Darkest Light

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Calion had drawn closer to the fear-stricken Prince, a cold smile on his face as he grabbed a fist-full of white hair and pulled Kana's head to the side at a painful angle, making the Dark Elf grit his teeth at the sharp fire that shot up his neck as the guard whispered near his ear, sending icy fingers of fear down his spine.

"Now, don't call out, Darkling or something might happen to that pretty little sister of yours. Nayali, I believe her name was? She just might meet a cruel end when she goes to visit that little filly of hers."

"Don't touch her!" Kana bit out, his gold eyes showing a spark of rage and Calion scoffed, bringing his knee up into the Prince's stomach. The Dark Elf groaned, unable to even curl around the injury as the guard jerked him up by his hair and released him with a shove. "Behave and she'll be just fine. Now start walking. This place is much too open for my tastes."

----------

(( Of all the people to run into... :P ))


For a Dark Elf to be up this early was not common. For a Dark Elf Prince to be up was even less common, but Itaete had important business to attend to and he'd been walking with purpose when he nearly ran into Elidi. The dark-haired Prince frowned at seeing Elidi at first, not overly fond of her at the moment seeing as she was the daughter of the elf who kept his brother from him and subjugated his people, but when the female elf spoke, the dislike vanished to be replaced with a sharp attention and intelligence.

He'd been going to see his brother. To hear that Elidi could not find Kana...

"I might. He used to visit the stables when he woke, though...I had not expected him to be up this early. Why are you looking for him?" There was suspicion in Itaete's voice that was obvious, but he'd already started leading Elidi down the hall that would take him to the stables.

-----

Kana winced as he was shoved into the stables and stumbled, falling to his hands and knees. He'd been hit and kicked the entire walk to this destination and his mouth was already bleeding, his body aching in protest and shaking in a familiar, crippling fear. He could already feel the many pains that could be inflicted upon him and Calion seemed to sense that, enjoy it as he pulled the Dark Elf up by his hair again and dragged him into an empty stall.

"You look much too clean, Darkling, though, I do like the red tunic. It'll hide the blood well."

Kana whimpered, absolutely hating that the sound escaped him at all, but feeling completely helpless and overwhelmed as his wrists were grabbed and tied to a wooden beam in front of him by a section of reign. "What do you want? Why are you here?" Why couldn't they just leave him alone?

Calion sneered and in that moment, like many before it, Kana very much found himself doubting that the male before him was an elf. He couldn't be. His heart was dark and hard and unforgiving. He enjoyed inflicting pain too much. Said pain came now, just as Kana knew it would and he bit back a cry as the whip descended on his back and Calion started speaking calmly as he worked.

"Well, it's simple, Princeling. I want you to die, always have, but well, those I work for say you can't yet. So my task is to keep you out of the way, too weak and scared to interfere and you've gotten much too bold as of late. You need a reminder of your place. You should have left the little princess to the humans, Darkling."
 
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(( Haha I thought it'd make the storyline a bit more interesting ;D ))

Elidi didn't really care what Itaete had been doing up so early in his day so she didn't question what he was doing or where he was off to, the only thing being on her mind was finding Kana. Even the frown that appeared on Itaete's face when he saw that it was her didn't phase her, she just simply ignored it. She ignored the suspicion in his voice, too, as he answered her, giving her a clue that Kana might be in the stables.

She was glad that the prince had already started leading her to the stables, but he was walking much too slow for her and she picked up the pace, silently letting him know that it was an urgent matter they needed to attend to. She looked at him when he asked why she was looking for him and a hand came to her chest subconsciously. It still felt like her ivory flesh was burning.

"I think something's wrong with Kana," she finally answered Itaete, wanting to get to the stalls already because the pain in her chest was only growing more intense with each minute.
 
