Zemblanity

Chapter 13

Seraphina successfully managed to avoid her sister and her best friend for the entire morning. But she was aware of the fact that she could not do it all the time without drawing suspicion from the royals around them.

For a reason still unknown to her; her night with Azrozan put a lot of things in perspective for her. The major of them all was the fact that she is in fact ready to take back the control that was taken from her the moment the tattoo was etched into her skin.

She will run, she will escape and she will indulge in this fiery affair with Azrozan. She didn't care about the repercussions of these choices; she won't be a Berretta for long.

She was pulled out of her abstraction by a knock on her door. She glanced at her watch; eight a.m. She didn't have to go the council office until noon.

She opened the door to find her best friend standing there with her gaze locked to the floor. Ariel looked so timid that Seraphina was concerned that she might be really sick but Seraphina was aware of the real reason behind that change in the confident body language; guilt, shame name it and it was present in every breath taken by Ariel in Seraphina's vicinity.

"Do you need something?" the question came out harsher than Seraphina had intended. Ariel looked at her and swallowed thickly.

"I need... I need to talk to you." Ariel said softly.

"Well tough luck, I don't want to hear it." She proceeded to close the door but Ariel stopped it.

"Sera, please; I deserve a chance at explaining and you deserve to know the truth." Ariel pleaded.

"Now you think I deserve the truth!?" Seraphina lost it.

"Sera let's talk inside; I know you're angry and that's reasonable but please let's talk in privy." Ariel's request was plausible but Seraphina's anger couldn't see it.

"I don't have anything to say and I don't want to hear anything you have to say." She said. Before Ariel could convince further, she felt a hand on her shoulder; turning around she came face to face with her lover.

Seraphina looked past Ariel at her sister. Talini motioned for Ariel to step aside; she obliged.

"Sera, I can understand what you're feeling but you need accept the fact that neither of us were in a position to tell you the truth. It's not because we don't trust you, it's because we were scared that trusting you would put you in trouble as well." Talini said.

"What do you mean?" Seraphina asked.

"Let us in, the door isn't the place to discuss this." Talini said. Seraphina looked at her sister and then at her best friend. Slowly she let the lovers inside her room; closing the door behind them.

"Talk." Seraphina commanded. Talini wanted to begin but was stopped by Ariel.

"Let me." She said. She took a deep breath and looked at her best friend.

"Talini and I have been together for the past three and half years. We got together ten months after Sariel's death. I was there when she needed someone and one thing led to another and she fell in love with me." Ariel explained; trying her best to leave out the details so that the sisters can discuss them in privacy.

"What about you?" Seraphina asked.

"What about me?"

"When did you realize that you loved her?"

"Sera, I've been in love with her since I was sixteen." Ariel breathed out.

Seraphina remained reticent and looked at Talini who let a small smile escape at the mention.