Luna carried Theia through her room and into her bed; she fell asleep exhausted as she tucked her in and pecked on her forehead.
Theia laid deep in sleep as Luna silently stepped towards the doors and walked out, sighing as she hurriedly ran towards the infirmary to where Aisha was being treated the injuries that Luna had indirectly caused
***
Luna stood right before the infirmary doors. She extended her right hand towards the handle but hesitated. She inhaled and exhaled deeply as she gripped her left hand.
With a final deep inhale, she grabbed the handle and opened the door slowly, peeking in with her sight focused on the floor.
The room had only one bed in the corner with a chair by it. Right in front of the doors and on the left was a table filled with medication, small bottles of holy water, and stitches lying around.
"Aisha?" Luna asked in a dimmed tone.
As she asked, Aisha—who lay on the white bed in the infirmary with the curtains covering her—immediately looked towards the door as a blurry figure appeared behind the curtain.
She smiled from ear to ear, the bandages on her head shifting at the sight, but composed herself, saying, "Yes, my lady?"
Luna wasn't able to muster any words, so she walked up to her and sat in the chair.
Aisha grabbed the curtain and pushed it to the side, revealing Luna's face.
Her gaze fractured, skittering from anything solid to find refuge on the worn floorboards. She couldn't meet Aisha's eyes. Her chin dipped, tucking close to her chest as the world narrowed to the space directly before her boots, her head bowed under an invisible burden.
Aisha, seeing her act this way, asked, "Is something the matter, My Lady?"
Aisha's head was covered in white bandages, slightly tinted by a bloody red hue. From underneath the bandages, a stitch peeked out, barely noticeable. Her arms were bandaged as well from the piercing wounds the wood had inflicted.
"Can I help you with something?" Aisha jumped in as she asked.
But to her words, Luna's frown deadened as she forcefully shut her eyes closed, saying, "I'm sorry. It's my fault."
"Is everything okay?" Luna asked under her breath.
Aisha, hearing her tone, couldn't help but ask, "Why did you go to Theia first and not me?"
Luna jolted up, looking at Aisha's face. Her gaze lingered there for a second and looked away as she stuttered, trying to answer. "I-I… I sho-uldn-t…"
Luna couldn't utter any word, so she looked down again, hiding her face from Aisha.
Aisha immediately wanted to hug Luna but stopped herself, saying, "My Lady, I didn't say that to blame you. It wasn't your fault; it's Theia's wrongdoings. I'm not mad at you at all. I am just simply asking why you did it. I can guess why you did it, but I want to hear it from you, My Lady."
"But remember, My Lady, It won't change how I feel for you…" Aisha said, before adding to herself, "... After all, you're just a child."
But those words couldn't convince Luna, so Aisha extended her hands, saying, "Then, My Lady, please grab my hands if that would make you feel better."
Just as she said those words, Luna looked up and slowly took Aisha's hands, saying, "It's my fault…"
"I'm sorry… I know nothing I say will make up for what I did, but at least let me explain."
Aisha pulled on her hand up and down to cheer her up, and Luna continued.
"Theia is really lonely, and she has no one beside me, so she asked me if she was the most important person to me… and I said no. Which is why this is my fault. I'm sorry."
Aisha exhaled slowly, saying, "My Lady, please continue. And please don't blame yourself; you didn't do anything wrong," Aisha reassured.
Luna looked up at Aisha's face, looking into her eyes as tears slowly crept into her own, and she continued, "T-Then she asked who it was, and I-I said it was you."
Despite what happened to her, hearing those words, Aisha couldn't help but feel a warm, pleasing feeling in her chest.
"And… and I was so stupid for not thinking before saying, and it led up to this. I'm really sorry."
Aisha exhaled and caressed Luna's hand with her thumb as she watched tears well up in Luna's eyes; a sting overshadowed the previous warm feeling in Aisha's heart.
"It's not your fault, my lady. You didn't do it on purpose. You are still a child who is allowed to make mistakes, so don't blame yourself for it. I was hurt, and that's that. It ends here. Forget about it and move on. I will never hold it against you."
"I will not say that about Theia… Well, I will never be able to look at her the same. She scares me now."
"Anyway, but you? It didn't change how I see you at all. I know why you did it; she is your only friend here, and I am just a maid."
Luna slowly looks up at Aisha as tears pour down her cheek, saying, "B-but you are my friend."
It took Aisha aback as she heard her words; she didn't expect it at all, but it pleasantly surprised her.
Aisha gripped Luna's hand and pulled her into a hug, saying, "Thank you. And so am I."
Hearing those words, Luna burst into a loud cry, having previously cried silently. She dug her fingers into Aisha's white dress, muffling her cries into it as tears poured down.
Aisha caressed the back of Luna's head as she cried out loud.
"Now, now, cry all you need. I am here for you," Aisha said as she smiled, repeating those words in her head: But you are my friend.