The third Planet

22. Confusion

A/N: warning: light sexual scenery

*****
Ana's POV

"I got her."

"Lay her down. Here over there, the floor down. Its her chamber."

"Don't leave her alone."

All the suspect in the faces. All the disgust and anticipation. Could I blame them? Not really to be honest. They stared at her. The soldiers and the people in the temple. They stared at her bloody hair and at the wounds on her face, the blood on her armour front plate and her sword in its sheath.

Seeing all these eyes on her unconscious body made me wanna protect her against them. Why did they need to watch her like she's an object, like she's theirs, as if she wasn't mine?

When I approached her room and walked in with her, I took a moment to look around. I had no need to get her out of my arms, even with armour she was still light.

This room didn't look like hers at all. I remember how she admired the open and clear chamber they gave her. How she painted so much that the desk was full of colours, even though we cleaned it so often.

Because of the covered window, the room was dim. The furniture barely existent and simple.

I watched her in my arms. How could Claire still be unconscious? I laid her down on the bed.

Right when the fabric connected with her body, her eyes fluttered open. God, how I missed them. This light brown nearly gold. Warm and deep. Sun and joy glimmered in her.

"Ana, they are coming. Lemme get up" she said, probably less forceful than she wished it would have been.

Claire tried to get up again but struggled helplessly against my hands.

"Stay down" I smiled at her. "They stopped their attacks for a while now. Don't worry. You need your rest. Claire!" She was still fighting against my grip. " Lay down, now!"

Suddenly her muscles lost all the tension. I feared I might have been too hard but she just laid back down, closing her eyes.

"Lemme help you."

I reached for the first clasps of her armour and together we got her out of the metal.

Still the same fragile body. Did she got even more skinny?

"You get me a new shirt? It's in the wardrobe" she asked lowly.

I got over, opening the doors and searching for a similar red training shirt like the one she wore. I reached for it and gave it to her.

Just in time I turned around to see the colour on her back.

"Claire, what did you do?" I touched her skin and she shivered under my touch, again. I followed the unclear lines and the colours on her back, leaving her like a mess under my touch.

"It's beautiful, but so was it before too. Why?" My voice was low, my lips touched the skin on her neck while I was talking.

She shrugged her shoulders and pushed the shirt above her head.

Her moment of weakness was over. I grinned. Though, she had no right to do this to her body without...

Your permission? You aren't her mother or something.

The voice in my head was laughing at me. This was true, but nevertheless, I didn't like it, that she just.... I didn't know, that she decided something like this on her own.

She's old enough and you weren't there to help her or decide that for her. There's nothing to blame her for, don't-

"Claire, don't decide something so important again, without my permission, got it?"