When he opened his eyes, only the dark room greeted him. The heavy curtains were always pulled, making the night little different than the day.
Pushing the covers aside, the boy sat on the edge of the bed, memorizing his surroundings: the ornate oaken furniture, the paintings on the wall, the settee in the corner…but it was the full-length mirror that captured his attention.
Tilting his head, the boy approached it warily, his eyes locked upon the distorted image taking form. He shifted his position, standing directly before it. Moving with him, the reflection normalized. He did not move for a long moment, hardly daring to breathe. The black mask stared back, its smooth face his own—a cruel reminder of what might have been. Wordlessly, he touched the uncovered, pale cheek. Every curve, every plane was imitated by its dark counterpart. Shutting his eyes at the image, the boy turned away. He had never known…
Slowly, he raised a trembling hand toward the mask, stopped by the creak of the opening door. Stiffening, the boy watched as a young lady came in bearing a tray laden with food. A tall gentleman followed her. As soon was she saw the boy, she halted, visibly stunned. The man whispered some to her, taking the tray from her hands. Nodding quickly to him, she turned and left the room.
"I am glad to see you are no longer feigning sleep," Galen said cheerfully, setting the tray down on a nearby table. "However," he continued, facing the child again, "I do not recommend that you pursue regular activity just yet. Your body still needs time to mend."
Galen saw the child's eyes focus past him to the door, left ajar by the maid. The physician placed his hands behind his back, regarding the boy carefully. "If you run, I will not stop you, but I swear that neither I nor anyone else in this house means you any harm."
The boy did not move, his deep eyes peering into the physician. Unsettled, Galen turned his eyes away and stooped, fumbling through his doctor's bag.
"Does the mask fit you well?" he asked, pulling out a stethoscope.
"It does."
Galen paused, taken aback by the almost music-like quality of the voice, silken yet possessing resolute undertones.
"I am glad," he said at length. He moved toward the child. "I need to listen to your lungs," he said gently, kneeling. Cautiously, he lifted the shirt and pressed the cold metal to against the boy's chest.
"Breathe in deeply," Galen commanded. Nodding, he moved the scope against boy's back. "Again." After a moment, he pulled it away. "There is still congestion, but it is much improved."
Leaning back, Galen pulled the stethoscope from his ears. His mouth opened and closed futilely before he found his voice.
"Why did you go to the underground caverns?"
An unreadable expression passed over the visible half of boy's face.
"It was quiet."
"Still, a place with all that stagnant water and cold stone? Thank goodness we found you or surely you would have…"
The child's sad gaze did not waver, silently daring the man to continue. Galen watched the hazel eyes, his mouth parting at the tacit revelation. It was no senseless choice that had driven the boy to those caverns. He had gone to those isolated depths to die.
Swallowing, the physician stood, closing his eyes against fighting tears. Clearing his throat, he placed the stethoscope back inside the bag.
After a long moment, Galen looked back at the waiting child. All he could muster was a respectful nod.
Sorry for the short chapter, but I thought it was important enough to stand on its own. And now for some personal responses to reviewers… :)
Chibi Hime—You know, I was originally going to leave the 'Erik meets Galen' scene ambiguous and implied, so feel honored—I wrote this one for you. :)
ModestySparrow9—A loyal reader and reviewer! Thanks so much! I am looking forward to more chapters in "The Mask and Mirror."
Aisling-Siobhan—What would happen if the words "more soon" were stricken from your vocabulary? ;)
Shards of Narsil—Thank you so much for looking at my work! Please tell me you are going to update "What Might Have Been" soon.
Elisabeth89—Always very encouraging—thanks for the reviews!
vAsHismYnIcKnAmE—Hey, c'mon, I am updating pretty regularly… :)
beneathmyskin—You are going to continue writing, yes? "Thoughtless" was a wonderful piece. Thanks for the reviews!
LadyCatBailey—Thank you so much for your in-depth review. It was most encouraging. Hugs for you!
Doomed Delight—I glanced over "Damaged Waltz." It was rather good. Pretty nice so far. ;)