"What did you make me do?!" Demando asks again. If he really thought it was her fault, he'd be at her throat instead of all but collapsed against the bed still trying to make himself let go of Esmeraude's body. But he has to say something, has to hear something, has to make this make sense somehow.
poor prince! *pets*serenitynohimeApril 8 2010, 05:40:29 UTC
It doesn't matter how shaken she is by seeing the woman die there, in front of her eyes, because... he looks so- hurt. And it pains her, to see the pain in his eyes, the way he clings to her still, so the princess swallows back that lingering fear, and her own emotions, and moves closer again, as if to reach for him.
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to. I'm sorry..." As she gets closer, she notices little things... things that remind her of the fuzzy memories she has of the time she spent as a child... She does know him- doesn't she? "Demando?"
Asking his name. This is surely not the princess of his world. Esmeraude's act had been entirely in vain. And yet, there's almost a comfort in that, in knowing that somehow amid the confusion and chaos of Fate, the person he'd protected had been an innocent victim, mistaken identity in a way.
When he answers, it makes a little less nervous, and the princess manages to gather enough courage to come close enough to touch, and she does, one hand reaching to touch his shoulder. Despite that energy she can feel coming from him... she's not afraid of him. Not when she can remember how gentle he was when they were both little, and not when he's saved her like this.
"Demando... I'm sorry." Her voice is quite, her eyes pained as she meets his gaze.
Her apologies will not bring Esmeraude's life back. He doesn't even want to hear them right now, torn in some hopeless madness between hating her for being the cause of this, and-
"You weren't hurt," he says. "I'm glad for that." The voice is so expressionless, though at least a part of him means the words.
"Mmmm." It's easier to push aside her own pain and hurt, if she focuses on him, so that's what she does. Her eyes are soft as she looks into his still, and she rests her hand on his shoulder, even as she slowly lowers to her knees beside him. Then... then she glances down to the still woman.
"She- she was important to you...?" It's a question, and a statement at once, when she looks back up.
It's awkward, because she doesn't know him, has only met him once, under that spell... but she can't let him continue to hurt like this. She can't help but want to help soothe his hurt, especially knowing... that it's her fault. So, without another thought, Serenity leans forward... and hugs the prince.
She's the wrong person to comfort him, but Demando accepts it far more passively than he thought he could ever respond to her touch, her willing touch.
"She should have obeyed my order," the prince says finally, meaning Esmeraude. "I'm sorry this happened here."
That hurt in his eyes... She doesn't want to see it there, she can't stand seeing him like that, even if she barely knows him. So without thinking, she leans forward and hugs him again, because it's all she can think of to help.
"From the moment I fell in love with you, they told me I was mad," Demando says, ranting without even realizing he's ranting at the subject of his raving. "Look where it brought me!"
The sisters dead, Rubeus dead, Esmeraude dead, Saffir...
"You bewitched me after all like they warned me!"
He really has no one to properly blame but himself. But he's doing a great job at stabbing at every possible scapegoat.
"I'm sorry," she whispers, even as she continues to hug him. She doesn't know anything, anything about what he's said, except that... the woman had said that too, hadn't she? All she knows is that, if it will help him, help his pain... she doesn't care if he blames her.
A part of him knows he's lashing out blindly. Demando grips his head in his hands, as if it'll keep it steady, and he finds himself tearing at his hair.
Her eyes widen a little, when he does that, and Serenity tries quickly to take his hands in hers, because she doesn't want him to hurt himself anymore over this, and that can't be good!
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"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to. I'm sorry..." As she gets closer, she notices little things... things that remind her of the fuzzy memories she has of the time she spent as a child... She does know him- doesn't she? "Demando?"
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"Demando," he confirms.
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"Demando... I'm sorry." Her voice is quite, her eyes pained as she meets his gaze.
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"You weren't hurt," he says. "I'm glad for that." The voice is so expressionless, though at least a part of him means the words.
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"She- she was important to you...?" It's a question, and a statement at once, when she looks back up.
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"She was all I had left."
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"She should have obeyed my order," the prince says finally, meaning Esmeraude. "I'm sorry this happened here."
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"It's not your fault. I- I should have moved... It's because of me."
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"She should have obeyed my order!" Demando repeats, seizing the words as some sort of anchor to sanity.
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The sisters dead, Rubeus dead, Esmeraude dead, Saffir...
"You bewitched me after all like they warned me!"
He really has no one to properly blame but himself. But he's doing a great job at stabbing at every possible scapegoat.
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"Demando!" Please! Calm down! "Don't hurt yourself!"
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