Gab
Feels like years. Yes, that’s how long I felt waiting for Ri to wake up.
After we got out from the shell and defeated the sprosk, Ri fell into a coma.
According to her brother Drey and his mate, Bianca, Ri’s condition is progressing. But they did not know why she was still unconscious.
Bianca and Drey had healed Ri’s wounds and actually, she looked great but still unconscious.
I paced inside her room waiting for her to wake up. I took the seat beside her bed, grabbed her hand and kissed it.
“Ri, it’s me again. I miss you Ri. Please come back to me, to us. We need you, Ri. I need you. I love you so much!”
I kissed her forehead and then her hand. I was about to kiss her lips when the door opened. I retreated and turned to look at the newcomer.
“Oh, baby!” RoseAnn, Ri’s mother uttered, tears in her face. Her father, Drake tailed her. I stepped back to give way to RoseAnn and Drake. I nodded to Drake and shook his hand.
I saw how they love their daughter. What surprised me was when RoseAnn turned to me and hugged me tightly.
“Thank you for bringing our Ri back to us. Thank you for helping her.” She said as she continued to cry. When she let me go, Drake shook my hand again and uttered a quiet, “Thanks.”
I walked out the room to give them some private time.
“Ardessa is weak so is Cassy.” I heard Bianca say to her mate and siblings. I don’t mean to pry but something tells me not to show myself.
“But we need to do something. We need to help her. It’s almost her 21st birthday. Fraeia needs her.” Eana spoke this time.
“Ardessa needs to regain her strength.” AC spoke. “And there is one way to help her.”
“I think we need to do it, now, before it’s too late.” Chaunelle said. “Fraeia needs its empress now more than ever.”
My eyebrows met. What’s wrong with Fraeia?
I heard them got up from their seats. I decided to show myself to them pretending not to hear anything.
They smiled at me. “Heading to Ri’s room?” They nodded. “Mind if I come?”
“No. We need you there, too.” Eana spoke seriously. I was surprised to see her serious. She was always the bubbly one.
When we reached the room, Drew knocked on the door and opened it.
“Mom, Dad, would you mind giving us some time with Ri?”
“What are you planning to do?” RoseAnn asked.
“Ardessa lost her strength; we have to give it back to her.” AC said and their parents nodded.
I looked at the girls positioned beside Ri’s bed. Two girls stayed for each side while the boys made a semi-circle behind them. I was positioned in the middle of the circle perpendicular to Ri’s body.
They stretched their arms above Ri’s body.
“Tokhemo vhroeghltash.” Eana spoke and instantly, our body glowed. “Zhara hagashte oth Ardessa.”
As soon as Eana finished saying those lines, I saw energy coming out of their bodies. I felt my powers unleash some of its powers, too.
These powers all went inside Ri’s body. A few more minutes, we put down our arms.
“I felt Ardessa coming back.” Bianca said. Drey touched Ri’s hand and nodded. We waited for Ri to wake up. But still no sign of her.
“Ardessa?” Eana asked.
Ri’s eyes opened and showed her rainbow eyes. Ardessa.
“Yes, Nariya?” Ri/ Ardessa answered Eana/ Nariya.
“Why is Ri still unconscious?”
“She’s having indecisions. She’s weighing options whether she’d go back as Ri or as me.”
“No, Ardessa.” Rochie exclaimed. “You have to bring back Ri. You know she’ll be there eventually. Just help her come back to us!”
This time, I got confused with their conversation. I did not intervene though.
“Ardessa, please. For the sake of the other kingdoms, we need Ri.”
“I can open the Fraeian gates for you.” Ardessa insisted. “Fraeia needs us badly.”
“We know, that’s why we need Ri to wake up!” Red spoke this time.
“She doesn’t have the reason to stay here in your world. She’s going to Fraeia anyway. Why make it long?”
“Ri still wants to say goodbye to our parents before she’ll return to Fraeia. Are you really gonna take that chance away from her?” Chaunelle said.
“What do you mean go back to Fraeia?” I asked them. Nobody answered me instead, they watched as Ri’s eyes closed once again. We waited for another minute but it never opened.
“It’s not ours to explain, Gab.” Red finally answered my question.
Heads down, they slowly walked towards the door. When they are out, I reached for Ri’s hands once again.
“I don’t know what to do to help you Ri. But I’ll be here to wait for you to wake up. I have waited for you for two years, and I won’t mind waiting for another year. I love you, Ri.” I spoke with too much intensity. I reached out and kissed her lips.
