Epiphany

⇞ exchange mission ⇞

Something was stuck in my throat and my heart was constricted. I could not breathe as a million possibilities rushed through my head. Will Princess say something? Why is she here? What happened to being trapped forever and keeping her safe? Will Nazereth hate me for lying so much? What will happen to Drian?

I felt dizzy with all the overthinking.

My eyes were burning and I was dying, that was the whole other level of worry.

As both the ships came to a halt on a shore of the island that looked abandoned yet there were some marks of people living here. Maybe it was a temporary lodging point for Enebris Travellers.

All this while, Nazereth was next to me while Ciara kept getting emotional overseeing the Princess out and free.

As soon as we got down the ship, Princess walked to the King and I stopped breathing.

"What have you done to her?" She addressed him like he was not a firemaster and a King.

She looked different, braver and rougher but still beautiful. I realized I missed her. She was almost like a friend to me.

"Nothing." He sounded angry on being addressed so rudely.

"It was my doing, he is looking for a cure." I came to his defense surprising everyone around.

Princess turned towards me and her gaze softened.

"I need to talk to her then, alone." She said strongly.

"I am not letting her out of my sight," Nazereth answered back in a tone that meant he was not to be messed with.

At his words the Captain of the ship, the probable half-human came. And I noticed him for the first time. He was beautiful, there were no other words for it, auburn hair and ocean blue eyes, and face so pale and unreal I realized it was his mermaid genes, the one that lured the sailors on the sea.

Without warning or alerting he grabbed my wrist and Nazereth pulled out his sword with fire teasing on its tip.

"Calm down Firemaster, just checking what kind of poison she suffers from." His voice was soft, like one that can sing and put your heart at ease. 

Princess, on the other hand, was standing close to me and observing the King. She didn't give away any secrets or that she was his actual intended wife. And even though among all the females present there she was the most beautiful, Nazereth did not seem bothered by it, his heart belonged only to Dalia.

"Oh, we have the cure." He said and I sighed.

The look of relief on Nazereth's face was visible.

"Come with me," Princess said and Nazereth was ready to start a battle over this.

His protectiveness towards me for whatever reason was sort of endearing.

"I will be fine, we have the cure now." I tried to reason with him with my most convincing smile.

"I will burn this place down if anything happens to her." He said and I couldn't help but feel joy and hope.

"Relax Firemaster, we are thieves, not murderers, most of the time." The captain said and his eyes turned to look at me.

He smirked at me like it held a secret but I looked away flustered at his attention on me.

As Princess interlinked our arms together like before when we walked on the palace roof, she whispered, "I think King is in love with you."

I can't believe how far she was from the truth.

➻➻➻