Chapter 8
"I'm sorry!" I exclaimed for the hundredth time in ten minutes. But the Prince wasn't even acknowledging me. He just continued nursing his wounded arm. There wasn't much he could do with it since there wasn't a fountain in sight, and since he'd finished yelling at me, he'd been giving me the cold shoulder. And believe me, that shoulder was really cold.
What happened? Well… we got the health upgrade and headed for the Garden Tower. Unfortunately, me, being the Clumsy-Crush-a-Lot that I am, I tripped over an up-rooted tree root and stumbled… right into the Prince. And by some cruel twist of fate, he just happened to be standing by a fairly high ledge. Well, we both went over the edge and before I could get my wings to respond, we hit the ground below. I was all right, for the most part, but the same could not be said for the Prince… whom I had landed right on top of.
He hand landed on his arm pretty hard… hard enough to crack it, maybe even break it. I don't know how bad it was, since the moment he recovered from the fall, he shoved me away, yelled a long string of curses and insults at me, and then turned his full attention to his arm, which was starting to bruise. Since then, I'd been apologizing up and down, trying to get him to forgive me. To talk to me. To just LOOK at me! It wasn't going very well.
"Prince, I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to!" I sank to the ground and sat on my knees. "If you'd just let me... I'll… I'll fix it! I'll heal it, I promise!" …That was the worst possible thing you could've said, Naomi… but at least it caught his attention.
"How?" he barked, still very pissed off at me.
"I… uh…" Oh, WHY did I say that? Sure, I took a White Magic class at the Academy… but I came THIS close to flunking it! I don't remember any of that stuff! "I… I'll… I'll find a fountain! There has to be one near by! I'll get some water and bring it back!"
"If you don't drop it first…" My shoulders slumped.
"Prince, I'm really, really sorry! I didn't intend to do that, it just happened!" He stood up and rounded on me.
"My arm is broken, you clumsy idiot!" he all but screamed. And trust me, there's nothing scarier than a wounded, thoroughly pissed off, battle hardened Prince screaming at you.
"I'll get water!" I cried, desperately trying to make amends.
"Where are you going to find water? We haven't seen a fountain in a long time!"
"I don't know! But I'll find it! Just give me a chance!"
"Yes, and while you're gone, how am I supposed to defend myself with my sword arm in pieces?!"
"Use your other arm!" He turned on his heel and threw his good arm up.
"Yes, I'll just use my other arm! How simple! Even though it's no where near as balanced and strengthened as my other, I'm sure I'll do just wonderfully when I'm found by Sand Monsters or the Dahaka!"
"Maybe they won't find you!" By now I wasn't putting up a very strong argument, but I was starting to get upset.
"They won't find me?" the Prince retorted, "Of course! Even with the Empress' entire army as well at the Dahaka out looking to kill me, of course they won't find me!" He faced me again. "Sooner or later I will be found, and when I am discovered, I won't be able to defend myself! And I'll be completely at the mercy of the Empress why you fly around looking for a fountain that might not even exist! Seven years I've survived, and I'm not going to let it go to waste now because of you!" I felt hot tears start welling up in my eyes, but I used every bit of strength I had to force them back.
"Why are you yelling at me like this?!" I demanded, trying to keep my voice firm.
"You broke my arm!"
"I didn't mean to! I said I was sorry!
"Weather you meant to or not, and no matter how sorry you are, it's still broken!"
"I'll heal it! I'll find water!"
"THEN GO FIND IT!" I took an unconscious step back, my eyes widening slightly. Those tears I'd fought came back with a vengeance and I had to turn away. I didn't want him to see me with tears in my eyes. Neither of us said anything and the silence seemed to drag on and on. The tension between us was so thick I could've cut it with a knife. I had only one thought: I was going to lose it any second and I had to get out of there. If there was one thing I was not about to do, I was not going to let the Prince see me cry.
