Dominion Ch. 12

She spent the rest of her wait steadying her breathing and fortifying her strength. The process of cleaning and dressing her wounds would be painful, and she needed to be able to focus enough to escape after the deed was done. She turned her head at the sound of the door, reaching nervously for the pendant at her neck and sighing in relief when she realized it was only Aryn.

"Lock the door behind you."

"Yes, my Lady-"

"Nora."

"Yes, Nora," she amended with a small smile as she climbed upon the bed and positioned herself behind the princess. "This is going to hurt."

"I know."

They spent the next hour or so in companionable silence as Aryn tended to her injuries and Nora attempted to be as quiet as she could. Neither of them thought anyone would come to her aid regardless, but it never hurt to be too careful. After the deed was done, they spent another thirty minutes gathering necessities like coin and clothing that would easily obscure their identity. They packed light, knowing they would need to move quickly and silently. By the time they finished what they were doing, Nora felt a lot more like herself than she did when they started. She sat on Aryn's bed and motioned her over, waiting until the girl was standing before her.

"Its my turn to help you now."

"What do you mean?"

"You will see."

Nora reached out and took the girls hand in hers, grasping the suppression cuff between her wrists and focusing on it. A burst of blue flame surrounded the cursed bracelet, and after a moment of unwavering focus, the lock reversed itself and the bracelet broke in two. Aryn looked up at Nora in surprise, noticing the shy smile the princess wore. Neither of them had time to truly ponder the nature of their growing friendship, and so they took off together down a corridor that lead to the gardens. Silent as ghosts, they slinked through the halls until they reached the great doors that lead outside.

They walked silently down the path of loosely laid stepping stones. The large oak trees spread from the ground like hands reaching for the moon itself, their twisted branches swaying and casting strangely shaped wisps of moonlight over the soft earth below. Nora took in the refreshing night air and sighed, reaching out to catch a firefly within the palm of her hand. She continued on, observing the way the soft glowing light seemed to seep from between her fingers with its odd luster.

They nearly made it to the side gate before Aryn keeled over and closed her eyes, her mouth open in a silent scream. The stars and the moon were nowhere to be seen as the heavy foreboding clouds moved to blot out their light. Cloaked in the darkness, she turned toward the door and froze as Nora reached out and caught her arm.

"Aryn?" a single tear ran from Aryn's cheek, and the tell tale melody of Canvas of Souls echoed through the courtyard. "Aryn, you're going to get us caught."

"You have to go if you're going to wake up," She murmured to herself as she took another step toward the castle. "You're going to wake up."

"Aryn!"

The clouds parted once again, and the glow of the moon painted her features in molten silver. Her jaw was slack, her slate colored eyes staring off as if in a trance. Nora gripped her shoulder and shook her small frame in an attempt to jar her from the stupor she was in. She dragged the small girl toward the trees and pushed her to the floor, deciding to simply to wait until her trance wore off. She could carry her away, but she would rather them be discovered here, than somewhere else where the girl might make too much noise. After a few moments of waiting, Aryn seems to fade back into reality, and she looked on the verge of tears. She began gathering her coin and food and handed it off to Nora.

"I can't go with you."

"Why?"

"There's something I still need to do," she stammered, refusing to make eye contact "I would only slow you down anyway. Don't worry about me Nora. I'll be okay."

"But Aryn..."

"Just go! You don't have time to waste!" she sniffled as she got up and pushed Nora in the direction they were heading before. "You need to find your brother and help him reclaim the throne."

Before Nora could stop to think, she tugged Aryn into her arms. They had grown close these last few weeks, and she looked at Aryn as a younger sister. She couldn't bare to leave her here all alone, knowing the risks that came with it... But she seemed determined, so Nora chose to simply let her go.

"I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too, My lady."

"Just Nora."

Aryn's mouth ticked up in a smile as she waved Nora off. Using the forest floor to mute her footfalls, Nora sprinted through the garden in order to make up for lost time. She refused to look back, knowing that if she did, she would lose her nerve and run back to her room like a scared girl. But she would not tuck tail and run from her responsibilities. Regardless of her personal feelings, she had to get the pendant to her brother, where it belonged.