The Author's Will

36 | Icicle Eyes

The boy glanced down at the shawl around his body in realisation. When did I put this on?

As he stood on the slanted ground of the roof, Irene laid out some blankets and pillows for them to sit, and Mikael plopped himself onto the space beside her. Irene lit a small lamp - it's incandescent flame flickering like the myriads of stars overhead.

The two sat in silence, for a while. Their little bodies adjusted to the environment, while taking in the sights and sounds around them.

"Do you want some hot chocolate?" Irene asked, already pouring him a cup from the thermal cylinder. The sweet smell and faint steam tickled his face, as the blonde-haired boy glanced at the mug extended toward him.

He hesitated for a moment, wary to be taking the unfamiliar drink. But the scent wafting into his nose was so sweet, it was hard to resist. Mikael wrapped his small white hands around the cup, and felt the heat of the drink permeating into his palms.

Irene knew this was the first time Mikael was trying hot chocolate. She could tell from the way his face lit up upon taking his first sip — just how much he enjoyed it.

"...It's good..." He whispered, and though his expression was still nonchalant, his eyes sparkled. "It's like melted chocolate mixed with warm milk..."

"Well... That is literally what it's made of." Irene giggled softly, pouring herself a cup.

As she gazed up at the stars in admiration, her heart raced in anticipation, waiting for the oncoming show of light in the sky. Mikael didn't know why she was so excited about balls of gas overhead, but he couldn't deny that the night was beautiful.

As he gazed up, his deep, blue irises reflected off the tiny sparkles above. The world overheard was so large and endless he didn't know where to look. "Compared to my view of the sky in the old house, there's too much for me to see now..." He whispered, more to himself than to Irene.

Irene blinked, slightly scared to ask but she decided to follow the conversation. "...What was it like before?"

The boy remained quiet for a moment, but it didn't seem like he was ignoring her. "My window was tiny," he told her. "Probably half an arm's length, at most. So I couldn't see anything but the moon and a few stars."

Irene didn't really know how to respond, but it pained her to hear him say that so naturally. Knowing of the prison-like room he was always confined to, the unkempt bed and the cold that would filter inside.

He was just a little child, so small and thin, and yet his life was already torturous. When she wrote those things in her original novel - she never thought that her fictive words would sew together to form this reality.

I can't change what already happened, but I can change his life from now on. Was the thought that crossed her mind, as she gazed at his profile. His head tilted upwards to see the stars, but his expression remained void of emotion. He was unsmiling, disinterested and detached, but Irene knew he had reasons. She knew that all too well.

"From now on, you'll have a bigger view of the world," she went on to saying, her voice quiet but gentle. When Mikael glanced at her, he couldn't understand why the girl looked so rueful. But she smiled all the same. "You're part of the Cherlianns now. We'll always protect you and you'll have many more memories to make with us."