Chapter Eight
"Come on, Pix. I can't… quite… reach it," Lulu stood on the tips of her toes, arms stretched precariously upwards from the wobbly stool to the edge of the shelf. For the last ten minutes she had investigated the little room across from Veigar's study, with little of interest to be found. For the most part the room housed dusty old books… something his home did not seem to lack in the least.
"I still don't understand why you'd even want to read it," Pix looked up from a folded map he'd been halfheartedly observing. The fairy sighed, seeing the predicament Lulu had managed for herself, and flew to the book she was grabbing for. "It's not even legible."
"But it's big! And the right color. Maybe a little dark. But still purple. And those pictures on the outside look pretty!" While she could easily have reached the beautiful book with the use of magic, Pix was being boring and she wanted company.
He seemed to understand this and played along, walking alongside the back. "You mean the runes?" The book inched closer to her grasp.
"Mhmm," she smiled widely. "I wonder if Veigar knows what it means. Do you think he was taught to read pictures wherever he leaned magic?"
Pix gave the book another shove, "I don't know," then another. For his size, his strength was nothing trivial, but that said he was still quite small. "Something tells me he wouldn't want you asking about it though."
Lulu's nose and mouth twisted to one side as she pondered this. "Why would he care if I asked if he could read runes?"
"That's not quite what I meant." The fairy gave the book a final push just as the tip of her fingers pulled it down. The large volume tumbled downwards, knocking Lulu off-balance as it hit her arm.
"Oomph!" The ground stung slightly, but the sphere of flowers that had wordlessly appeared around her seem to have broken the fall. Lulu looked up to Pix to thank him with a smile before remembering the fallen book. There it lay, open to a page near the end, calling to her in all its purple glory.
"Are you okay? Did you hurt your head?" Pix rushed downwards, circling his friend in worry.
Lulu didn't pay him much attention, finding the beautiful book far more important. "With trifled be to nothing are spells such." Lulu was already reading. "Spirit very your sacrificing, soul-"
Pix landed on her nose, forcing the girl to look up from the book. "Clearly you must have. Hold still while I look you over."
"No, really! That's what it says. Only it makes no sense. See?" Pointing to the line, her finger followed around the remainder of the paragraph. "Spirit very your sacrificing, soul your to bind will itself darkness the, powerful while. Magic dark cheat can they believe who all to out goes warning stern a. … What do you think that means?"
"I think it means you should stay away from Veigar's magic books," Pix warned, giving Lulu his stern look that meant play time was over.
She'd never liked that look much. "No it says… um, oh! It's backwards, see?" She pointed to a line, moving her finger along the line right to left. "How silly! I didn't know Veigar liked silly books."
Fluttering now to the book, the fairy looked up at Lulu with an expression somehow more serious. "It's a warning. Read it again." He tapped his foot on the line before moving out of the way.
"Ummmm okay," Though she had no idea why he would want her to when it made no sense. Not that she had a problem with nonsensical things, but something about this unnerved her. "Magic dark cheat-"
"No, no. The other way. At the end of that sentence." Pix sounded almost as exasperated as she was beginning to feel. It wasn't her fault Veigar's books were confusing.
It took a moment to process what he meant. Then, "oooooh right," Lulu chuckled before taking a deep breath and starting. "A stern warning goes out," she paused. Yes this made much more sense, "to all who believe they can cheat dark magic. While powerful, the darkness itself will bind to your soul, sacrificing your very spirit. Such spells are nothing to be trifled with… … oooooooh." Finally understanding, she looked up to meet Pix's eyes as he hovered before her. "Do you think this is why… well, why Veigar's so grumpy?"
"That's one way of putting it. …Come on, Lulu," he sighed. "I think it's time to move on to another room."
After an entire evening of exploration, Veigar hadn't returned. Nothing she had found had been able to answer any questions about him. While she had enjoyed poking her nose in his things and loving knowing how to picture better him in his free time, more questions than answers had been raised. By far her favorite discovery had been all the way back down on the first floor.
A previously unnoticed table sat in the middle of the dark room. It was round, sizeable, and smelled like peanuts and caramel the moment she lit up the area. If not for the gold trim she'd probably have passed it altogether, but the table had caught her eye long enough to lean her staff up against it.
Without further bidding, the void between the table and ceiling lit up with beautiful, purple stars. "Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo," Lulu stared, shaking with excitement. "I knew I'd find something cool! Pix, look at this! What do you think this is for?"
Pix flew over, admiring her find from the top of her hat. "Another star map?"
