Her eyes followed him, till he was kneeling by her side. The doubt in his eyes made her shake her head. "I am not crazy, Eli. Don't look at me like I am."
"You are not crazy."
"Do you believe me?" She pulled away to look at him and he gave her a reassuring smile, while cupping her face in his hands.
"You are not crazy."
They remained in the magic of the moment, until the sound of flapping leathery wings broke it and she was pulling away from him finally.
Alaris looked tensed and his gaze first found the bracelet on Belladonna's wrist before looking around quickly for any sign of danger.
Finding none, he asked, "What happened here?"
___
___
They had made it back to the castle that night, with Alaris in his dragon form and each of them securely in his talons.
It was a very scary ride, especially for Belladonna who wasn't used to seeing things from this high.
"Don't drop me, please!" She had yelled when he started making some unnecessary scary moves.
"Stop scaring her!" Eli had demanded but that had done nothing.
When Alaris shifted back, he didn't hesitate to make fun of her.
After that, Belladonna had narrated their experience and quite like Eli, Alaris didn't believe that Kestra could be responsible for what had happened.
"No one resurrects from a dragon's flames," he had said.
Instead, he suspected someone else.
Granny.
His reasons - she had made an attempt on her life once (that was a shocking discovery for Eli). Also, the last time they had seen her, they had threatened her to get her help.
"She probably didn't take lightly to that. Besides, her little haven is the only dwelling place close to that part of the forest. It is the only one there, if I'm right. Anyways, I will have some witches look into it."
"Thank you. This is very troubling. I still wish to leave the castle and I will be doing that after the witches report back about whatever they find." She said, not bothered at all that Eli was present and could hear of her plans to leave.
What was the point of hiding it now?
___
___
Later that night, when Belladonna had retired to bed, there had been a knock at her door and the person on the other side wasn't the person she had been expecting.
To be fair, she wasn't expecting anyone.
"Eli?"
He looked tired, it was almost as if the life that used to exist in his aura had been completely drained away.
He offered her a tired smile and she forced her face to show no emotion.
She really needed to get out of this place... and far away from him before her emotions would make things more complicated than they already were. That was what she told herself but when he asked for her audience, she had stepped aside and let him inside her room.
"Thank you for tonight." She said, when he stepped in and shut the door behind him.
"You do not have to thank me, your safety is my peace." Words slipped past his lips quickly. "I am here to make sure that you are not hurt in the least. Any cuts, strains, or anything whatsoever?"
"I am fine, you don't have to worry." That was the same thing she had told Alaris when he asked.
Although, she was still a little shaken from what had happened.
"Are you certain? The horses were chaotic and the carriage was an absolute wreck after--" he had taken a step towards her quickly, as he raised his hands to hold her so he could perform a personal check, before she had taken an instinctive step back and he had stopped himself, remembering his place and what they had become.
"How about you? Are you alright?" She tried to brush the tension off with a nervous smile. "You did take most of the hits on my behalf."
"I am alright. You do not have to worry about me."
"I wasn't." She quickly retorted. That was a lie though. Why had she even said that? Her emotions were mixed with confusion, she would have to be far away from him to figure it out.
"Well, since we have now confirmed that we are both alright, I think you should leave."
She wanted him to leave already?
She must find his presence so suffocating!
She hated him.
The anger in her eyes as she waited for him to leave confirmed it and it ripped his heart to shreds.
His suffering would never end.
She would never want him again, that was alright. It was a punishment he would bear.
That was a lie.
This was unbearable, but he managed to keep the pain from his voice when he spoke, "I came here for one more thing."
He looked so tired and his brown eyes were filled with pleadings.
Those eyes that she loved... used to love.
She was afraid that if he lingered any longer, then she would give into the temptation of asking him to stay.
Which was stupid.
Why would she do that?
It must be because he had been with her when she needed him, that was why her anger had softened a little tonight. Her stance on wanting to be away from him to figure things out still remained the same though, and her mind still painted him guilty for many things.
"You are leaving tomorrow."
"I am."
"Do you still hear the voices?"
"No." She raised her hand to show him the bracelet that Alaris had given her, the blue gem glowing softly against her skin. "This helps."
"Do they still feel present in your mind? Is the weight still there?" His eyes begged for forgiveness.
He felt sorry.
It was something she was very much aware of, it just wasn't enough to erase everything that he had done.
"Yes." She shrugged. "This is my life now, until Alaris and I finally find a solution to this."
The words were a soft blow.
Her and Alaris?
So it was now her and Alaris with no place for him?
Too much was slipping away from him too fast, and it dug him deeper and deeper into the pool of sadness.
It felt so lonely without her, and even though he had told himself several times that all he wanted was her forgiveness, and he didn't mind if she found happiness with another, he knew it would kill him if that were to happen.
But this was these were the consequences of his actions, so he must suffer them in silence. His only focus must be on attaining her forgiveness... and if she were to find happiness with another...
...then so be it.