"Forest fortuna adiuvat"
- Fortune favours the brave
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It took time.
Too much time for Aeris to feel her bones beneath her skin, to gain the energy to rise from the creaking bed and fall onto the ground in a pitiful heap- hands shivering in disgust and tears falling from her eyes.
This is not what she wanted.
This is not how she was meant to be.
"Get up" It is was cry of anger. Her hands struck the ground in rage, punching the wood as the tears finally fell once again, "Get up" it was a sob, chest heaving at every words as she prayed no one would come.
"Get up" it was a whimper.
Her whole life she had been strong. Never once breaking the facade she had made, keeping her expression guarded and her thoughts silenced throughout her life. The court was no place for a destructive princess, the royal's did not accept misfits. Her emotions were her own to deal with- silently- they did not belong in the world she had been raised in.
This? This was new. This was embarrassing, it was pathetic.
What would they all say? How would they react to her sitting on the ground and crying over people she did not know? What would they think of her in this state?
The footsteps outside raised alarm bells in her mind, a gasp escaping her throat as she desperately grasped for the wall- trying her hardest to pull herself up and almost succeeding to rise the slightest- when the ship tilted to the side. Taking her with it.
Aeris had never known the meaning of a backwards roll. She knew it was something related to acrobatics, but she had never done it before. Atleast, not until now. Her legs flew over her head, neck arching as she groaned in pain due to the flower pot stuck in the small of her back.
"Aeris?" Yeosang, of course. He was rushing towards her, gently lacing his hand in hers with a worried gaze before helping her to get up. It took time, it took patience. It destroyed her entirely.
"You know you shouldn't be trying to walk right now," his tone is light, gently teasing as he hands her a damp towel to place on her head. "It might worsen your situation"
"I'm sorry" The words were bitter in her mouth, a lingering aftertaste reminding her of the lemon drops she had been forced to swallow after meals in front of the nobles. "I just wanted to-"
"Not be a burden"
Yeosang is startled, hand slipping against the scalding water to burn his finger at the new arrival. The youngest was not one to start conversations, but he was here. With his hands stained from ink and his hair wet from the rain that fell from the sky.
Aeris could not reply. They both knew it was true, they both knew there was nothing they could say that would make it better.
"Jongho you can't-"
"It is not a lie" Aeris cut Yeosang's sentence in half, biting her lip in disgrace before busying herself in the blanket resting across her legs. She felt guilty. Her hands were sweaty as Jongho's eyes never left her, almost as if trying to find her secrets that she never wanted to reveal.
They would get to know one day. Her past was not one they would like, it was one she could be thrown to the sharks for. But it was her past.
Her gaze landed on the silver haired boy, watching as he cheerfully continued with his work- whistling a tune as a halo seemed to cast itself over his head. His movements were grace, reminding her of the many dances she had attended.
Her thoughts ran wild, creating all possibilities of what might happen if she told him. There were extremes and there were mild outbursts. It was terrifying, but it had to be done. Maybe he would understand.
yes, he would understand.
"Yeosang I have to tell you something-"
But there was no time. There never had been any time as Mingi burst out in shouts, happiness filling his voice as he ran across the deck in a blur of black and red. His feet made loud noises as he sprinted, throwing open doors as his voice rose with each word.
"Captain! Captain! He's awake!"
And that was all it took.
Three words for the ship to burst to life, humming in a new light as the patter of footsteps grew from one to seven as she was left alone once again. The words dying on her tongue as her heart thudded into slow motion.
"What?" she whispered, pushing with new strength against the bed to rise. Adrenaline rushing through her body as she yearned to run down to his room. "He's-"
How could she describe it? Nightmares of his death had plagued her mind, rising her from her sleep in sweat and panic before she had focused on the lamp by her bedside. The guilt that gnawed at her bones now turning to full blown panic as she stuttered through how she could explain herself.
He would come to her.
He would kill her.
She had never thought it would be so deep, she had not expected it to plague her every breath.
He would be angry.
He would never forgive her.
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A u t h o r s N o t e
Get ready for the next chapter ya'll, and to all the silent readers- please comment and vote to let me know what you guys think of this book!
Also some self-promo, but please do check out my two other books and give me your feedback:
Dystopia | NCT
The junior project | NCT DREAM
With that, Until next time
YOU ARE READING
Treasure | Ateez
Fanfiction❝ It is a dangerous thing, pretence. A man ought to know what he is, even though he is not proud of it❞ She was a storm seeking solace. He was the sun seeking a hearth. And together, they reigned.
