Natham's POV
I wake at dusk and feel the warm body next to me. I turn over to see Gwyneira sleeping peacefully, her skin glowing as the setting sun casts its rays upon her. I reach up, gently stroking her cheek and feel a soft sigh escape her lips. She smiles and curls in closer to me.
"Good morning," her sweet voice whispers and I feel everything inside of me go warm.
"Morning my love, today's the big day. I'm assuming you'll be supporting Matrix?" I question.
"Hmm? Oh yes, will you be at Cybil's side then?" she hasn't even opened her eyes yet and I smile down at her.
"You understand don't you?"
"Of course, you are her human, as I am Matrix's. We are not slaves to them through chains, but through love instead."
"Yes, and it was only right that we come together this way.
Now she looks up at me. "Natham...you can romanticize it all you want, but we hurt that girl and fate had nothing to do with it. If you'd never met me then you would be in bed with her right now and she'd still be waking up beside the love of her life."
I turn away from her, a growl building up in my own throat. "Why must you bring this up every day? Can't you just be happy that we're together?"
"I am happy, I just can't ignore the fact that what we did was wrong. She barely looks at me anymore, I care for her Natham. I was at her side during her weakest moment, and you abandoned her because you were too afraid to face her. Your lack of loyalty concerns me."
"I'm loyal to you! I'm here, right now, what else do you want from me?"
"I want you to admit that you hurt her."
"I have admitted it, I'll say it again. I messed up, I broke the heart of my best friend. There." She rises from the bed quickly and begins dressing. "Where are you going?"
"To help Matrix and Lily prepare for the day."
"You're still angry, I don't understand. I did what you asked me to do."
"I don't want you to admit it to me Natham, I want you to admit it to yourself. You need to mourn the loss of your best friend, because that's a hole I can't fill. Only acknowledgement can patch it up." Before I can get a word in she walks out the door and slams it behind her.
My blood is hot as anger rushes through it. Sometimes I just don't understand her. I can't help but think she's making a big deal out of nothing. Cybil seems to be doing fine, and she's taken our side against the people. That's all we need, we'll be safe now. There is no reason to be so concerned about Cybil and her feelings.
Gwyneira has been enamored by Cybil but I know the truth. Cybil doesn't feel much of anything, whatever feelings she had for me are long gone by now. And I doubt they were really even there to begin with.
I shake my head quickly to clear myself of these thoughts and begin to get ready. While Gwyneira is capable of just throwing on whatever she pleases, I will have to be the most well groomed human in existence.
After full preparations I make my way down to Cybil's chambers and knock briskly three times. A few moments go by and then the door is pulled open. Cybil looks at me in surprise before asking, "What are you doing here?"
"Today is the big day, I'm here to be at your side of course," I decree while straightening my bowtie. Behind her I can see Evangeline and Queen Lydia both present in the room.
"The first thing you can do is take off those noble clothes, you are no longer a prince. You will be standing at Matrix's side and nowhere near mine."
"But I thought-."
"You thought wrong. I will not have a traitor amongst my midsts. Every night you sleep next to the enemy. You betrayed me at my weakest time, why do you deserve me at my strongest? Not to mention how utterly foolish I'd look to be giving my ex all this splendor and glory. No Natham, you chose your side. You wanted to be a human, do human things, fall in love and base life off of feelings instead of logic. There is no place for that here."
"Cybil...I don't understand. We're friends, best friends. We had plans together, you can't just throw them all away!"
"Wow. What an irresponsible person you are. I didn't throw anything away Natham. I was sick for two weeks and by the time I got better you'd found a new whore to fuck," she hisses. My hand lashes out before I can even think about what I'm doing. She looks up at me in shock, "You hit me."
"Gwyneira is not a whore."
"You hit me," she's growling now, a storm brewing in her eyes. I stand my ground, I'll hit her again if I have to. "You ungrateful boy, I've given you everything, all of me, I loved you with all I am!"
