Stunned and confused, Ariel found herself brushing his tears away with her thumb while her own eyes teared up. Why was he feeling her pain? She couldn't understand it.
Then, were his feelings really genuine? It was difficult to accept but his reaction to her words gave her every reason to want to believe. She wanted to believe in him.
"It's alright." Ariel said. "I didn't feel pain. I didn't cry over it. I brushed it aside because I never felt its existence to begin with."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault." She said to him and watched him cry.
"I want to protect you, Ariel. I... " He clutched onto her dress. "But I probably lost my right to protect you the moment I let them kidnap you and make you suffer."
"No, you can still protect me. The world is vast and there are a lot of dangers. You can still protect me from them." She said to him and let her own tears fall.
