Darkness in the Twilight
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
By Psycho Ferret and LunarCrystal
Wings
Allen had been in his livingroom when Melzin had come by to routinely check up on the soldiers gathered there. Many of them were getting better--with much relief on Allen's part. The knight spoke to the healer of the conversations with Van. "Zaibach's bringing healers as well, so you won't be one of the only ones doing this anymore." Of course, they appreciated the old man's help immensely, always had.
As always, he never mentioned the Basram soldier. Let him die, let him starve himself as he so wished. He wasnt' sure if the healer knew of the news that had been brought about the boy's father and Allen didn't offer up that information, either.
~
Melzin had been kept quite busy while the war was at somewhat of a standtill. He knew that the peace in Palas would not last, but what little time they had of it was precious. The burden in his heart lightened at the news of the arriving armies, of the airship hospitals that Zaibach was providing along with their technology and healers. It was hard to find any time away from his work - so many were wounded.
The patients under his care were never left suffering, and many of them were thankful for his help, though maimed and dying they might have been. There was one patient he'd been tending to, however, that was not within the immediate vicinity.
"Hans, I hear, is not in very good condition. Poor lad starvin' himself," said the old healer, "You would do well to show kindness in a time of hate. Despite the troubles around us."
Allen sighed softly, turning his head away. "I should," he began, trailing off after a moment. How could he, though? "I feel pity for him, but even still. He's said himself that he killed Asturian soldiers. It might be war, but how can I be kind to him? I've seen nearly all of my men die. My closest friends are gone and all because of those damnable weapons they have. And even if it wasn't him, it was his people that did it."
Melzin gave a heavy sigh, turning away with his bag in tow - he was about to head out the door. "Then you are not the kind hearted knight I once thought you to be." he said sadly.
Allen sighed softly, bowing his head. Maybe he wasn't. But he couldn't find it in himself to not feel some contempt for the boy.
So Melzin left to visit the imprisoned Basram soldier. It was not difficult for him to be allowed to do so, as he was older and well respected. The queen had given him permission rather quickly, and now he came down the dungeon steps, looking about him and shifting the bag upon his shoulder.
The guard that was on duty saw him, Melzin quickly explaining his purpose for being there. Once he was let inside the jail cell, he saw the boy before him. The poor lad, once a handsome boy. . . his hair hung in limp strings, his face was sunken and his eyes were hollow. "Poor lad," he said, kneeling down and rifling through his bag, "Let me help you."
There were bruises and scrapes on the pale flesh from where his fellow prisoners--of Asturian blood, of course--had taken it upon themselves to let out their frustrations. He was bound to the wall as he had been since he'd been brought there, his captors didn't bother undoing his hands when they brought the food. If he wanted to eat it, he'd let them know. His strength was failing quickly, especially with the added violence.
The blonde just barely lifted his head to look at the healer, not saying anything. He didn't bother to... and he wasn't sure if his throat would work well enough to do so anyhow.
The healer was careful when he treated the boy's wounds, dabbing at cuts and scrapes with a strong smelling alcohol tincture. Gently, he tilted Hans' head back and cleaned the scrapes there on his face. As he worked, he spoke softly to him, even if the other man would not answer him. It seemed important that he know that someone cared for him.
Reaching into his back, he withdrew a cloth wrapped bundle, small. He opened it and picked up a small biscuit from Allen's pantry, handing it to the Basram soldier. "Angelina misses you terribly." said Melzin quietly.
"Die Katzchen?" he asked hoarsely, staring dully at the biscuit. Of course she would miss him, right? She was a child, she couldn't know the horrors he had committed. The boy winced slightly as one of the wounds was treated.
It was obvious, really why it was that he was so sullen. Not so much the fact that he was here among enemies... but because he had been pushed aside by his father without even a thought. He was just another casualty, that was all, nothing more. Of course... he never really should have expected any less.
"Please, eat something," begged the healer softly, nudging the biscuit into Han's pale hands. "That little girl really cares for you, and I don't know if you know how special that is. The only other person she's ever attached herself to like that was her own father and her uncle." Melzin finally took Hans' hand and placed the biscuit into his palm. "She really loves you."
Hans sighed softly, turning his head weakly away. "Won't see her anyhow," he murmured softly, the biscuit held lightly.
It was sad, really, to see him wasting away in such a manner. But he didn't really have much to live for. He wouldn't be able to go home, he was dead to his father. He likely wouldn't be released into Asturia. He was, after all, still a soldier of Basram.