"Cybil you're half a person. Uninterested in sex, no desire to kiss or hold hands. You can't possibly know what love is without that kind of intimacy. You'll never love, and you'll never be loved."
She stares at me in shock before nodding. "You're right Natham. I'll never love again. Go to my brother, and try to stay out of my sight." She slams the door in my face and I am left in the hallway alone. I stand there for a few moments in shock and finally when I'm about to walk away I realize what has just occurred. I open the door without knocking and sure enough see Cybil sitting on the bed, sobbing. Her mother and Evangeline are comforting her, but I know it's me she needs. Looking up at me Get eyes narrow and a hiss adorns her lips, "Get out!" she screams.
"No, in fact if the two of you could give us a moment please?" I question politely. They look down at Cybil and she hesitates before nodding. They two of them slink past me, closing the door behind them.
We are both silent until I somehow manage to speak, "I cannot tell you how sorry I am for hitting you. My pride is at its peak this evening. Gwyneira had just been telling me how horrible I was for leaving you, and I was thinking to myself that I was still the best friend for standing at your side during the campaign. When you turned me away everything inside of me went numb. You were being honest, too honest. I wanted you to lie to me Cybil, I thought our friendship was going to be built off of happy little lies from here on out.
"You see the first thing you need to know is that I was in love with you for years. Nearly all of that time in the tower, and the first few days spent here, I loved you with all of my heart. But about halfway through that love I gave up on the idea of you ever wanting to be with me. I figured you just weren't interested, I was nothing but a lowly human, you'd never really want me. When Gwyneira showed up I didn't think twice about how it would affect you, because I assumed your feelings for me weren't real. I was wrong.
"Being wrong is something that I am incredibly uncomfortable with and so I needed to pretend that I'd been right. I made things worse, I refused to really acknowledge how much I had hurt you, and what this had done to the plans we had with one another. But Cybil I'm here, and I'm admitting that I was wrong. More wrong than I've ever been. I didn't mean what I said out there, that was just my pride talking. You can love, you do, and you are loved back. I love you, and my care for Gwyneira can't change that. I've gone about this all the wrong way. So what if you're not interested in sex, who cares, that doesn't make your love for me any less valid.
"I'll need some time, to talk to Gwyneira about things if you agree, but I'd like to have relationships with the both of you."
"What are you saying Natham?"
"I'm saying I want to stay at your side, marry you, be with you, your partner during all of this mess that we've gotten ourselves into. I pushed you to come back here, I pushed you to fight for the throne, and I won't abandon you. But how I feel about Gwyneira is real as well, so I'd like to be with the both of you."
"You want to have a polyamorous relationship?" She's staring at me with shock in her eyes.
"Yes, it's not that uncommon is it?" I had seen it around the Castle plenty of times.
"No, it's just never happened in the Royal family before," she's no longer crying and I reach up and stroke her cheek.
"We've already broken all of the other traditions Cybil, we might as well keep up our track record," I tease and watch as the smile adorns her face. As my hand wanders over her cheek I notice the redness that's bloomed there and I frown. "I can't believe I hit you. My hands should be cut off if I cannot control them in my own anger. There are no words that can be said to undo that damage."
She rises now and looks deep into me, and I know that she's searching my heart with her gift. After a few seconds she leans forward and places a fragile kiss on my lips. "You won't do it again."
"How can you be sure?" I whisper, fear in my voice.
"I just am. Now go, find Gwyneira. It's important that you discuss these things with her before you show up at my side on that podium."
Author's Note;
I tried to change that scene. I really did. I know how pissed you all are and I think both Natham and I wish we could take it back. We just can't. He hit her...yikes.
Cybil uses her gift to look inside of him, showing that he won't do it again but man it still messed me up.
How are you guys feeling right now?
Any attachments to the characters?
Any rage you wanna throw my way lol?
Thank you guys so much for reading. Please remember to vote and comment. Comments bring me so much joy! Love you all.