Chapter 05 - Daphne

I woke up with my head throbbing so hard I almost felt nauseous. My mind was confused, but remnants of a bad dream were disturbing my thoughts. So much so that I needed a moment to figure out if that discomfort was part of the nightmare or if it was real.

I tried to breathe deeply, but my ears continued to hurt, bothered by a ringing that lasted longer than I expected, becoming more stable, until it sounded almost like words.

“How can you be so lazy even in a situation like this?!” The sound suddenly began to sound like Leon’s voice “Get up before I have to drag you out!”

It was painful even to force my eyes open, but I did it anyway. The sunlight stung my retinas, and it took me a moment to make out my brother's face in the doorway of my small tent. Seeing how furious he looked made me sit up, holding my temples as that simple movement made my head spin.

“What…” I said, my voice almost breaking “What’s going on?”

“Oh, sorry for disturbing Your Majesty’s rest.” he spat disdainfully “Perhaps if you hadn’t overindulged in drink yesterday, you wouldn’t be in such a pathetic state today, on the most crucial day possible for our people.”

"What are you talking about?" I murmured, confused "I didn't drink anything during the ball…"

It was the absolute truth. There were too many guests to greet, and even if there weren't, I'd never allowed myself to touch alcohol more than once or twice. How could I risk losing control of myself over something so trivial? I hadn't touched a single glass last night…

Even when I realized Sean would be spending the whole night by Rosalind's side instead of dancing with me. God, how could I be drunk? I was more than conscious all night, trying to fight those bad feelings that had crept into my mind against my will, while everyone seemed to only have eyes for Rosalind.

I hadn't even managed to fall asleep last night. When the hours passed and the moment arrived, before sunrise, for our group to leave, I was still awake. Rosie had even prepared a tea to strengthen us all, but I just got terribly worse anyway. That's why I had asked to set up camp and rest a bit. Night was about to fall and, after we stopped to eat, that sudden malaise had taken hold of me…

“Come on, you useless brat!” Leon shouted, the sound piercing my thoughts like an arrow “We have to move. Cross, that bastard, just disappeared!”

"Huh?" I blinked, suddenly a little more awake "He did what?"

“Are you deaf?! The bastard took advantage while we were distracted helping Rosie cook and disappeared without a trace! That damned son of a bitch! I always knew he was on those demons' side! He's probably setting a trap for us right now…!”

“Did he steal something?” I asked anxiously “Or did he try to hurt Rosalind…?”

"Of course not!" he scoffed "I would never have allowed it."

“Well, then…” I massaged my temples “Maybe he just went ahead. If he was really against us, then wouldn’t it make more sense to stay and wait for the right moment to attack? Why run away at a time like this, if he could stop us from reaching the cave…?”

“So you’ve become his defender now?” Leon grunted, making me shut my mouth immediately “Goddess, you’re pathetic. Come on, get up! I don’t give a damn if you’re hungover or not! We need to get to that cave before that bastard executes whatever his plan is!”

Saying this, he began to walk away, and I fought the pain hammering my head to follow him. Outside, everything looked exactly as I had left it before I retreated. Jude was sitting on a rock looking at a map, while Rosalind was near the campfire with Sean beside her, their conversation seeming so intimate and animated that they didn't notice me until I was right in front of them.

“Oh, hello, Daphne.” Rosie smiled, and I had to hide my discomfort when I noticed Sean’s hand resting on her knee “Are you feeling better?”

“Yes…” I lied, even though I probably couldn’t hide my expression “A little.”

“This always happens to Daphne,” my fiancé interrupted, his words sounding as if he wanted to comfort her “She just needs to use a little of her magic to drain her energy. She’ll get over it quickly.”

“That’s not it!” I stared at him, my cheeks starting to burn “I’ve been training a lot lately. My coaches said I’ve improved a lot! I don’t get as exhausted as I used to…”

“Really? I’d heard something about it, but I didn’t know it was this serious.” Rosie gasped, and as grateful as I was for her concern, her next words made me freeze “Are you sure you should be here? It seems too dangerous for someone so frail. Maybe we should have listened to your father and left you at home.”

“Don’t be silly. Daphne won’t even have to try that hard. You are the Goddess’s chosen one.” Sean took a strand of her hair that the wind had disheveled, tucking it back behind her ear “We’re all just here to support you. Daphne may not be an amazing sorceress like her mother was, but I’m sure she’ll be of some use to you.”

“Oh, that’s so kind…” Rosalind’s tone was warm as she looked at me, but that expression of pure pity, as if I were a foolish rat agreeing to enter a cage full of tigers, struck me deeply.

Sean's words weren't lies. Damn, I knew they weren't. I was the weakest link in that group. Many, especially our elders, had serious doubts about whether I should be there. I wasn't a warrior with a powerful wolf, like the four men who should have been there. I hadn't been chosen by the Goddess herself to save our kind, like Rosalind. But even so…

I wanted to be more than just the one capable of moving a grain of sand. That's why I had trained so hard. That's why I was there. It was a terribly selfish feeling, I knew, but… Besides helping to free our people from those demons, I wanted to prove that I was more than just the sickly cub my mother left behind. 

More than the princess my father overprotected. More than the useless sorceress who always disappointed our elders and our commoners. More than the inadequate child my brother always treated so coldly.

I understood why they didn't seem to realize how hard I was trying, but... If the Goddess allowed me only one selfish wish for the rest of my life, this was what I wanted.

To prove that I was worthy of their trust and, perhaps, their affection.

And I still had hopes that, after those evil creatures had been exterminated, I would be able to show them this.