A/N: *SQUEAL*!!! One of my poems is getting published!!!
Chapter Twenty-Four
Leo sighed, his breath ruffling his fur. Was Aglaia coming back again? Now that he knew the truth, that she was his Aglaia, he didn't want her to leave again lest the past repeated itself. He didn't want to lose her again.
After she left, he tried to keep himself occupied—anything to forget about the dull ache in his chest whenever he thought of her and how she left him. True, she had told him that she would be back, but then what else was she to tell him? She couldn't very well tell him that she was going to be gone forever, could she? No, Leo knew Aglaia. The Aglaia he knew was kindhearted and beautiful where it mattered the most. Even though she was willful and stubborn at times Leo knew that she would tell him if she wasn't coming back. She wouldn't just leave.
Harboring a small spark of hope, Leo stood up and started towards the gardens. The roses needed watering. He didn't go there since Aglaia left, fearing that the sight of the place she left would be too much to bear.
Before he could reach the roses, Leo felt a deep pang on his heart, as if someone drove a knife to it. Unable to walk further, he collapsed by the fountain, breathing great gulps of air.
His heart wrenched and Leo gasped, writhing in pain. His eyes fluttered and closed, and he became still. The only sign of life in the beast was the sharp rising and falling of its chest. And then it too, was gone. The beast was no more.
~~~
Aglaia sat up on her bed, gasping. She was sweating, her hair plastered to her damp forehead. The beast! There was something wrong. Aglaia quickly dressed and hurried outside her room towards Alessia's room.
She knocked quietly and walked inside the room. Alessia was sitting up, having just awoken. "What is it?"
Aglaia shook her head. "I must go. I had a terrible dream that the beast was dead. There's something wrong."
"It was just a dream, Aglaia. That doesn't mean that it really happened," Alessia said soothingly, trying to console the worried fairy.
"No," Aglaia shook her head vehemently. "It wasn't just a dream. I know something's wrong. I have to go. Can you tell them what happened? I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise."
Alessia nodded silently, understanding alight in her eyes. "I'll explain everything to mama. I wish it wasn't true. I wish the beast—Leo is alright."
Aglaia looked out the window. "Me too."
She hastily stood up and waved goodbye to Alessia, and slipped out the door. Silently walking down the stairs, Aglaia remembered the last time she left this house. It was a silent night too, the last time she snuck out—no birds chirping or crickets either.
Finally she was outside. A foreboding feeling swept through her and Aglaia hurriedly muttered the words that brought her wings back. Looking back at the house one last time, she noticed Alessia looking at her through her window and waved at her one last time before flying away into the night.
~~~
Phaedrus walked into the glimmering drawing room and sat down gingerly on the sofa, waiting for the queen mother to arrive. She had summoned him to talk to him about an "urgent matter". His pulse was quick as he waited, fearing that the "urgent matter" was about the fairies' plight. What if she told her son out of loyalty? After all, there was a saying somewhere that blood is thicker than water. What if she summoned him to warn him that she was going to tell her son, and she was just giving him a head start to escape, for old time's sake?
He looked around him, trying to preoccupy his mind and think of anything but what he was thinking at the moment. A slight movement to his right caught his eye and he turned. Selene was standing by the doorway of the drawing room, looking at him intently. Phaedrus felt his pulse start to quicken, and he started thinking of where he could escape Akakios when she told him her decision.
"Phaedrus." The word was a whisper, sounding almost like a sigh. Phaedrus felt himself calming down. Selene walked towards him and sat on the sofa across from him.
"Do you remember the last time we talked in this room?" Selene was looking at Phaedrus intently, as if reading his face. Phaedrus felt his throat dry, and nodded.
"I told you that I couldn't betray my son, that I couldn't help you." Selene said quietly, looking away, as if embarrassed by her decision. Phaedrus felt a tiny glimmer of hope.
Selene shifted in her seat. "Yesterday, I had a very interesting conversation with Maia, my familiar." Phaedrus nodded, wondering where this was leading. Some fairies took familiars, animal companions for them. These familiars would protect them for life and help them. From what he knew, Maia, Selene's familiar, was a sparrow.
"She told me that she had talked to Aglaia to warn her about this girl, and that Aglaia was with the prince, Leopold. Apparently my son turned this innocent young man into a beast." When Selene said son, her teeth clenched and she shook her head.
Phaedrus frowned. "Aglaia? But Akakios has been looking for her. How did your sparrow find her?"
Selene's lips curved into a small smile. "She has known all along where Aglaia was, except for a few days when Aglaia left suddenly and went to the prince's new castle."
Aha. So the queen mother was still keeping a few secrets from her son. The small glimmer of hope grew. Maybe she wasn't going to tell him.
"There's more." Selene had leaned back and frowned. "When Maia went back to tell the prince that Aglaia and the other girl was alright, she saw him lying on the ground, dead. I have no doubts as to who killed him."
Phaedrus saw the pain in her eyes. She didn't want to do what she was going to do, but she had no choice. Akakios had gone too far this time.
"I will help you. My son has to leave the throne."
~~~
Heart pounding in fear, Aglaia ran towards the garden, remembering her dream. She ran past the rose garden, past the other rose garden. She knew where Leo was going to be. Tears were falling from her eyes. Aglaia knew that the dream was real. It seemed too real not to be. Leo was dead.
Just when they were starting to open up to each other. Why? Aglaia ran towards the fountain, a small gleam of hope rising in her chest when she didn't see Leo anywhere. She slowed down and looked in the front of the fountain. What she saw made her heart stop. It was a heap of golden fur and clothes. Leo was dead.
A/N: *shields herself from readers' punches* eek!!! Sorry!!! hehehe, I know, I know.. Why did I kill him and all that stuff... let's just say that I needed something to spur Selene on... *blush* sorry it was too harsh...
