The Princess of the Moon

Chapter 28

Zën landed at the same spot he had picked me up from yesterday and laid down. He looked at me from the corner of his eye, and I had a feeling that he told me to get off, even though I wasn't able to hear him.

I held back an eye roll but scowled and did what I was told to do, getting off his back. "Whatever, Zën," I grumbled and moved a hand across my face, taking a step back so that he would be able to turn toward me. "I was going to get off your back anyway."

Zën turned to face me and rolled his eyes. He narrowed his eyes and scowled, studying me and trying to find something that I wasn't giving him.

I slowly blinked and blinked again before I sighed and shook my head. "What is it, Zën?" I asked, letting him hear the tiredness in my voice. "Why do you want me to hear you when all you have done is tear me down and make me feel like a fool?"

Zën's wings sagged with defeat and shame, and a look of sadness and guilt filled his eyes. He said something that I didn't understand before he flicked his tail and laid down, getting "comfortable."

I sighed and shook my head before I moved a hand through my hair and across my face. "I didn't hear that, Zën," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet. "You know that I can't hear you."

Zën scowled and narrowed his eyes before he rolled them, and I had a feeling that he said something sarcastic that I was glad that I couldn't hear. He flicked his tail and sighed before he closed his eyes and laid his head on his paws, his body beckoning me to lean down against him.

Biting back a small sigh, I slowly nodded and walked over to him, and he lifted his head from his paws to watch me. "Fine," I grumbled and sat down beside him, my back against his side, enjoying his warmth and the comfort that he unfortunately brought me. I closed my eyes and leaned further against him, and Zën seemed to relax behind me, grateful that I didn't push him away again.

He laid his head on his paws and closed his eyes with what sounded like a small coo, and I had a feeling that he was enjoying the peace and quiet with the sound of the waterfall below us, and I couldn't help but enjoy that, too.

Zën moved his whole body around me in this protective way, and I knew that he was going to have my back even if our bond was "broken."

"Do you know how I did this, Zën?" I asked randomly, and Zën lifted his head a little and opened his eyes to stare at me. I sighed and moved a hand across my face before I shook my head and pursed my lips in annoyance. "Because I have no idea how I did it and how I can fix it."

Zën closed his eyes and laid his head back on his paws. He shifted a little as if to shrug, and I had a feeling that he didn't know how I did it or how to fix it.

"Hmph." I pursed my lips further and subconsciously grabbed the bracelet that he had given me all of those days ago. I started to fiddle with it absentmindedly, my mind going over the past few days and again wondering how I had done that when I could barely do any magic on my own, no matter how much I tried to do something and do it right.

Zën lifted his head from his paws again while I continued to play with the bracelet and made a clicking sound to gain my attention, and I stopped playing with the bracelet and looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" I asked and raised the eyebrow higher. "What do you want?"

Zën made another clicking sound and twisted around a little but not enough to move away from me. He looked at the bracelet and then at me and slowly blinked. He flicked his tail and cocked his head, staring at me with such intensity that I couldn't help but wonder if he was trying to will the bond to work again so that I could hear him.

I furrowed my brows and cocked my head, studying him while I started to play with the bracelet again. "Did you want me to remove the bracelet from around my wrist?" I asked, and he nodded in confirmation. I stopped playing with it and narrowed my eyes further while I scowled. "Why?" I asked, feeling very defensive and protective over it. "Are you going to take it away from me?"

I ignored how harsh I sounded and didn't apologize even when Zën flinched and looked down, looking sad and guilty.

Zën shook his head and flicked his tail again. He stared at the bracelet before he looked at me, willing me to take it off and to not ask questions because it wasn't like I could hear him anyway.

I bit back a small sigh and shook my head before I started to do what I was "told" to do, no matter how much I didn't like it. "Fine," I grumbled and kept back something that I wanted to say, knowing full well that it would hurt him, hurt us.

I sighed again and took the bracelet off with another shake of my head. "Ok, now what?" I asked and stared at him with a raised eyebrow. "What do you want me to do with it?"

Will you give me another one if I need to break this one...?

I pressed my lips into a thin line when that thought crossed my mind, and Zën's gaze grew softer as if he knew what I was thinking.

He nodded before he bowed his head, silently indicating that he would give me a new one if I needed to break this one and to trust him because he wouldn't hurt me on purpose... ever again.

I breathed a small sigh of relief and nodded before I relented, silently telling him that I would do whatever it was he wanted me to do. "Ok," I said, my voice barely above a whisper before I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat. "So what do you want me to do with it?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

Zën looked at the bracelet before he looked at me. He held out his claw and made a crushing motion, and I set my jaw and narrowed my eyes, my heart stopping and breaking into more pieces.

"Zën..." I said, my voice barely above a whisper and looked at him with a pained look on my face because I knew that he wanted me to break it.

Zën's eyes seemed to grow softer if possible, and he pressed his beak against the side of my face, and I couldn't help but put my hand on his beak. He didn't say a word that I could hear and closed his eyes, trying to get me to trust him and do what he told me to do.

Trust me...

Please...

I bit back a small sigh before I slowly nodded and moved my hand from his beak and to his cheek. "I do trust you, Zën," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "It's just that..." I shook my head and grimaced, pressing my lips into a thin line.

A part of me didn't...

Zën bit back a small snort and rolled his eyes as if he knew that a part of me didn't trust him. He pressed his beak closer to my face and made a small noise from the back of his throat.

Please...

Just this once... trust me again...

Finally, I relented with a small sigh before I slowly nodded and pressed my lips into a thin line. "Ok, Zën," I said with another sigh, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'll trust you this one more time. I'll do what you want me to do and break it."

And with that, I took a deep breath and released it with a small whoosh before I did what I was told to do and broke the bracelet just like he wanted me to do in the first place, praying that I wasn't making a huge mistake and didn't lose my only connection to him again...