"You will," said the old healer sternly, forcing Hans' gaze to look at him. He said again, "You will. I know it, I feel it. And I have never been steered wrong."
"Danke für your kindness," he said softly after a long bout of silence. He didn't dare hold much hope for it, not at all. But this man believed it and he could at least humor him for it.
There were no words left to be said for that visit. Melzin decided that he should visit the young man more often, treat his wounds and try to coax him to eat - until there was some way to release him from the prison. Though he was a criminal of war, he was only doing his duty and the healer saw the goodness in this man's heart, though no one would ever have believed him.
And so he came back the next day, bag ready full of supplies and a bundle of light biscuits to feed to the besodden young man.
Hans had been rebound to the wall, his arms above his head, shoulders aching. The guards had done nothing to disguise the bruises and cuts, the blood that dried on his pale lips. His breathing was soft, however ragged, the pain in his side having spread to, for the most part, his entire abdomen. He'd been unable to defend himself against the onslaught, had made no move to do so anyhow. He hadn't struggled at all.
He was a lonely, battered, despised young soul who, in his mind, had no one to turn to. His fair skin was flushed with the fever that rose from the infection of his side wound, his eyes closed.
Melzin wasted no time. Tearing his eyes away from the sight, after taking it in for a good moment longer than he should have, he ran back up the stairs and sought an audience with the queen immediately. His outrage was hardly contained, and as he was usually such a soft spoken man, this surprised Millerna. Well versed in diplomacy and articulate in explaining Hans' medical need, he managed to convince the queen to have him taken out of jail. But as the palace was being used to harbor the wounded from the fallen forts, there was no room.
Without going so far as to seek permission, Melzin had arranged for armored guards to escort the wounded Basram soldier to Schezar manor. As it was being used as a safehouse, there was little room for argument, especially when the royal decree was pressed against Allen's chest as the healer walked by to lead the guards carrying Hans.
Allen was more than surprised when the Basram soldier was carried inside looking like someone had nearly beaten the life out of him. Of course... Allen wasn't surprised. He had been in a jail filled with other Asturian prisoners. "Ah... up the stairs. There's an empty room," he murmured softly. He didn't much like the idea of harboring the man, but he didn't have a choice when Millerna's word accompanied it.
"He looks horrible," he said softly to Melzin, shaking his head slightly.
"Does he now," said the healer. He was still suffering residue from his earlier outrage, the lines on his face darkening with anger. "Don't suppose you care too much about that, then?" The man awaited no reply, simply pushed passed the knight and accompanied the soldiers up the stairs. They settled him on the last spare bed the house had, and Melzin was content with himself. He automatically set to work to cleaning Hans' wounds.
Allen looked at the man as he passed, sighing softly, running a hand through his hair. He couldn't recall when he'd seen Melzin that irritated. Of course... Allen had brought it on himself. The knight settled down in the living room, chin in his palm, staring off.
Hans had woken up briefly as he'd been carried to Allen's household, blinking back at the sunlight, resigning with closing his eyes. He had no idea this was where Angelina stayed, only aware that this was a far more comfortable place than the prison he'd been in before.
Melzin had been looking after Hans, being the only other person sympathetic towards the man. He had noticed the man beginning to stir - well, perhaps the healer was not the only one that was sympathetic. A quick search about the home while Hans was coming to consciousness, and soon Melzin had Angelina clinging to his robes. The little princess had become terribly giddy with the news, and skipped all the way back to Hans' room.
"Ah, good afternoon, lad." greeted Melzin, gazing down at Angelina as she giggled quietly.
Hans looked weakly up at the healer, thankfully missing the ache in his shoulders and wrists. He didn't bother speaking, knowing he could hardly get the words out as it was, and instead, nodded. He looked at the little girl for a long moment, rather surprised. Why was she here?
"I brought someone who wanted to see you," continued the healer, smiling and crouching down to the little girl's height. He whispered, "He's straight ahead of you, on a bed. Go on and say 'hello'." And Angelina took off running into the room, colliding with the bed. She managed to catch herself by gripping the bedcovers at the last minute. Feeling up the bed, she found Hans' shoulder and managed to lean close to him.
"Hans!" she cried happily.
Hans blinked a bit, a little started by her. Especially by her enthusiasm. Of course, she was a child... and she couldn't see the state he was in. However, he was thinner than before, his skin a little warmer thanks to the fever. Smatterings of stubble lingered on his chin.
