AN: Hello, I am back with an update! I needed a break after writing Stolen Moments in about three days and then I got really busy, but rest assured, I am still working on this fic. I hope you all enjoy the next chapter!
The first thing Namaari registered as she slowly drifted awake was how warm and comfortable she felt, so much so that she tried to pull her mind back toward sleep. She fought against wakefulness for a moment until something stirred next to her and she opened her eyes to find Raya's sleeping face just inches from her own. Raya had a hand on Namaari's waist, and their legs were tangled together, the light of their magic radiating steadily from them both. The magic's soft glow combined with the delicate dawn light peeking through the window, highlighting the soft lines of Raya's face in a way that left Namaari feeling breathless.
Raya shifted again and Namaari became painfully aware of where Raya's hand was resting just above her hip. She started to stiffen but caught herself just in time, not wanting to disturb Raya enough to wake her. Her jaw clenched as her breathing and heartbeat picked up, struggling against the urge to tense her body. Raya's hand twitched on her waist, her fingers loosely gripping Namaari's shirt as she tried to pull her just a little bit closer. Namaari couldn't stop herself from going rigid this time, squeezing her eyes shut and biting down hard on her lower lip.
"Hey," Raya said softly, her voice still heavy with sleep.
Namaari opened her eyes, her breath hitching as she met Raya's gaze. They both flushed, but neither of them made any move to pull away from each other.
"Are you okay?" Raya asked, her brow furrowing as she woke up all the way. "Did you have another nightmare?"
Namaari shook her head. "No, I just—" She grimaced and rolled over, shivering as Raya's hand brushed over her hip. Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, she sat up with her back to Raya. She paused with her elbows propped on her thighs, holding her head in her hands as she took several deep, shuddering breaths. "I should go get ready," she said, wincing at how unsteady her voice sounded. She let out one more slow exhale before she stood up and moved toward the door. "We're supposed to go on that walk between the new villages with Benja and Atitāya soon."
"I'm glad I was here last night," Raya said, making Namaari pause mid step. "When you had your nightmare, I mean."
Namaari turned back to look at her, mirroring Raya's hesitant smile even as her chest ached. "Me, too," she said, not caring this time how breathless she sounded. Then she cleared her throat. "I, uh, I do actually need to get ready, though, so…" she trailed off as she pointed toward the door, feeling her face heat up again.
Raya laughed softly, sending Namaari's heart fluttering as she hurried out of the room.
Ten minutes later, Namaari picked at her clothes as she walked through the palace, frowning as she tried unsuccessfully to smooth the wrinkles from her shirt. She looked up as she walked through the door out into the courtyard, freezing when she spotted Raya waiting near the main gate. Darting back inside the palace, she flattened her back against the wall, opening and closing her hands several times as she tried to calm down.
"Good morning!" Benja's voice boomed down the hallway and Namaari jumped, pressing a hand against her chest as her heart pounded even faster.
"It's just us, firefly. No reason to be so jumpy," Benja said, chuckling as he and Atitāya came to stand beside her. Then his brow knit slightly and he reached out to gently touch Namaari's shoulder. "Are you okay? Is something wrong?"
Namaari shook her head, blushing as she brushed her hair behind her ear. "I-I was just…waiting for you," she stammered, giving Benja a weak smile. "Before I went to meet Raya. For the walk. The one that we're about to go on. But Raya was by herself, and you and Atitāya weren't there yet, so I thought I would just wait. For you, I mean."
Atitāya stayed several steps away but there was real concern on her face as she watched Namaari. "Are you sure you're alright, Princess Namaari?"
Namaari nodded quickly, giving them another smile that became rather forced when neither of them looked convinced.
"Did something happen between you and Raya?" Benja asked, raising his eyebrows as Namaari flushed again. He studied her for a moment, squinting at her until a look of understanding passed over his face. "I see," he said, grinning at her. "Well, we're here now, if you'd like to go meet Raya with us."
He pulled Namaari away from the wall, squeezing her shoulder as he gently steered her toward the door. Raya glanced up as they walked through the doorway and Namaari couldn't do much besides return her wave and smile as Benja guided her across the courtyard.
As they approached, Raya trotted toward them and Benja moved to meet her, wrapping her in a hug. "Good morning, dewdrop," he said, kissing the top of her head.
"Good morning, Ba," Raya said, pulling away to grin at him. Her eyes flicked over his shoulder to where Namaari was standing a few feet behind him. "And, uh, good morning, Namaari. Again."
