"Deceive." The word slipped past her lips and her hands reached to his, trying to pull them away. "Stop saying these words to me. Stop getting into my head. Stop deceiving me!" She snapped and he let her go.
Her heart was racing, her breathing loud.
The light of the moon and the glowing blue gems that lined the cave, reflected in the water and bounced on the cave walls.
"Are you in doubt of my affections? Let me prove--"
"No. I am in doubt of mine and you will stop interfering with these manipulative lines of yours. Stop getting into my head, let me think. I have to do this alone."
"Manipulative?" That word stung. "Donna, I play no games with my sincere words. Yes, my past puts me in the wrong light but do not shut me away in such a cruel way. Give me a chance. I know I do not deserve it but please be merciful."
"There is it again! I---" she pulled her hands over her ears and yelled, and the cave echoed back her voice. Finally, she stopped and tears streamed down her cheeks. When she spoke, she sounded breathless. "I want to be alone. Please, go away."
Without saying another word, Eli swam out of the water. Belladonna ensured to look away, she didn't want to put herself through the torture of watching him step out drenched, or witness how the clinginess of his wet cloth would sharpen every one of his desirable features and make her toil in the long-suffering of unsatisfied need.
It would ache even more if she were to see any protruding evidence from him that he desired the same, which she was certain she would.
It had been barely a minute since she had been alone before Eli was back again. She braced herself up for more apologies from him and planned on how she would once again refuse him, but she... wait!
He was with a dagger?
What was he doing with a dagger?
Was he here to force her to grant him forgiveness with it against her neck?
Eli had said nothing, instead he placed the dagger and a knapsack on the edge of the cave spring where she should easily reach them.
Of course, he wasn't here to use the dagger on her. It was Eli, Eli wouldn't do that.
He had been violent with her before thought and he had tied her down, but those were under different circumstances. She couldn't keep judging him with that.
By Ignas, why were her thoughts flying all over the place?
"I have some things to tend to. They might take my time. Do not stay unprotected. My thick robe is there too, along with your knapsack, do not catch a cold."
He didn't wait for a response from her, instead, he started walking away.
"Eli?" Only then did he stop.
He looked back at her, over his shoulder, with a guarded expression, his shoulders tensed. His grip was tight around the mouth of the knapsack that he held against his lower belly, like he was trying to hide something beneath it.
"I am sorry for yelling at you. I was just overwhelmed."
"I understand." He looked away, once again fully turning his back to her. "You did not have to apologize to me."
"I---" she sighed. "Thank you for tonight." He looked now, keeping his gaze trained on her face. "You were right, I feel much better now." She smiled.
Relief mixed with sadness, and he smiled too, a teary one.
The most hurtful tears were after all those left unshed, and covered with a smile.
___
___
She was alone now, and finally admitting that maybe her anger wasn't her fault. Her reflection didn't terrify her, she had been scared that the magic had changed something in her and had probably added or removed some features from her face but she still looked very much like herself.
It was a relief.
Worry started eating at her soon enough. She wondered what that time-consuming thing Eli had to attend to was.
Was there another cave spring in this cave? Was he even the cave at all? Did he leave her alone? Why hadn't she asked him where he was going? She probably didn't even have a right to know. Why was she worried?
She did ask to be left alone and he had done just that.
This nonsensical worry had to be stopped immediately. It was baseless and annoying!
After that, Belladonna wondered how Alaris was doing with the people, and what she could do to fix the consequences of her rampage so that Kami's family and the families of the other brides' would accept them. It would be really painful if Eli couldn't earn the Brides' forgiveness because of her own actions.
What about the family of the man she had certainly killed to--
Belladonna froze. She had just heard something.
When she turned, the approaching shadow and the distant light confirmed it. She swam quickly to the edge, grabbing the dagger, and laying in wait for the approaching intruder. She didn't care that she was naked. It was becoming a habit nowadays for her problems to find her when her scantily dressed or not at all like right now.
Such perverted troubles!
Never catching her when she was fully dressed and ready, nonsense!
She would try to always have a dress on at all times from now on.
The shadow drew nearer and from its form, it was hard to draw a conclusion as to who the approaching intruder was.
It wasn't Eli though. She could feel it in her bones that it wasn't him.
Who was this?
The intruder stepped into the cave.
It was a woman - a hooded one with a lantern in one hand and her dress in the other for ease of movement.
Belladonna's grip tightened around her wrist and her heart skipped a beat.
It couldn't be Kestra? It just couldn't be. She was dead!
Nothing resurrects from a dragon's flames, that was what they told her.
The woman still kept her good on and Belladonna's question echoed loudly against the cave walls.
"WHO ARE YOU?!"