"Katzchen," he murmured softly, looking at her. It was... good to see her.
"Hans, Hans," she whimpered in her small voice, "I have missed you so much, my beloved." She liked to use that word now, 'beloved', ever since she heard it and then found out what it meant. Her hands touched his shoulder, and with great effort, managed to climb onto the bed and settle herself beside him.
"I love you, Hans." she said, "Please don't ever leave me again." For the brief moment, she sounded far too grown up to be five years old, but no one would ever tell her this - and so she would have never known it.
The young man sighed softly, just the faintest smile tugging on his dry lips. She really was just too adorable for her own good. After a moment of watching her through half-closed eyes, the young man turned his gaze to Melzin thankfully. Melzin had known just what he'd needed; some sort of reassurance that he wasn't left here alone, that he wasn't simply pushed aside.
"I think I'll let you two visit for a while." said Melzin knowingly, giving the young man a grin and closing the door behind him. It was a risk, or would have been thought that way by any other. Although, the healer trusted this man explicitly, even with the vulnerable little Princess Angelina. He simply knew better than the others. Perhaps that could be constituted to his longer years in life. But who really knows?
Hans slipped one arm about the girl loosely, a faint smile still tugging at his lips, even though she couldn't see it. Maybe this would be what it took for him to actually try and get past his weakness. When he'd gotten word that his father had cast him aside... he had seen no point to bother living. Living as a prisoner was no life at all.
"Are you sad, Hans?" she asked quietly, snuggling into his side. Her arm was lazily draped across his middle, and she loosely grasped the fabric of his shirt in her small hands. "Aren't you happy to see me?"
"Of course I am, Katzchen," he said softly, if not a little hoarsely. He hadn't spoken much the time he'd been imprisoned... he'd had no reason to.
"I'm glad you're back." she said, smiling fondly. "I was afraid you'd left me forever like my mother. But now that you're back, we can get married."
"When you're older, katzchen." Of course, that would include him getting over his wounds and illness, as well as her remembering it when she grew. This had to just be some passing, childish fancy.
"Aren't you a prince?" she asked innocently.
"Me? Nein... I... am simply a soldier." What could he say? He wasn't anyone special, not anymore.
"But - but, I kissed you when you were in a really really really deep sleep. And I'm a princess. And you woke up when I kissed you, and that makes you a prince, just like the story my father tells me." she pouted.
The man cocked his head to the side a little, looking at the girl. He brushed his fingers weakly through her hair, a soft sigh on his lips. How to explain it to her? He was no prince, not at all.
"Well," she began quietly, her tone acquiring somewhat of a sympathetic quality, "I'm not really a princess. But even if you're not really a prince, Hans . . . you're a prince to me."
"Danke, Katzchen," he said softly. The words meant more to him than she might have known. Perhaps they would be forgotten in later years--though Hans didn't expect to live very long anyhow--but right now, at that moment... they meant much to him.
~
While Angelina was very happy to have Hans back, she had new distractions surrounding her. For example, children to play with where she hadn't had the opportunity before. It was truly a liberating experience for such a sheltered little girl, especially a blind one. The Princess of Fanelia, though a year younger than Angelina, took fairly good control over situations when Angelina might do something odd - feeling around, touching things, and being generally careful about where she stepped in new areas. But for the most part, Yume still managed to drag her new friend around by the hand, though she might have stumbled.
At one point, Allen had half-admonished Yume to be more careful with his daughter, as pulling her so roughly by the hand cause Angelina to skin her knee more than once. Sheepishly, Yume agreed, blushing and taking her friend to play outside again. She looked up at the sky, and her mouth hung open as she stared up at the orange and yellow streaks of the sunset.
"Why did we stop?" asked Angelina, one hand reaching her hip as she put on a half-frown. Yume scrunched up her nose, sniffing.
"The sky looks pretty." she said. Angelina frowned, however.
"That's silly. You can't touch it. How would you know if it's pretty?" asked the blind girl. Yume sighed heavily in defeat, not understanding how someone could be blind in the first place.
"I don't know. It's just pretty. Orange and bright." she answered, but pursed her lips when all she received from Angelina was another look of contempt and confusion. They pressed on passed the fields. Just as they walked carefully passed the first bend of trees, they heard insiduous giggles and snickers coming from the small stream in the forests.
"Poke at it and see if it moves!"
