The Princess's Secret [completed]

Chapter 57: Goodbye.

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Tamar.

Tamar swallowed, doing her best to hide the sadness. Despite the mood, the sun shone brightly in the sky, a constant reminder of the facade she was trying to display. Glancing to her right, she saw that she wasn't the only one struggling to hide her sorrow. 

Isidro had his head tilted down, distorting their view of his face. Jamaal looked as though he had zoned out, as though he were pretending this wasn't happening. Even Hiram looked more grumpy than usual. 

She faced forward, continuing. "-done us a great service, sacrificing everything they had to ensure Adrelawin would have a future." She turned around, accepting the sheathed sword from one of her bodyguards. Then turned to Caspian, who had that confident, comfortable face on. 

But beneath it she could see the growing pain of loss. She pasted a smile on her face, holding out the weapon to him. "Adrelawin will forever remember all you've done." She finished, tears pricking her eyes. But she held them back.

In response, he returned the smile, accepting the gift with a slight bow. The crowd began to cheer, and they just stared at each other, both smiling brightly. Both, denying their true emotions...

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Caspian.

It felt as though someone had stabbed him in the heart and was still twisting the blade. It was a physical ache, and he wondered if it would ever fade away. He could see the same pain in his friends, eating away at their hearts. It felt as though someone were dying.

But now was not the time to mourn, not the time to let the emotions break the act. At this point, he was just waiting to leave, to get away so that he could deal with the swirling storm inside. 

Finally the time came to leave, and Tamar went around, hugging The Three and finally Caspian. As she did, he felt her shoulders shake slightly, holding back tears. He saw them clouding her eyes, but her expression did not betray her to the people. 

"I'll always be just a letter away." He promised. 

She smiled. "And I have your master." She replied. In her eyes, he saw no fear anymore, only sadness. He nodded and turned to his horse, which was waiting by his side, and mounted the steed. The Three surrounded him, making certain they were between him and the crowd, but still giving him space to move comfortably.

The people cheered and waved banners as they made their way through the crowded street, but he struggled to notice, feeling suddenly exhausted by all the emotions of the day. Nonetheless, he kept a smile on his face, and waited for a moment of silence...

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Isidro.

Relief flooded over him as they moved out of sight of the city, entering into the trees. Finally he could relax in the saddle, releasing a slow breath and lowering his head slightly. His wound had healed quite well, but it had been only a few days since the battle, and the bouncing of the horse didn't help.

He glanced over at Herschel, who lay in a cart, wrapped in blankets. The boy was still pale, but the darkness under his eyes was beginning to fade, though the bruises had grown all the more colorful. For a moment, he wished he were in a cart as well, but knew he'd wish to ride if that were the case.

He thought back to the day before, after the celebration of Tamar's crowning as Queen. Caspian and The Three had met up afterwards, after he had checked on the Queen and left his armour in his room. 

Everyone had exhaustion etched in their faces, finally coming to the end of a long journey. Jamaal had spent a lot of the meeting staring into empty space, while Hiram had sat there polishing his sword, as he often did to relax after a long day.