The pain was familiar, so horribly familiar, but it was still pain and Kana bit back another cry as a new streak of fire fell over already raw skin on his shoulder. The whip pulled away as fast as it had come before snaking around the side of his waist, eliciting a choked scream from the Prince before he broke it off and the lash stopped following. Kana shook, hardly able to stand anymore as he leaned against the stall wall, blood running in rivets down his back, his shredded shirt doing little to soak it up anymore.

His power kept sparking, trying to come to his defense, but Calion had seen that early, seen the frost forming in the air and had chuckled darkly as he took herbs from a pouch and rubbed them cruelly into the wounds on Kana's back, sending their effects into his bloodstream, suppressing the ice power that wanted to flare.

Now the guard approached him again and almost gently moved Kana's bloodied white hair away from his face, making the Dark Elf flinch away, shutting his eyes tightly, breathing ragged.

"Are you ready to not interfere anymore, Princeling?"

"Go..t-to..hell."

"Hmm, I'll take that as a no."

Kana moaned as he was punched in the side, feeling a rib crack and then gave a sharp scream when he felt a rough hand run down his back, pressing against the raw skin maliciously. His mind was growing hazy with both the drug in his system and the pain and Calion smiled, straightening. A few more days of this and he was more than sure the Dark Elf would break.

He obviously still didn't know Kana as well as he thought.

---

Itaete picked up his speed when Elidi did, her alarm concerning him and he gave her a sharp look when she rubbed her chest while mentioning her worry for his brother. Something was going on here, he was sure of it...

But right now to find Kana because if Elidi was right then his suspicions would be confirmed and Itaete felt furious even at the thought. They hurried in the direction of the stables, across the courtyard and into the north outer grounds of the palace, and it was then that they heard the scream.

The dark-haired Prince immediately took off, an angry snarl exiting his mouth as lightning literally crackled at his fingertips. He burst into the stable with enough fury, already dreading what he'd see, to level the entire building, but at the sight of his brother and the Light Elf above him with a whip in his hand....

It was a wonder Itaete didn't level the entire kingdom as he raised his hand and the lightning arced, flying into the guard without restraint.
 
Elidi knew it was enough to tell Itaete that she thought something was wrong with Kana; after all, the two were brothers and from her recollection, they were very close. They practically ran through the halls and outside the giant, elegant doors where the courtyard stood and in the direction of the horse stables where the princess very dearly hoped that was where they would find Ekanath.

Once they entered the outer grounds of the palace, the pair heard a scream and Elidi immediately followed after Itaete, her mind racing with so many possibilities as to why Kana was screaming. Had their trackers come and found them here? But why would they be targeting only Kana? Were Light Elf guards daring to abuse the eldest prince? She had no idea but she hoped for the best, whatever that was, and flew into the stables.

The sight before her was horrid and her chest burned even more. Her eyes stared at the abused and bloody Dark Elf, at the whip that was clutched in a Light Guard's hand before Itaete had ripped powerful lightning into the man. And suddenly she felt very angry, enraged, a primal instinct wanting to kick in - to growl or roar or even hiss. But the instinct faded away and she was at the guard's side in an instant, not recognizing the man but surely imprinting his face into her mind as he struggled to get up. But Elidi was not going to let that happen and she kicked his legs out from under him, latching onto his arms when she got the chance and forcefully moving him so he was laying on his stomach, both her hands clutching at his wrists as her foot pressed onto his head to keep the man down, her eyes like daggers as she stared at him. He'd only be able to get up and escape if he somehow managed to overpower her.
 
Itaete was livid that his lightning blast hadn't killed the Light Elf, but he knew such a thing would result in great consequences - if a Dark Elf killed a Light Elf - so perhaps it was for the best. Okay, the dark-haired Prince didn't actually think that, but he wasn't about to try and kill the guard now that Elidi was so close to the other male. Instead he moved to his brother, horror in his eyes as his gaze trailed down the torn and bloody flesh of the Crown Prince's back, the bruises forming on his skin. It was the glazed look in his brother's eyes that alarmed Itaete the most, though, and he struggled to get the reign undone from his brother's wrists. They were slick with blood, though, the straps having cut into Kana's skin cruelly when he struggled.