The princes, of course. They were out playing in the streams. Their pants legs rolled up after Hitomi rebuked them for not doing it a few days ago. One held a squirming frog in hand, laughing and holding it out towards his brother.
"Mister Mole said you'll get warts if you touch one too long, so hurry up!"
"You touch it!" sneered Keiki, giving his brother a shove on his shoulder. He was already in the middle of the ankle deep running stream, the gooey rocks squishing algae between his toes. He grinned. "Maybe you should kiss it, see if it turns into a princess . . . not as ugly as our little sister!" he shouted the last as he saw Yume and Angelina approach.
"Eeew! You kiss it!" The boy laughed, tossing the frog at his brother. "It can't be as ugly as sissy!" Of course, this was normal banter between the two of them, especially concerning their sister. It was generally how boys were, anyway.
"What are you doing?" sneered Yume, pulling Angelina behind her. The look on her face carried one of disdain once she caught sight of the slimy frog that lay placidly in her brother's wet hands. Keiki suddenly grinned evil, taking the frog and going to Angelina. Without a word, he shoved the harmless amphibian into her hands and forced it up to her face.
"You kiss it!" he said acidly.
Seiki laughed with that innocent, childish glee, looking over at his sister. "Yeah! You kiss it! Maybe it'll make you prettier like mommy!" The boy splashed over to the bank and towards his siblings, staring for a moment at the blind girl behind her.
Angelina squirmed at the touch of something so slimy, feeling the frog writhe in her hands. Despite how she tried to turn her head away, Keiki grabbed her chin strongly and forced her lips upon the wet skin of the poor frog. Yume was already screaming at him.
"Stop it! Stop it!" She said, trying her hardest to push her brother away from her friend. Keiki would not relent, continuing to grin as he made the annoying little blind girl kiss the frog.
Seiki laughed again. "Keep doing it!" he cried between gleeful giggles.
Hans frowned from the window, catching sight of it. His poor little kitten. And how much it reminded him of his own sister, so far away, likely forbidden to speak of him.
Seiki was, of course, oblivious to the Basram soldier watching, urging his brother on.
Angelina finally wrenched herself away from the boy's malicious hold, spitting onto the ground and furiously wiping at her mouth. There were, of course, tears at the corner of her eyes, and those too were wiped away. She couldn't let these boys know that they had beaten her. She wasn't beaten, not ever, not by anyone. But Keiki saw anyway. He ignored the frog as it indignantly hopped away.
"Ha ha!!" he laughed horrendously, pointing at the little girl, "She kissed the frog!! Seiki, make her do something else! Rip her dress off. She won't know it. She can't see like us!" Poor Yume was helpless to defend her friend, being so small in body and voice. She did not try hiding her tears, and cried loudly for her mother. All she could do was sit beside Angelina where she had fallen onto the ground - maybe she could stave off her brothers long enough for someone to come to their rescue.
Seiki laughed with his brother, moving to taunt the girl more. She was blind, what could she do? And surely no one but stupid little Yume would come to her rescue. The Basram soldier was injured, he couldn't do anything, right?
Despite it hurting immensely as the wound in his side pulled, as strained, bruised muscles stretched, Hans slipped out of the--thankfully--first story window, stumbling on his feet and wincing at the pain that jolted through him. It was getting easier to move, though, and he was slowly gaining back his color and strength.
Seemingly out of nowhere, the Basram soldier scooped the little girl up in his arms, startling the other children. "Katzchen," he said softly, "Ihr Ritter ist zurückgekommen."
"Hans!" she cried out, surprised and elated at the same time. Yume only gasped at his suddenly presence, the man being so tall and intimidating. Keiki took a step backwards towards his brother, stumbling on his own feet as he stared in awe of the man's immense physique - at least, it seemed immense to a six year old boy. He fell down onto his rump, still staring.
"Let her go!" Yume yelled at the soldier. "You let her go right now or I'll tell my mommy!"
Hans looked at the trio of children at his feet, his voice thick with his accent as he spoke to Yume. "If you cannot protect her from them, then I shall, isn't that right, Die Katzchen?"
Seiki stared, rather frightened, up at the man. He was... tall. He was... huge and imposing and frightening and he spoke in a horrendously different language--that was scary itself--that sounded too guttural and militaristic to belong to anyone nice.
