Chapter Five
Aglaia got ready to leave for the human world again. A few months had passed and Leo had asked her to meet him. Now that they knew each other better, they saw each other more often without needing balls for an excuse. Leo had offered to visit her but took it back when she started looking like a startled deer again. They agreed then to meet instead.
Aglaia flew to her aunt's room and knocked on the door. Her aunt finally supported her when she saw that Aglaia was set on her decision.
"You always were stubborn like your father." She had said.
"Aunt Sophronia?" When no one answered the door, Aglaia opened it slowly to find an empty bedroom. Frowning in confusion, Aglaia flew to her father's bedroom. Just as she reached the door, her aunt flew out of it.
"Aglaia. Your father is resting now." She looked grim.
Aglaia frowned. "Is everything alright?"
Sophronia looked at Aglaia, and noticed her clothes for the first time. "How long will you be gone?"
Distracted, Aglaia replied, "Awhile. But is everything alright? Is father alright?"
Sophronia looked lovingly at her niece. "Yes, just go and enjoy yourself. Your father will be fine. I'll send for you when I need you."
"But..."
"No, no buts. Go!" Sophronia ushered her away.
Aglaia unfolded her wings. "Alright. You're sure?"
"Yes!" Sophronia led her away.
~~~
Aglaia took a deep breath.
"Leo, there's something that I have to tell you."
Leopold looked at her expectantly.
"I'm ready."
"Ready for what?" Leopold looked confused.
"I'm ready to tell you about myself." Leopold's expression was unreadable. Yet there was something familiar within those deep brown eyes. Fear? But why?
"This may come to you as a surprise. I know you might have heard of my kind, but it may never have occurred to you that I am one.", Aglaia said nervously.
Leopold shook his head. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"No, I want to." Aglaia closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"I'm a fairy."
~~~
Leo didn't know what he was hearing. It was as if a solid truth that he had been standing on was pulled away from him. Aglaia, a fairy? No wonder she was always disappearing.
"There's more." He heard Aglaia say.
Leo didn't think he could take too much revelations in one day. He raised his hand and shook his head.
"This is not my true face."
Leo closed his eyes. He started breathing slowly, as if to relax himself. He opened his eyes.
"No one has ever seen my true face, except for maybe strangers. I want to show it to you, because... well because you're my friend."
Leo looked at Aglaia. She looked worried and tense.
Aglaia went on. "I will show you my true face the next time we meet. I'll just leave you here for now so you can think about everything I said." And with that she stood up.
"Wait." Leo said. It was the first time he spoke since she told him, and his throat felt like sandpaper. Aglaia looked back at him. "I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow morning."
Aglaia relaxed and smiled. "I shall meet you here." Soon she was gone by the bushes. Leo strained his eyes at the spot where she left and saw a small speck rising in the air. Why hadn't he noticed it before?
~~~
"Askhimos phoremas." Aglaia whispered. Instantly, her dress changed. She was ready to meet Leo. Tonight was the night that she would show him her true face. Aglaia took a deep breath. Yesterday she thought it was truly the end of their friendship. When Leo kept quiet she thought that she had just lost a great friend.
Aglaia flew quickly to Sophronia's room. She knocked on the door but no one answered. Frowning slightly, she pushed the door open.
"Aunt Sophronia?" Instantly two pairs of hands covered her mouth and held her. Aglaia struggled and tried to scream, but the two fairies that held her were stronger.
"Struggling is no use." Aglaia's head snapped up to see who the owner of the voice was. Akakios. She stared at him and struggled harder but all in vain. She looked around the room for her aunt and found her in one corner knocked unconscious.
She heard Akakios laugh, an evil, menacing laugh. "Do you really think you could escape? Contrary to what you may think, these are not fairies. I have created these creatures to be stronger and more powerful than any creature alive. There is no escape."