"It's pretty…." She reached out a hand, unable to bear not trying to touch one a moment longer. Her fingers went right through, feeling only a slight warmth and the tingle of magic.
"Are you sure you should touch it?"
Lulu giggled, "Am I sure of anything?"
Pix didn't have much to say to that.
As she poked and prodded at the tiny stars, she began to notice some were brightening. "Hmm," she poked at one, concentrating as she dragged her finger from it to another. A thin, silver line appeared, connecting the two. "Oh, look, look!" she exclaimed, drawing more lines between. "I can make constellations!" Lulu stepped back, taking a better look at the groupings to see if she could recognize any for herself. Almost as if they read her mind, the field expanded, allowing her to stand in the center to see the stars as if she were on Runeterra instead of the sky. Before long, several forms began to take shape. "Shattered crown," she muttered, drawing the lines between. "Frozen Watcher," a second form was added with a smile. "That's all I really remember though… stars were different in the Glade, weren't they?"
Pix, who had sat himself on the table to watch at some point, looked over with a nod. "I'm not familiar at all with your world's constellations. Even my own have little significance. Star magic is not the magic of the Fae."
"It is beautiful though," she willed the stars to return to their smaller size and back into the table, missing their presence immediately. Next time she visited she'd have to make Veigar show her how he played with it.
"Perhaps, when used correctly," he warned sternly. Lulu's thoughts wandered to Soraka, a being she knew once belonged in the stars themselves. She used their magic to heal, while Veigar somehow used them to hurt. What had lead him to misuse such a beautiful magic in the first place?
Lulu thoroughly enjoyed being a squirrel. Little could beat the joy of jumping from branch to branch, wind in her purple fur as she played. It was truly a wonderful thing to experience. It was such a shame, then, that this joy was reduced to simply being a way to sneak into Bandle City.
Not that this was anything new. Since her banishment, Lulu had taken advantage of her magical abilities many times to visit her family. At least once a month, usually when it was a green day, but sometimes pink or even yellow, she'd make the trek to the gravesite.
"You really should try this!" Lulu squealed as she leapt down from the city wall, splashing into the puddle of murky water below. Its contents were sent upwards, drenching her friend as well as herself.
Fluttering his wings in quick motion, Pix dried himself with a sigh after her unintentional assault. "… I prefer my usual form, thank you."
"Yooou're just like Veigar," she teased, already leaping off to climb a nearby tree. "Grumpy, grumpy!"
"Perhaps," the fairy flew closely behind, "if you hadn't cajoled me into staying up so late with you last night."
Lulu laughed, pausing to look back and stick out her little squirrel tongue. "You wanted to explore Veigar's house as much as I did!"
Pix didn't appear as if he agreed, only looking away with another sigh. Lulu didn't mind though, whether or not her friend was genuinely interested in what they were doing, he was always there for her. Late into the night they had explored, looking for any sign of something she could use to learn more about Veigar. When the other yordle hadn't returned home, Pix even comforted Lulu in her fears that something must have happened to him. Eventually, the two of them had passed out on the unmade bed they found on the top floor, exhausted and unable to explore any longer.
The rest of the trip to cemetery went by in relative silence, Lulu's mood slowly sombering as she remembered why she was there. The day was early, the time tasting distinctly of strawberries last she had checked before leaving. Looking up to the sky, the morning sun was just peaking out of the clouds, lightening the area. This brightened her somewhat as she arrived at the headstone she had visited faithfully since her return to Runeterra. As was usual the yard was nearly vacant. Often it was only her and Pix but the occasional mourner would share their space and Lulu did her best to keep out of their way.
"Hello, Mom," Lulu smiled, resting a paw against the headstone. It never struck her that her mother would never have been able to understand her in her squirrel form, not that such things mattered when speaking to the dead. "I brought a picnic! Though I should probably wait until we're alone to bring it out. Oh, and Dad," she looked to the neighboring stone. "It has your favorite biscuits! The ones Grandma used to make."
Pix kept his distance as he typically did, flying off to a tree just out of earshot. Lulu supposed he felt some guilt over her disappearance from her parent's time, but she did not blame him. How could she?
"The last month has been exciting," Lulu stepped back, lowering her paw. "I think I've finally made a real friend. I mean, he was my friend before but now… now he'll admit it," she sighed, smiling. "You remember Veigar, right? I've told you about him before. With the big blue hat and the funny laugh? I got to visit his house! It's so big and old and amazing. I bet it was even around when I was little. Do you remembering hearing about a library out in the woods?"
