there something they didn't know?
The castle walls were indeed the biggest gossips.
Belladonna found that to be funny as she imagined the walls actually having mouths and speaking to one another.
"They died during the dragon's attack."
"It's all ya fault, trying to act all mysterious." The short man, with a small round face and a funny mustache, she now knew to be "Big Cook" spoke. "If ya were them, ya would have given the master of this scheme up a long time ago. 'specially after that maid had killed herself. Pity. Poor gurl."
Some mumbled an agreement, the others grumbling about their stupidity.
The door was pushed open and the last trolley for the morning came in. Belladonna helped to fill the trolley up.
"Then they call themselves a silly name." One blurted in anger.
"Ah, yes. Stupid!" Big Cook said, his voice deep, sounding more mature than his physique. "What did ya even---"
The voice of Big Cook was drowned away with panic as Belladonna felt the bowl in her hand almost slip away but the person who had rolled the trolley in, caught the bowl just in time, the soft hand brushing over hers jolted her back to the reality that crisis had been averted and she whispered a thank you, looking up at the person who had saved her from the trouble.
Dull black eyes, with heavy bags of deprived sleep underneath them, stared back at her. Something unpleasant settled in the pit of her belly.
"It's The Eye."
"What do ya say, boy?" Big Cook asked from behind them, still, this man didn't look away.
"The name, Big Cook."
That unpleasant feeling.
Those eyes that were still staring at her.
That voice that didn't quite settle well with anything.
Who was this man?
"They call themselves The Eye."