Aglaia tried to shout through the hand covering her mouth, but it muffled her voice. "What was that, my dear?" Akakios looked amused. "I have a few things that I want to tell you. This time, you can't daydream your way through it. You will listen to me this time." Akakios walked towards her and held her chin up to face him.
"I am very sorry to be the one to tell you this, but your father is dead." Akakios said in a singsong voice, looking at her face to see her reaction.
Aglaia's eyes widened and she shook her head. No. It can't be true! Then she remembered her aunt's sad and weary look yesterday after leaving her father's chambers. "Go and enjoy yourself.", she had said.
Her father left her, encouraging her to flee. She would not let him down. Aglaia looked around the room, searching for a means to escape.
"One more thing. You and I are getting married tonight. There are to be no more delays. Your uncle has control of everything about you-your marriage, dowry and all that nonsense. I have talked to him already and we are getting married." Seeing the look of horror on Aglaia's face, Akakios smiled even wider.
"No, there is nothing you can do. You have no control of even your own life. All you can do is stand there and watch everything take place. Your prince can't even save you." He sneered when he saw her dress.
Aglaia's eyes widened. He knew? Akakios walked towards the window and looked outside. "I must be going now. You, my dear, will stay here. I will return before dusk to take you with me."
Once Akakios was gone, Aglaia struggled again, trying to get free. Suddenly, she noticed that the 'fairies' were having a harder time holding her still. It seemed that the farther away their master was, the weaker they got.
Aglaia searched her mind for one of the spells her mother taught her. It was really useless, really. The spells were ones for everyday life, like cooking, making a dress, those kinds of things. Then Aglaia remembered the day before her mother died when she gave her the ring. She taught Aglaia her last lesson, and the most important lesson of all. She taught Aglaia how to summon her spirit.
Aglaia strained to remember the words and whispered it. Nothing. Aglaia sighed and tried to remember it. Suddenly a white glow appeared in front of her. It seemed to ward the 'fairies' away from Aglaia, blinding them.
As soon as their grips relaxed, Aglaia broke away and flew out the door and towards the barrier that separated the fairy and human world.
Aglaia got ready to leave for the human world again. A few months had passed and Leo had asked her to meet him. Now that they knew each other better, they saw each other more often without needing balls for an excuse. Leo had offered to visit her but took it back when she started looking like a startled deer again. They agreed then to meet instead.
Aglaia flew to her aunt's room and knocked on the door. Her aunt finally supported her when she saw that Aglaia was set on her decision.
"You always were stubborn like your father." She had said.
"Aunt Sophronia?" When no one answered the door, Aglaia opened it slowly to find an empty bedroom. Frowning in confusion, Aglaia flew to her father's bedroom. Just as she reached the door, her aunt flew out of it.
"Aglaia. Your father is resting now." She looked grim.
Aglaia frowned. "Is everything alright?"
Sophronia looked at Aglaia, and noticed her clothes for the first time. "How long will you be gone?"
Distracted, Aglaia replied, "Awhile. But is everything alright? Is father alright?"
Sophronia looked lovingly at her niece. "Yes, just go and enjoy yourself. Your father will be fine. I'll send for you when I need you."
"But..."
"No, no buts. Go!" Sophronia ushered her away.
Aglaia unfolded her wings. "Alright. You're sure?"
"Yes!" Sophronia led her away.
~~~
Aglaia took a deep breath.
"Leo, there's something that I have to tell you."
Leopold looked at her expectantly.
"I'm ready."
"Ready for what?" Leopold looked confused.
"I'm ready to tell you about myself." Leopold's expression was unreadable. Yet there was something familiar within those deep brown eyes. Fear? But why?
"This may come to you as a surprise. I know you might have heard of my kind, but it may never have occurred to you that I am one.", Aglaia said nervously.
Leopold shook his head. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"No, I want to." Aglaia closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"I'm a fairy."
~~~
Leo didn't know what he was hearing. It was as if a solid truth that he had been standing on was pulled away from him. Aglaia, a fairy? No wonder she was always disappearing.
