The stiffening silence fell between the two as they floated aimlessly down the golden river, each of them having spilled perhaps their most guarded secrets to each other—one a known princess, while the other a hidden adventurer. Both their secrets were of great value, things that could shake places under different circumstances.
Carmel and Carmelia felt a mix of emotions they had never experienced before. Carmelia had become the stronghold of rage and sadness that Carmel had felt, the two of them always having stayed just with each other, never speaking out their troubles, always carrying their burdens alone.
The prospect of being open, of talking it out, of being fully exposed was something she never understood. Both of them shared that trait. But now, it was over. Carmel had shouted out the largest secrets she could ever speak of, and for the first time in her life, she suddenly felt... free.