"It's all right, Kana. Everything is going to be all right. You're safe. It's all right." Itaete almost chanted the words as he drew a dagger and carefully started to cut through the leather, but Kana wasn't listening. He'd began struggling again, his mind less than lucid now and all he saw was a form near him, felt the bonds around his raw wrists being tugged on painfully. He moaned, trying to get away and Itaete felt his heart twist painfully at the sight. He managed to cut through the reigns then and Kana was released to crumple to the floor.

The Dark Elf attempted to scramble away then and Itaete caught his brother's arms, wincing as Kana gave a scared sob and stilled, curling in on himself as if he expected to be struck. The younger male looked stricken at the reaction and once more tried to speak to his brother, to reassure him.

"Kana. It's me. It's Itaete. I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe."

"You're...wasting your time....Prince." the wheezed words came from Calion, the guard giving a cackle. He'd been watching silently the whole time and now addressed the Princess who held him down with a sneer. "See that, your Majesty? There's your Moon Guardian. A pathetic excuse for an elf who'd rather cower than fight." He laughed again and then did something no one could have anticipated.

He disappeared.

And in the shock that disappearance would have garnered, he jerked his arms away from Elidi and shoved her foot off him and then moved away, no one able to see where he'd retreated to. His voice was taunting when it floated to them, though. "I'll be sure to tell, Sir that he doesn't need to worry about another rescue. Don't worry, little princess, you'll be back on that auction block soon."

More laughter and then there was silence.
 
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Elidi was quietly but angrily cursing in her native tongue, the clicks and foreign words sounding harsh on her tongue. She didn't care if she was a princess - if you broke her enough, she would lash out. Her foot pressed onto the guard's cheek with more pressure when he tried to lift his head and a low grunt was heard from him, but Itaete's comforting words for Kana brought her back and she looked over to the two male elves, her expression one of horror and sorrow and shock.

The eldest prince was a mess; the leather straps had cut into his wrists and blood was still oozing out from them, sliding down his arms and to the sleeves of his shirt. And his mind had cut him off, making the prince struggle to get away from Itaete even though he was only trying to help, the white-haired elf moaning and falling to the ground. Elidi needed to be with Kana, to tend him and make his pain go away, but she still had to deal with the guard who was watching the scene unravel.

The scared sobs coming from Kana broke Elidi's heart and she bit her lower lip as he curled into himself, Itaete trying to reassure his older brother that he was safe and everything was okay. But it everything wasn't, because the guard was looking up to Elidi and she found herself feeling cold under his vision and she looked down to him with a very angry but controlled expression.

Moon Guardian? Was that what Kana was to her, the marks that bound them together? She didn't know exactly what it meant but it made sense. But when she heard the guard insult Kana, she couldn't bear it any longer and an angry growl-like noise escaped her vocal chords and she shot the abusive guard down in their native tongue.

But suddenly, he had disappeared. Right from her sight. She blinked and jerked her head back, feeling him still in her arms but her mind not registering it until he had already slipped out of her grasp. She looked around the stables but he was nowhere in sight, though his voice was clearly heard and she froze at his words, hearing that she'd be back at the auction block soon. But she didn't let her fear show for even a second before she was back, the laughter disappearing and she immediately went to Kana's side, looking at Itaete before back to the older prince.

"Kana," she said softly, trying to get a look at her face. "Kana, it is me and Itaete. It's okay now, the guard is gone. He won't hurt you any longer," she said, mentally swearing to herself that she wouldn't ever let Kana suffer that kind of experience again. She slowly and cautiously lowered her hands onto his even though they were smeared with blood.
 
Elidi's words didn't seem to register any better than Itaete's had as Kana trembled, staying exactly where he was. He wasn't calm by any stretch of the imagination. He was just terrified of moving, of being hurt again, of making someone angry enough that the threat over his sister would be carried out and the Dark Elf didn't look up at either of them, the pain pulsing through his body relentlessly and the drugs making it hard to think of anything else but the fire along his back and the burning of the mark on his chest, the pain each breath brought due to his ribs.

