United (Magics AU - Part 1)

Chapter 10 - Rachel

Rachel pulled the heavy breastplate off the table, grunting in effort as she hauled it across the room and into the corner, where it would stay for the night - until Gabriel and Rachel returned to their work. She laid it neatly on the floor, making sure to rest it against the floor without making any loud clattering sounds. 

When she straightened again, she gazed around her and realized that the room was a terrible mess. Papers were scattered on the floor and table, unfinished sketches scrawled along their fronts and little notes scribbled along the lines. Earlier that day, Gabriel had gotten impatient and annoyed, resulting in him throwing unfinished plans about in his rage. Rachel had quietly calmed him down a little bit ago, and now she guessed he was off either eating a late supper or changing out of his work clothes. 

Rachel blew a sigh out of her open mouth, running her hand through her long, thick hair. Though she knew that Gabriel would be back soon, she couldn't stop the slight clench of panic in her stomach every time he was away. No matter how many times she told herself that Gabriel would always come back to her, she couldn't help but feel a little scared that she was alone. 

Often times when Gabriel was busy somewhere else, Rachel would wonder why the king and queen of Ariel had accepted her into their kingdom. Even Rachel herself admitted that she was a little... odd. Though Gabriel frequently told her that there was nothing wrong with her, Rachel couldn't help but doubt that. She would get lonely much too quickly and sometimes panic when she was alone for too long - which she was sure wasn't normal - and she often woke screaming from horrid childhood memories, ones that she never even spoke about to Gabriel. No one but herself knew where she was from or what had happened to her, and she planned on keeping it that way. Not because she just wanted to keep it from others or Gabriel, but because she was uncertain of if she'd even be able to speak about it openly. 

But even if she did talk about it, Rachel often wondered, would anyone listen? And if they did, would they still stand by her side if they knew the truth about her? What would they do if they knew? 

Would Gabriel leave her? 

Rachel wasn't sure she would be able to stand another loved one walking away like she was a tool that was worth selling. 

Buried panic began to rise in Rachel's throat, and she spun around to busy herself with tidying up the room. As long as she was doing something and letting her mind focus on the task at hand, she was sure that she would be all right. She just needed to think about something else.

You just need to be with Gabriel, her mind decided for her. 

Rachel clenched her teeth, drowning out her own little voice with her protests. Gabriel was busy, which meant she would have to wait for him to return. He was doing something else right now, something that didn't require her. She could just stay down here and clean up until he appeared in the doorway again.

Then she could wrap her arms around him like she always did. Rachel guessed that Gabriel only thought she was happily showing him her love for him - which she was doing as well - but Rachel knew that it was much more. The relief of being able to hold him in her arms was more than enough after even ten minutes alone. 

Though they had been together for a while, Gabriel had never seen Rachel during one of her "lonely freak outs", as she called them. She had always been able to push it down - a habit she'd learned long ago - when he arrived, but the relief was a different story. How much relief she let slip through depended on how long he'd been gone. 

There was one week that Gabriel had made a trip to one of the outer towns, which had taken him three days. Rachel didn't want to remember the last time she'd felt that horrible, so she counted that as the worst time. Half the time, she'd been pacing in the workshop, trying to find something to do until he came back. Every night, she would convince herself that he was going to return, ready to let her hug him as soon as he stepped into the doorway.