Mon Coryphée
Book II, Ton Sourire
"The Bluebird Mother: Halcyon Wings II"
Lightning coursed through unintelligible thunder, once again. Despite the desperate cumulonimbi tossing and turning overhead, a gaping blueness served as the storm's eye. A field of green, flowers of warmth and coolness, and protective oak boughs were frisked by wind-whips. The floral aroma was hard to take in, but Shadow recognized a couple of things instantly.
They were sublimated into one: Death smelled like strawberries.
"Shadow?"
No longer "Rapunzel the Sleeping Beauty, Inheritor of the Crown of Life," Shadow threw himself upright and saw an indescribable vastness around him. It looked, felt, and smelled so familiar, but its name escaped him. He was regaled in complete innocence—garbed in pure white, childlike clothes—and barefoot. These flowers were not trying to devour him. In fact, they were powerfully fragrant as if enticing him to stay and play with them.
Strange, but innocuous.
"Looks like your attention is elsewhere, sweetie. You're not supposed to be here, yet."
Shadow whipped his eyes around to the source of the voice. It was within that moment that he couldn't believe his eyes.
There, in an innocence he'd never seen, was his mother: Her voice was childlike, but still bore the same gentle cadence. Her locks were the same length as they'd been in his earliest memories. Her dress bloomed like that of a queen, and her youthful glow was even more radiant than he remembered. She looked younger than he remembered, too; perhaps, now that he was more cognizant, her age became more relative to his? How old had his mother been when she carried him? Here, she looked no older than twenty.
Shadow was stunned. "M-…Mother?"
Cerise French curls cascaded as she stood from her seat. Those white skirts were even grander now that she stood. She watched as Shadow's eyes filled with tears, just like her own. She opened her arms to him.
That was when the thunder quieted, and the lightning dampened. The eye of the storm widened, and an unseen choir droned an exalting hum—just like the music box's cradlesong.
"I miss you so much, my precious baby boy."
"Mother…! Mo-…Mommy!"
Their reunion was pure bliss: The flowers waved with the glade. Dandelion spores danced. The oaks crooked, clapping their leafy boughs in applause. Shadow cried in his mother's arms just like he'd done whenever he was sad, lonely, or scared. It didn't matter whether Shadow was a small child or an old man, he'd still nestle his face against that caring, motherly warmth, no matter what. Likewise, Shadow's mother could never turn him down because she knew it was the safest place for him. Her skirts rolled in the wind; Shadow's shirttails swayed. Whatever remained of the Vermilion Sorcerer's seals had gone, for those malefic orange chains had turned to dust.
They were finally free, even if Death was the only one who could free them.
However, the storm did not disperse. Actually, it grew stronger. The wind picked up even more, so much that the oaks had to fight to stay grounded. It appeared the reunion between "Rapunzel" and the "Vestigial Queen" was interrupted.
"Mommy, what's happening?" A childlike fear had entered Shadow's cadence—one he hadn't used since his dear mother passed.
Holding Shadow closer, she explained, "it's Death…they're ready to take you back. You have friends who care about you, need you, and love you. You need to go back to them, now."
"No! No, I wanna stay here with you! We can be happy, finally, without that mean old man ruining everything! I wanna stay here with you, Mommy!" Profuse tears that only a purehearted child could shed flushed from Shadow's eyes. His bawling melted something in her, but she listened, nevertheless. "Mommy, I don't wanna go! I'll miss you too much," she watched as the little boy's heart poured itself out to her, "It hurts to be there, Mommy! I don't wanna go back by myself, I'm scared! I don't wanna be hit anymore! I don't wanna be all alone! I hate what he did to you! I hate that you can't come home! I hate him, I hate him—and I hate it down there! I want my mommy back!"
Shadow threw himself into her bosom, falling to his knees; his mother knelt with him. They clutched one another, while Shadow let loose the hardest cry he'd ever had. He didn't swear, he didn't curse, for he had no words—only sobs and wails. Despite this, all his mother did was comfort him. The dam for his tears had broken; tears fell from her eyes, as well. An empathetic hand smoothed out his quills, picking out crushed flowers and leaves. She swept out the dirt and wrinkles from his clothes. Then, she softly hushed him, patting his back, and rocked him from side to side.
As if he were her baby all over again.
Though, in a soothing tone, she continued: "You're not alone anymore, sweetheart. You have friends, even a very special friend whom you love and cherish, remember? Where's your sunflower seed, Shadow?"
Still sniffling, Shadow lifted his cheek from her bosom to look towards the sunflower seed he'd dropped earlier. Much to his amazement, however, it was no longer a seed.
It was his Prince. He knelt there, veiled in a valiant aura, his arms open and waiting. A grand cape floated at his back, but the light was so bright that Shadow couldn't distinguish any other features. The Prince was so familiar, but his name escaped his recollection.
"I never left you, y'know."
Mystified, Shadow looked up at his mother.
When he saw her face, however, there was a strange smile on it. It looked like how sad honey tastes: Shadow was sure that the bees working under a dying queen—one they loved and served for so long—would be sad, especially if her dying wish was to sleep away with a final taste of royal honey. Somehow, Shadow sensed that very same bittersweetness. A floaty sensation overcame Shadow as his mother lifted him into a motherly cradle.
The faceless choir sang that lullaby from his childhood in his mother's stead. Countless wings began to encircle the storm's eyes. With each flap, the eye almost blinked. Concentric irises began to form within the wings' outlines. A heavenly tunnel bore through the thunder and lightning, wind, and fire. Colorful bolts surged from one side to the other. Those beauteous voiced never faltered, though.
As she carried him to the shining Prince, she went on: "I've always been, and always will be, with you, Shadow. Your Prince has been protecting you in my stead, all this time…see?"
The Prince's sunlight dimmed a bit, just long enough for Shadow to see teardrops. They feel so freely, much like rain over marble, that the Prince resembled a marvelous statue. Shadow reached out to him with worry tracing his features.
"I'm sure he'll continue to do so, for as long as you both live."
His mother brought him closer to the Prince. Her skirts blossomed as she knelt. Dandelion spores danced around her. Another aura akin to the Prince's began to surround her. A certain wistfulness had entered her gaze as gentle hands tucked Shadow into the Prince's arms.
"He loves you just like I do, you know." Her smile was so sweet, despite the sadness. "Thus, I hereby bless you both with my Crown of Life."
Shadow wasn't sure how to respond, as he didn't have words to rebut her with. As scary as everything looked, Shadow didn't resist because his mother's kindness comforted him. The lullaby reached another crest, but Shadow didn't flinch. Lightning threatened to strike, but Shadow was in his Prince's arms. Thunderous swirls became more sentient, with words and exclaims that he could finally understand.
In that moment, he heard his friends. Within the same thought, he knew his mother had been right all along. Mother is always right, he thought with a sad smile.
With her regal skirts flourishing in the winds, Shadow's mother beamed proudly. She looked so beautiful, so happy, and so radiant. The glade—the wildflowers, the grasses, and the oaks—waved farewell. Sunflowers rapidly sprung to varying heights, as if to separate them. Tears fell from his eyes, but a brave light had entered them.
The Prince's sun-bright aura flashed in sync with a bolt of lightning.
"I love you so much, Shadow. You'll always be my precious baby boy."
"Her White Halcyon Wings" Set…