"There's more." He heard Aglaia say.
Leo didn't think he could take too much revelations in one day. He raised his hand and shook his head.
"This is not my true face."
Leo closed his eyes. He started breathing slowly, as if to relax himself. He opened his eyes.
"No one has ever seen my true face, except for maybe strangers. I want to show it to you, because... well because you're my friend."
Leo looked at Aglaia. She looked worried and tense.
Aglaia went on. "I will show you my true face the next time we meet. I'll just leave you here for now so you can think about everything I said." And with that she stood up.
"Wait." Leo said. It was the first time he spoke since she told him, and his throat felt like sandpaper. Aglaia looked back at him. "I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow morning."
Aglaia relaxed and smiled. "I shall meet you here." Soon she was gone by the bushes. Leo strained his eyes at the spot where she left and saw a small speck rising in the air. Why hadn't he noticed it before?
~~~
"Askhimos phoremas." Aglaia whispered. Instantly, her dress changed. She was ready to meet Leo. Tonight was the night that she would show him her true face. Aglaia took a deep breath. Yesterday she thought it was truly the end of their friendship. When Leo kept quiet she thought that she had just lost a great friend.
Aglaia flew quickly to Sophronia's room. She knocked on the door but no one answered. Frowning slightly, she pushed the door open.
"Aunt Sophronia?" Instantly two pairs of hands covered her mouth and held her. Aglaia struggled and tried to scream, but the two fairies that held her were stronger.
"Struggling is no use." Aglaia's head snapped up to see who the owner of the voice was. Akakios. She stared at him and struggled harder but all in vain. She looked around the room for her aunt and found her in one corner knocked unconscious.
She heard Akakios laugh, an evil, menacing laugh. "Do you really think you could escape? Contrary to what you may think, these are not fairies. I have created these creatures to be stronger and more powerful than any creature alive. There is no escape."
Aglaia tried to shout through the hand covering her mouth, but it muffled her voice. "What was that, my dear?" Akakios looked amused. "I have a few things that I want to tell you. This time, you can't daydream your way through it. You will listen to me this time." Akakios walked towards her and held her chin up to face him.
"I am very sorry to be the one to tell you this, but your father is dead." Akakios said in a singsong voice, looking at her face to see her reaction.
Aglaia's eyes widened and she shook her head. No. It can't be true! Then she remembered her aunt's sad and weary look yesterday after leaving her father's chambers. "Go and enjoy yourself.", she had said.
Her father left her, encouraging her to flee. She would not let him down. Aglaia looked around the room, searching for a means to escape.
"One more thing. You and I are getting married tonight. There are to be no more delays. Your uncle has control of everything about you-your marriage, dowry and all that nonsense. I have talked to him already and we are getting married." Seeing the look of horror on Aglaia's face, Akakios smiled even wider.
"No, there is nothing you can do. You have no control of even your own life. All you can do is stand there and watch everything take place. Your prince can't even save you." He sneered when he saw her dress.
Aglaia's eyes widened. He knew? Akakios walked towards the window and looked outside. "I must be going now. You, my dear, will stay here. I will return before dusk to take you with me."
Once Akakios was gone, Aglaia struggled again, trying to get free. Suddenly, she noticed that the 'fairies' were having a harder time holding her still. It seemed that the farther away their master was, the weaker they got.
Aglaia searched her mind for one of the spells her mother taught her. It was really useless, really. The spells were ones for everyday life, like cooking, making a dress, those kinds of things. Then Aglaia remembered the day before her mother died when she gave her the ring. She taught Aglaia her last lesson, and the most important lesson of all. She taught Aglaia how to summon her spirit.
Aglaia strained to remember the words and whispered it. Nothing. Aglaia sighed and tried to remember it. Suddenly a white glow appeared in front of her. It seemed to ward the 'fairies' away from Aglaia, blinding them.
As soon as their grips relaxed, Aglaia broke away and flew out the door and towards the barrier that separated the fairy and human world.