lisa lay in bed, feeling like a particularly squishy purple pancake.
Next to her, Armia's muscular form threatened to turn her into nim jelly with each slight movent. When lisa had extended the offer for Armia to stay over earlier that day, she hadn't quite considered what being her little spoon would entail.
Armia's arms constricted around lisa further.
[Note to self: I need a bigger bed.]
"lisa?" Armia's voice was soft, barely above a whisper. "You awake?"
"Yeah," lisa replied, trying not to sound as breathless as she felt. "What's up?"
Silence fell between them again, broken only by the distant sounds of the city and lisa's increasingly labored breathing. Armia spoke again.
"Darien was such an annoying little shit," she said.
[Okay, wasn't expecting that,] lisa thought, blinking in surprise.
Armia continued, seemingly oblivious to lisa's confusion.
"This one ti, when we were kids, he replaced all my training weights with painted sponges. I didn't notice until I was halfway through my routine, wondering why everything felt so light."
Despite the heaviness in the air, lisa couldn't help but snort.
"Seriously?"
"Oh yeah," Armia said, a hint of a chuckle in her voice. "And then there was the ti he convinced half the neighborhood that as a female darian, I had this uncontrollable condition that made lay eggs randomly. Had kids following around for weeks, throwing seeds at , telling to 'hurry up and lay 'em' so they could see it happen."
lisa found herself grinning, picturing a younger Armia being pelted with birdseed. But the smile faded as Armia's voice cracked.
"I just... I never even dread sothing like this could happen. He was such a pain in the ass, but... I don't know. I guess he was my pain in the ass, you know?"
The guilt hit lisa like a ton of bricks. She knew, deep down, that the only reason this was happening was because Armia was friends with her. The Shadow Mages had targeted Armia to get to lisa, and Darien had paid the price.
[Fuck. What do I even say to that?] lisa thought, her mind racing. [All this ti in this new world, and what have I focused on? Magic and... well, recently, fucking.]
She sighed.
[When I was making my wishes, I don't rember asking to be put in situations where I had to help people deal with grief. I an, when was the last ti I dealt with anything like that? In my past life, nobody in my family liked . So, if anyone had died, I would have just gone "damn, that's crazy" and moved on. This... It's sothing I have no experience with.]
lisa turned towards Armia, wanting to offer so kind of comfort, but the words stuck in her throat. What could she possibly say that wouldn't sound hollow?
As if sensing lisa's inner turmoil, Armia tightened her grip, pulling lisa closer.
lisa let her, hoping that sotis, just being there was enough.
[I might not know what to say, but I can damn well be here for her,] lisa thought, relaxing into Armia's embrace.
They lay like that for what felt like hours, the silence no longer awkward but comforting. Eventually, lisa felt Armia's breathing even out as she drifted off to sleep.
[At least one of us is getting so rest,] lisa thought wryly, her mind still whirling with guilt and worry.
As the first light of dawn began to creep through the window, lisa finally felt her eyelids growing heavy. She drifted off to sleep, her last conscious thought a mix of determination and fear.
[We're going to fix this. Sohow.]
The next morning, lisa stumbled down to the main room, her hair a tangled ss and her eyes still heavy with sleep. She'd managed to extract herself from Armia's grip without waking the darian, a feat she considered worthy of a dal.
As she entered the room, rubbing sleep from her eyes, she froze. Find your next read at My Virtual Library Empire
Javir, listair, and Margaret were huddled around a knight in gleaming armor. The conversation stopped abruptly as they noticed her presence.
[Well, this can't be good,] lisa thought, her stomach doing an impressive acrobatic routine.
"Uh, morning?" she offered weakly. "Did I miss the mo about the tin can convention?"
The knight turned to face her, his expression hidden behind his helt. But lisa could feel the weight of his gaze, and it made her want to turn tail and run back upstairs.
"lisa Blackfla," the knight said, his voice echoing slightly in his helt. "Your presence is required at the palace. Co with ."
