The Princess and The Bandit

FORTY EIGHT

* * *

"Don't go,"

It was as if Lauren can read her mind. Its astonishing how they seem to always be in the same wavelength, like they could sense what the other would do or say.

When Camila is up in her head thinking that no matter how much she wants to stay, the empress is still better off without her problematic ass, here comes Lauren holding on tight and not letting her go.

After all the sobbing has subsided, the empress kept her hold on the bandit, tight and close as she could.

Like she was her lifeline, tethering her to her sanity.

"I hurt you, Laur,"

"You didn't, it wasn't you . . . You were put on a trance by your father, and I—"

Lit him up like a firecracker. Scorched him down to the dust.

Which is very much deserved in Camila's opinion. If only his suffering lasted for more than two seconds, probably at least two decades to scratch the amount of suffering he caused to many people. Lauren wasn't really feeling guilty about decimating Alejandro, but more on the fact that she lost grip of herself and allowed the fire in her get a little bit out of control.

She almost scorched down her own castle and the people in it too . . .

"Hey, I'm not holding that against you, my love. It's like you said, his crimes against the empire were punishable by death. It just didn't turn out exactly the way we planned for it to be,"

Lauren loosens her hold on her but still remains close, green eyes soaked in tears meet brown ones that were brimming with way too much guilt.

"Just like I am not holding what happened back there against you, Camz . . . We thought we figured out what we should do, but he was more sly than what we had expected of him. If anything, I am sorry that I let that happen to you, that I let him get to you like that,"

"No, you don't get to say sorry for something that wasn't in your control . . ."

Lauren tilts her head, soft smile slowly appears on her tear-stained pretty face. And Camila realizes what she just said, what it means.

She leans her head against Lauren's, "I still can't help it . . . I attacked you, Laur. I don't think I can live with the fact that I hurt you,"

"Look at me,"

The empress implores her to look into those emerald eyes. She does, and all she can find was deep understanding and love, infinite and unrelenting.

"You didn't hurt me, okay. I think you need to hear me say this and I'm telling you now; I forgive you. There's really nothing to forgive if you ask me but you need to know that I love you and if you believe that you've hurt me, then I forgive you. I know you feel so terrible at what happened but you said it yourself, there is nothing to apologize for the things that aren't in your control. And you weren't in control, my love. He placed you under a trance, a curse brought by an old artifact,"

Tears are now running freely from Camila's eyes, unable to come up with a rebuttal because she is so overtaken by her own emotions.

Lauren pulls her back again, hugging her tight. Consoling her even when she's grieving too.

"I'm sorry you lost your friend," she mumbles against the girl's raven hair.

"We both lost someone today, I am sorry too,"

* * *

Days passed and Camila is still feeling worse about what went down. Her mind, her insecurities, it wouldn't let up, and just simply having a field day tormenting her.