Firebird's Song Chapter Three: A Pleasant Chat
He stared at her, puzzled. Was this girl truly blind if she knew that? She seemed to understand his confusion.
"I can sense your body heat, so I know when you move your head. That's how I knew you were behind me."
"Ah. That sounds like a very useful ability."
"It is. It even tells me when people lie."
He sighed, wishing he had that ability as a ruler.
"Where is your companion? Isn't it her duty to be with you?"
"Yes, and I had to swear three times over that I wouldn't leave the bench before she left to see Lune."
That name sounded familiar. He didn't want to tell her just yet, but since changing into a partial feline, he had been able to talk with cats too.
"Who's Lune?"
"Her boyfriend; he's been courting her for months. She would have married him by now, if she would stop worrying about me."
"Can't she marry him and take care of you?"
"No. Lune's of high-standing in the Cat Kingdom, and will need to keep his bride close."
His mind gave a shudder, remembering talk about a Prince Lune. His father was exerting a lot of pressure on him to find a mate, and now the exiled king understood the hold-up.
"I want Yuki to marry him, but she doesn't want to leave me alone."
He nodded again in understanding.
"Why does the emperor exert so much effort into keeping you in isolation?"
Her smile faded a little.
"For the same reason you climbed over the wall. He's very fond of my music, and wishes for me to have as few distractions as possible."
He smiled a little wickedly.
"Am I a distraction?"
She smiled as a laugh escaped her lips.
"I'm talking to you instead of practicing, so yes."
He frowned, suddenly worried.
"You know, I could be a criminal. You could be in a lot of danger."
"I'm not." There was a note of confidence in her tone. "You have the wrong aura to be a criminal, or have intent to harm me. If you did, I would have raised the alarm by now."
He was amazed. How can she know all this? He looked at the fair-sized house in front of them.
"Is this is your parents' house?"
"Oh no, they're dead. This is my keeper's house."
He stared at her.
"When I was first invited to play for the emperor, he tried to keep me inside the palace. My music and I faded until a physician told him that I need plenty of sunshine and freedom to keep playing, so he pays Lady Shizuku to keep me until he wants my music."
He cocked his head at her, a smile returning.
"So you're his little nightingale?"
She nodded, fingering the bare flute end sticking out of her bag. Her eyes took on a sad shape.
"As long as I keep playing, I'll have a place to stay and food on the table."
His gaze sharpened.
"And when you can no longer play?"
She sighed.
"One of two things will happen; one is that I will be provided for the rest of my days, or I will receive a small consolation and pat on the back before sent to live on the streets. But I intend to delay that day as long as possible." She raised one hand to her forehead. "Please excuse my rudeness; I'm Haru."
His mind raced. Dare he tell her his real name? How much did she know about Alon?
"Please call me Baron." There, that wasn't a lie. She raised one eyebrow at him.
"All right. Why didn't you want me to see you, Baron?"
He laughed a little nervously. How much should he tell her, since she apparently couldn't tell anything was wrong with his head shape? He made sure to keep his tail close to his body, just in case it drew her attention.
"To be honest, I'm not the most attractive fellow. I was actually hiding from a mob when I heard your music."
She tilted her head to one side, but he couldn't tell if she was confused by his statement or by the fact that he wasn't lying.
"You don't sound ugly."
His heart sped up. If only his looks were bad, and this girl couldn't see, then he was just a regular man to her. He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it, mindful to keep away from the whiskers. Better she thought he had a beard than knew the truth. She actually blushed, like no one had ever done that to her before. This may have been the case, with the emperor keeping her in near isolation for most of her life.
"Thank you; it's nice meeting someone that doesn't scream and run from me."
She nodded at him, but then focused on his hand, still holding hers.
"Did you burn your hands?"
He gave a jerk, suddenly remembering that they were padded. He released her reluctantly.
"No, that's just the way they are. I told you I wasn't the most attractive fellow."
A loud scream distracted them both. Michiru had just opened the sliding door to the garden, rice balls falling out of her hands as she looked at the cat thing next to Haru. The blind girl turned to him, a small smile on her face.
"So you weren't kidding."
He sighed and stood up, straightening his top hat. He had to resist the impulse to kiss her hand again.
"I'm afraid I must take my leave now. It has been most pleasurable speaking with you, Miss Haru."
She nodded at him and smiled again.
"Same here. Goodbye, Baron."
He smiled at her, willing the girl to feel it, somehow. Ignoring the still-screaming girl at the door, he ran for the wall again, easily flipping onto the top and to the other side. Haru's eyes widened, sensing his exit style.
"That's kind of cool." Ugly or not, that was an impressive way to take leave. If the emperor knew there was someone that could scale her wall so easily, he surely would have doubled the height. Michiru ran to her side and took her by the shoulders.
"What did he do?! Did he hurt you?!" Her concern would have touched Haru, if she didn't know that the girl was more worried about her threatened dowry than the blind girl.
"He just talked, and he didn't have the inclination to harm me. Has Usho come back for me yet?"
The old advisor crashed his way into the garden, his spectacles threatening to fly off his face. His face was pale with fear.
"What happened?"
Michiru turned to face him, leaning on the edge of hysteria.
"A monster was touching her!"
Haru colored slightly, not being the slightly delighted blush of before.
"He just kissed my hand; it's not a big deal. And he was no monster."
"He was too! He looked like a cat!"
Haru read her senses, surprised that she wasn't lying this time. Did Michiru mean his hairy face? Just because he didn't shave didn't mean that he was a feline. No wonder he got excited when she said she liked cats. She could feel the advisor run towards her and insistently start pulling on her arm.
"You will be safer once we reach the imperial palace; the emperor will not allow a monster near you."
Haru protested again as she gripped the flute in her free arm, dragged to the coach waiting for her on the other side of the house.
"He wasn't a monster!"
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Baron had leapt into the tree again, and could barely see the girl, Haru, being loaded into a coach and taken underneath his feet.
"We forgot Yuki!" she cried out as she passed beneath him. At least she had the sense not to look up at him as the coach passed by. An older man contorted his face in disgust, sitting across from her.
"She wasn't with you when the creature came; the cat's worthless."
As he watched the coach fade into the distance, he could not keep a smile from his face.
He had finally found her. He had found the one that could help him. He smoothly climbed off the tree, and unpacked his large cloak, which covered all his features. It was the only successful costume he had, and he had grown fond of it; even if he felt like the grim reaper in it. He started down the same road, his step lighter than it had been for a long time. The girl was practically made to order! Now, how to persuade her assistance…
He stopped at the side of the road, stunned at his own thoughts. If the girl had been able to see him, she could have reacted the same as the other girl. Was he really going to take advantage of her blindness like this? A farmer and son driving a wagon slowed next to him.
"Heading to town, stranger?"
Baron nodded, not trusting his voice. The farmer gestured to the back of the wagon.
"There's room for you, if you want to ride part way."
The king bowed low, as was the custom of the islands, and gratefully climbed on. When he came into town, he would need all his strength and wits about him.
From eavesdropping on the farmer's son, he learned that he would have a week to work with before trying to approach Miss Haru again. No doubt she would be closely guarded from now on, anyway. He would tell her all he dared, and hope for the best. He knew that she was the one that could help him, though maybe wouldn't.
It would be a pretty tall order to fill, especially from a stranger.