Work Text:
Anger. Hatred. Vengeance.
What Selphine had just done still haunts her, tainting her very soul. Red clouds her vision. The blood of a living being staining her hands even though Rhegan burnt the physician into ashes. The nauseating smell of burnt flesh reminding her of war eons ago, in a time not of her own but experiences she possesses through the Path-Down.
But she had to kill him. Even if she couldn’t change the untimely -unfair- fate of one little girl. If not for the sake of the children only a mere few years younger than she, then it was her burden to bear. As royalty. As a princess. As the future Queen of Rughzenhaide.
The sensation of arms embracing her brings her back to the present as she chokes out another sob. Her hunched shoulders trembling until strong arms hold her steady.
Rune.
It’s a mystery how cold synthetic hands can be so warm. Selphine thinks as she clings tighter to Rune’s body.
Selphine is relieved that she had someone- a friend, that she could share her pain with. Someone that would understand the horror that these sights can show of mankind’s immensely cruel nature.
Had it been anyone else, they wouldn’t be able to handle the emotional strain of the borderline psychological abuse. Of having memories flooding like raging tidal waves into the consciousness. Violent and harsh.
“Selly, it’ll be ok. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.” Rune promises, caressing blonde hair as her other arm moves down to hook around Selphine’s waist. Hoping she could protect her friend from some of the horrors of mankind. Futilely wishing she could shield Selphine from things that she was once capable of in another life.
Rune knows this won’t be enough to undo the damage that’s been dealt to the princess’s psych. She knows that she can’t heal Selphine’s demons but that won’t stop her from trying. At the very least, she can provide some measure of comfort to her dear friend. And maybe that will be enough.