The guard pauses, glancing between her and me. Then finally he steps aside, letting me through the door. “Don't get any ideas.”
I find him there, sprawled on the ground with a line of black and blue bruises across his neck.
“Oh shit!” I slide down to the ground beside him, my heart pounding. Shit! What do I do? “What happened?”
“I'm going to kill Ignatia,” he whimpers, tears streaking his cheeks. “I'm going to kill her.”
I sneer. Seriously? This dreamscreecher is what he’s worried about? “Come on! Focus on yourself, man!”
“I don't want to kill her!” he cries, between shallow breaths. “I don't want to kill her.”
“Amias, I-”
“Glaide!” I snap my head up to Ivy, who gives me a sympathetic pout. “He doesn't need you to yell at him. Be his friend.” She glances towards the door. “I'll go find help.”
I suck in a deep breath and realize she's right. Yelling won't make him stop panicking.
“It's alright,” I whisper, holding his shoulders. “It's okay. It's going to be alright. Just breathe, Amias.”
“I don't want to kill her.”
“I know. I know you don't. You won't.”
“But you can't be so sure!” His breaths get shorter and his eyes shift. “I could-”
“Calm down.” I exaggerate my next inhale to demonstrate, squeezing his shoulders. “Just breathe.”
It takes him a few trembling breaths to even realize what I was instructing, telling from his lack of response. Then he follows along, mimicking me as I breathe slowly in and out. We keep doing it until his breath steadies. “Are you calm?”I ask.
He nods quickly. “Yeah…” Tears glaze his eyes again. “I'm so sorry. I wish you didn't have to see me like that.”
“No. It's okay.” I smile. “I'm your friend, through arguments and panic attacks and everything else.”
“But I look so stupid!” he cries. “What kind of a prince am I? I'm so… pathetic…”
“No,” my voice turns stern. “A panic attack doesn't make you pathetic. You could have a million panic attacks and I would never degrade you like that. It certainly doesn't bother me now when you've clearly suffered a lot.” I look over at his face. He's got a bruise on his right cheek and darker eye bags. There's a subtle thinness to his face telling me he hasn't eaten since I last visited.
My heart drops. The contract. The makeup. She's trying to cover this up.
Oh… fuck!
“What's happening? Why? You look like shit!” I squeeze his shoulder again. My own body shudders with dread. “I thought this was a ceremony you agreed on. Did you?”
He shakes his head. “Do you think I'd wish this upon myself?”
I should've known. “Amara is forcing you?”
“She's gone mad thinking this ceremony is best for me. She's been doing the extreme to make it happen.”
I look down to his neck. That kind of bruise doesn't come from an accident. “Didshechoke you?”
He glances down, before facing me. “Yeah, she did.”
My jaw slowly drops, making my muscles freeze. There ain't no way… But she's the Gift of Love…
“I'm okay though,” Amias murmurs. “She didn't kill me. She's doing what she thinks is best and doesn't realize she's taking it too far.”
“That's bullshit, Amias!” I shout, but I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “I hate dreamscreechers. I wish they were all dead, but I would never choke you to change your mind!”
