Royal On The Run (unedited)

Chapter Thirty

Naomi

    "Why do I get the worst of feelings when I look out at the snow?" I asked Sebastian later that night.

    Snow had been falling all day. We were barely into November, completely skipped past Halloween, and now it seemed as if we were in the middle of a blizzard. Just three weeks ago we were all wandering around with hoodies or t-shirts and called it good. Now, we'd have to bundle up. And that wasn't ideal for a royal on the run.

    Sebastian had his arms wrapped around me as we stared out the side of the slightly frozen waterfall. His head rested on my shoulder, hands smoothing circles into my bare arms.

    "What are the odds that you just don't like snow?" he asked with a low laugh. "You're always saying it's too cold."

    "Well, it is." I say. "But I'm being serious, Bas, there's a feeling I have never felt before in me when I see it falling. It's scaring me if I'm being honest."

    "You have nothing to be scared of when I'm with you. I'll keep you safe."

    As much as I loved it when he said that to me, it wasn't what I needed to hear right now. I needed something else. I needed a reassurance I wasn't crazy.

    "Bas, you know what I mean."

    Sebastian was quiet for a moment before responding. When he did, his voice took on a level of assurance I hadn't heard before. "You've been through hell and back in the past couple of weeks, Nai, it's only natural for you to feel scared if you see things. In this case, snow. Even things you normally love could trigger something different in you now. You're dealing with trauma and grief and worry, all at once. You don't know when it will end. It's only natural."

    It was good to hear him say those words. It was a reassurance I wasn't crazy, wasn't overreacting. But it still didn't quite squelch the uneasy feeling.

    "Dinner." Deacon called from the kitchenette. "Tomato soup and crackers. Enjoy."

    Slipping out of Sebastian's arms, I made for the warm food. Soup on a cold and snowy day was the perfect remedy. We all sat around the little table. It still amazed me what security had managed to squeeze into this small cave. Having a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and a tiny little living room was perfect. It felt cozy, maybe when things calmed down and when I was no longer Queen, Sebastian and I could do with a home this size. It'd be perfect for us.

    As we ate, I hoped the soup would be the cure for not only the cold and snow, but also the uneasy feeling rocking back and forth in my belly like a ship rocking at sea. Deacon who'd been previously occupied with dinner was now noticing my abnormal behavior.

    "You're being quiet, Nai. What's going on with you? You alright?"

    I downed another spoonful of the soup. "Just an uneasy feeling is all."

    "From what?"

    I glanced out the glass wall. "The snow."

    "That's not it." Deacon shook his head. "Well, not all of it anyways. No one can see into the cave, Nai, not through that. The glass is tinted from the outside making it blend in with the rock around it. We're safe here."