Voices meant nothing, but touch he reacted to. Itaete had taken his hands from Kana's arms, so when Elidi's fingers touched his hands, he was hyper-aware of the contact and Kana jerked back, but even as he did, the mark on his chest stopped burning. The pain left on that area of his body and cold spread from that point instead, soothing the heat of his skin, the herb's influence as much as it could.

It was a small relief, but a relief nonetheless and it grabbed Kana's attention so that he looked up, struggling to focus on Elidi's face. He knew her. He knew- Kana's eyes glazed over again, the thought fleeing as he slumped and Itaete caught him quickly, cursing rather colorfully as Kana blacked out. The younger Prince didn't waste time then, moving to pick his brother up, knowing that he was going to cause his sibling agony no matter how they did this, but also knowing they couldn't stay here.

He looked at Elidi then, expression dark and murderous, though, not aimed at her at the moment. "Bathing chambers. Go. Try not to be seen."

Itaete carried Kana out of the stables then, his brother whimpering and half-sobbing even while unconscious at the pain as he was taken through the palace, both Itaete and Elidi doing their best to hurry to their destination.
 
The Light Princess kept her tone as soothing as possible and her touch as gentle as she could, careful not to let her fingers swipe against the cuts on Kana's wrists as he jerked away from her. Her touch seemed to grab his attention, thankfully, but their eyes only met for a second before his glazed over and he blacked out, Itaete reaching him before Elidi could.

The younger prince picked up his older brother and looked to the princess, telling her to go to the bathing chambers without being seen. She nodded and followed him out to the stables but once they were in the courtyard, she took a different path, carefully scouting where she was walking before continuing. She did the same once she was in the palace as she tried to be quiet as well. She cut it close with a servant, but she managed not to be seen at the last second and finally made it to the original bath houses, peeking inside to see if Itaete and Kana had made it.
 
Itaete had made it to his destination before Elidi, knowing his way around better than she and had managed to do so without anyone seeing his brother. The younger Prince now had Kana laying on his stomach on a couple of towels by the ice-waters of the bath - they'd need it - knowing that was the best option right now despite Kana's cracked ribs because his back was much worse. Itaete had just cut through the tattered remains of his brother's shirt when Elidi peeked her head in.

The second Prince didn't seem to notice her at all as he looked over the damage on his brother....but it wasn't NEW damage his eyes lingered on. It was the old damage, the scars that had faded to silver-white over time, the burns and the cuts, the whip marks that crisscrossed underneath the fresh ones, peeking out from below the blood. Itaete struggled to breathe, gasping as he laid shaky fingers over a burn scar on his brother's side, shock and anger in his eyes.

His head snapped up then, showing he was very much aware of Elidi's presence.

"Did you know about this?!" he hissed, something very dangerous in his tone.

(( Well, you wanted Itaete... ))
 
(( It's good for development. :P ))

At the sight of the two princes, Elidi walked in to the bathing chambers and slid the door shut behind her. Her eyes glanced from Itaete to scanning the condition of Kana, immediately knowing he was in very bad shape. She took a few steps forward before noticing the way the younger prince was looking at his brother's back, all over the old whip, burn, and cut scars. She braced herself for the anger of Itaete, seeing the way his trembling fingers smoothed over a scar.

She tried to remain calm as the Prince lashed out on her, his tone very harsh, and her eyes didn't meet his, but only for a few seconds.

"Not when it happened," she answered truthfully. "I only knew when he told me. And I don't think my father knows of it either," she said, mentioning her father if he were to try and blame him. Then she took another couple steps forward, desperately wanting to begin her treatment on Ekanath.
 
