The Princess of the Moon

Chapter 29

"Hello?" I heard someone say, and I bit back a small gasp while my heart skipped a beat before it started to pound faster and harder in my chest. Zën nudged my shoulder with his beak. "Can you hear me?"

My throat closed as a sob wanted to break through my tight lips when I heard him speak, and I took a deep, shuddering breath before I released it while I set my jaw to keep it from shaking.

"Synthia?" Zën asked and nudged my shoulder with his beak again. "Are you going to answer me? Or can you not hear me, and it didn't work?" There was a bit of sadness and frustration in his voice when he said that, and I had a feeling that he was scared and worried that what he did didn't work.

I hesitated before I slowly nodded and gulped, my mouth becoming dry. "Yes," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, and he sighed with relief with his wings sagging closer to the ground. "I can hear you, Zën."

"Good," he said and flicked his tail before he cocked his head and stared at me. His golden eyes were filled with concern and guilt while he stared at me. "I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"

"I do," I confirmed with a small nod before I cleared my throat and moved a hand across my face, sighing while I shook my head. "I forgive you, Zën."

Zën nodded and backed up a bit. He rolled his eyes when he saw that my face grew blank. "Would you relax?" he asked. "I promised you something, didn't I?" He raised an eyebrow in question and cocked his head while he studied me.

I set my jaw but didn't respond, waiting for the snarky remark that he was going to send my way.

But it never came...

"Hmph." He flicked his tail and bit back a small sigh before he shook his head and moved his head closer to his wing that he straightened out to get another feather.

I bit the inside of my lip and looked at him, watching him with my heart pounding hard and fast in my chest while I waited, wondering what he was going to do.

I had no idea what he was planning on doing and if he was going to keep his promise. My whole body was tense and I watched as he pulled a loose feather from his wing.

He looked at me with the feather in his beak, and a look of debate flashed across his face as if he didn't know if he wanted me to see what he wanted to do with it or not. He didn't say a word while he looked at me, and I had a feeling that he was weighing the pros and cons in his head.

I bit back an annoyed sigh and rolled my eyes before I turned away from him and pressed my lips into a thin line, still not in the mood to fight him on anything that he wanted to do. I closed my eyes and tucked my head closer to my chest while I pressed my lips into a thinner line and waited without saying a word.

It wasn't long until I felt a nudge on my shoulder, and I looked that way to see Zën standing there with a new bracelet in his beak and something in his eyes that I couldn't decipher. "Here, Syn," he said telepathically, his voice soft. "This is for you."

I hesitated and held out my hands for him to drop it on, and he did so without another complaint. "Is this going to be a continuous occurrence?" I asked and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and Zën cocked his head while he studied me.

He didn't say a word while he flicked his tail and laid down again. He waited for me to finish my question, knowing full well that I wasn't done with it.

I licked my lips and cleared my throat while I shifted on my feet. "When I break the bracelet for whatever reason, will you give me a new one?" I asked while I studied the new bracelet to see that it looked similar to the old one that I broke. "Or will this be the last one?" I looked at him through my eyelashes and waved it from side to side slightly.

Zën bit back a small sigh before he slowly shook his head and looked away from me. "I will give you one if you need it," he said before he cleared his throat, shifted from side to side, and flicked his tail again. "However, there is another way that you can contact me and have me come quickly to your side."

"How?" I asked while I cocked my head and studied him, pressing my lips into a thin line. "What do you mean, and why didn't you tell me this beforehand?"

Zën sighed this time and shook his head again while he looked at me. "Because, I didn't want this to be true," he admitted, and I couldn't help but scoff and roll my eyes, my heart aching and becoming filled with hurt and pain. "I didn't want to be your companion or your ride."

"Gee, t-"

"Can you let me finish what I have to say before you become all sarcastic with me, please?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question while he flicked his tail from side to side in annoyance. "And can you go ahead and put that new bracelet on your wrist, please?" He looked at the bracelet before he looked at me again.

I hesitated before I did what he told me to do and placed the bracelet on my wrist, even though it was against my better judgment.

I didn't say a word while I looked at him, praying that he wasn't trying to break this bond between us himself or have me find another way to break it because a part of me didn't want to have this bond with him if he was going to be a pain in the ass.

Zën sighed again and flicked his tail up and down while he looked at me. He looked nervous, scared even, as if he was afraid of how I would react to what he had to tell me.

Debate flashed through his eyes, and I had a feeling that he was weighing the pros and cons about this before he made his final decision.

Finally, he sighed and slowly nodded as if he came to an agreement with himself that he was going to tell me and prayed that I wouldn't react in a negative way.

"Well?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question when he didn't say another word even after he nodded. "What is it? What's wrong? Why did you not want to be my companion or ride, Zën?"

He hesitated again before he sighed and looked away from me, his feathers sagged in defeat. "Because I was afraid," he said honestly before he looked at me again, the pain and sadness in his eyes becoming prominent. "Because I was, and still am, afraid of the changes that it would bring."