Love's Power

Chapter 13

Two days had passed since the princesses arrival at the cottage. In those two days, Amai was able to make through a majority of the book. So far, she'd read about the start of the enchantress's line, how the first enchantress came from the love of a mortal and a mage hundreds of years ago. Then about the events of the past enchantresses lives. It was incredibly fascinating, and it made Amai want to dive into it more.

She had yet to tell her sisters about her new findings, or the voice that had been guiding her. They already suspected that this place was making some kind of impact on her, and they would no doubt make a huge scene if they knew everything. So, for now, she kept quiet.

At the present moment, the sun was beginning to set over the cottage. Each princess was engaged in their own affairs before dinner. Amai was sitting on the ledge by the front window, staring out at the golden sky. The color of the dimming sky reminded her so much of Kisshu's eyes. It pained her every time she thought about it. Though confident her messenger fawn got to him, she held fears for his journey to her location.

Kisshu, where are you? A tear formed in her eye, but she pushed it back. Her fingers ghosted over her locket. She remembered something he said to her when he gave it to her.

("Open the heart when I tell you to. What's in it will seal our love forever")

Oh, how she longed to open it now, while she could. But she'd never do it without him.

"You've been sitting there for almost a full hour, Amai." Zakuro said, coming over and standing over her sister. "Are you okay?"

Tilting her head up, Amai took a breath. "I guess. It's just..." Her eyes moved back to the window. Sensing the problem, Zakuro sat down on the other side of the ledge.

"He'll make it, Amai. You know he will." "It doesn't stop my heart from sinking every couple of minutes." Sighing, the young princess tucked her legs closer to her chest, laying her chin on her knees. "I never imagined that being in love could come with so much pain. Maybe I wouldn't have ever needed to if I didn't cause this whole situation in the first place."

Zakuro stared at her. It was clear that Amai still felt guilty about their predicament. Regardless of being comforted and assured that it wasn't her fault, she couldn't shake the heavy feeling off her shoulders. Moving forward a bit, the eldest princess placed her hands firmly on Amai's shoulders. Amai moved her eyes up to her.

"Listen, Amai. I know you've been told this a bunch of times before, but I'll say it again. NONE of this is your fault. Deep Blue is a devil, power hungry and obsessive. This crisis could have happened even if you weren't in his forest that night. I think you know that."

"Yes, but..." Amai sniffed, trying not to cry as she continued. "I'm the magical princess. I'm the one with the "inhuman beauty" and everything. I'm the one who Deep Blue really wants."

"Stop." Closing her quivering mouth, Amai shook in her sister's hands. Zakuro drew her closer, waiting for her to calm down.

"I won't lie to you. Everyone knew that you would one day become a target for some kind of evil the moment you were born. Mother and Father did their best to ensure your safety. But I tell you this with every bit of truth, no one could have ever imagined anything like this. You can't blame the unpredictable on yourself forever, Amai. What you can do is focus on what you do next. I think giving Kisshu a big hug when he finds us is a good start."

Amai said nothing. Her mind processed Zakuro's words. The comfort and reassurances of her other sisters before did not hit as deeply as hers.

"Zakuro..."

She was pulled into a side hug, her head tucked under Zakuro's chin. Closing her eyes, she curled herself into the embrace. The two stayed there for a good while in silence. Amai felt her body ease up, heart becoming lighter. Zakuro's head turned to the window, opening her eyes, gazing at the almost night sky. Something caught her eye in the distance.