(( True dat! ))

"You don't THINK he knows about it! And what if he does!? What if your father ordered this?! We honored the contract! We trusted your people with Kana! We--" He broke off with a roar of anger, lightning crackling at his fingertips as the words eluded him and black fury took it's place. His brother had been abused, tormented and he'd done nothing. So many times he'd wanted to leave, to go to Sanesia and see Kana, but he'd honored the contract, he'd obeyed the new laws and now he found out that his sibling had been treated no better than a slave!

To say Itaete was beyond livid would be an understatement. He was like a storm ready to wreak destruction and it was only because of Kana's state that the younger Prince didn't try to blast Elidi there and then.

He stood from his position by his brother and clenched his fists as he came to tower over the Light Elf. "You're a healer. Heal. Him. And don't leave this room." Technically he wasn't allowed to give Elidi orders at all, but Itaete didn't care as he stormed out, leaving the Princess alone with his brother.
 
"If he does know, then he is not. My. Father." Elidi stormed back, pronouncing each of the last few words separately and keeping her eye contact with Itaete for as long as she could. She understood the Dark Elf's anger, understood everything he felt. Maybe not to the exact extent, but definitely understood it. She felt it. Her ears heard the crackle of the lightning at his fingers, saw the purple light of it out of the corner of her eyes, but she didn't break eye contact with him even then. It only broke when he looked away. Her fists were balled up at her side to keep tension there.

When the younger prince towered over her, she only looked up to him, not saying anything or even nodding. Just simply looking before he stormed out of the bathing chambers. She let out a deep breath a few moments after he left and then turned slowly to the wounded prince. She slowly knelt down by his side, shifting her dress so she'd be more comfortable. She slowly looked over his bare back - the bleeding had slowed and was barely going anymore, but the whips were pretty deep. She let out a shaky breath as her gold eyes looked over to Kana's face, her hand reaching out to stroke gently at his cheek and to wipe hair away from his forehead.

"I'm so sorry, Kana," she said softly, sadly. "I am so sorry..." An unfamiliar throb at her throat pulsed its way through but she swallowed it down, not daring to cry right now especially since she had work to do. Then she tended to his back, intending to work on his wrists after healing his more severe wounds.
 
Pain. Everything was pain and fire and heat. He couldn't escape it, could barely think of anything else and he didn't want to wake. The agony would be worse there, he knew that. He'd experienced that before every morning he was forced to rise with the sun, the unbearable orb of merciless fire that beat down on him for hours, sapping his strength, more than once threatening to kill him.

Death would have been welcome at those times when his own sweat burned the wounds that secretly covered his body. When his clothes stuck to his skin and the blood clotted to the fibers, pulled away violently with a sudden movement or a cruel tug by a guard...those were the moments when he prayed for the sun to just swallow him whole and end it all.

He didn't hate the sun, though. Not anymore. Why was that?

No, no, the pain was too much. He couldn't think. Didn't care.

But he did. Kana started to struggle against the darkness that kept him trapped, forgetting the agony he'd be returning to in his quest for answers, for understanding. The Dark Elf blinked, everything blurred as he tried to focus. He'd barely begun to see straight when the pain swamped him and Kana whimpered deep in his throat, shifting slightly, trying to relieve it, but unable to. He was on his stomach. He didn't like being chained down. He was more vulnerable that way. Panic started to grip his mind, but when he moved his arm, it faded.

No chains.

Wait. Where was he?
 
When Ekanath awoke next, Elidi was finishing up the last of the whip wounds on his lower back, which was about a couple hours later. A warm, pale yellow glow orbed from the palm of her hands as they hovered, sometimes touched, over the wounds on the dark skin. The cool temperature of the pools had gotten to the Light Princess, creating goosebumps along her skin, but she only ignored it as she was completely focused on healing her elf.

Wait, her elf? What...?

But before she could correct herself mentally, she heard a whimper from the male and her eyes were instantly to his face, her body ready to ease him back down but it seemed he was in too much pain to sit up. One of her hands went to his shoulder and touched it softly as she leaned down and over to meet his eyes.