Without another word, I opened my wings and left the horrible scene, fighting back angry tears the whole time. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get his words out of my head: "You stupid klutz! You brainless harlot! I should never have let you come with me! All you've done is slow me down!" Never, since the day I'd met him, had he screamed at me like that. Sure, I'd resolved that I was going to stop acting like an idiot and help him, but that time really wasn't my fault. I hadn't meant to hurt him…
When I was far enough away, I landed on a small ledge, sank to the ground and let it out. I cried, screamed and sobbed until I had nothing left to cry and even then, I continued sobbing. Maybe the Prince was right. Maybe I was just getting in the way, despite my good intentions. Maybe I was a bigger burden than I was an asset. Maybe… I should just go home.
Home… I hadn't thought about them in a while…Back up in the Heavens, in my cozy little apartment, kicking back on my couch, eating cake and sipping hot chocolate… I'd always felt so at peace up there, even when I was running around in a panic trying to get everything together right before a class. And Gabby was the best friend any Angel could ask for…
You have to admit, a relaxing day in the Heavens sounded WAY more appealing than sticking around this island with a grumpy Prince another minute. Well, it didn't take a German rocket scientist to figure out what I decided to do. As soon as I found water for the Prince's arm, I was going to tell him that I was going home and that he would no longer have to worry about little ol' me getting in the way and screwing things up. I was just going to pack it up and leave. He could probably get through those towers faster with no one around to bother him.
But first things first. I had to find him some water before the Dahaka found him. Grudgingly, but determined, I stood up, rubbed my eyes and scanned the area. It seemed pretty empty… but low and behold, there was a fountain on a far off ledge. Perfect. Now all I needed was something to keep the water in. I sluggishly glided to the fountain. There, I bent over it and stared at my reflection. My eyes were still red, and my face was still slightly bloated from crying. I couldn't let the Prince see me like this, so I cupped my hands in to water and splashed it on my face, trying to get rid of the evidence.
After I'd washed my face, I found an old worn vase nearby. I washed it out (there was no sand inside, but there was dust galore) and filled it with water. I sighed heavily, knowing it was time to go back to the Prince, and honestly, I was dreading it. I didn't want to go back there. I didn't want to get screamed at again. But maybe when I brought the water back, he wouldn't be so mad anymore…
I was in no hurry to get back. I jut glided downwards, back to where I left the Prince, the vase of water hanging from my barely-clutched fingertips. I could almost feel my eyes start tearing up again, but thankfully they didn't. At least, not so much that it was noticeable.
But my melancholy mood wouldn't last. A loud roar suddenly burst from the vegetation. I knew that roar… that low, deep, menacing voice… Seven years had passed… but I still remember it.
"The Prince…" I gasped, my eyes widening in horror. Without another word, I darted into the trees towards the source of the noise. Well, my bad feeling was right. Dahaka. It had found the Prince and was now in hot pursuit of him. My heart nearly stopped when I saw the Prince running for his life once again, clutching his broken arm protectively to his chest, and not daring to look over his shoulder. He could run, but there was no way he could pull off any of his acrobatics with only one arm. He was in danger.
Without thinking, I flew after them. Mind you, flying was much faster than running, but just how the hell did I plan on getting rid of something like the Dahaka? Maybe it would've been wise to figure out a plan first… but at the moment, the only thought in my mind was that the Prince was in danger and I had to do something.
He actually held up pretty well for a short while, since he didn't have to do much with his arms. Mostly running, jumping over short distances and wall running. For a moment, I though he would make it… I was wrong. It happened so fast I almost didn't register it. There was a cliff… the Prince skidded to a halt, nearly falling over the edge… Dahaka closed in… My brain went offline… then…
"HEY UGLY!" I used the forgotten vase of water and splashed it all over the demon. He immediately let out deafening roars of pain as the water took effect. I used this few extra second to dart around him, grab the Prince's good arm and haul us both into the air.
"Naomi!" the Prince exclaimed, surprised by my sudden appearance. But honestly, I was too busy trying to get us the hell out of there. Apparently, my little water attack hadn't gotten rid of the demon. No, it had just pissed it off. Big time.
"You can thank me later! Going UP!" I turned upward sharply, making sure I kept a firm grip on the Prince's wrist. I didn't know how high that thing could jump, but I was going to find out.