Benja turned to look at Namaari, then back at Raya. "Again?" he asked, tilting his head to the side when Raya started to blush. "You've already seen each other this morning?"
"Yeah, we—" Raya stopped, laughing nervously and she rubbed the back of her neck. "We, um, we just ran into each other earlier."
"I see," Benja said, smiling as he tapped the end of Raya's nose with his finger. "I know we had planned on this walk, but do you think we could move it to another day?" He pointed up at the sky, where a thin layer of clouds was gathering to block the newly risen sun. "It looks like it might rain."
Raya scoffed. "I think we can handle a little rain, Ba. And I really want to show you what I've been working on."
Benja sighed. "I know, dewdrop, but—" He turned to look at Atitāya and gave her a wide smile. "What do you think, General? Shouldn't we postpone our walk to avoid the rain?"
"I believe it's worth the risk to go today, Chief Benja," Atitāya said as she bowed, raising her hands in a circle in front of her. "Princess Namaari needs to see the progress we made while she was in Heart. And Princess Raya is eager to show you everything she's done." She stood upright, giving Benja a stiff smile as his expression dropped into a frown. "I must also say that I'm very pleased you could join us."
There was a beat of silence as Benja stared at Atitāya before he laughed a little and shook his head. "Very well, General. And I'm glad I could be here as well." He stepped away from Raya, gesturing for Atitāya to take the lead. "After you, General."
Atitāya bowed to him again before heading toward the gate. Raya hesitated for a second, glancing between Atitāya and Benja, then shrugged and hurried to catch up with Atitāya.
By the time Raya and Atitāya were across the bridge to the mainland, they were already deeply engrossed in a conversation about importing rarer construction materials. Namaari tried her hardest to listen to what they were saying but found herself unable to focus on anything but Raya. On the crease that formed between Raya's eyebrows when she was concentrating. The way the corners of Raya's mouth turned up when Atitāya agreed with something she said. How the sun shone through Raya's hair when she turned her head and brushed it out of her face.
Namaari realized she was staring and dropped her eyes to the ground as heat rose on her cheeks, hoping Raya hadn't noticed her gaze.
Benja elbowed her gently. "You should go talk to Raya," he said in a half-whisper, loud enough that Namaari was worried Raya would overhear him.
Namaari gestured with her palms down, trying to signal him to keep his voice lower. "They're in the middle of a conversation, I can't just butt in."
"Hmm, fair enough," Benja said, bringing his hand to his chin as he thought. Then his face brightened, and he began to pluck rose myrtle flowers from the bushes that were growing alongside the road.
Namaari watched him as he gathered a small bouquet, squinting at him and shaking her head slightly. "What are you doing?"
"Picking flowers. And giving them to you," Benja said, holding the bouquet out to her.
"What?" Namaari took the flowers automatically, glancing down at them before giving Benja another confused look. "Why?"
Benja laughed. "So, you can give them to Raya, of course. They're your conversation starter."
"Wha—" Namaari was cut off as she ran into Raya's back. Raya and Atitāya had stopped walking, but Namaari had been so focused on Benja that she hadn't noticed. The flowers she was holding were crushed between them before they fell out of Namaari's hands.
Raya turned around, smirking when she saw Namaari behind her. "Pay attention much, dep la?"
"I, uh…I guess not?" Namaari said, blushing as Raya laughed.
"General," Benja said, bumping Namaari's shoulder with his own as he moved past her. "There was something I wanted to ask you about this first village we're visiting." When he reached Raya, he tapped her arm and jerked his head toward Namaari. "Dewdrop, Namaari has something she wants to ask you." He winked at Namaari before putting an arm around Atitāya's shoulders and steering her down the road.
Atitāya stiffened at the contact and glanced back at Namaari over her shoulder, frowning slightly, but allowed Benja to usher her away.
Namaari gave Benja a desperate look as he turned around, her face shifting into a sheepish smile when she noticed Raya's eyes on her. She held her gaze for a moment before looking down at the ground, blushing even harder as silence stretched between them.
"Was there something you wanted to ask me?" Raya said, taking half a step forward. She looked down and saw the smashed flowers spread across the ground at their feet. "Oh, no, did I make you drop these?"
