Ch. 13 - The Carriage Ride

Damien and Lenz sat in the carriage with Naomi's limp body across them. They'd been completely silent. The ride to the castle had already been rough, but now with Naomi unconscious, the two were at a loss for words.

Damien let out a shaky breath. It was the only thing filling the heavy silence, but when he had done so Lenz began to hysterically cry beside him. He had been grasping both Naomi's hands this whole time, but she stayed lifeless.

Damien looked down at his own hands, turning away from the two. He never noticed. They were trembling.

"She'll be fine." He spoke up. At least for now, Damien felt no traces of Death on Naomi.

Death had been there for the Queen. Damien had been sure of it, but why had Naomi been so affected by Death's presence.

Perhaps from their previous encounter, Naomi had built up a certain sensitivity to Death.

Perhaps, Naomi had always been sickly.

Damien didn't know Naomi enough, and it irritated him greatly.

The more he made an effort to get to know her, the more he realized he knew less about her. It was easier when Naomi was just a name reduced to her reputation.

Damien hated inconveniences more than anything.

He could get rid of her at any moment in time. He could send Naomi to the Underworld and end his mindless worrying. He could have allowed Death to take her the first time.

Except he didn't want to. Wants were the only thing Damien knew, and he didn't have much wants in the first place.

The school tried contacting Naomi's family to inform them of the incident, but they never wrote back. Neither Lenz or Damien knew of Naomi's family situation, but they had never expected them to be absent.

Naomi always seemed so full of love. Perhaps it didn't come from a loving family.

So Damien and Lenz, determined to stay by Naomi's side instead.

Three days. Naomi stayed unconscious for three days.

Lenz and Damien had been in her room, tending to her, when one moment she was laying lifeless as she had been, and the next moment she was sitting up.

"Naomi!" Lenz rushed to her side, and just like how Naomi had dealt with Death this whole time, she stood up not even in the slightest disoriented.

"The Queen," She muttered, "What happened to the Queen?"

Lenz, concerned over Naomi's state of being, took her back to the bed, "Naomi, you must rest."

Naomi shook her head, "No. I must go to the Queen."

"The Queen can wait."

"I must see her now."

Damien stood by the door, and just as Naomi charged towards it, Damien got to it quicker.

"Naomi, you've been unconscious for three days now. The doctors declared you as good as dead." Damien spoke directly.

Naomi wavered for a second, but she shook her head. She let out a heavy breath, but it got stuck in her throat as she tried breathing again.

Her failed attempts to breathe filled the tense room, and it wasn't long until she lost control. She gasped for air, in panic, in terror, in confusion.

"The Queen," is the only thing she managed to keep muttering, "I must see the Queen."

Damien couldn't tell what Naomi was thinking. There was no announcement on the Queen's death, yet, but it was as if Naomi knew already.

Why was it such a big deal though? The community project proposal had never been that serious for either of them. This wasn't their last opportunity either.

Damien stood stiffly, before his body moved on its own. He took Naomi's hand in one, and opened the door with the other.

"Let's go. We're going to see the Queen."

——

Naomi calmed down on the road back to the castle. It was late-noon. The sky was still clear, but it was dimming by the minute.

Damien watched Naomi slouched over, the soft glow of the sun making the shadow of her sunken eyes more prominent.

She wasn't responding to anything. She'd only stay in prayer, muttering the same thing under her breath over and over again.

"I must see the Queen."

This Naomi terrified Damien. He knew she was frail, but he wasn't aware it was to this extent.

Damien had tried to call out to her, but to no avail. So Damien decided to start a one-sided conversation with her.

"Lenz cried for three days straight, you know. I thought he'd fall in the same state as you."

"..."

"Is Forsythia that important to you? I could still bring you, if you'd like."

"..."

"If this is regarding graduation, I have full confidence we'd still be able to do it... together."

Damien bit his lips.

"I'm supposed to be the silent one."

"..."

Damien was desperate. He looked out the window, and they got nearer and nearer the castle. Suddenly, this whole venture was starting to look like a grave mistake. Wouldn't Naomi relapse if she found out what truly happened to the Queen?

"The Queen. Was she important to you?"

"..."

"Her touch had been gentle, and her eyes looked pained. She must've known you. Loved you even."

Naomi stopped muttering, and a single tear rolled down her face.

Damien watched it, but it didn't bloom a path of pink as it usually had. Naomi had lost all her color.

Damien reached out to wipe her one tear away. He caught it with his pointer finger, and got the rest with his thumb. He cradled Naomi's cheek in his one hand, his thumb continuously swiping at her tears.

Naomi reached out and took Damien's hand, first by his fingers, then by his palms. Her touch was weak.

Usually Naomi ran warm against Damien, but she was cold to the touch this time. Naomi still didn't look into Damien's eyes.

Their only point of contact was their trembling hands. Damien sighed, defeated. The only thing he could think of was to hold her tighter. So he did.

They arrived at the castle when the sun had completely sunk into the horizon. The carriage stopped at the exact spot they were at just a few days ago. Damien got up to help assist Naomi, but Naomi refused him.

She opened the window to the coachman, "Head to the back gates."

Damien sat back down, as the carriage sank into an unpaved path. They rode away from the castle and into a heavily wooded area.

Naomi stayed staring out the window, completely still, while Damien struggled to even hold onto his seat at every rock they ran over. The more they rode, the darker it got.

The carriage stopped again, and unlike before, their surroundings were completely dark.

Naomi moved decidedly.

"You may stay. You may follow." Naomi spoke, before marching out the carriage, leaving no time for Damien to even question her.

"Naomi! Wait!"

The coachman stayed in his seat, as he watched Damien rush out to follow Naomi. Why wasn't he doing anything? Were they allowed to do this?

Damien gave the coachman a quick nod, before he ran to Naomi at full speed, afraid she'd walk far enough to disappear into the darkness.

Damien was used to the dark, but the dark in the mortal world was far more unpredictable than the dark in the Underworld.

"Naomi!" Damien walked faster, but Naomi didn't relent. She hurried more.

The two walked deeper and deeper into the woods, passing nothing but trees and roots. They walked for a while until a soft glow materialized from a distance.

It was the castle? Damien slowed when their surroundings brightened from the lights. It was almost as if they entered some portal. He swore they'd been getting farther away from the castle.

Naomi was far ahead of Damien. She lifted her dress, with every step she took, and from afar she looked like a lost spirit. It scared even Damien who lived with actual spirits.

She stopped before a door and knocked on it a few times. Not even a second later, an old man emerged from them. He took Naomi into his arms, before noticing Damien who was still approaching.

Still clueless, Damien hurried his steps again, and as soon as he got to a close enough distance, he curtsied.

"He's a friend." Naomi introduced him quickly before getting to the point, "I'm here to see my grandmother."

The old man merely nodded in Damien's direction, but at least he was giving more than Naomi. He looked just as tired, but present.

"You must've had a difficult time traveling here so late at night." The old man opened the door to both of them. Naomi entered without hesitation, but Damien stood still, confused mostly.

It had been at that moment the word clicked in his mind, "Grandmother?"

Damien reached for Naomi's hands, this time demanding for answers.

She only nodded, offering nothing more.

Was the Queen her grandmother?

Was Naomi the rumored Crown Princess of Azalea?

"Princess." The old man called out and cleared his throat. Damien let Naomi go quickly.

So suddenly he felt so small, and Naomi felt so far away.

He hated this. He knew nothing about Naomi. It made him sick.