Her body began to glow so brightly that I wasn’t able see through the light. When the light was out, Ri’s body was no longer on the bed.
“Ri!” I shouted for her. The door opened and her family went inside.
“What happened?” Bianca asked.
“She’s gone. I- I just kissed her and then her…her body glowed so brightly. Then she was gone.
“Ardessa?” AC asked Bianca who just shook her head.
“Cassy and their mate bond.” She smiled and hugged me. “Thank you!” She broke away. “Now let’s look for Ri.”
I did not understand what she said. None of it. They all try to look around the room for Ri. That just confused me more.
“Ow, there you are!” Eana exclaimed looking at the butterfly resting near the curtains of the window.
“Come on, Ri.” When the butterfly did not move, Chaunelle smiled and looked at Rochie.
“Tokhemo afliyura!” Chaunelle and Rochie spoke together.
Their body slowly shrank and legs started to sprout as it continue shrank. A few minutes more, I saw two butterflies that flew to the first butterfly. My jaw dropped seeing how the two humans transformed into butterflies. I just couldn’t imagine how great their powers are. But not a slight can be heard from them. They don’t talk about it, even boast about it.
The two butterflies flew over the first one. I turned and looked at their siblings. I couldn’t see the shock in their faces instead, I saw smiling faces looking at the butterflies as if they knew what they were talking.
After a few minutes, the two butterflies descended and rested on the floor. Slowly, their bodies grew and returned to their human form again.
“Silly, Ri.” Chaunelle laughingly said as her siblings also laughed.
“Come now, Ri. You know you can do better than this!”
Oh-oh. Here I am again, not having even the slightest idea on what they are talking. It hit me. I really have plenty of things I don’t know about my mate and her family.
The first butterfly flew down to the floor. As it rested on the floor, it transformed into Ri’s human form. I smiled.
“Ri.” I called her. She looked at me and smiled.
“Thank you for everything, Gab.” She hugged me tightly and to my surprise, kissed me.
I wrapped my arms around her waist while feeling her hands on my hair. I deepened the kiss when I heard a clearing of the throat. We broke apart and I smiled.
“You woke me up. Thanks!” she said but I see sadness in her eyes.
“Are you okay?” I asked her. She nodded and smiled at me before looking at her siblings. I saw the looks they gave to one another. It’s as if they are keeping a secret from me.
“We better leave you two to talk.” Eana uttered and they all piled up to go out.
“Ri.” I looked at her. “What—,”
“Princess!” I was cut by her mother who ran to her and enveloped her in a hug. Her father hugged the two of them, too.
“Welcome back, Princess!” Drake said, teary-eyed. “We miss you!”
“I miss you two, too.”
“Don’t do this to us again, Ri. You almost gave me a heart attack!” her mother exclaimed.
“Mom! Dad!” Drew’s head popped by the door. “They have to talk.” He said seriously I could feel the urgency in it. Their parents nodded and looked back at Ri.
“We’ll have more time to talk as soon as we get back to the Philippines.” She said and Ri nodded excitedly.
Ouch! I felt the pain in my heart seeing her excitement to go home.
“No! This is her home!” Keifer shouted inside my head. “I know!”
Ri
As my parents went out of the room, I turned to the bed and sat down, facing Gab.
“I’m sorry, Gab!” I told him sadly. I saw his brows meet in confusion.
“I can’t stay here anymore. Now that my mission is done- thanks for the help by the way- I need to return to Fraeia.” I saw hurt in his face. “I know you want us to be together but I… I can’t let my people down.” I stood up and walked to him. I put his face in between my hands. “They need their empress.”
I freed his face and walked to the window. I took a deep breath while looking outside.
“Is that the reason why you can’t love me?” I heard him say sadly. “Is that the reason why you don’t let me in?” I nodded.
“Bullshit!” he shouted. Ardessa flinched inside me. She felt angry on him shouting us. “Don’t you even think of how I would feel? Don’t you even think of telling me about this?” He’s angry. I can feel it and I can see it as Keifer was trying to come out. He walked towards the window and jumped outside shifting in the air. He ran towards the middle of the forest.
I let the tears I’ve been holding fall down. I know I hurt him. I am hurting, too. But just like him, I can’t let my people down.
“Let’s follow him.” Cassy spoke inside me.
“And then what, Cass?” I snapped. “Tell him we will stay? No, Cass.”
I felt her cried inside me. “I’m sorry, Gab!” I whispered to our bond as I continued to let my tears fall.