❥︎ 𝘾𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨 𝙈𝙮 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 ♡︎

C.XVI - Not Everyone gets a Valentine's

Monday 2:37 pm, After Rescue

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"Some get to confess their feelings first hand, while others.. don't. It's quite common in the modern world now, and they call it something like-unrequited love.

One who loves from afar, not tampering with the decisions you take for love, is the one who loves you the dearest-even when you don't realise their hardships."

Sciara sat on her bed, smiling in awe at the capturing words written across the pages of the book.

But she couldn't shake off the thoughts of everything Mephisto had revealed, sitting across her in that very room, before everyone present, mere hours ago.

The afternoon sunlight painted patterns across her blanket, dying out ever so slowly with the onset of evening.

Their family's palace... They were royalty once-at a point in time when everything was a peaceful stillness, unmoving-everlasting. Well, it must have seemed so, for them to have believed it before The Masked Tyrant emerged from right under their noses.

Him-Gramorr, a minister, at their service-once upon a time, though now only remembered for having brought about terror in the lives of many.

A knock sounded on my open bedroom door and I lifted my eyes to meet Iris's. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, I suppose."

"That's good to hear! We have a concert today so we'll all be leaving in a bit and I was going to ask if you'd like to come along-?" She said, tilting her head and joing her hands in an awkward manner.

"I-uhm, I don't think I'll be able to stay that long in a crowd-and then there's my leg being damaged again." I lifted the blanket and sat up on the edge of my bed, revealing the bandages wrapped around my left leg.

She breathed out through her nose, looking at the gauge pieces and smeared blood that seeped out during the cleaning. "-Yeah, totally. Get well soon, I understand. That looks like it needs time to heal." She stammered, clearly disturbed at the sight, before stepping a bit closer to my side and saying, "Mephisto and Carissa's here if you need any help-they didn't want to go, not without you-And I just wanted to say that-you're strong, so you'll get through this. I didn't really know what to say, and we don't really know eachother that much either-" Her hand crept up to the elbow of the other, rubbing it ever so slightly.

"-And I know I'm rambling right now, but I just wanted to say that I'm-uhm, I'm glad that you're okay, and you're working through it-and I know you'll be fine because you're well-you-and you're incredibly well at being on your own, just like Talia-" Her eyes and arms were fidgeting at this point, "-So I'm just- just-"

"Relieved." I cut her off, putting a hand over her arm, making her stop abruptly. "-You're relieved-that I'm okay, I get it. You were stressed, Iris, incredibly. You worried because you thought you failed, as a leader, as a friend. But you have to believe me when I say it was never your fault, heck, it would be mine at most-but never yours. Don't blame yourself for what happened, ever, promise me."

She looked at me, surprised by the revelation. Though her eyes held a glint of tears, for a moment I could've recognised a familiar spark in them. The same Carissa had when I'd said that she could love whomever she wanted-because it was her life to lead, not anyone else's.

"I-I promise-" Her voice cracked and cleared her throat, blinking a few times to hold back her tears.

"Hey, it's okay. You don't have to be worried now-not anymore. I'm back and I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." I gave her a small smile, my hand now holding hers.