Lady of Light #Wattys2016

Chapter 13

No matter that I wasn't nervous at all last night, today I'm so nervous that I can barely eat the massive breakfast that David got from room service again.

"Calm down," he said gently, "Nothing is going to change by you worrying about it." I simply continued worrying, so he began to let me know what was going to happen, probably to try to assuage my fears. "We're going to leave our stuff here, the hotel will hold our room. I don't know how long we'll be there, but it shouldn't be too long." I nodded, scared. His face softened as he walked over to me and hugged me. "It's going to be okay," he said, "I promise."

Once I had choked down some food, I grabbed shorts and a tee shirt, went into the bathroom, and changed. Thanks to the torture it had endured the day before, my hair was entirely impossible today, so back into a ponytail it went. I stared at my messy looking self in a mirror and sighed slightly before I walked back into the main room to tie my familiar high tops on.

As we left the room, we heard footsteps behind us. Turning, I saw Elena and Carol.

"Sofie!" Carol exclaimed, "You didn't think you'd get to leave without saying goodbye, did you?" I smiled, suddenly much less scared.

"What she means is: you're not leaving without saying goodbye," Elena reiterated in her calm, quiet way.

"Thanks," I said to them, still somewhat subdued. The girls took turns hugging me

"So," Carol began with a huge grin, "We got permission to give you this." She handed me a sleek, black cell phone. My eyes got big. "It's got both of our numbers on it, and it's completely secure so we can still talk." I hugged her again, wordlessly.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I managed to get out.

"You're welcome," she said. I hugged Elena the same way.

"Soph?" David said quietly, "We've gotta go." My face fell. I liked these two girls. I felt like I could be friends with them if I wasn't already. I nodded and said my goodbyes. As we walked silently to the Mazda, David kept an arm around me, trying to diffuse the obvious tension that I knew was palpable.

I wasn't ready for this and I knew it. I had two choices, I would become this ultra powerful leader that I really wasn't, try to bring hope to their people, and hope to save them from these horrible people who want to kill me, or I end up one more nobody and David probably won't want anything to do with me anymore because he has to help his people. I couldn't decide which option was worse- letting down an entire nation because I'm not what they want me to be or losing David and my new friends and ending up alone like I'd been for too much of my childhood. My mind spun in worried circles.

As we walked to the car, the vaguely French guy I remembered from our first night here met us there.

"Lady, I know what it is that you face on this day," he said seriously, "I ask that you remember that no matter what happens, your very existence brings hope to a people with so little. And that while you may not be feeling ready for a responsibility of this magnitude, the Lady does not bestow her gifts on those who are not worthy."

"Thank you," I said quietly. The man took one of my hands and kissed it.

"May the blessings of the Lady be on you both," he said quietly. He had brought us the keys to the car from the porter and opened the doors for us. I smiled wanly at him through my closed door, trying to communicate my gratitude for his belief in me.

He simply raised his hand in a half wave, half salute as we pulled away from him. I hoped that meant he understood.

David kept quiet the whole ride. I could tell that he wanted to talk, but I appreciated that he gave me the opportunity to wrestle with my mind and heart in peace. Even better, he found a good radio station that played music we both liked. He held my hand the whole way there and every once in awhile would rub the back of my hand with his thumb, soothing me when I was especially tense. No matter how confused my feelings were, it was almost instinctual to take comfort from him at this point.