Chapter 12
I hadn't spoken to the Prince for a good half hour by now. We were a good ways through the Clock Tower already, and luckily for me, there hadn't been much need to communicate yet. But like I cared. He'd been mean to me, and I was just going to ignore him until he exploded from guilt!
It's just too bad that giving the cold shoulder wasn't very effective against someone who was way too focused on more important matters. Like activating this tower. I know, it was my pathetic attempt at revenge, but he'd really hurt my feelings with that 'break your wings off' comment! Sure, it was kinda my fault for teasing him at the wrong time… but was that really any reason to threaten my poor wings? I think a simple 'shut up' would've sufficed. Or a 'Naomi, this is not the time' or even a 'Naomi, YOU SUCK!' would've done the job…
Oh well, what can you do when you've got a stubborn, moody, self-centered warrior Prince as a partner?
I must not have been paying much attention because the Prince suddenly stopped and shouted at the top of his lungs, "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" I jumped, thinking for a split second that he was talking to me. But I turned quickly and was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Sand Wraith just before he ran out of sight.
I smiled. I may not remember much about the games, but I do remember the Wraith. And it's kinda nice to know that there's another Prince running around, looking after us. Hopefully that Prince wasn't a big meanie.
"What was that?" I asked, feigning ignorance. The Prince looked at me.
"That figure has been stalking us since the beginning. Haven't you noticed?" I just blinked.
"Uh… no, not really, no." He just gave me a look, opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but changed his mind. I looked up at the balcony again. "I know! Let's go follow him!" We had to go up there anyway, so what the hell, eh?
"Are you sure that's wise?"
"…Huh?"
"That thing tried to kill me! You shouldn't go up there alone!" It was only then that I remembered that I was supposed to be mad at him.
"Watch me, meaniepants!" I snapped, "I can do whatever I want!" Then I darted off before he could answer.
I landed on the edge of the platform the Sand Wraith had run onto and looked around. I spotted him nearby, looking like he hadn't expected me to chase him. The two of us just stood there for an awkward moment, staring each other down in silence. I kept expecting him to turn and hightail it out of here, we would have an exciting chase, and it would all end in a dramatic unmasking, but he didn't move. His abnormally bright blue eyes just seemed to burn into my own, and I could sense a mix of emotions in his gaze.
Sadly, out moment didn't end well. While I was racking my brain for something to say, a giant golem just came barreling out of almost nowhere and grabbed the unsuspecting Wraith. Before he could react, the golem tossed him off to the side and he landed very ungracefully in the alcove on the far wall, crashing into some hard objects along the way.
But I wasn't stupid. I immediately darted into the air and away from the ridiculously strong brute. I intended to go back to the Prince, who had continued on with the Tower… but the wraith… he was the Prince in the future, after all. I had to at least make sure he was ok. So I did. I flew to the alcove he'd been tossed into and searched. I found him, unconscious, but thankfully unharmed. He would be out for a good while, but at least he was safe for the time being.
Well, now that I knew he was all right, I guess now I'll have to head back and (shudder) rejoin that grouchy Persian Prince partner of mine. With a heavy sigh, knowing that I would have to spend at least a couple more hours in silence. Great.
Sometimes I really hate being right. Around an hour later, I found myself stuck in an uncomfortable silence as I hovered around, waiting for the Prince to make his way over all the obstacles and gaps and whatnot. And to tell you the truth, I was getting bored. And you know what else? I started thinking about how much easier this would be if the Prince also had wings like I did.
I yawned and tipped backwards, then lost my balance and did a clumsy back flip in midair. The Prince was still trying to make his way to where he was trying to get to. I knew he was going as fast as he could, but damn, if he got any slower…
"Princy…" I started, not really thinking about what I was saying, "shall I take a nap while I'm doing all this waiting?" He glared up at me.
"I'm going as fast as I can!" he snapped, "what do you expect me to do, grow wings and fly?" I grinned.
"I did it, didn't I?"
"You're an Angel!"
"So?"
"Naomi, this is not the time for games!"
"Sure it is, Grumpy!" I heard him growl in the back of his throat and I could just imagine the look he was giving me now. It was amusing for about the first five seconds, and then I felt a little guilty. I seriously needed to stop teasing him so much already. He was having a hard enough time as it is. He didn't need me adding to his load. Smiling softly, I glided down to where he was standing, facing away from me, getting ready to jump to a beam. I lightly slid my arms around his neck. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. But I'm so damn bored over here!" I lazily leaned into him, resting my cheek against his shoulder blade. "Couldn't you speed things up? Just a little bit?" He sighed.
"I already said… I'm going as fast as I can," he answered, his voice softer and much more relaxed this time. Yknow something funny? You would think that after all this time on the run with hardly any time at all to eat, sleep or even bathe, that the Prince would smell like all horrible things combined. But he didn't. Quite the contrary, actually. He smelled like a combination of freshly baked cookies, monoli oil, and soft soil after a light summer rain and coconuts. I don't know how all these smells could mix together so well, but they did and I couldn't help but breath deeply, savoring every breath. I vaguely wondered for a moment what he would taste like, if he smelled this good…
"Naomi…? Naomi, are you listening?" I snapped out of Ga-Ga Land and let go of the Prince, whom turned to me.
