Took awhile to finish this part because I decided to turn this week into lazy week. *giggle* Bad WZ! ;P
Thanks for the feedback Tigger and Sugarplum! ^_^
***
Meghana solemnly watched her roommate lie quietly on her bed, eyes closed, but obviously not asleep as she shifted and tossed every so often.
At breakfast that morning, the death of the High Priestess had been announced to the Fawns by a Virginal Doe; neither Rai nor Vanault had dared to handle it, as they were struggling to cope with their personal loss at the same time. All the children had been devastated, which was most definitely an understatement. Almost immediately, they had looked to Shayla to see her reaction.
Except for the fact that she wasn't there to be seen.
Meghana had questioned why her friend hadn't wanted to come down to breakfast, and when she had insisted that her fellow Fawn come down to eat to feel better, Shayla snapped at her, refusing to give a straight answer. That had been Meghana's first and only indication that there was something seriously wrong: the Princess never snapped at anyone.
After receiving the information that the High Priestess of Animaria, Shayla's mentor and surrogate mother, had passed away, Shayla's attitude suddenly made a world of sense to her roommate.
And so, Meghana didn't push, but only worriedly watched over the girl from across the room, letting Shayla work her way through the grief.
Unexpectedly, a knock resounded through the quietness of the afternoon and Meghana ignored it, hoping that the person would simply go away. She didn't want to move from her perch on the chair beside her bed. She felt tired and drained of all of her energy, but in no way did that surprise her.
"Shayla?" a strained voice called through the door when the knocks went unanswered. "Shayla, it's me, Thane. Open up."
"Come in," Meghana replied the call, loud enough to be heard through the door, but soft enough to not drain too much energy from her.
The wooden door swung inwards on its hinges, allowing Prince Thane to enter the room. Meghana gave him a respectful nod of her head, taking notice that he was already dressed simply in his mourning white tunic and pants.
Thane nodded silently back at the young girl, acknowledging her presence. He hadn't expected to find another soul in Shayla's bedroom for some reason, perhaps because he was hoping to speak to his little sister in privacy, but in a way, finding Meghana there was comforting. At least, in some form, Shayla wasn't alone.
He walked over to Shayla's bed and sat behind her, as she faced the window. "Shayla?" he whispered softly, gently tucking some hair behind his sister's ear. "Shayla, do you want to talk to me?"
Unnoticed in the background, Meghana decided it best to leave the siblings alone and slipped out.
For quite a long time, the two remained in silence, drawing some semblance of comfort from the other's presence. The cold breeze blew through open windowpanes, playing with Thane's hair and only emphasizing its unruliness. His gaze remained steadily focused on his sister, and in turn, her large, haunted eyes focused on something outside the window, beyond her reach.
"How is Merrick?"
Thane was thrown by his sister's first words. He expected her to talk about Opaline, not her son. "I...don't know," he hesitated, confused and unsure of what exactly was the appropriate answer to such a question. "We didn't find him yet."
Quickly, she flipped over onto her left side to face her older brother. "Why haven't you found him yet?!" she demanded, almost petulantly.
This time, Thane refrained entirely from answering her question. The answer would not be the clearest or make the most sense to her, and the last thing she needed were vague answers. Clarity would only make Opaline's death easier to cope with, not to say that it could be easy even with the clearest of answers. "When did you find out about Opaline?"
"Last night," Shayla replied with a shuddering sigh, remembering the first moments of the great ache she had felt. It still was within her, but was ever so slowly dulling in pain as the magic within her repaired the gaping hole. Tears hastily fell from her pained eyes. "I felt her leave; it hurt so bad."
Again, Thane was shocked. "You felt her?"
Shayla nodded with a slight frown, struggling to rid her cheeks of the wetness with the back of her hand. "Sanctuary Priestess Rai said I have a connection with her."
"I thought that only the priests and priestesses could have such a connection!"
The brunette girl simply shrugged. "What did she look like when she died?"
Yet again, Thane was thoroughly startled by his sister's line of questioning. "Why do you want to know, Shayla?" he queried, bewilderment hiding behind the sorrow his in dark eyes.
"It seems important to know."
"It's not."
"Do you know what Momma looked like when she died?"
The young prince was surprised by how hard her question hit him. High Priestess Opaline and Queen Lyrissa were two different people, but he still felt as if he was living his mother's death over again as the same pain continued to wash over him. Within him, he felt his heart squeeze tightly; he couldn't, and he wouldn't, answer.
Shayla didn't understand what she had said when her older brother remained silent with his face turned away from her. Nonetheless, she could sense that the question had hurt him somehow, and she sought to remedy that quickly. "I'm sorry," she apologized softly, reaching out and hugging him tightly.
Thane accepted her apology even though he hadn't really needed it, and enfolded the young girl into his arms. "It's alright," he whispered in return. "Do you want to come home?"
"To the castle?"
"Yes. Father is worried about you."
The princess pulled away from the hug she had offered a moment before, and considered her brother. "The High Priestess is everywhere. If I stay here, I remember and it hurts. If I go home, I remember and it hurts," she explained in a simplistic manner with a maturity betraying her eight years. "It doesn't matter where I am, but I think I can help here more."
Thane smiled softly at her. How was it that she was so young, and yet, so selfless? Overlooking her own sadness and emptiness, she still managed to think of others and not herself. She was truly a bright light in an otherwise bleak time. "If that is what you want"
"It is what I want."
***
Thanks for the feedback Tigger and Sugarplum! ^_^
***
Meghana solemnly watched her roommate lie quietly on her bed, eyes closed, but obviously not asleep as she shifted and tossed every so often.
