The Dragon Prince The City of Smoke and Night

Chapter Eight Uplifting Doubt

After Naima filled Janai and Team Zym in with the details of what had happened to her and Karim during their research in the library, everyone discussed why Ephai wanted to recruit Karim to be his partner. "Maybe he sees something in me that none of the Sunfire Elves could see," Karim said. As Team Zym figured out what their next move should be, Janai and Karim noticed Naima was sitting by herself on the cushioned seat where they had talked about the extinguished Soul Candle incident. She appeared to be moping around by what she'd been through in Aaravos's prison. "Are you all right?" Karim asked her, taking a seat next to her. She jumped off. "Oh! You and Janai used to sit there? I'm sorry, I didn't-" "It's okay." He gestured to her to sit down again. "I think you could use a rest." "I want to thank you for finding my grandmother's diary," Karim explained. "Our sister Khessa wanted me and Janai to find it so we can learn more about Queen Aditi but we can never find it until now." "I wish I could've done something," Naima said, dejected. "Done something? Naima, you stood up to Ephai and Aaravos. You've uncovered the mystery of the location of Aaravos's prison. You've found a long lost family heirloom that belongs to the Royal Sunfire Family. You saved me and yourself when we were in Aaravos's prison," Karim said. "I don't get why even I feel afraid I still managed to chase the curse Ephai placed on me away. All my life, I thought I was just an ordinary Durenian farm girl living an ordinary life with dreams of becoming a world renowned stage actress and learning more about my past. Then, out of the blue, I saved the life of one of Lux Aurea's most important figures and now I'm in a race against time with the same terrible man who killed my parents and I'm worried I'll lose everything all over again if I fail." Naima buried her head in her arms. "Naima, take it easy." Karim gently pulled her arms down. "None of that is going to happen. Because Janai and I can see that you're more confident than you think. You're a diamond in the rough. On the surface, you appear mousy and unconfident but you are more than from your past." "Karim's right, you picked yourself up after you lost your parents," Janai chimed with him. "That's what any phoenix should act. Think of yourself as a Sunray Monarch. You're afraid of coming out of your cocoon but with the right encouragement, you will spread your beautiful wings and fly to new horizons. You've always believed in other people, Naima, but that's easy. Sooner or later, you'll learn to believe in yourself. You've gotten this far through your courageous spirit, iron will, and compassionate heart of gold. And we know you can't give up now." Naima smiled and wiped her tears. Janai was right. She had been living up to her mother's promise of always having courage and kindness ever since she and her father had died. And she wasn't going to stop now. "I won't give up," she said to the royal Sunfire Elf siblings. "I'll keep fighting to protect your people. For my family. For Lux Aurea. For Xadia and the Human Kingdoms." Suddenly, a warm feeling swamped over Naima and gray light expelled itself from her body. Her insecurity curse was broken. "Naima, your curse. It's gone," Karim said to her with happiness. "But how?" Callum wondered. "I think it's because I never lose heart. My parents had taught me my whole life to always look on the bright side, no matter how bad a problem is and always have hope. I think my positivity saved me," she said as she stumbled from rising up from the cushion and Soren pulled her up. "You've been through a lot today," Karim told her. "I'll take you home so you can recover from removing your curse." She nodded. Naima discovered that freeing herself from her insecurity curse really took it out of her the moment she arrived at the castle with Karim, who offered to help regain her strength by treating her with her natural beauty treatments. Naima couldn't remember the last time she had herself an at home spa day. She explained to Karim that after her parents died she had taken upon other forms of self care besides skin care such as meditation, long nature walks, reading, talking to her godparents about how she felt after losing everything at a young age, playing with Redpaw, and taking up artistic hobbies like acting, singing, and writing poetry. "You know how to keep yourself busy," Karim remarked as she came out of her bathroom in her bathrobe and nightwear after taking a detox bath. Her hair hung in clean curls above her upper back. "Well, I do what I can to recover from a burnout," she said, pulling her hair back behind a fuzzy headband. Karim was looking at a page in her parents' diary. "'Hope for a Better Day?'" he read. "Did you write that?" "My mother wrote that song," she explained. She remembered Aerwyna had told her that her mother was a stage actress in her glory days where she gave her singing lessons as her vocal coach. "When my parents died, I turned to her song for comfort so whenever I sing my mother's old lullaby or the song she wrote, it makes me feel closer to her somehow." "It seems to me you've got your love of performing from your mother." Karim smiled. "Can you sing your mother's song to me?" Naima looked surprised; no one had ever asked her to sing a song her mother had written before. "Okay. But just to warn you. You might cry at the end." She took a deep breath and began to sing in a lilting voice. "Oh, I wake up every morning. With a heavy heart and a weary soul. The weight of the world on my shoulders. Makes it hard to keep control. But the light of hope inside me. Keeps burning bright and strong. I know that I can make it. If I just carry on. So I hold on tight to hope for a better day. I believe in the power that lies within me. And when the darkness comes, I'll find a way. To shine my light and set my spirit free." Then her singing grew slightly louder. "The road ahead is rocky. And the path is hard to see. But I know that I can make it. If I just believe. I won't let the darkness break me. I won't let it win the fight. For I am the captain of my soul. And hope is my guiding light." Karim felt a chill run down his spine when Naima hit a high note. "So I hold on tight to hope for a better day. I believe in the power that lies within me. And when the darkness comes, I'll find a way. To shine my light and set my spirit free. There may be storms and there may be strife. But I know that I'll make it If I just keep holding on. To the hope that lights up my life." She opened her eyes to find Karim in awe. "What do you think?" she asked, feeling amazed herself because she'd just sung to the Sun Prince. "It was the most breathtaking thing I've ever heard," he said. "I know Xadian songbirds are known for their singing but yours takes the fire flambé cake." She smiled and he took her to her vanity table where he worked her treatments on her. After Karim finished applying the charcoal clay mask on her face, Naima kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks for cheering me up, Karim," she said, smiling gratefully at him. "You're welcome. Now why don't you go have a seat at your reading nook and I'll massage your shoulders while your mask dries." "That sounds great." After that day Naima had with Karim, she was feeling much better and ready to stop Ephai for good. She didn't dreamed not one bad dream the minute she closed her eyes as if self care had made her nightmares magically disappear.