"What?" I asked stupidly. He just gave me a look, and then shook his head.
"Why can I never stay angry with you, Nay Nay?" he asked playfully. I shrugged.
"Because… I'm a girl," I replied, kind of pushing my chest out a little. "But you know something, I kinda wish you had wings like I do… at least then we'd be able to bypass half this crap." I gestured to the ravine.
"Couldn't you just carry me across? Like you did in the central hall?" he asked. I shook my head.
"No… even though I'm stronger and I can lift you up, you're way to heavy for me to carry over a distance like this."
"But what about—"
"That time was a fluke. Dahaka was after us, I was high on adrenaline and it was either go the distance or die," I answered before he could ask. ""Let's face it, the only way we could fly over all this is if you—" I stopped. If he had wings… I smacked myself. DUH! Why didn't I think of that earlier!
I gingerly touched the Angel Charm we'd found and forgotten about through the material of my tunic. My fingers traced the chain up around my neck, and then I pulled it over my head. I meant to immediately give it to the Prince, but I suddenly had second thoughts. What if whoever lost this really needed it? What if it didn't work on the prince? What if it did work, but couldn't be undone? What if this was blasphemy? Help me out a little!
I looked back and forth between the charm in my hand and the Prince, who was watching my every move curiously. I wasn't sure it was worth the risk, but if it got us through the tower faster, maybe it was…
"Well… I guess… it couldn't hurt…" I was still reluctant, but I came closer to the Prince and tossed the chain around his neck. He just looked at me, unsure of my motives. "There's a pair of wings still in this thing. I'm letting you barrow them. Barrow. For now." His eyes widened a little.
"You mean…?"
"Yes," I answered, lightly clutching the charm. It glowed softly for a moment and I noticed the Prince tense his back until it stopped glowing. Then I let go and stood back. "Whoa… I can't believe that actually worked!" I exclaimed. Surprised, the prince looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, there was a set of feathery wings protruding from his shoulder blades. To tell you the truth, he actually looked kinda sexy with wings. The only thing that irked me about it was—
"Why are they black?" he questioned, still examining his new limbs. "I expected them to be white. Like yours."
"…They must've belonged to a Renegade," I answered bitterly, my mind now swimming down memory lane, recalling a slew of unpleasant images from the past. "Wing color changes depending of occupation and rank."
"Oh… I see." He was trying to be serious, but I could tell that he was just tickled pink to have wings. I wouldn't have been surprised if he came over any second and bear hugged me til I couldn't breathe. But being a Prince, he had to stay dignified about it.
"Well," I started, interrupted his happy time with the wings, "now I've just gotta teach you how to use them."
Kiri: Well, because of popular demand, the Prince gets to barrow the lost wings. Is everyone happy now?
Prince: I GET WINGS! (happy dance)
Naomi: O.o; There's something you don't see everyday.
Mike: Eh, it's pretty amusing, if you ask me.
Naomi: ...GAH, STAY AWAY!
Mike: Would you relax for like, five seconds?
Naomi: Not with you around!
Mike: (rolls eyes)
Kiri: ok, enough fighting you two. Who wants to do da FAQ today?
Naomi: I WILL DO IT THIS TIME!
Kiri: But-
Naomi: YOU SHUT UP AND GIVE ME THAT MIC!
Kiri: ...
Q: The prince gets wings?! COOOOL!
A: Yes, Princy boy gets wings. Though I know that whoever owns them probably won't like it.
Q: But why are they black?
A: Well... remember who has black wings... heheh...
Q: WHERE'S THE DARK PRINCE! WE WANT THE DARK PRINCE DAMMIT!
A: ...ok, people... this is getting REALLY old REALLY fast.
Q: WELL WHERE IS HE!
A: Goddammit.
Mike: You know, the next person who asks that will get their head ripped of. It's old. Seriously OLD. Drop it already.
Q: ...
Mike: That's better.
A: Well, at least you're useful for SOMETHING.
Mike: And that's supposed to be a compliment?
A: shut up.
Q: Why is the Prince always to mean to Naomi?
A: Because he's having male pms.
Prince: I AM NOT!!!
A: heheh...
Q: Well then, why?
Prince: BECAUSE With all this going on and my death right around the corner, Naomi's teasing is not exactly something I'm ready to deal with lightly!
Q: But she's just teasing...
Prince: I know she means well. But there's a time to joke and a time to be serious and by whatever force in the universe, she always managed to pick the wrong times to joke!
A: I do not! You're just too sensitive!
Prince: I'm NOT sensitive.
A: Really...
Prince: REALLY!
A: suuuure...
Q: So... why's everything going so fast?
A: Because the authoress is lazy and wants to annoy people.
Kiri: NOT TRUE!
A: Bet it is.
Kiri: It's not! To give a straight answer to that question, it because I don't have much happening in this part of the story. But it'll heat up soon, I promise. And it'll all be bad news. (snicker)
Naomi: ...
Kiri: Well, that's all for today. I LOVE all you guys and your reveiws! They really make me laugh! And if you haven't noticed, I sometimes use the sugestions in there... my gift to you. ;) So until the next chappy! Ciao!