"Yes, Hans, yes!" she gladly leaned her head into his neck, kissing the flesh there like she would with her father. To her, now that she was in Hans' arm, the rest of the world was gone. The children were nothing more than distant voices that would never touch her, the feeling of being so high up off the ground in such a protective embrace just so soothing to her. Everything, to her, was forgotten save for her beautiful Hans.
Yume turned on her brothers, a look anger crossing her features, of fierce determination. She will protect her new friend from her fiendish brothers, no matter what cost. No matter what cost!! With a grimace, and a yelp, two perfectly white feathered wings, tiny and insufficient for flight, sprouted from her open back.
"Stay away from her!" she said again, her wings trembling with trying to keep them erect.
Hans held her close to him, protectively. The appearance of the wings made him take the slightest step back, especially from such a small child. But she was doing this in Angelina's honor... it was touching, the friendship that had grown between them. Hans held the girl safely out of harm's way, the strength and hard curves beginning to come back to them, though he was not really anywhere near as fit as he had been before.
Seiki started, stepping back. "Sissy! You're not supposed to!"
"I don't care! Don't ever touch my friend again!" she yelled. Keiki took a step back with his brother too, sneering at her - let her do what she wants. Who cares? She'll get in trouble and they won't. So what did it matter that she was showing her forbidden wings to an outsider?
"She's just a dumb little blind girl! What do you care anyway?" he demanded petulantly.
"Don't listen to them, Katzchen," he murmured softly, holding her close to him still.
Seiki agreed with his brother, backing away from the girl when she spread her wings, as well as the imposing adult behind her. In the sunlight his pale hair seemed to almost glow, his fair skin soft, smooth, his strong, but pretty features, calm, almost eerily so.
Keiki grabbed his brother's sleeve, giving him a swift tug backwards and starting off on a run into the forests where they could get away from the intimidating soldier. They disappeared among the trees, and Yume thought she would never be so glad to see them go. Her wings slumped after so much effort in keeping them up. They furled close to her back, and she fell to the ground onto her knees.
"Ouch," she whimpered, reaching behind her to grab at one wing joint, to massage the pain away. Angelina heard her and whimpered with her - thinking the princes had hurt her and she squirmed in Hans' hold to reach her friend.
"Yume, Yume. They didn't hurt you, did they?" she asked worriedly.
Hans knelt down, settling Angelina on her feet and resting the girl's hand on her friend's small shoulder. The soldier took a moment to regain himself. He hadn't moved around that much or that quickly for awhile and it was slightly starting to get to him. His place wasn't between the two girls. When he forced back the short wave of dizziness, Hans stood slowly, making to head back towards the manor.
"Hans!!" cried Angelina, her concern still for her friend as her reassuring touches were placed upon Yume's shoulder, though she was very keen with her senses. Hans had moved away from her. She nearly cried, not sure if the boys had run far from her or not and wanted her knight's protection. "Hans, please don't go! Don't leave us here..."
Yume snuggled into her friend fondly, and she heard a gasp from Angelina as the other girl's fingers touched the soft down of her wings. Wonder brimmed in Angelina's heart, feeling the feathers and how beautifully soft and smooth they were. "You - you have wings!"
Hans paused, turning to look over his shoulder at the girl, taking a few steps back to her. He noticed Yume shying away from him a little... and honestly didn't blame her. He could see how he might be imposing. Bt the girl's new finding might take precedence. He stayed silent, where he was, looking at them.
"Of course I have wings." she said proudly, but they still trembled and shuddered at having stayed so long in a forced position. "Mommy and daddy have wings too." Angelina just blanched, completely awed by what the girl was telling her, and suddenly her expression turned into an untelling wonder. She was friends with a real princess *and* an angel! Without warning, she grabbed the smaller girl in a strong hug before she took off running, practically carrying her little friend with her toward where she thought the house was.
"Hans! Which way is my house?" she asked, hoping she wouldn't have to stop her run. She needed to find her father, to tell him about her new discovery and how absolutely wonderful it was. Yume was taken utterly by surprise, unable to make her wings fade away and straining to stay out of Angelina's grip.
Hans cocked his head to the side a little, looking at the girls. "Straight ahead, Katzchen." At least if she left, he could let his wound trouble him the way it wanted to. He watched them as they ran off, Angelina excited at the discovery. Indeed... they were beautiful, almost... impressive, even on such a small scale.
Somehow, Angelina managed to find her house. Not just her house, but a way in. One hand was always outstretched, of course, and it was more than once that she'd collided into a wall. Yume tried desperately to keep up with her taller friend's strides, her little wings bouncing with weight as they ran. Reaching the parlor, Angelina's head turning this way and that to pick out any sign of human presence, eventually she just resigned to calling out.
