make me stay.

thirtynine

♜

north hadn't said a word in a minute or so. he had simply stared at his brother, furious clearly, perhaps too angry to speak.
his brother was crossing him, directly in front of me, even. i wasn't sure if they were aware that i had listened in on their conversation, but i assumed not, since i should not be in possession of such abilities already.
i had kept my mouth shut for the entirety of their conversation despite every word concerning me. i mean, what would i say?

i was simply stunned by the entirety of this absurd situation. completely and utterly stunned.

and then, both their heads turned towards me. they both wore frowns as they watched me. my mouth was open as i stared back at them with wide eyes. i must have looked mad with this expression frozen to my face.
"mars..." north spoke, as he tried to smile, perhaps to seem less dangerous.

too late.

"is she dead?" nathaniel asked, still eyeing me.

"in shock, i believe." north replies, glancing quickly towards his brother.

"crap."

my limbs are heavy, as i stand there with two brothers in front of me. the king and the prince of the northern mountain.

"what is going on?" suddenly, a voice sounds from behind me. it must be one of the nobles but i can't identity it.

"we've given her a heart attack," nathaniel says, gesturing to my frozen stand.

it takes a while for the reply to sound, but when it finally does, the pitch is slightly higher than before: "what?"

i had been given so much information in the span of a minute or so, my brain was glitching. my eye twitched as i suddenly found the strength to grip north by his collar.
my fingers wrapped around the thick fabric pulling me close towards me as i watch him. he is taken aback by my actions and simply places his hands on my shoulders to regain balance.

i open my mouth to curse at him, but i am suddenly pulled away. two gentle hands find handles on my hips and carefully guides me backwards. lily's warm breath is on my neck as she slowly rubs my arm, reassuringly.

i had been right before; something was off.

lily, along with harry and coast, escorted me away from the scene. through a packed crowd the two men led the way, lily holding onto my hand for dear life. i follow them at their rapid pace, my mind anywhere else than where it is supposed to be. both harry and coast are carefully pushing people out of their way, which probably wouldn't have been the case if these guests were peasants. we finally enter through a doorway, drowning out any loud noises and the millions of voices as the door shuts behind lily. 
my head was spinning to the point where i felt dizzy. i hadn't been able to eat much these last few days. my stomach was as sensitive as i was and the pure pressure of everything going on currently inside these walls, had taken away my appetite. i had hoped that it would all ease when this night had passed but it seemed much more complicated than that already. 

lily guided me towards a chair where i took a seat. my mind was empty as i tried remembering how to take breaths. in and out or out and in? "can i have a glass of water, please?"

coast had guilt washed all over his face, which he hid well with a stern look. his eyes gave it away, however. he had opened his mouth, about to speak, but i had interrupted him. i did not need empathy. i needed time. and water. 

harry held up a hand as if to tell coast that it was okay, before opening one of the cabinets and pulling out an empty glass. with the filled glass in my hand, i took a sip, not realising how dry my throat had been up until that point.