The next morning Eliana woke up with an awful headache and puffy eyes. Not only did she cry herself to sleep last night because of Damien, but also, she had horrible dreams. She kept hearing a voice trying to reach her, whispering something just like when she dipped her head in the cave pool. The memories came flashing down again, but her vision was blurry. It was challenging to identify whether the entity meant well or was evil, scaring her.
Knowing that she had no school today as it was Sunday and she had no other obligations, she asked the maids to bring the breakfast to her room and let Georgina know she could join her here if she wanted to. Obviously, Georgina turned up after a couple of minutes, excited about having a private breakfast in her best friend's chambers.
Sitting by the table together, they ate breakfast in silence. Eliana was lost in her thoughts when Georgina interrupted her. "Bold move Eli," Georgina said proudly while stuffing herself with freshly cut fruits. "What do you mean?" Eliana's forehead wrinkled in confusion.
"Well, we are only guests here in the palace, and nobody permitted us to stay in our rooms for breakfast. You simply did it. Don't get me wrong. I love it!" She beamed.
At the sudden realization of what she had done, Eliana turned stiff. It hadn't been her intention to boss the maids around. Seeing her concerned face, Georgina tried to calm her down. "Don't worry about it. The maids seem to love you and are used to being ordered around. They probably weren't aware of what you did themselves." Looking closely at her friend, she stopped eating momentarily, scanning Eliana's face inch by inch. "Why do you look so dreadful, Eli? Did something happen? - Oh wait, did you not sleep because something juicy happened with Damien?" Georgina rubbed her hands and moved her eyebrows up and down, barely containing her enthusiasm at the thought of the two lovebirds finally admitting their feelings for each other. She had observed how Damien treated her friend and was pleased to see that he cared for her greatly, so she was happy to consent to the relationship.
Staring at Georgina dumbfounded, Eliana tried to figure out what to say. Should she be honest about what happened? Georgina had only recently started to accept Damien and was nicer to him. What if his outburst turned her against him again?
"Ah, Georgina, why must you be so dramatic? Nothing happened with Damien, he only wanted to know the details of yesterday's events, and that was it. The reason I look tired is that I had nightmares." She decided to keep the fight with Damien to herself for now. There was no reason to rile her friend up.
"Goodness, what sort of nightmares? Was it because of the brutal fighting we witnessed yesterday?"
"Hmm, I don't know… It was odd because it felt like someone was attempting to contact me from the beyond, but I couldn't decipher what they were saying." Although she was looking in Georgina's direction, her eyes were blank as she spaced out.
"Uff, I got goosebumps. That sounds frightening. Well, at least it was just a dream."
"Yes, I hope so too. On that note, Gio, did you hear or see anything when you were immersed in the water yesterday?"
"What do you mean?" Georgina was getting concerned by Eliana's state. Something seemed off with her today.
"I mean exactly that. Did you hear voices or see figures when immersed in the pool?" her irritated tone surprised Georgina. Eliana had always been an incredibly patient, kind, and softly worded girl. For her to speak to her in this manner was out of character.
"No, I didn't, Eli. Did you?" 'Something must have happened that she didn't tell me about.' Georgina thought to herself.
"I think I did, and my nightmare was similar to that."
Georgina put her index finger on her lips, absorbed by what Eliana said. "Well, Clara did mention that witches created the pool. Maybe you got to feel some remnants of their power. That would also explain your nightmare. Your brain tried to process what you experienced." Georgina was impressed by how smart her reasoning sounded. She really was cleverer than she expected.
"Interesting theory… I think that makes sense." Nodding her head, Eliana was still lost in her world, struggling to understand what was happening to her. Not being able to solve it right away, she decided to postpone her pondering to another time and asked Georgina to come along to visit the Queen.
On their way to the Queen's chambers, Eliana secretly hoped Damien wasn't there. She didn't have the energy to face him yet, but to her dismay, he sat next to his mother's bed with some papers on his lap. The worse part was that he looked incredibly handsome in his white tunic, which was unbuttoned on the top, giving a sneak peek of the muscular torso beneath and his nonchalant way of crossing his right leg over the left. His wavy hair was pulled together in a bun, leaving a couple of strands falling down his face while he was focused on the paper before him. She really didn't want to see him, but the moment her eyes caught his form, she realized that her twisted heart had missed him. How was that even possible - being angry and disappointed but, at the same time, thirsty for his closeness?
Although he was engrossed in his reports, when he felt her presence he looked up to see her stand there uncomfortably, diverting her gaze the minute their eyes met. Conscious about how unhappy she was to see him, a sting in his heart made breathing challenging. It was his fault that she was angry, making it even more difficult to see her like this, especially noticing the dark circles underneath her eyes. 'Did she cry herself to sleep?' Damien wondered to himself.
"Ah, so nice of you two to come to check on me. I was worried that you two were traumatized by what occurred yesterday, but it looks like you two are well." Clara spoke tenderly, soothing Eliana's troubled heart a little.
"You shouldn't worry about us, Queen Clara. How are you feeling? Are your wounds healing?" Eliana asked with genuine solicitude.
"Yes, I am much better, and all my wounds will heal within the next few days. My only trouble is my son, who won't leave my side." Smiling, she glanced at Damien, trying to signal him to give her more privacy. He understood and stood up to leave but looked at Eliana one last time when passing by her, but she kept ignoring him.
Once the door was closed behind him, the Queen pointed toward two chairs for the girls to sit in. "Finally, some space. Ah, girls, I wanted to thank you for the resilience you showed yesterday. You brought me back here and saved me. I am in your debt."
Georgina would have gladly accepted her being indebted to them, but Eliana would never. "You were the one who saved us first. Please, Clara, do not fret about such things. Important right now is for you to gain back your strength." Eliana and Georgina smiled endearingly at their Queen. It was funny how two days ago, they were still under the impression that Clara hated them, and now they sat together talking as if they had known each other forever. They kept chatting all morning about all sorts of topics until the Queen asked them to let her rest, and they left to go back to their rooms.
To their astonishment, Damien stood by the exit and had been waiting for them this whole time. Thinking that he would go back inside, they gave him a quick nod of respect and were about to head toward their rooms when Damien stopped Eliana by standing in front of her. "Can we talk?"
Georgina could feel the tension between them and thought it best to give them some room to talk out their differences, but when she stepped ahead, Eliana pulled her arm back – she had a different opinion. "Georgina, you don't have to leave, Crown Prince Damien; I believe we discussed everything last night. Now I would like to go back to my room and study."
'Wow, that was cold' Georgina was perplexed about Eliana's demeanor. Nonetheless, she was sure they would work it out once they spoke, so she gave Eliana a little push. She leaned in to whisper in her ear, taking her hand and pealing it off her arm. "There is no use in running Eli, just let him explain whatever mistake he made." and left.