"Try not to move, okay?" she said softly. "Don't worry, you're safe now. I am tending to your back right now, but I'm almost finished." Then both hands went back to the last whip mark. "Your wrists are cut as well, just so you know."
 
The touch had made him flinch and Kana's eyes snapped to meet warm golden ones. It took him a moment to place them, his mind sluggish, but he DID kow them this time and the male elf shuddered as he let his body relax as much as it was able....which was a lot more than he'd been expecting. His back was sore, but the fire that had throbbed through him was gone. When he'd moved, there had been no surge of pure agony, no pulling or tearing of forming scabs. She'd healed him and the realization made Kana want to cry with relief.

So he did.

At this point he didn't care what his reactions were, how it made him look. He'd had the safety of his home shattered and even if it never happened again, he'd still be haunted by the memory of it and that was bad enough. His mind was fractured right now, thoughts scattered, emotions under little control and the Prince simply let the tears run, his entire body trembling with shock and residual fear, and pain even still as his ribs were causing him a great deal of discomfort and his wrists ached and throbbed. He knew his face and stomach had to be a mass of bruises right now.

That wasn't what he kept thinking about though. For some reason his brother's face kept flashing through his mind and Kana finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "...Itaete...was he...here?"
 
Elidi was patient with Kana since she knew he'd most likely be sluggish due to what he experienced earlier in the day. She was a healer so she had seen thousands of sicknesses and wounds, whether it was a minor scratch or a detached limb. Blood never bothered her and neither did the gory view of a body's inside anatomy. The only time she would ever be upset was when her close friends and family were hurt. But even then, even through the wars that her brothers served in, she had never seen so many scars and cruel wounds like the one Ekanath had. She was sure several other Dark Elves experienced the same.

But the Prince crying was far from what Elidi thought would happen and when he did, she had just finished the last wound. So she immediately went and sat above his head, cross-legged as she pulled on his arm gently so he would turn and lay on his back. He would feel a bit tightness and soreness where the marks were, but for the most part, he would be fine. Once he turned, she lifted his head gently and laid it in her lap, her hands on either side of his face as she looked at him softly. She stroked some of his hair away from his eyes, thumbs running by the side of the tears but not wiping them away. She'd have to heal his wrists and then his ribs, so she leaned forward and lifted his hands gently from his sides before bringing them to his chest. Her hands began their warm glow as she began to heal his wrists, knowing he'd feel some discomfort and even pain in the beginning.

Elidi looked down to Kana when he asked about his brother and she nodded, her brown hair stringing down and almost touching the Dark Elf.

"Yes, he was here..." she answered, keeping her voice calm and assuring from years of experience. "He left me to heal you." She said nothing else, nothing of the outburst since she didn't know how Kana would react to it, nothing of how she felt the burning that let her know he was in danger, nothing of the guard escaping.
 
Her touch soothed him.

He'd not expected it, hadn't sought it, wouldn't have thought to ask it of her, but the fact of the matter was that at a point when Kana would not have accepted touch from anyone....he accepted it, relaxed into it when it came from the female elf who's fingers caressed his skin with light touches. His tears slowed as she began to work on his wrists and not even the slight streaks of sharp pain that faded as soon as they came brought them back.

Kana closed his eyes slowly, Elidi's unique scent - something like fresh grass and apples - surrounding him and he'd almost dozed off when she answered his question about his brother. The Prince opened his eyes, blinking slowly, trying to focus again as he frowned. Itaete had been here. Why...why was that bad? He'd left to let Elidi heal him? Wait...that meant he'd....seen the injuries....the scars.

Kana looked up at Elidi then and his hand, only half-healed, grabbed her own suddenly. His gold eyes were not yet panicked, but there was a new kind of fear there. Fear of discovery. "Wh-where did he g-go?"

The Dark Elf was sure he already had a good idea of that answer to that question even if Elidi didn't know.
 