Chapter Twenty-Four
Leo sighed, his breath ruffling his fur. Was Aglaia coming back again? Now that he knew the truth, that she was his Aglaia, he didn't want her to leave again lest the past repeated itself. He didn't want to lose her again.
After she left, he tried to keep himself occupied—anything to forget about the dull ache in his chest whenever he thought of her and how she left him. True, she had told him that she would be back, but then what else was she to tell him? She couldn't very well tell him that she was going to be gone forever, could she? No, Leo knew Aglaia. The Aglaia he knew was kindhearted and beautiful where it mattered the most. Even though she was willful and stubborn at times Leo knew that she would tell him if she wasn't coming back. She wouldn't just leave.
Harboring a small spark of hope, Leo stood up and started towards the gardens. The roses needed watering. He didn't go there since Aglaia left, fearing that the sight of the place she left would be too much to bear.
Before he could reach the roses, Leo felt a deep pang on his heart, as if someone drove a knife to it. Unable to walk further, he collapsed by the fountain, breathing great gulps of air.
His heart wrenched and Leo gasped, writhing in pain. His eyes fluttered and closed, and he became still. The only sign of life in the beast was the sharp rising and falling of its chest. And then it too, was gone. The beast was no more.
~~~
Aglaia sat up on her bed, gasping. She was sweating, her hair plastered to her damp forehead. The beast! There was something wrong. Aglaia quickly dressed and hurried outside her room towards Alessia's room.
She knocked quietly and walked inside the room. Alessia was sitting up, having just awoken. "What is it?"
Aglaia shook her head. "I must go. I had a terrible dream that the beast was dead. There's something wrong."
"It was just a dream, Aglaia. That doesn't mean that it really happened," Alessia said soothingly, trying to console the worried fairy.
"No," Aglaia shook her head vehemently. "It wasn't just a dream. I know something's wrong. I have to go. Can you tell them what happened? I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise."
Alessia nodded silently, understanding alight in her eyes. "I'll explain everything to mama. I wish it wasn't true. I wish the beast—Leo is alright."
Aglaia looked out the window. "Me too."
She hastily stood up and waved goodbye to Alessia, and slipped out the door. Silently walking down the stairs, Aglaia remembered the last time she left this house. It was a silent night too, the last time she snuck out—no birds chirping or crickets either.
Finally she was outside. A foreboding feeling swept through her and Aglaia hurriedly muttered the words that brought her wings back. Looking back at the house one last time, she noticed Alessia looking at her through her window and waved at her one last time before flying away into the night.
~~~
Phaedrus walked into the glimmering drawing room and sat down gingerly on the sofa, waiting for the queen mother to arrive. She had summoned him to talk to him about an "urgent matter". His pulse was quick as he waited, fearing that the "urgent matter" was about the fairies' plight. What if she told her son out of loyalty? After all, there was a saying somewhere that blood is thicker than water. What if she summoned him to warn him that she was going to tell her son, and she was just giving him a head start to escape, for old time's sake?
He looked around him, trying to preoccupy his mind and think of anything but what he was thinking at the moment. A slight movement to his right caught his eye and he turned. Selene was standing by the doorway of the drawing room, looking at him intently. Phaedrus felt his pulse start to quicken, and he started thinking of where he could escape Akakios when she told him her decision.
"Phaedrus." The word was a whisper, sounding almost like a sigh. Phaedrus felt himself calming down. Selene walked towards him and sat on the sofa across from him.
"Do you remember the last time we talked in this room?" Selene was looking at Phaedrus intently, as if reading his face. Phaedrus felt his throat dry, and nodded.
"I told you that I couldn't betray my son, that I couldn't help you." Selene said quietly, looking away, as if embarrassed by her decision. Phaedrus felt a tiny glimmer of hope.
Selene shifted in her seat. "Yesterday, I had a very interesting conversation with Maia, my familiar." Phaedrus nodded, wondering where this was leading. Some fairies took familiars, animal companions for them. These familiars would protect them for life and help them. From what he knew, Maia, Selene's familiar, was a sparrow.
"She told me that she had talked to Aglaia to warn her about this girl, and that Aglaia was with the prince, Leopold. Apparently my son turned this innocent young man into a beast." When Selene said son, her teeth clenched and she shook her head.
Phaedrus frowned. "Aglaia? But Akakios has been looking for her. How did your sparrow find her?"
Selene's lips curved into a small smile. "She has known all along where Aglaia was, except for a few days when Aglaia left suddenly and went to the prince's new castle."
Aha. So the queen mother was still keeping a few secrets from her son. The small glimmer of hope grew. Maybe she wasn't going to tell him.
"There's more." Selene had leaned back and frowned. "When Maia went back to tell the prince that Aglaia and the other girl was alright, she saw him lying on the ground, dead. I have no doubts as to who killed him."
Phaedrus saw the pain in her eyes. She didn't want to do what she was going to do, but she had no choice. Akakios had gone too far this time.
"I will help you. My son has to leave the throne."
~~~
Heart pounding in fear, Aglaia ran towards the garden, remembering her dream. She ran past the rose garden, past the other rose garden. She knew where Leo was going to be. Tears were falling from her eyes. Aglaia knew that the dream was real. It seemed too real not to be. Leo was dead.
Just when they were starting to open up to each other. Why? Aglaia ran towards the fountain, a small gleam of hope rising in her chest when she didn't see Leo anywhere. She slowed down and looked in the front of the fountain. What she saw made her heart stop. It was a heap of golden fur and clothes. Leo was dead.
A/N: *shields herself from readers' punches* eek!!! Sorry!!! hehehe, I know, I know.. Why did I kill him and all that stuff... let's just say that I needed something to spur Selene on... *blush* sorry it was too harsh...