Chapter 128: Let Me Carry You.
~Ava's POV ~
Raphael had finally left my side for the first time in two weeks since I came out of the lantern. I didn't know if it felt good to be back or bad.
As much as I accepted Raphael, I couldn't help but remember that he had wiped out an entire kingdom. I didn't know if I was going to bring it up.
The memories were still stuck in my head. The chamber door creaked open, pulling me out of my thoughts. A tiny girl walked in. Marissa. That was the name Gwen had called her when I first saw her.
She peeked in, then stepped back as if scared. Her skin was still pale, but she wasn't as bony as when I saw her from inside the lantern. She looked brighter now. Healthier. Like life had returned to her little body.
I smiled gently, trying to show her it was okay to come closer.
"Hello there," I called softly.
"You are so beautiful," she said shyly, hiding behind the door.
"Come on in, dear."
I tried to stand up to greet her, but my body wouldn't let me. For the past two weeks, I'd depended on Raphael, Callie, and Gwen just to move around.
I was tired of it. I tried again, pushing myself up, refusing to keep sitting like I was helpless. But the moment I did, a sharp pain exploded through my veins. It was unbearable.
I screamed and collapsed back onto the bed, the pain too much.
"Sorry! I'm sorry!" Marissa cried as she ran in. She looked so worried as she rushed to my side, her little hands shaking.
I blinked at her, confused. "Why are you apologizing, little one?"
"I didn't mean to hurt you... I thought I made you fall," she said, guilt covering her face.
I shook my head slowly. "Oh no, sweetheart. That wasn't your fault. It's alright, I promise."
Her eyes lifted slightly, searching my face. "So... you're not angry with me?"
I smiled as warmly as I could. "No, I'm not angry at all."
She smiled in relief, her whole face softening. Then she held my fingers gently and whispered, "Thank you."
I looked at her. "For what?"
"For taking care of my brother."
That surprised me. "Brother?"
She nodded. "Yes. Charles. He talks about you all the time to our people. He said you were kind. That you helped him and never gave up on us."
"Really?" I asked.
"Yes!" Her smile grew. "And now he's okay. He's back in his true form. The dragon helped him."
At the mention of the dragon, I felt warmth fill my chest. Drogon.
I hadn't seen him much lately, but I noticed something strange... everyone could see him now. That hadn't happened before. He used to be invisible to everyone but me.
And now, he was always near Gwen. Watching her closely, just like Anastasia always did. That part still confused me. Why Gwen? Why now?
I was still lost in thought when the chamber door flew open with a loud bang.
"Ava!" Gwen shouted, rushing inside. Her face was full of worry. "You must come quickly. Raphael needs you!"
My heart jumped. "What happened?"
"He's losing control again," she said. "We need you to calm him."
I tried to sit up again, ignoring the pain this time. Gwen quickly helped me.
Whatever was going on, I had to be there. It must have been serious if Gwen ran in that manner.
For Raphael. Even if it hurt, I had to go to him. He needed me. Callie entered the room as well. She wore a worried expression. She kept blinking rapidly, and there was no colour on her skin.
"Are you okay, Callie?" I asked, stopping to wait for her answer.
She shook her head as if being snapped out of her world. "Yes, I am, my lady," she whispered. Her voice sounded hoarse as if she had screamed a lot.
"You don't look good, Callie." She didn't. I was scared she might fall.
"No, my lady. I am alright." Callie was what you would call a human. She was wolf-less and had been sold by her pack to the king.
Not sold, gifted to him as a tribute. Raphael had been kind to employ people like her and pay them. He had never left them to fight for themselves.
In a kingdom such as this, where the powerful were the respected ones, I would say he did well.
"I know something is wrong. Just take care of little Marissa. When I come back, please tell me what happened. Do you understand?" I said the last part firmly.
"Yes, my lady." I leaned completely on Gwen, who shouldered my weight entirely. "I am sorry, pumpkin."
"Nonsense. Just lean on me." I nodded at her and then stopped when little Marissa ran in front of us.
"I will be back later, little one. Maybe we can continue our talk then." She reluctantly nodded and then stepped aside for us to pass. Gwen and I smiled before we left the chamber.
I didn't want to ask Gwen what happened to Raphael in Marissa's presence, so I kept quiet until we were in the hallway.
"What triggered him, Gwen?"
"The ministers did. He has insisted on attending court regardless of Drogon telling him not to." It didn't escape my notice how Gwen addressed Drogon by his given name and how she blushed.
Interesting.
I decided not to push the matter. Later. I smiled a small smile. "What did the ministers say? Do you know?" She nodded.
"Was it about me again?" I held my breath. I could not seem to understand why the nobles hated me so much, or maybe I did. I was considered a slave after all.
"They want him to marry." What? I stopped abruptly in my steps. My stomach dropped. Of course. Even after everything, I was still just the girl from the cage.
"To whom?"
"They asked him to choose a princess from the many kingdoms or choose from among the nobles' daughters."
"I see." I wasn't expecting much after my return, but I certainly didn't know they would still be so uptight about me.
As we moved, I saw Gemma running toward us. She was sprinting, not walking, that gait of hers was certainly not a walk.
"My lady, you must hurry," she said, stopping in front of me. If I wasn't so weak, I would have run to him as well.
"If you don't hurry, the king will kill the temple priests. And that's a crime in Lystra. Not even the king will be able to escape that."
"Let's go." I tried forcing myself to move faster, but I felt myself falling. Gemma caught me.
"Let me carry you." That was all the warning I got.
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