The now enraged Dahaka immediately gave chase, leaping in the air after us. To my surprise, he could jump pretty high. All the more reason to panic. I kept flying as fast as I could with the added weight, going high and high. Only problem was that the Dahaka kept jumping higher and higher… Time for a new strategy. I turned sharply to the left, which successfully threw him off a little, but after a moment, he was right back on our tail. I turned right. Same results. This was not going to get us anywhere. Come on, Naomi, think!
I started my upward climb again. But this time, it wasn't angled. This time, I went straight up… and up… and up… and I soon became so focused on going up to get away from the demon waiting to tear us into little pieces. Well, I had news for that thing. I was NOT about to let him turn us into a Prince and Naomi sandwich, no matter how hungry he was! I became so focused on getting away that I didn't notice that I had out climbed the Dahaka… and that the Prince was yelling at me to stop.
"Naomi! It's gone! You can stop now!" His message finally sunk in and I calmed down. Then I realized that he was right. I had definitely lost him… In fact, the Island looked like a little dot. Wow… I'd never gone this high before… but while I found the view quite intriguing, the Prince wasn't too keen on sightseeing the curvature of the Earth.
"Can you put us down now?!" he exclaimed, sounding nervous. I glanced down at him.
"…Don't look down," I said simply, and started our descent. I lowered back to the island slowly, hoping that the Dahaka wasn't waiting for us to come back down. Thankfully, he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, and he'd decided to leave and wait somewhere else. It took a while, but I finally got us back to solid ground, which the Prince was more than thankful for.
I didn't notice that I still had the vase in my arm. It was empty now, since I'd used it to distract the Dahaka… great. Now the Prince would probably get mad at me for not having any water for his arm. There was an uncomfortable, stubborn silence between us as things settled down again. I remembered my resolve to leave, and I wondered how he would react when I told him. Would he not care and say something like, "Very well. Things will go much faster with you gone."? I sighed. It was time to tell him.
"Prince," I started, stepping toward him bravely, "I have to tell you something. I'm—"
"Naomi… I didn't mean those things I said," he cut me off. I froze and started at him in his tired form, slumped down on the grass. I admit, it took me completely by surprise and caught me off guard.
"W-what?" he slowly stood up and turned around, an expression of… was that guilt on his face?
"I'm sorry I yelled at you the way I did," he said, coming towards me. "I was in pain and angry… I said a lot of things I shouldn't have." I gaped at him, unable to believe what I was hearing. Only a few minutes ago, he was screaming his head about how worthless I was! "You're my best friend, Naomi. You're the only friend I've had that has stuck by me through thick and thin… just because you care about what happens to me. I suppose… I suppose all these years of rough living made me forget how much I value your friendship." He took my hand. "Can you forgive me?"
Guilt washed over my like a tidal wave. What the hell had I been thinking?! What's wrong with me?! The Prince was my friend. My lifelong friend. Sure he'd been furious because of his arm… but what the hell made me think he was going to let our friendship be destroyed because of an accident? And here I had been ready to abandon him!
Again, I felt tears in my eyes, but I didn't let them get far. Just tossed my arms around his neck and hugged him as hard as I could.
"Ow! Naomi, my arm!" he protested. Oops... I'd forgot about that. I quickly let go. He carefully rubbed it.
"I found water for it…" I said softly, "But I used it to distract the Dahaka… sorry…"
"It's fine," he answered, trying to cheer me up, "you saved my life, even after I… made you cry." My eyes went wide. He'd SEEN that?! "Sorry… it was just so obvious that you were about to cry when you turned away from me." I dropped my gaze to the ground as my face grew hot. But the important thing was that the big lug was forgiving me for breaking his arm and was asking me to forgive him for emotional damage. I couldn't help it. I hugged him again, this time being careful of his arm.
"So… what was it you wanted to tell me?" he asked after a moment. I stopped. Damn, forgot about that! Well I think it's safe to say that I changed my mind about leaving.
"I… It… isn't important," I said quickly, letting go of him and picking my vase back up. "I'll go get some more water for your arm… Then we have a tower to activate."
Kiri: Well, there it is! Another chapter in the same day, just like I promised. even though it's 10 at night, it's still Sunday! But unfortunately. It's Sunday. That means that tomorrow is school, so I have to get my butt to bed. So no FAQ this time around... maybe next time. Until then!