Elidi was glad that Kana didn't fight her touch, didn't try to struggle out of her grasp. It made it easier for her, and for him. When his tears slowed, she closed her eyes for a brief moment, her mind slowly reeling and trying to tell her that everything was going to be okay. But was it really? That guard... that bas**** had escaped and gave a very clear message that he'd be back. For both her and Kana. A very faint disgusted expression crossed her face, but her eyes quickly opened and the expression had gone as fast as it came.

The Prince's wrists were only half healed when he grabbed at the Princess's hand and her eyes met his, recognizing that fear of discovery almost instantly. She didn't answer for a few seconds, her face almost solemn.

"I do not know," she answered. "But yes, he did see your scars." A minute more and his wrists would be healed since they hadn't cut too deep. "It's been a few hours. Nobody has come in here. But Kana, let me tend to your ribs, please, some of them are cracked." Bones were often harder to heal than flesh wounds, so she'd have to wrap Kana's ribs. But that would also help fully heal the newer whip marks so it was like killing two birds with one stone.
 
Her words confirmed his fears and Kana had jerked as if he'd rise, but at Elidi's request he relaxed back down and merely nodded, letting her see to the rest of his injuries. There was silence for several minutes, only broken by the gurgling of the water beside them and the hiss of pain Kana gave when his ribs started to mend, but the Dark Elf broke it completely as he started speaking, words quiet.

"He said I had interfered too much, that...that he wasn't allowed to kill me." Gold eyes looked up to meet gold. "He said I shouldn't have rescued you, left you to the humans, that he was here to keep me out of the way. I don't...I don't understand. He knew. He knew I'd be here..."

Kana shivered, his skin much too warm, but that not being the reason for his reaction. "He threatened Nayali." The Dark Elf closed his eyes tightly. "I should...I should have fought him. I should have..." New tears slipped down the male's face and he opened his eyes, trying to blink away the moisture, shame a deep emotion in his eyes.
 
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The princess knew she couldn't do anything more if Kana were to get up and leave, that her pleads probably wouldn't register in his brain. But when he relaxed back into her lap, she felt small relief and tended to the rest of his injuries, her fingers skimming like feathers over the bruises that marked his chest and stomach before starting to mend the cracked bones.

Her eyes glanced to his, meeting them as he spoke. It took her a few seconds to realize that he was talking about the guard and she looked at him with thoughtful eyes as his words played over in her mind.

"That... that doesn't make sense," she murmured to herself, trying to think of how the guard knew they would be here in Aniis. He wasn't allowed to kill Kana... so that meant he was working for someone. There was a mastermind to all of this.

Her fingers pressed against some skin and with a few seconds, Elidi realized that his temperature was much too warm for a Dark Elf. So she paused in her mending and grabbed a small towel sitting next to them before dipping it in the cold pool of water. She wrung most of the water out before moving it to Kana and squeezing the rest onto his body, starting from his shoulders and then down his chest and stomach. Then she folded the towel once and laid it on his chest where it wouldn't be in the way of her healing.

"He's not going to hurt Nayali, I promise," Elidi said as she met Kana's eyes again. Her hands cooled by the water cupped his cheeks gently as she looked down at him, watching the new tears slip down his face and seeing such deep shame in his eyes. Her heart broke for the second time that day and she just wished she could take away all his shame, all his pain... everything negative that he felt. She shook her head when he said he should have fought the guard, trying to take away his guilt since he shouldn't have felt it.

"It's okay," she assured gently, wanting to rock him in her arms but not really being able to. "It's okay." Then she did something, something she wasn't sure how the prince would react to, but knowing somehow that it would be okay. Or at least she hoped.

Elidi's thumbs stroked soft lines against his cheekbones. Then she slowly leaned down and placed a ginger kiss on his forehead, her eyes closed as she did so before she slowly pulled away a couple of seconds later with a reassuring smile, her eyes open and looking down at Ekanath.
 
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