At breakfast that morning, the death of the High Priestess had been announced to the Fawns by a Virginal Doe; neither Rai nor Vanault had dared to handle it, as they were struggling to cope with their personal loss at the same time. All the children had been devastated, which was most definitely an understatement. Almost immediately, they had looked to Shayla to see her reaction.
Except for the fact that she wasn't there to be seen.
Meghana had questioned why her friend hadn't wanted to come down to breakfast, and when she had insisted that her fellow Fawn come down to eat to feel better, Shayla snapped at her, refusing to give a straight answer. That had been Meghana's first and only indication that there was something seriously wrong: the Princess never snapped at anyone.
After receiving the information that the High Priestess of Animaria, Shayla's mentor and surrogate mother, had passed away, Shayla's attitude suddenly made a world of sense to her roommate.
And so, Meghana didn't push, but only worriedly watched over the girl from across the room, letting Shayla work her way through the grief.
Unexpectedly, a knock resounded through the quietness of the afternoon and Meghana ignored it, hoping that the person would simply go away. She didn't want to move from her perch on the chair beside her bed. She felt tired and drained of all of her energy, but in no way did that surprise her.
"Shayla?" a strained voice called through the door when the knocks went unanswered. "Shayla, it's me, Thane. Open up."
"Come in," Meghana replied the call, loud enough to be heard through the door, but soft enough to not drain too much energy from her.
The wooden door swung inwards on its hinges, allowing Prince Thane to enter the room. Meghana gave him a respectful nod of her head, taking notice that he was already dressed simply in his mourning white tunic and pants.
Thane nodded silently back at the young girl, acknowledging her presence. He hadn't expected to find another soul in Shayla's bedroom for some reason, perhaps because he was hoping to speak to his little sister in privacy, but in a way, finding Meghana there was comforting. At least, in some form, Shayla wasn't alone.
He walked over to Shayla's bed and sat behind her, as she faced the window. "Shayla?" he whispered softly, gently tucking some hair behind his sister's ear. "Shayla, do you want to talk to me?"
Unnoticed in the background, Meghana decided it best to leave the siblings alone and slipped out.
For quite a long time, the two remained in silence, drawing some semblance of comfort from the other's presence. The cold breeze blew through open windowpanes, playing with Thane's hair and only emphasizing its unruliness. His gaze remained steadily focused on his sister, and in turn, her large, haunted eyes focused on something outside the window, beyond her reach.
"How is Merrick?"
Thane was thrown by his sister's first words. He expected her to talk about Opaline, not her son. "I...don't know," he hesitated, confused and unsure of what exactly was the appropriate answer to such a question. "We didn't find him yet."
Quickly, she flipped over onto her left side to face her older brother. "Why haven't you found him yet?!" she demanded, almost petulantly.
This time, Thane refrained entirely from answering her question. The answer would not be the clearest or make the most sense to her, and the last thing she needed were vague answers. Clarity would only make Opaline's death easier to cope with, not to say that it could be easy even with the clearest of answers. "When did you find out about Opaline?"
"Last night," Shayla replied with a shuddering sigh, remembering the first moments of the great ache she had felt. It still was within her, but was ever so slowly dulling in pain as the magic within her repaired the gaping hole. Tears hastily fell from her pained eyes. "I felt her leave; it hurt so bad."
Again, Thane was shocked. "You felt her?"
Shayla nodded with a slight frown, struggling to rid her cheeks of the wetness with the back of her hand. "Sanctuary Priestess Rai said I have a connection with her."
"I thought that only the priests and priestesses could have such a connection!"
The brunette girl simply shrugged. "What did she look like when she died?"
Yet again, Thane was thoroughly startled by his sister's line of questioning. "Why do you want to know, Shayla?" he queried, bewilderment hiding behind the sorrow his in dark eyes.
"It seems important to know."
"It's not."
"Do you know what Momma looked like when she died?"
The young prince was surprised by how hard her question hit him. High Priestess Opaline and Queen Lyrissa were two different people, but he still felt as if he was living his mother's death over again as the same pain continued to wash over him. Within him, he felt his heart squeeze tightly; he couldn't, and he wouldn't, answer.
Shayla didn't understand what she had said when her older brother remained silent with his face turned away from her. Nonetheless, she could sense that the question had hurt him somehow, and she sought to remedy that quickly. "I'm sorry," she apologized softly, reaching out and hugging him tightly.
Thane accepted her apology even though he hadn't really needed it, and enfolded the young girl into his arms. "It's alright," he whispered in return. "Do you want to come home?"
"To the castle?"
"Yes. Father is worried about you."
The princess pulled away from the hug she had offered a moment before, and considered her brother. "The High Priestess is everywhere. If I stay here, I remember and it hurts. If I go home, I remember and it hurts," she explained in a simplistic manner with a maturity betraying her eight years. "It doesn't matter where I am, but I think I can help here more."
Thane smiled softly at her. How was it that she was so young, and yet, so selfless? Overlooking her own sadness and emptiness, she still managed to think of others and not herself. She was truly a bright light in an otherwise bleak time. "If that is what you want"
"It is what I want."
***
WhiteZeo
An Oliverette To The End
---
"per se? When did we get into "per se" territory? Are words like "ergo" and "concurrently" looming up ahead?" - Sugarplum in AIM :)
An Oliverette To The End
---
"per se? When did we get into "per se" territory? Are words like "ergo" and "concurrently" looming up ahead?" - Sugarplum in AIM :)
I loved it WhiteZeo! I really did. That was a great working of Mave-y-ness. I dont think you had anything to worry about. You worked your magic, like you always do, and made what you wrote fantastic. ::nods:: Youre awesome! 
)
