Use Me, Royal Stranger (mxm)

Chapter 11 - Use Me

        Healer Naomi stared at the back of her adopted son, concern written across her face. She had noticed a huge change in Carlen ever since the night of the full moon. It wasn't the type of change that she was used to either.

        Three days had passed since the full moon and he seemed even more depressed and withdrawn with each passing day and nothing Nana did could snap him out of it. Nana had caught him staring into space or at the door constantly. In all her years of experience with Carlen's mood swings after the full moon, this was not it. He had not been so sad for so long before. She couldn't even explain it, but it felt like he was not the Carlen she knew. She felt like she was living and interacting with a shell of a person.

        Naomi tried to ask her charge exactly what's wrong with him, but he simply smiled and walk away. She knew that his smile meant nothing except that he was trying to hide what he really felt inside. She knew that he must be hurting on the inside and he didn't want to worry her with what was wrong with him. But this just made her even more worried about her charge. He was always ready to share and bond with her every time something happened, and Nana pride herself in being the type of parent that her child could confide in. Something must have happened this time that is making him fear talking to her about it.

        The elderly healer tried to redirect her attention back to the salve that she was brewing. Because of Carlen's odd behaviour, she found herself being unable to concentrate on her own tasks either. Worry constantly coursed through her veins and she knew deep down that this problem that Carlen was facing was something greater than she ever had seen him go through before.

        "Carlen, love, could you help me to hold onto this?" She called out gently, sensing that her charge was deep in thought.

        She watched as he turned around where he was and walked towards her work station stiffly. His hands reached out to hold onto one of the vials that she had indicated and his face was blank without emotion. He did not even look at Naomi once this morning. He seemed worse than the night before and she didn't think it was even possible. "Sweetheart." Naomi started, her heart aching to see her child going through a tough time alone.

        "Yes Nana?" He responded, his voice weak and hoarse.

        Nana noted that he might have been crying himself to sleep. "You know I'm always here for you right? I love you so dearly, my sweet child." She tried to reaffirm him, not knowing what else to say to him. She knew that he would be reluctant to talk about his problems, so she could only remind him how much she cared for him, let him know that he wasn't alone to face his fears and troubles.

        Silence passed between them both as Carlen looked straight at her for the first time in a whole day.

        Naomi was not prepared for the onslaught of tears and the heavy sobbing that wreck Carlen's small frame in the next moment. She had never seen her baby reduced to tears like that. He had dropped the vial that he was holding, his eyes briefly flashed towards her before he backed away from the table, his hands flying to his face, covering his mouth as he started to sob uncontrollably.

        Naomi stood stunned as she witnessed her child breaking down. What exactly was he going through to simply fall apart with a few words from her? Had she said something wrong?

        Naomi hurriedly put down her work tools to get to her son, to hold him, to assure him. In her haste, she had knocked into the side of her work station, tipping the expensive cauldron of salve that she had been brewing for hours. It spilt all over the floor, making a mess. If it were any other day, Naomi would have turned her attention straight back at her work and tried to salvage whatever she could. She would have chastised herself for being so clumsy and mishandling important ingredients. But not today. Today, her baby, her darling, her sweet sweet child- Carlen deserved her attention.