To Bewitch a Devil

250 Will he be okay?

“What happened, Neera?” Penelope asked.

Neera looked at her but said nothing. This joy was too filling to let go of so easily, so she dispelled all her worrying thoughts by hugging Penelope again, a cure in itself alone.

“I wish I can find the right way to make it up to you, Penelope,” Neera said.

Just as Penelope was about to reprimand her for beating herself up again, an idea popped into her head, and she broke the hug.

“Actually, Neera, there is a way.”

“Oh?” Neera shifted closer. “Please tell me.”

“I could... move in here for a couple of days, weeks even. I believe it would help us bond stronger. What do you say?”

Neera squealed with a squeaky, rat-like sound.

“I would absolutely love that!” She said. “But wait, what of Azriel?”

.....

“What about him?”

“Will he be okay with it?”

“It doesn’t matter, Neera. You are the Queen and he cannot refuse. He’s got a lot of maids back at his castle, and it won’t make a difference if I am gone.”

Neera gave her a soft smile. “It would make a lot of difference to him, Pen, and you know it.”

Penelope blushed at that but didn’t make any further comment.

“But fine, Queen privileges are in my hands, and we shall go to him at once to tell him. Your clothes will be sent over, and both of us will have the time of our lives in this castle.” Neera acquiesced.

Penelope stood after her, and both of them went off to the General Commander, who, Penelope was sure wouldn’t be so keen on the idea, but it gave her a chance to be away from him and the way he messed with her senses.

When the Queen found him, heading over to Freya’s chambers and informed Azriel how in dire need she was of Penelope’s company, Penelope looked anywhere else but him.

“I see, your Majesty,” Azriel said. Penelope could feel his gaze burning a hole through her. “And I understand. Anything to make you feel better.”

So when Penelope had the courage to finally meet his gaze as Neera spoke to him, she found narrowed eyes of his pinned on her, and she knew he wasn’t going to let her off that easily after her entire scheme runs out.

....

Adjusting to the new way of things was easier than Zavian thought.

Neera had insisted on righting her wrongs, so she made visits to each of the homes of the people she had hurt in one way or another, which was quite more than she realized. When Zavian had asked her about the times she did those actions, she had described it as, “it was like I had this darkness inside me that didn’t just go away.”

So she did her best to restore order in the castle, and when the meeting with the Dukes arrived, she attended, keeping her secret as being Lilah away from them all, a reason she told Zavian earlier to be, “I don’t want to make them go mad with trying to understand. Perhaps as time goes by.”

And so, the days passed, but the sweet and cheerful Neera during the day was replaced by a weeping Neera at night. She tried to do it quietly, her back away from Zavian as she tried the hide the sounds of her sniffles as best as she could. A tortured soul was what she was, and Zavian did everything in his power to help her.

It was one of these nights that he entered the chambers and found her bawling her eyes out. Startled by his entrance, she quickly wiped her eyes, but it was too late.

“Neera, what’s wrong?” Zavian asked.

“I thought you’d stay longer with Freya.” She said. “Any improvements from yesterday?”

Zavian detected the switch in topic but welcomed it nonetheless.

“No improvement, but at least she hasn’t gotten worse than before. So that’s still a good thing,” Zavian said.

“Good, she needs more sunlight, and more perfumes, something to trigger a happy memory, do you have any of those?” Neera babbled on as she went to search her vanity drawers. “Or books would do. Read her a book when you both were close, or her really favorite one. Or just keep telling her...”

“Neera,” she shook a little when Zavian’s hands rested on her arms. It was strange, his Lilah and Neera were back, but there was still something far away about her.

When Lilah came back, Zavian was over the moon, delirious with joy, wanting to announce the good news to the world. Sure, he was happy, and the joy settled in him like a centuries-brewed wine. One sip of it would evoke thousands of blissful sensations all rooted in the happiness of his lover’s return.

It was calm; it was beautiful, and it was there.

But still, something was off with Neera, and it bugged him.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” Zavian said.

“What’s wrong? I told you what’s wrong. It’s all that I have done...”

“..no,” Zavian cut her off. “I know you. We have always been soulmates, and our feelings and emotions are intertwined in a way. So I know when you cry yourself the way you do, that there is a lot more that you are not telling me.”

“Zavian,” Neera called. He waited, and watched her through the mirror, but not once did she raise her eyes to meet his. “I am fine. I need you to stop worrying so much. You’ll grow wrinkles,” she joked. “So, what do you have in mind about Freya?”

“What were you crying about just now?” Zavian asked, not accepting the diversion this time.

Neera raised her head then and met his gaze in the mirror. Could she risk everything and tell him? Or could she hope to downplay the destruction that was going to happen? Was she selfish for keeping it to herself?

Her head was a whirlpool of questions without any answers.