"Father, Father! Come see! Quickly! My friend is an angel!!" Her little voice echoed among the wooden halls of their manor, excitedly lilting in reverberation.
Allen started a bit, lifting his head from the book he was reading at his daughter's call. The blonde unfolded himself from the chair he sat in, heading to where her voice was coming from. He paused when he caught sight of the girl and her wings, but he headed over to them anyway, crouching down beside his daughter, offering a soft smile to Yume.
"An angel, indeed... just like her father."
"And my mommy!" said Yume indignantly, looking and acting very much like a princess simply in those few words. Angelina giggled, running her hands over the wings repeatedly and making Yume quiver at the touch - she kept touching ticklish spots. Weakly, she tried pushing the other girl's hands away, but to no avail.
Allen laughed a little, ruffling both girls' hair gently. "Angelina, stop if she wishes you to, alright?"
The sounds of the past confrontation outside were at the back of his mind, forgotten. Obviously what had been wrong had been settled. Of course, he didn't know it was partially because of the Basram soldier.
Hans drug himself to the window he'd dropped himself out of. It would be easier this way... he wouldn't have to face the others in the house. With effort, the soldier pulled himself within and onto the floor, hissing softly at the flickers of pain. He lay on said floor for a few moments, then tugged himself onto the bed.
Angelina nodded to her father's request, though she still didn't stop tracing her hands along the fine bone of the wings. Yume suddenly blushed, looking up to Allen bashfully and pulling on his sleeve. "Um, Sir Allen, sir . . ." she began, slightly embarrassed by her predicament and looking down at the floor.
Allen cocked his head to the side slightly, a small smile on his lips. "Hm? What can I do for you?" He rested a gloved hand gently over hers, looking at her.
Yume blushed terribly, flinching again as Angelina touched another ticklish spot. She leaned forward, her black hair falling over her face as she frowned slightly.
"I - I can't put them back . . ." she whispered.
The blonde man blinked a little, biting down on his bottom lip gently to keep back the smile. Well, her certainly didn't have any experience with it. "Perhaps... you should focus on them? On... putting them back?"
Yume took a deep breath, closing her eyes and wishing them to go back to being invisible... or inside of her - she wasn't really sure how it worked. Her wings twitched, unfurling with her effort and making Angelina gasp in surprise as she felt them extend. They're span really wasn't any longer than Yume was tall, but still, the suddenness of their length was impressive to the blind girl.
Yume groaned and growled to herself, straining and trying hard, but after a few seconds, her wings slumped again, furling close to her body like she was trying to protect them. She sighed helplessly. "I can't . . ."
Allen pursed his lips thoughtfully, looking at her, wracking his brain for some idea. He had no idea how to deal with such things, how to work wings like that.
"Surely your mother would know...?"
Yume flinched again, and finally lost her temper. Angelina would *not* stop touching her wings, and now it bothered her. She turned on her friend, her wings swinging around her and surprising the blind girl as the air moved quickly with them.
"Stop it already!" she yelled at her. Angelina's hands retracted suddenly, clutching them close to her chest and pouting slightly. Her friend didn't yell at her before. Cupid bow lips turned into a frown and she couldn't help but sniffle in hurt. On the other hand, with Yume now concentrating on getting her friend to stop touching her wings, the wings finally fell away and faded - leaving feathers all over the floor.
Allen blinked a little, biting down on his bottom lip. Well, at least they got the problem of her wings done with. "Your wings faded," Allen pointed out quietly, hoping to distract Yume enough from her being irritated. He felt bad for his daughter...
Like any good spoiled princess, Yume finally let out that lacking sneer that had formed in her throat. She barely glanced behind her to take notice of the knight's finding, turning back to Angelina and narrowing her eyes. "Why can't you stop being so weird, sometimes?" she asked impatiently, not even waiting for an answer before she stalked off down the hall and up the stairs to the room she'd been given.
Angelina could only fumble for an answer. It was what she did, to see things - it's all she could do. How could they blame her for something she couldn't help? Why was her wanting to see something so strange to everyone? She stomped her foot, letting out a frustrated whimper. Her face contorted in hurt, her heart breaking.
"Why am I so *weird*?!" she demanded, hoping Yume might hear her from upstairs, but she knew she had already gone. She simply hung her head, then. "Why can't I stop being weird to everybody?"