She paused, giving the time needed for her family to answer should they have been able to.
"That's okay, I don't either. I wish you could see it though. Downstairs I found this table that lit up the air with purple stars! It was beautiful. Even Pix liked it! I'm not sure what was prettier, that or the glass globe we found-"
From somewhere left of her, a distant sob could be heard. Lulu blinked, turning her head towards the source. Seeing no one, the yordle opened her mouth to continue before hearing another. Scurrying up to the top of her mother's headstone, Lulu looked out to see the graveyard's only other occupant in mourning some distance away. A female yordle knelt, eyes fixated on the stone before her. She was a good deal older than Lulu, her long dark brown hair pulled up into a bun, long bangs framing either side of her face. Despite the space between them her distress was clear, and Lulu felt for her.
Leaping down, Lulu weaved her way to observe the woman closer. Her family could spare her for a few minutes. The yordle she was watching, however… could not. Even as she arrived, the crying yordle bent over in anguish. Lulu transmogulated herself back to normal, though wearing instead of her cheerful dress a modest, dark purple tunic with no hat. Placing her hand on the older yordle's shoulder, she smiled sympathetically at her as she looked up in confusion. "… may I sit with you?" Lulu asked quietly.
Through her tears, she nodded, kneeling properly once more. "Did you… kn-know him?" her voice was high, yet sweet despite the tremor in words.
Glancing at the headstone, Lulu read the inscription. Melo. She shook her head, looking back to her. She hadn't expected to recognize it anyway, considering everyone she knew was either in the League or died centuries ago. "No. But you looked like you needed company." Delicately, she picked up a fallen leaf, magicking it into a handkerchief. Lulu passed it over to the clearly confused yordle who stared at her. … perhaps openly using magic had not been the best of ideas.
The other opened her mouth to speak, shut it, then opened it once again. "You're the girl they banished, aren't you?" she asked without malice.
Lulu nodded in response, holding her gaze. "I'm Lulu."
"Nema," she responded with a name of her own, taking the handkerchief to wipe her eyes. "Your secret is safe with me. No one should be banished from visiting their loved ones." Her line of sight drifted towards the headstone. "… Thank you."
Lulu's eyes followed, looking it over once more. The date on it stated whoever this Melo was, they had passed away young. There was no full date of death, only a year, dated ten years before. "Was he… your son?" She hated to ask it. If true, that was something horrible.
"Is," Nema stated, causing Lulu to blink in confusion. "… or was. I can't help but hold out some hope. Even after all this time."
So he was missing. Missing for an entire decade. A strong sense of guilt filled her, making her glad Pix wasn't close enough to see her now pale face. "I…" she started, but was unable to bring herself to speak. While this yordle had made it to the age of seventeen, Lulu herself had been nine when she disappeared. How must her mother have felt? Had she waited her whole life for her return?
Plucking a blade of grass, Lulu transmogulated it into a large, blue daisy. She placed the flower on the stone before standing, feeling the need to apologize to her parents yet again for her disappearance.
"His favorite color," Nema whispered, tearful eyes on the flower.
Lulu frowned. She couldn't just leave the poor yordle. Mother would have to wait. "May I ask… I mean, would you like to tell me more about him?"
Nema was silent for a long moment, and Lulu feared she had upset her. But she did speak. "It's been ten years to the day since I last saw him. Melo always had his head in a book or map, often both at the same time." She smiled sadly, finally looking away from the flower to Lulu. "There is a large map of Runeterra on his bedroom wall with flags pinned into it. All the many places he wanted to see. He studied history, navigation, learned all he could to be prepared to travel when his chance came. And when it did…" Nema trailed off.
"It sounds like he was a very smart boy," Lulu smiled, kneeling down to be at level with her again. "I'm sure you were proud."
"I am," she stated calmly, reaching into her pocket to pull out a piece of paper no larger than her hand. "Would you like to see?"
Lulu took the photograph, smiling at her new friend. "Of course." A moment later, however, she gasped.
His face was unmarred by scars and at least ten years younger, but there was no mistake. The smiling boy in the photograph was Veigar.
an: Too easy to see coming? Yeahokayprobably.
Again a big thanks to Oceanbourne for betareading. Read his stories. Make him write more than one chapter every three weeks. :D
Oh, and I changed my username. Sorry for any confusion. Thequietwriter was more of a name I used like… a decade ago. I've gone by Lioriel most places for the last five years and wanted to sync up my ancient account here with the present!
