Analice's words struck a chord within Dahlia and suddenly it was like she had opened Pandora's box.
"I- I feel… Heavy…" Dahlia's voice croaked and the moment she said those words, the floodgates within her were pried open. Warm tears ran down her rosy cheeks and she just couldn't stop them- she didn't even try to.
Without saying a word, Analice pulled Dahlia into her warm embrace and stroked her back gently as she wept uncontrollably.
'When was the last time I cried like this?'
'When was the last time I felt this much?'
'When was the last time someone made me this vulnerable?'
'When was the last time… I was happy?'
Dahlia kept asking herself question after question as she cried. Her parent's death, her brother's betrayal, the constant judgment people cast on her, everything Dahlia tried so hard to keep locked inside, hidden from even herself suddenly burst open.
Her cup was overflowing.
She couldn't hear Analice's voice telling her, "It's all okay." She couldn't feel her warm hands rubbing her back and stroking her hair. All Dahlia felt was chaos. The child in her that was forced to grow up too quickly was suddenly allowed to express herself.
It was scary.
It was overwhelming.
Screams. Distorted voices. Blank faces. That was all Dahlia could see and hear. Her own mind had become the object of her nightmares- or rather she made it the object of her nightmares.
Now she understood why people were told to deal with their feelings as they came because if they piled up too much, the aftermath would be catastrophic.
It was like all her feelings were different colored strings tangled together and she had to pull apart each one from the yarn of emotions and straighten it out, she had to face all her demons head-on.
After crying uncontrollably and shaking for what felt like forever, the room fell silent. The yarn of emotions had been straightened out and Dahlia's inner child was finally here. She was free.
"Do you feel better now?" Analice asked once she was sure Dahlia was done crying.
Without saying a word and pulling apart from the hug, Dahlia nodded a reply.
"Would you like to talk about it? Whatever it is that made you feel heavy." Analice spoke in a gentle and soothing voice that made Dahlia relax.
After staying silent for a while and contemplating what to do, Dahlia finally spoke up, "I would," She replied in a weak voice.
Analice listened attentively as Dahlia poured her heart out to her. Occasionally she would rub her shoulders to calm her, wipe her tears, and even pull her into another hug just to make her know that she wasn't alone.
By the end of it all, Analice was familiar with Dahlia's life story from start to finish and all she had to go through on her own.
In all honesty, Analice was shocked to find out about the hardships that Dahlia went through but more the fact that she was a royal, princess of a strong kingdom. Despite being royalty, Dahlia was still so humble and never tried to act like she was above anyone else even though, in truth, she was.
"You are so strong- so unbelievably strong." Said Analice as she was hugging Dahlia.
Throughout the whole story, Dahlia wasn't the only one crying as Analice too shed some tears. In a way they were both similar and went through so much that made them grow up at an early age so Analice could very much relate to Dahlia even though it was on a smaller scale.
'I'll do everything in my power to protect you.' Analice made that silent promise to herself as they embraced each other. Although she was unsure of the reason, she knew she had to shield Dahlia with everything she had.
"I hope you know from now on you have a friend in me so whatever it is that might be troubling you, don't Keep it inside, I'm here to listen no matter what."
"Thank you." Dahlia gave her a weak smile as she expressed her gratitude.
Not too long ago while Gertha was introducing her to Analice, the servant's head, not once did Dahlia imagine she would be sitting in her room, airing out her dirty laundry to her and crying in her arms but life sure has a way of surprising us.
"Oh dear, it's already nighttime," Analice exclaimed as she wiped the tear stains on her face.
"Oh…" Dahlia stared at the window in shock.
They hadn't realized that for most of their conversation, they were sitting in darkness with only the moonlight illuminating the room.
"Looks like you missed your dinner because of me," Analice said to Dahlia as she stood up to light the lamps in the room.
"I don't mind at all. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have been able to let myself break free from all I was holding back so thank you so much for listening to me."
"You're very welcome," Analiced smiled at her, "My dinner should be here soon so we can both eat it."
As if on cue, a servant knocked on the door and walked in with a tray of food and fruits for them to eat.
"This is way better than the godforsaken porridge they make you eat." Analice scrunched up her nose in disgust. She was back to her dramatic self and truth be told, Dahlia wouldn't have it any other way.
"It certainly is. Thank you for inviting me to dinner."
"Oh my, there's no need to thank me. Now, let's dig in."
The two ate the food to their heart's content while participating in small talk along the way.
"I'll be leaving first thing in the morning for two days, I have a matter to attend to." Said Analice.
"So you're leaving me behind?" Dahlia playfully pouted.
"Ooh, will you miss me?" Analice chuckled, "I'll be back quickly, and don't worry, I'll bring gifts back with me."
"Well, now I can't complain." Dahlia smiled.
Their night ended on a lighter note despite the rollercoaster of emotions they went through just a few hours earlier.