Celeste's life is far from the enchanting fairy tale one might expect from a princess. Her father, a ruthless and self-absorbed king, leaves a trail of death and destruction in his wake. To seal alliances and maintain his power, he arranges for Cele...
Celeste has proven herself to be a complex person. One moment she seems to have all her affairs in order, confident and fearless in front of everything and everyone. The other moment, the girl from a year ago resurfaces. Anxious, sensitive and insecure. I have watched her grow into the fearless woman she has become, at least I think so sometimes. I doubt if it is the experiences of real life that have changed her or if it is still that black magic running through her veins.
We knew what we were getting into, what sacrifices and consequences were going to come with it. Yet sometimes I seem to forget. My head crosses the line with reality, shows me what I want to see instead of what I am supposed to see. I would like to believe that she has fully embraced herself, but deep in the back of my mind I know that is a lie.
The person I lifted off the dragon is not the same as the one who plunges a dagger into people's hearts. That reality terrifies me. The reality that that person will not return. The reality that I don't know which person remains after 100 names. The reality that I don't know if I can still trust my own friend.
The guilt for the dead is missing, but the guilt towards my friend jumps around me. I was the one who convinced her, the one who urged. Though I still believe it is the only option for the greater good, I doubt it will be worth it.
Celeste marrying herself off to Walmoet is a situation I do not support. Maybe out of jealousy, maybe out of misunderstanding, but most of all out of concern. The plan in itself is thoughtful and understandable, clever even. The fact that she hid it from me is worrying and the thing that angers me most.
I throw the second smoked-up cigarette butt into the grass. Sighing, I look around me. I left the temple and the square behind me, not wanting to give in to the situation. I would have preferred to pull her off that elevation and send Walmoet to hell. We are playing a dangerous game with complex rules. A game you can only win with determination and strategies. A game that has only breaks and never an end. If I had not walked away from that game now I would have broken all the rules and lost.
Slowly I walk towards Alisha's house. The road is familiar to me, too familiar. All the elves seem to have made their way to the temple, there is no one to be seen. Yet Alisha did not appear to be present at the so-called party. She has never been a lady of much attention and people, this proves that observation.
The small wooden house comes into my view. Smoke slips from the chimney, despite the lack of cold. I place my fist on the door and let my knuckles make a knocking sound against the wood. For a second, I think the door will remain closed until it is slowly opened.
The blonde lady I have known longer than my friend stands staring at me with two bright blue eyes. Before I can look at the two abnormally blue eyes for long, I am pulled into a firm embrace. Two thin arms wrap around my body, two familiar arms. The feeling of recognition and a deep-seated trust glides along my skin. I know the feeling, the skin and the touch.
'Why didn't you write back,' she asks softly as her head rests against my shoulder. Compared to Celeste, I have sent dozens of letters to family and friends over the past few months. Myles, Thimon, Asa and even my father. That was something I never used to do during my travels. This trip, however, is different, feels different. This is not a trip I stop on when I'm bored of the people or place. This one is long, has a purpose and changes more than I care about.
'I never received a letter from you,' I reply confused. If I had a letter from Alisha in my hands I would have answered it without hesitation. However, I never received them.
She pushes herself out of my arms and looks at me with a confused expression. It is the moment I can stare at the two blue eyes. Her eyes were always blue but not as blue as this. Like looking at the clearest sea on earth, the bright blue sky or the harmony in every human being. The colour shines in all its brightness, in all its depth. You could lose yourself in it, swim and never return. There is a sense of confidence but also one of renewal.
'I wrote and sent you nine letters,' she contradicts me. I am pulled out of my thoughts. It is almost impossible that I have received all the letters from everyone else and not hers. I stare ahead for a while, thinking deeply. I let my hands slide off her body and step into the cottage.
'Maybe I addressed them wrong,' she tries to explain the situation. However, I quickly realise that her attempt is unnecessary. I close my eyes and run a hand through my hair. Celeste was always the one who took the letters and these will not have slipped her mind.
'Who did you send them to?' I ask slowly.
'First to Celeste and then to you.' That answer gives me enough information to establish that my suspicions are correct.
'I think something went wrong with the delivery,' I lie as I look around. Little has changed about the cottage since my last visit. The furniture is still the same, the decoration and even the smell is unchanged. It is a form of coming home.
'Would you like tea? I have a lot to tell you,' she says as she walks to the small kitchen counter. The white dress hanging around her body partially slides around the floor. The silk fabric adorns her body to perfection. I seem to have put my aggression aside for a moment. The lady in front of me has a calming effect on my body.
'Gladly,' I reply as I take a seat on one of the wooden chairs. She grabs the pan that is on the front stove, pours water into it and puts it on the fire.
'Where is Celeste?' she asks as she turns and looks at me with the deep blue eyes. I am too intrigued by the colour that I initially forget to answer.
'I have a lot to tell you too,' I reply then sigh.
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