Allen felt his heart shatter at her pain. With a suffering sigh, he wrapped his arms gently around her in a gentle hug. "You can't help this, princess, it's just how you are. She just doesn't understand. She doesn't know what it's like. You're not weird, you're just different and that doesn't mean people will care for you any less. I still love you, okay? Nothing will ever change that. You're perfect just the way you are, you don't have to change just because someone thinks you're 'weird.'"
"Oh, father," she cried, clutching herself to him desperately, "I just don't understand. I don't. I never will, will I? Why did I have to be like this? Why was I born different, father? Please, tell me."
"Shh, princess, everything's fine," he whispered softly, hugging her. It would be... so hard to tell her. To tell her that her silver ringlets were like his sister's, like her mother's, that the blood that flowed through her veins was purely that of the Schezar family. "It's my fault you're like this, princess, and I'm so very sorry that it happened. But... but we can't change it."
"Father?" she questioned, listening to his words and not understanding. Her father would never hurt her, would never intentionally do something to make her heart break, to make her so painfully different from the rest of the world. To her, he was the most gentle person to have ever existed, and continues to be - as evident in the protective hold he had around her, his strong arms embracing her tightly with all the love he could muster.
She sniffed again, disregarding his words almost immediately. Her mind was so plagued with worries now, that she could hardly remember where she was. And she felt very tired from all of the activity. "Father, will you nap with me?" she asked weakly.
Allen tugged her closer, the hug a little tighter. "O-of course, princess," he whispered, thanking whoever was listening that he could go a little bit longer without telling her. He would have to tell her eventually, that much he knew. But it was so hard... and she was so young, after all. The knight stood, holding her close. "Do you want to nap with Uncle Gaddes, too?" He wasn't sure Gaddes would be up to it, but he couldn't simply not offer it.
Uncle Gaddes, though he disciplined her much more than her father ever did, was also one of those gentle beings that would never hurt her. She couldn't help but nod against her father's cheek. Planting little kisses upon his face, some tears managed to fall from her blind eyes and splash upon him - but she hardly noticed.
Allen brushed away her tears gently, turning and heading up to the room he shared with Gaddes. He slipped inside quietly, glancing at his lover, hurt, as always, to see the lack of life in him. He kept hoping that he'd open the door and Gaddes would turn and smile at him like he used to. But Allen didn't see that happening soon enough. If there could just be some semblance of the old Gaddes, he would be happy. They rarely talked anymore, especially not the touching, deep conversations they once had and Allen found himself sorely missing them.
Angelina was placed upon the bed gently, and she carefully crawled toward where she heard her uncle breathing gently. Her hand brushed his, and the sight of the little girl actually made Gaddes' expression soften. His eyebrows raised slightly, and he even managed a weak smile at her innocent beauty.
"Oh," he whispered, taking her hand and having her settle along side of his prone form, "How's my sweet angel?" If there was one gift that Angelina had, it was that she made most everyone around her automatically cheer up, no matter what sort of stupor they might have been in - apparently.
Allen looked at Gaddes, watching as the faint smile lingered and he moved over to Angelina's other side quietly, sliding off his boots and sitting on the edge. "Tell him what you found, mm, princess?" He stroked her hair gently, smiling.
"Wings!" she said automatically, despite the hurt that Yume had caused - it did not lesson her excitement in their discovery. "Princess Yume has wings." Gaddes briefly looked at Allen, a knowing smile playing across his lips and just barely managing a grin. His arm tightened fondly around his surrogate daughter.
"Oh, is that so?" he asked.
Allen curled a little bit of the girl's hair in his fingers, his heart soaring when Gaddes' lips curved in a smile. A smile directed at him, no less. He could only hope he'd see more of it. Allen himself smiled softly, fondly over at his lover. His feelings hadn't and wouldn't change, no matter how crippled Gaddes was. But for now it seemed like Gaddes had forgotten his state. If even for a little.
"Yes, oh, yes, Uncle Gaddes! They were so very soft! Softer than anything I've ever felt! Softer than powder!" answered Angelina excitedly, bouncing a little and making Gaddes wince with the movement. He blinked away the tears that stung his eyes, his smile gone from his face but still detectable in his tone.
"That wonderful, princess," he strained.
Allen reached over, stroking Gaddes' hair softly. "Princess, honey, why don't you rest, hm? I think Uncle Gaddes is tired, too." The blonde kissed his daughter's forehead gently, looking at his lover sympathetically, though a smile lingered on his lips.
