Namaari sighed and nervously knocked on the door but Raya didn't answer. Again. Could it be that the Princess of Heart wasn't there? It was almost midnight, why would she be anywhere else?! Namaari's heart skipped a beat, considering the possibility that Raya might have chosen not to return back to the Palace. Again... It's been two days since the Chiefs came to Heart and during this time Raya was strangely absent. Most of the time. She has completely ignored Namaari and the only interaction they've shared so far, was today, when Raya gave her that look and left shortly after. The Princess of Fang was lost and confused. Was Raya still mad at her? Because even if she was mad, that would have been understandable, if not expectable, but Namaari needed to hear her say it. Not getting any kind of answer was way much worse than anything the Princess could've imagined Raya would say.
"Raya." Namaari knocked again. "Open the door. Please." She added in a calmer tone.
Despite Namaari's collected façade, the Princess was getting really impatient. She slowly grabbed the handle and entered Raya's bedroom. Was that crossing the line? Namaari and Raya weren't that close so the former could enter the latter's room without given permission. What would Namaari say if Raya was there? How would the Princess justify her actions? Namaari was worried, not because of what awaited her on the other side, but because of what didn't. She wasn't even a little bit taken aback by the emptiness that embraced her as Namaari stepped in.
The Princess of Fang carefully observed the bedroom. It wasn't nearly as big as Namaari thought it would be. After all, it was the Princess's bedroom. Raya's bedroom. But, notably, it was a little Raya's bedroom. She had never had a chance to grow out of the clothes that filled Raya's closets. And it was because of Namaari. She had never had a chance to repaint the walls because Raya got bored of it. And it was because of Namaari. She had never had a chance to live a normal life. And it was because of Namaari. As much as the Princess of Fang would've liked to get rid of this crushing guilt, Namaari was perfectly aware of what she did back then. And of its consequences.
She couldn't even forgive herself. How could the Princess possibly ask of Raya to forgive her?
Namaari sighed out of frustration and slowly sat down at the corner of Raya's bed. The soft fabric under, indicated that the sheets have been changed recently but no trace of presence was otherwise detectable. Raya didn't really sleep in this room. If the Princess did sleep at all. Namaari narrowed her brows and stared down at a golden ring that she held in between her fingers. Raya wore this ring as a child. Did she notice it missing? Was the Princess too busy running away from Namaari to turn around and see what she left behind?
Namaari hated this. She hated being alone. It's usually when all those dark thoughts entered her mind. She wanted to do better, to be better but what the Princess did, felt like chains around her whole body, tightening, weighting her down. Suffocating. She was stuck at the bottom of an endless lake with no light to guide her, with no way out. Namaari could still see the fish, the life that was going on, moving on without her and whenever she tried to reach out, the Princess would only get dragged more, deeper into the nothingness.
She suddenly heard a muffled grunt that immediately snapped Namaari out of her thoughts. She carefully stood up, moving closer to the window and looked out of it when the Princess noticed a shadowy figure trying to reach the window-sill. Namaari quickly moved away from the window and leant against the wall. If someone was actually going to break in Raya's bedroom, the Princess was going to do everything in her power to make them regret their decision. She was not going to hold back.
Namaari could hear her heartbeat increase, her chest began to hurt because of how furious the Princess's become. Raya was missing for two days or so and the no-good binturis from Tail or Talon or whatever, already decided to raid the Palace. She clenched her fists, feeling the blood struggle to circulate in the area. Namaari didn't give the figure much time to react as the Princess grabbed them as soon as they stepped into the room. She easily pinned them to the wooden floor, pushing them even more when they tried to resist Namaari's grip.
"URGH! GET OFF OF ME!" Raya struggled, franticly moving her arms that were tied behind her back by the Princess of Fang. Namaari's eyes quickly widened in shock and she immediately moved away, letting the figure loose. Raya aggressively flipped her wet hair to the side while standing up and clenched her fists, now facing Namaari.
"Raya?" She asked. "W-What? Why?!" The Princess of Fang was at loss of words.
"Namaari?!" Raya exclaimed, her voice easily turning from confused to annoyed. "Why did you attack me?" She then added cockily. "I thought Fang was done doing that."
"I... I didn't mean to." The Princess avoided Raya's gaze but soon turned to her again. "Why didn't you use the stairs like a normal person? I thought you were a thief or something."
"I didn't use the stairs because I'm not a normal person." Raya answered mockingly and took off her wet red robe, throwing it down on the bed. It slipped down, hitting the floor with a loud thump. "Doesn't matter... Why are you here, Namaari? Don't you have other things to do?" She asked coldly, looking over her shoulder.
"Why are you acting like this?" Namaari's heart broke seeing the Princess of Heart behave this way. It wasn't just this conversation but the whole situation after Fang, in general. "Did I do something wrong? Because I honestly don't know anymore."
"Oh. No. Of course, not." Raya shook her head sarcastically. "You have never done anything wrong in your entire life, Namaari. Ever." Namaari's jaw clenched at the Princess's last words.
"I can't talk to you right now." She sighed and turned around. "Not when you are like this."
"Good riddance. I don't want to talk to you at all." Raya talked over Namaari.
Namaari glanced at Raya again. She wanted to say something but the Princess couldn't think of anything to say. Would it matter though? Because it definitely seemed like the Princess of Heart had already made up her mind about Namaari, and Fang. "Goodnight, Dep La." She mumbled out of politeness but the last thing Namaari wanted to call Raya was 'strangely beautiful'.
"Don't call me that, Princess Undercut. I hate it."
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KUMANDRA (Short Story)
फैनफिक्शनKumandra is being reunited again. Five Lands are finally coming back together. But Raya suddenly becomes distant from Heart, from her Family and, especially, from Namaari.
