Untouchable Fruit

Calming and Holding

Lucile

Briana's POV

     I sit there, not knowing what to do as Artemis  falls apart before my eyes.

    When her mom said what she did about us not being together the last thing I expected was for her to command Artemis to have to breed with a stranger in order to give her kingdom an heir.

   Instead of giving kids and teens representation from not just their praise and support of gay rights, by showing that the Royal family has such bindings too, she snatched it away.

   When Chelsea and Alex told me about Artemis and the relationship that she had with her Morher, I couldn't believe it. The bond between a parent and child is supposed to be sacred and valued above anything else. It doesn't matter what position of power that you are in, that is your child first before anything.

    Growing up, I always heard stories and stereotypes of Faeries and while a piece of me knew that they were right, I also had hoped that they weren't. But we're just as horrible and judgmental as people think.

     I thought someone would have stood up for Artemis outside of the one Faerie with almost looked like a ghost, pale soothing skin, looking like someone that fell outside of a fairytale. But not even her cousin or aunt could take her side. Everyone just remained silent, even the ones that clearly disagreed with what was being said.

    But her Aunt.... Princess Lucile looked so damn.... satisfied with what was going on. The flint in her eyes almost made them appear black but when I looked again they were a clear blue.

    Something about that lady scares me and form the way she seems to find satisfaction in whatever happens to Artemis has made her the second slot on my hit list after her sister.

   I bite my lip as I try to figure out the best way to help her. I've never been good at consoling people, never around them too much to be abel to help with whatever emotions they're having. It probably doesn't help that I can't even process my own in a healthy way.

    I think back to how Alex is with Chloe and Ares with Thomas and try my best to mimic the action.

    I slide my chair a bit closer towards Art and lay my hand on hers before wrapping my free arm around her body. She resists at first, but when I pull her towards me, she comes, resting her head on my shoulder and as soon as she takes a deep breath, the first tear that had be trapped in her gaze falls to the ground.

     "I'm so sorry." I mutter to her and her body immediately starts shaking, more and more tears falling from her eyes and they land on my body, each one burning hit form the anger she's been holding in, her hands just as warm.

   I don't say anything else, just hold her a little bit tighter as she struggles to come to terms with what was just said.

   I would be nothing more than a side peice, a friend with benefits, a secret of the Crown. I would be damned to hide away from Art's people quien she would be forced to be pranced around by a man rhat she has no intentions being with platonically or not.

    A plan begins to brew in my head , and while I think that I could possibly bring it up to Art without sounding like an idiot, this is not the time to do so.

    "Why does she hate me?" Art asks me through body racking sobs, shaking like a leaf in my hold, her face being blurrier in my neck. I try not to flinch away from the hot tears, and embrace them instead.

     This is torture for her.

     This is fucked up.

     This is beyond disgusting, degrading and all around terrible to do to your child regardless of their position.

    "You're so strong." I whisper to Art, tears coming to my eyes as I think about the fact that all of her life, she's been dealing with instances like this all on her own.  Those that she holds dear to her don't have the power to defend her, and the one person that does, doesn't pay enough or care about or hate politics and Court to be there for her all the time.

    So ever snide remark, every degraded manner, every jab, insult, sneer, anything that was sent to her form those around her, she had to deal with alone.

     Not anymore.

     "I'm not." Artemis disagrees, any confidence that she has picked up this morning home and trashed by her Mother.

     If anything I thought it would be her Aunt and Cousin fighting for the Crown and for Artemis and remaij out of the loop, but instead, it had to be her own mother. And I think that's the part that hurts most of all.

    I sigh to myself and I turn my head and look around the room, my own tears falling into my eyes and down my cheek as I take in the pain rhat she's holding and make it mine.

    I thought that I was the one that would be hurt, that I would not be the one to get broken down, even if it wasn't on purpose, but I see, Artemis is already there. Broken, beaten and without hope. And she needs me to stay here and help her feel loved again.

   I bite my lip as I think about all the promise and permanece that holds, the words already sounding like a decree to stay there in this city where people in power aren't allowed to love those that were made for them. It's going to be hard. It's going to be scary.

    And I have a bad habit of running away when things get a little bit too hard.

   And so while I feel myself wanting to do the right thing, I also find myself stuck between two decisions like I always am. To stay, or to leave.

    I look down at Artemis and I don't see her crying anymore, the Faerie Princess now just laying in my lap, her face towards a wall, her eyes open as she just lays there. My hand comes up to brush one of the strands of hair out of her face and she doesn't react at all, just continues to lay there, tear drying along her cheeks.

    She looks numb.

    She looks lost.    

    She looks dead.

     I place my hand on the top of her head, almost on autopilot and begin scratching it softly and I watch as he eyes fall shut, slowly and surely as she just lays there. I know she's not sleeping, only blocking out the world and diving into her kind to escape what's going on.

    And I don't blame her.

    The look in her face, while almost blank, is still that of fear and pure sadness, a hopelessness feeling racking through me just looking at her.

    And it's that look of vulnerability while laying on me that gives me my decision. For Art, I will stay. I will fight down my own fears so that her real ones can stop haunting her at night and during the day when the only thing she's wanted was...

     Love.

     Just love.

      One thing I've always been known for, here in Kaulike or out and about in the countries and cities all around the world is fighting against things unjust, inhuman and just plane wrong and this will be no different.

     So for Art I will stay, and I will make sure that her dream will finally come true.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ahhhh I fell like this chapter is all over the place, but we'll see how I feel about it after I edit it. I have 2/8 chapters done that I will like to. I think I would like to do an extra where I share my top 3 quotes from my books. So it might be 6 instead of 8 chapters we'll see.

Thoughts?

Comments?

QOTD: Tells me a Secret