Namaari shook her head, tucking her hair behind her ear. "No, it wasn't your fault, I ran into you. But it's no big deal. They were supposed to be for you, but they're just flowers." She flinched when a hint of disappointment appeared on Raya's face. "Wait, hang on," she said, gesturing at Raya before she crouched down to search through the flowers on the ground. Once she found one that was still mostly intact, she stood, twirling the stem between her fingers for a second before reaching out to tuck the flower behind Raya's ear. She trailed the tips of her fingers along Raya's cheek as she pulled her hand away, smiling when the light of their magic bloomed under her touch.
They stared at each other for a moment, both of them watching as the glow of their magic spread to surround their bodies. Raya opened her mouth to say something, but the sound of laughter pulled their attention to where Benja and Atitāya were now speaking with three laborers further down the road. The one who was laughing had a shovel balanced across both of his shoulders and his two companions were pulling a small cart filled with sacks and various tools.
"We should probably get back to what we're supposed to be doing," Namaari said, nodding toward the group.
"Right. Right!" Raya said, then grimaced. "Atitāya's going to be annoyed if we get distracted." She took Namaari's hand, squeezing it as they hurried over to the group.
They made it within about five feet of the others when Benja broke away from the conversation to meet them. He put a hand on each of their shoulders, stopping them from walking any further. "Well, we should keep moving, still lots to do yet today!" he said, maneuvering them down the road past the group.
Atitāya followed them a second later, her arms stiff at her sides. "Chief Benja, with all due respect, we weren't finished. We still need to ask them about—"
"I'm sure you and I can handle it, General," Benja said, shooting a smile at Atitāya over his shoulder. "Besides, these two have more important things to talk about. For example," he said, looking back at Raya and Namaari. "Namaari, why don't you tell Raya your favorite thing about Heart?" He nudged them a bit further down the road before turning back to join Atitāya again.
Namaari opened her mouth to protest, but Benja's back was already turned. Her shoulders drooped and she started to make a frustrated noise, biting it back at the last second when she felt Raya's eyes on her.
Raya watched her for a few more seconds, a smile pulling at the corner of her lips as Namaari stared blankly back at her. "Well, what is it?" she said, laughing when Namaari gave her a confused look. "Your favorite thing about Heart?"
"Oh! Um…" Namaari looked away from Raya, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "I liked how quiet it was. There are fewer people and they're more spread out than in Fang, so at night it would get completely silent. The city is so crowded that it never gets like that here." She smiled softly, watching her fingers as she ran them over a seam. "I had trouble falling asleep when I first got to Heart because it was so quiet, but I ended up liking it a lot once I figured out how to enjoy it."
Raya hummed in response, her face becoming more thoughtful. "I hate how quiet it gets in Heart sometimes. My favorite thing about Fang is that there's always some kind of noise going on. But I especially like that you can always hear the river. The sound follows you everywhere since the city and the palace are surrounded by water."
Namaari shook her head, letting out a breathy laugh. "That actually keeps me up now. I got too used to the silence while I was in Heart." She paused, her voice growing softer as she gripped the hem of her shirt tightly. "It's easier to sleep when you're there, though."
She looked up and found that Raya was studying her closely, something in her eyes making it impossible for Namaari to look away. Raya inhaled like she was about to say something, but a raindrop fell on her nose, making her start and blink in surprise. They both looked up as thunder rumbled through the sky and a steady stream of rain started to fall from the clouds.
Namaari grabbed Raya's hand, leading her underneath a nearby tree where Benja and Atitāya joined them a minute later.
Atitāya brushed the wet hair out of her face, making a frustrated noise in the back of her throat as it began to rain even harder. "It looks like we'll have to save our walk for another day. The roads between the villages further out aren't finished yet and will probably wash out in rain this heavy."
"So, I was right about the rain," Benja said, crossing his arms and giving Atitāya a self-satisfied smile that made her stiffen. "Should we try to head back now or wait to see if it lets up?"
Raya took a step forward, trying to pull Namaari with her. She looked back when Namaari resisted and rolled her eyes. "Afraid of a little water, dep la? I thought that was just your serlot."
Namaari scowled at her, fighting down a smile when Raya laughed.
"I think our shield might block the rain, if you're so worried about it." Raya stuck her hand out into the rain, grinning when the water beaded onto her palm before sliding off. "See!"
She tugged on her hand again and this time Namaari let herself be pulled into the rain. Raya went straight for the nearest puddle, grinning as she stomped in it with both feet. Then she took off running, towing Namaari behind her as she veered back and forth across the road to hit every puddle along the way. Namaari matched Raya's smile even as she slipped and slid through the mud, holding her hand as tightly as she could and trying to ignore the fluttering feeling in her chest.