As if on cue, Angelina yawned and tightly snuggled in between her father and uncle. Idly she tried kicking off her little black shoes, managing to get one off only halfway before she had already fallen asleep. Gaddes gazed at her fondly, the tears still in his eyes. He had wanted to be there for her, to protect her and raise her with Allen. But, oh, how things change, and it tore away at his heart.
Allen quietly rid her of her shoes, then settled down at her back, looking over at Gaddes. He gingerly wiped away the older man's tears, kissing his cheek softly. "She loves you just as much as I do," he whispered softly to the brunette, looking at him fondly.
Gaddes batted his hand away, weakly but successfully. Then he turned his head once more to the window, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. His voice was still hoarse with lack of use, and now wracked with emotions that plagued him.
"Please, don't." he choked softly, "It's painful enough as it is."
Allen blinked, drawing back his hand slowly. The words, the actions stung him, but he said nothing. He didn't want to burden Gaddes with that, not now... especially not now. Instead, the blonde curled up at the girl's back, resting his head on the pillow, one arm draped protectively around her. The silence in the room felt cold like a fog, like a silent mist gliding over the moors. The only sounds that could be heard were that of the house creaking when the wind blew outside, the shutters sometimes rattling against the outer walls, or the soft breathing coming from the little angel tucked in between two grown men.
It was after a long moment of this thick, frozen silence that Gaddes finally spoke again. "I should have died that day," he whispered. Tears dripped onto the pillow, finally, after so many days of repressing them - they flowed like rivers.
Allen tensed a bit, looking over at the man. He wanted to hug him, to brush away his tears, but... but Gaddes wouldn't want that, would he? "No," he whispered softly, staring at Gaddes. "No... no, you shouldn't." If Gaddes had died... Allen couldn't have predicted what he'd have done. Likely enough, he wouldn't have lasted very long afterwards.
The soldier swallowed, the remorse in him filling his soul. His protective arm around little Angelina tightened, holding the doll-like figure close to him. She did not stir, but merely snuggled more closely to his warmth. "What kind of life - is this? I should never have been taken from battle. Death on the field has more honor than . . . than *this*." he practically hissed the last word, pressing his head into the pillow and screwing his eyes shut. It was so painful - so painful. The people he loved and cared about all going on without him, while he was in a bed, and unable to join them. What was he to do now?
"Gaddes, please... don't be like this. I still love you no matter what happens, I don't care that you're like this. It would hurt so much more if you weren't here, if you had died. But you're just so... void of energy or emotion anymore. It's not right... you don't deserve this. It just... it isn't fair." Allen reached up a shaking hand, wiping at his own tears, looking at the brunette that had been there for his troubles. And now... now he could do nothing for Gaddes. And it hurt so much...
The embarrassment and humiliation in him swelled. He didn't care - he didn't understand. His legs had already begun to shrink, the muscles growing smaller and useless with each day that passed because they weren't being used. Allen didn't understand how horrible and humiliating it was to be only half of a man, to have someone help you to a chamber pot, to change the sheets of your bed when you didn't realize that you've soiled yourself, to be totally out of control of your body. Gaddes gritted his teeth.
"Get Angelina out of here," he breathed, his tone dangerously low, "I don't want her with me like this."
Allen sighed softly, vainly fighting back the tears in his own eyes. He gathered the girl into his arms, biting back the urge to say something more. "Do you want me to come back?" he asked softly, honestly rather frightened of the answer. If Gaddes wanted someone there with him, than Allen would willingly be there. But if he didn't... if he shunned Allen more, it would grieve the knight even more.
"I don't care," Gaddes seethed quietly. All he really wanted was to spare Angelina the grief of his current state. He couldn't bear to see her, if it only made him regret that he could no longer be with her, raise her, and love her like he'd wanted to.
Allen bit down on his bottom lip, standing and turning to go, sliding quickly out of the door, shutting it behind him. He held the girl close to him, leaning against the wall, bowing his head. It hurt so much to hear the anger and frustration and grief in his lover's voice, to know that Gaddes wished he'd... died out there. "It isn't right," he whispered softly to no one, his voice quivering, wiping away a few tears with a shaking hand. Gaddes didn't deserve this. Of all the people Allen could think of to deserve such a thing, it couldn't ever be Gaddes. "Why won't you let me help you?"