This Is What It's Like To Be Lovers [ON HOLD]

17: It's Lonely Out In Space

• Rocketman by Elton John •

Realizing she had no time to ponder, Jade leaped towards Avento and Lari. She ran past Hema - also injured - before finding the Princess behind a tree, crying, with the child in her lap. He was bleeding profusely from his abdomen. Alive, but under the circumstances, would probably bleed to death before they could reach Jahima.

The child held on to the sinew of the arrow, taking only short, calculated breaths, wondering which one might be his last. Lari tried to grab onto his jacket, now perforated and bled through, trying to stop the bleeding with her bare hands. "We have to do something," she said, between bated breath. "Jade, we have to do something."

"What?" The redhead asked, her tone sounded like she was giving up. "We can bandage it up, but he'll bleed out unless we can stitch it up. And who knows if the arrow hit any of his vital organs." She produced a hand and caressed the child's head, wishing for him to go out easily.

"No, no," Lari cried out. "There's gotta be something we can do. Baby, you'll be fine, okay? We'll figure something out, I promise."

But she sat there, with him in her arms and sobbed. Looking at Jade for doing the thinking for the both of them.

The cats had run to them as soon as they had realized the intruders were gone, and the tabby started running its tongue on Avento's tear-stained cheek. The calico crossed over and situated herself between Lari and Jade.

"Moon," they both heard Mewton say, and Jade saw the Princess' face change from a shade of desperation to realization.

"You're right," she said, wiping the running under her nose on her long sleeve.

"Princess, what is it?" Jade asked, as her friend shifted the boy's weight off of her legs and onto her own.

Their dissent from the morning held no space in their camaraderie anymore. She watched Lari stand up and rub her eyes and nose vigorously, before she answered.

"The Moon's realm, Jade. Remember how your cut healed when you splashed that glowing water on it? Moonlight has healing powers, right? If I can go to the realm, and bring back the water-"

Before she could finish the sentence, her vision blurred and Jade watched her fall to the grass. She gasped aloud, unable to catch her falling, and sat there helpless.

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Larimar sat up in the Moon's realm, this time, for the first time, on a sandy shore. But instead of the usual golden shade of sand, this shore had a very silvery essence to it. Almost like moonlight. She picked up a fistful of it and ran it through her fingers. It felt just like the sand from the shores at Primorska, but she had no time to sit and reminisce about her lost childhood.

So Lari went over to the waterbody near her, and picked some up in her hands. She wondered if it would be enough. And how she would jump from a magical realm to earthside without spilling it from her hands.

"What are you doing?" Luna's silky voice startled the water out of her palms. Larimar turned, maintaining a cold attitude in her stance.

"Trying to save one of your apprentices," she spat, and the Arcana chuckled.

"Avento is not an apprentice. Only a protégé," she declared. "You're my only apprentice."

"And does that mean you wouldn't mind if a little child loses his life?" Her apprentice asked.

She opened her mouth but before she could answer, Lari continued, "and even if he is just your protégé, how can you hold a deal with him that doesn't let him or his family leave a deserted realm?"