The Island With No Parallel

Shattered (part 2)

Manuel knew he was going to have to calm the both of them down. Because Kailu's anxiety was only going to make Yunara worse. "Kailu, if you calm down yourself, it will help Yunara. I think she's having some sort of panic attack," he tried to say in the most steady voice possible, though he himself was trying to keep his head. He felt cramps in his chest at seeing Yunara shivering in the corner with these bars between them keeping him away from her. His helplessness frustrated him, but his concern for making Yunara worse kept him from getting too anxious. He had never dealt with anyone having a panic attack before, but something in him saw Yunara suffering and moved him to keep calm and try to talk her out of it.

"Yunara, focus on me," he soothed. "It's okay. We're going to find a way to convince Valentini. We're not going to stay here. If he truly wanted to kill us, he wouldn't have kept us here unharmed."

Yunara kept shivering, but he could at least hear her breathing was calming down.

"Keep going, it's helping," Kailu encouraged, kneeling behind Yunara and stroking her arm.

Manuel tried to think of something to say quickly. Perhaps if he identified what she was upset about he could help get her to calm down about it. He decided to try to hit around and see what she reacted to. He feared that asking her what was upsetting her directly would fixate her mind more on it rather than help her address it. "Try not to think about where we are now. We'll figure something out. And when it's all over, you'll be working for Cadri again, just like before." A stab of pain ripped at his heart at saying it, but he thought it might comfort her. Though Manuel wanted all this over, if he was being honest with himself, he found himself dreading that when it was, they would go their separate ways again, and he would probably never see her again. "There's nothing to worry about."

"N-n-no," her voice squeaked out between breaths.

Well, she's speaking, at least, Manuel thought. He realized that the entire brig was silent, all of Youssef's crew focused on Yunara.

"No, what?" he urged her, hoping to get her to speak more. Perhaps if she spoke, her breathing would calm down more.

"I-I-I-I can't d-do this."

"What can't you do?"

"Th-this. Everything. Th-the Aracs..." her voice trailed off, and her breathing worsened.

"Yunara. Yunara!" Manuel said, trying to urge her without getting too excited. "Breathe. Breathe. It's okay."

"I-it's just so much. They keep coming, and they w-w-won't stop u-until they've won Just like th-th-they did the K-king and Queen." Yunara started breaking into shivers again.

So it was the King and Queen of Ecencia that was making her break down right now. Manuel's mind went back to when she first came to his manor, remembering how she was laying in a pile of hay, exhausted and covered in her own blood from the wound in her back. It never hit him after they came back from Fernando's masia together, but he realized that she must have just seen the King and Queen die when she showed up at his manor, maybe even just moments beforehand. He couldn't imagine the kind of trauma she'd experienced just before meeting him. He didn't realize how enormous of a burden she was carrying all by herself all this time.

"You're not alone, Yunara," Manuel blurted out. She continued to shiver without giving any signs that she heard him. "What you saw happen at the palace in Ecencia... I can't imagine what that must have been like to experience. Losing everything in one moment, and then being left completely alone..." as the words left his mouth, he realized he knew exactly what that felt like. When he lost his father. "Well, I suppose that's not completely true, if I tell the truth."

Yunara was calming down again, thankfully. Her shaking had stopped. Manuel's heart was pounding against his chest, not at all feel comfortable with being so open and vulnerable, especially with Yunara. But it was making her better, so he swallowed his inhibitions and kept talking as his heart continued trying to jump out of his ribcage. "I felt absolutely alone when I my father died. There was nothing that lead up to it. No sickness or warning. Just a simple letter in the mail. And just like that, I'd lost everything. I was lucky, though. I had the servants in the masia that raised me like their own. It helped with the pain, but it could never replace the hole my father left. True, we didn't get along, but... sometimes I like to think that with a little more time, we would have." Manuel took a deep breath. "I suppose what I'm trying to say is, I can understand how you feel. It hurts, a lot. And to have to face huge responsibilities in spite of the pain makes it even worse. But you're not alone. You have what it takes to push through this. You were chosen for a reason. I think we all have a place in this. We all belong here, one way or another. And none of us have to carry our burden alone. We have each other."

When Manuel finished speaking, he realized all eyes were on him. Yunara had turned around to face him, her tear-filled dark eyes paralyzing him where he stood. "Thank you," she said, and Manuel was filled with all new reasons to be frustrated with the bars that separated them.

Kailu unfroze Manuel when she hugged Yunara, separating her eyes from him.

Manuel wasn't sure what happened to him in those moments, but something about those instants made him feel more sure of why he was there with them. He was there for more than just to know the story of his parents. He was there for a purpose. And like these people with him, along with the rest of the chosen, were more than just acquaintances. They were his team now.

At that moment, Valentini came in through the door. He came into the room like he were keeping a secret, closing the door carefully. He approached Yunara's cell directly, raising protective anger in Manuel. But then he surprised everyone when he said, "Alright, we're alone now. Now, tell me, what do you need me to do? I'm coming with you."

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Once again, O.O

So what do you guys think? I really want to hear your thoughts on this one because this chapter is one of my personal favorites for TIWNP.

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