Treasures of Andalia Chronicles: Ring of Flames

Chapter Twenty Six: A Bruised Ego Can't Be Healed by Placebos

AMARIS

Galathys set foot on the ground. He caught me in his palm as I staggered when the earth shook for a few seconds.  I flinched as he unintentionally pressed my wounds. He apologized quickly but was a bit surprised to see that I had so many cuts when I wasn't even tangled in the string webs earlier. I didn't know if I should be telling him that I sustained these injuries through Rihaan because of the bond. So, I just smiled weakly.

The dragon scanned the entire place before making another move. Using his crystallized claws, he broke the string webs. Val, Rihaan, and Trisna fell on the ground, grunting in pain. I groaned as I felt the pain of the fall on my chest.

They had several cuts, some deep, and some superficial. I immediately ran towards them, hoping I could come to their aid. But I stopped midway. Their sunken eyes, defeated spirit, and bruised ego overwhelmed me. They were ashamed of their defeat. There were three of them against Cairis but they still lost. All those training, non-stop sparring, and efforts were gone. In just a matter of minutes.

They all felt responsible for the defeat, but the truth is, everything was my fault. I was the one who kept the existence of Cairis a secret. I ended up putting us in harm's way because of my fear of them knowing the truth. If Galathys didn't arrive, Rihaan would've died with me. And if he died, Caerlon would certainly refuse to help us reclaim our kingdom, or worse, they would even wage war against whatever is left of our people.
We should have felt relieved when we were saved. But I guess it might take more than Galathys to boost our confidence. After all—if I really did die—they'd believe that the blood will be on their hands when truthfully, it would be solely on Cairis' conscience. 

That is if she had any conscience at all.

I took out some bandages and ointments from the saddlebags and handed it over to them. Trisna did the dressing for Rihaan's wound so I did Val's.

Before I placed the bandage, I thought of cleaning the wound first. I poured a small amount of water into a clean cloth on my pocket, I started wiping the blood from the wounds.

He flinched.

"Sorry. Did it hurt?" I whispered.

"Please, don't apologize. I should be the one asking for forgiveness."

I put my arms down and stared at him but he looked away. He couldn't bear to meet me in the eyes. I held his cheek, turning it towards me. "Then, let me apologize for certain things. I'm sorry I didn't say anything about Cairis. I knew she was unto me, and yet I kept quiet about it. I didn't know how to tell you, and I wanted to have more information before—you know—tell you."

He gave me the warmest smile I've ever seen before taking my hand into his palm, pressing it gently. "Then, let me apologize, too," he said.

My heart thumped when our gaze met. I instinctively pulled my hand from his grasp and looked away. Luckily, Val didn't take it to heart. He just chuckled softly at my reaction. "When I was sixteen years old, I gave my life to the sole cause of protecting you. I've fulfilled my vow for eight years, and yet today was the first time I failed to keep my word. It was my weakness that put your life in jeopardy, and for that, I am deeply sorry. But from now on, I'll train harder than before so that not even Cairis could lay a hand on you."

My eyes helplessly met his heterochromatic eyes. My senses were dulled by his sweet words. The longer I stared at him, the wilder my heart thump inside my chest. I got lost in the sea that his eyes hold, staring longer as I sunk deeper.

The noise Trisna made pulled me back from my fantasy. She accidentally knocked the ointment down when Rihaan slapped her hands, refusing her help. The container rolled down the ground. Her nervousness was evident as she knelt, trying to pick up the spilled ointment. I hovered beside her and tapped her on the shoulder, making sure I didn't hit any wounds.