A Demon's History: Lotus Thorns

Chapter Three: A Pirate and a Maiden

          "You seem chipper today, Victoir," Eden commented as she took a seat next to him on the bench. It had been weeks since his last lesson, but the change in his attitude was apparent. "Why is that?"

"It's a secret."

Eden let out a gentle laugh. "Oh? You even would not share it with me?"

"Hmm. I can be convinced." Lleon told her.

She nodded and moved her auburn hair out of her face, thinking about it. Her tail whipped around lazily.

"Fine. How about I give you a secret of mine in exchange for your secret." Eden offered him. Lleon pretended to think about it for a while, but he wanted to know. He wanted to know what kind of secrets a renowned composer could possibly have.

"Splendid. Deal."

"Okay. Listen up," she leaned down slightly to whisper it. "I don't write all my songs myself. I have people who help me sometimes."

Lleon gasped, eyes widening. How could she lie to all the people who listen to her compositions? Though it would make sense. Her music was grand, peppy, and complicated.

"Now you."

"Hm. A deal is a deal. I...met a girl. A very pretty girl. She is an Angel." He told her. Now it was her turn to be surprised.

"Oh, that is so wonderful! What is she like?"

"She is smart. Smarter than all the court wizards combined, I'm sure! She likes reading with me too and playing."

"She sounds wonderful, Victoir." Eden stood up from the piano bench so that they could continue their lesson. "I am very proud of you for making a friend."

Lleon wished his own family felt that way.

         He went out and traveled to the east side when he was sure he had his playtime. His tail thumped against the ground with anticipation as he waited for Anahera to arrive. She did, wearing a pale blue dress. The field looked vast around them since they were both so small.

"Hello," She smiled sweetly as she approached him, "Picking flowers again, Victoir?"

"Hello, An. I'm not. Would you...like to read with me? Under that tree?"

Anahera looked in the direction he pointed at. There stood a large, dark tree with thick, twisted roots, growing wildly in every possible direction.

"Oui." She nodded, taking his hand excitedly.

He blushed as he let himself be dragged towards it. They sat against the rough bark of the trunk. Lleon pulled out a book with a brownish-red leather cover and golden letters from his bag.

"La Bête." Anahera read. "I did not know you spoke my tongue."

"I hardly any use for it at home. So, I'm shy about it."

She smiled at this.

"Then you can understand me?" She spoke in her native tongue. He could not help but smile back when he saw the excitement in her eyes.

"Yes."

He stiffened a bit when she laid her head on his shoulder, nonetheless, he opened the book. The story was about a dastardly pirate who turned into a beast. Lleon had vague memories of his mother reading it to him, but it felt so long ago. He never remembered the ending of it. They took turns reading each paragraph, time escaping them both until they no longer were able to see the pages. Lleon knew his body provided more heat than most, so it was no surprise this warmth on a cool night made it difficult for Anahera to stay awake. Lleon fell asleep soon after, head falling onto hers. Despite her being taller than him, she positioned herself in a way as to not show it.

         Many hours passed before a group of soldiers arrived from the border. Lleon was awoken by the clanking of their armor.

"Princesse." A Power Angel said softly, bending over and shaking her gently. Anahera stirred a bit before rubbing her eyes and opening them.

"Sébastien...?"

"Your father is worried."

"Ah. I forgot!" She exclaimed, quickly standing up from where she had been sitting. She turned to look back at Lleon. "Do your parents not worry, Victoir?"

He shook his head. "Non."

She looked saddened by this information.

"I must go. Let us do this again."

"Wait." He stood up and handed her the book. "Take it so that you may finish it."

"Truly? Merci!" She grinned brightly. They said their goodbyes and she soon left with her guards. He watched her leave before he made the journey back home. He decided to walk for a while though. He liked looking at the stars, which was rare back home. If there was no fog, there would be clouds or ash in the sky.

         He landed on the balcony when he eventually decided to fly back. His raven friend followed him inside, but he did not mind it. Lleon made his way to his bookshelf and looked over at what he could take next. His father would abruptly open the door, however.

"Where were you, boy?"

"Reading. Outside."

It was not technically a lie. Victor studied him, but would only shut the door in the end. Lleon let out a relieved sigh and crawled into bed. The raven made itself comfortable, nestling itself into his arms. Despite the nap, he fell asleep quickly. The warm feelings that Anahera left him assisted in this.

          The next day was the same as all the other days. He and Anahera chose between three different things. Reenacting the book they read the most, which he found had become her favorite, reading under the tree, or simply lying about. On this day, they decided to reenact the book up to a certain part, and with perfection they did. Lleon found himself to be shy though. They both knew it was acting, but when it came to the part of being in love, they avoided it. They would derail the story, and purposely mess up to make things less awkward. He knew why he did it, but why did she do it?

Did she like him too? Did she know it was unnatural for a Demon and Angel to have feelings like these towards each other? Maybe she did not like him in the same way.

"Victoir?" Anahera's voice broke through his thoughts. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." He nodded.

"Are you certain?"

"Bien sûr." He nodded again. "Don't worry about it, An."

She looked at him skeptically but continued with her lines. When it came back to Lleon, he finished it off before tossing blades of grass into the air.

"Wedding bells!" Anahera exclaimed in French, tossing flowers into the air. "What do you think? Do they get married?"

"Maybe."

They never actually finished the book. Anahera always claimed to forget it before she left home, and somehow, he didn't believe her. Nonetheless, he was happy to live in ignorance if she wanted to. After all, he saw himself as the dastardly pirate and Anahera was his maiden.