---
lisa's heart raced as she made her way through the palace corridors.
Her mind whirled with recent events - the queen's death, Armia's loss, the looming threat of the Shadow Mages.
It was all happening so fast. She was technically still a student of Syux Academy and yet it felt like ages since she'd last sat through a class.
[Fuck,] lisa thought, her tail twitching nervously behind her. [I haven't even had ti to process half of this shit, and now what? Another royal summons? Can't a girl catch a break?]
She was familiar with most of the palace by now, thanks to her lessons with Zephyra and that fateful night of the gala. But today, the marble floors and gilded walls almost seed to stretch on forever, each step bringing her closer to... what? Another crisis?
As she approached the throne room, lisa took a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever lay ahead. The guards at the door nodded to her - a far cry from the suspicious glares she'd received on her first visits.
Amazing how saving the king's life could change people's attitudes.
The massive doors swung open, and lisa stepped into the cavernous throne room. King Aldric sat upon his golden throne, looking as regal and imposing as ever. But it wasn't the king who caught lisa's attention.
Beside him, perched on a slightly smaller throne, sat a girl lisa had never t before. And holy shit, was she a sight to behold.
Aria, princess of Syux.
The girl's appearance was... unique, to say the least. lisa couldn't quite pin down her age. Her body was petite and delicate, almost fragile-looking. Just by that, lisa would have guessed she was a couple years younger than her.
But, her aura... Fucking hell, her aura was sothing else entirely. It radiated power and authority, an almost palpable force that filled the room.
Her hair was like freshly fallen snow. Her lips were painted a deep, dark black. Honestly, on other people, that lipstick would make her look like a goth teen that was trying too hard. On her, it looked... intimidating.
But it was her eyes that really got lisa. Grey as storm clouds, like Raven's, but brighter. They burned with an intensity that lisa could feel even from across the room.
Those eyes were fixed on lisa now, studying her with a mixture of curiosity and... was that suspicion?
[Well, fuck ,] lisa thought, fighting the urge to squirm under that penetrating gaze. [And here I was thinking the queen was scary-looking.]
Gathering her courage, lisa approached the thrones and bowed low.
"Your Majesty," she said to King Aldric, then, because she figured it was better to be safe than sorry, added, "My Lady."
A knight stepped forward, his armor clanking with each movent.
"Miss lisa Blackfla," he announced, his voice echoing in the vast chamber, "may I present Her Royal Highness, Princess Aria of Syux."
[The princess,] lisa sighed. [She's been gone for a while on so diplomatic missions through Rhaya. Now, she's back? Great timing, huh.]
Princess Aria rose from her throne with a grace that made lisa feel like a clumsy oaf in comparison. Despite her small stature, she seed to tower over everyone in the room through sheer force of presence.
"lisa Blackfla," Aria said, her voice cool and lodious. "I've heard so much about you."
lisa swallowed hard.
"All good things, I hope, Your Highness."
A small smile played at the corners of Aria's black lips, but it didn't reach her eyes. Those storm-grey orbs remained intense, calculating.
"Oh, the stories have been... interesting, to say the least. A nim with magical abilities, saving the king's life, becoming the student of our court sorceress. You've been quite busy, haven't you?"
There was sothing in Aria's tone that set lisa on edge. A hint of... what? Accusation? Jealousy? Or was she just paranoid after everything that had happened?
"I've only tried to serve the kingdom to the best of my abilities, Your Highness," lisa replied, choosing her words carefully.
Aria's smile widened slightly.
"Of course you have. And we're all so... grateful for your service." She paused, her eyes never leaving lisa's face. "I wonder if you might do the honor of accompanying on a walk through the gardens? I'd love to hear more about your... adventures in the palace."
It wasn't a request, despite the polite phrasing. lisa could feel the weight of command behind those words.
[Shit,] lisa thought. [What the fuck is this about?]
But outwardly, she smiled and bowed her head.
"It would be my pleasure, Your Highness."
Reviews
All reviews (0)