Wicked Grace (on hiatus)

Chapter 7: Gentle Whispers

Night chased away the sun and enveloped the sky in a dark embrace. Celestial bodies dotted the heavens, as stars twinkled among the gleam of three moons. They rotated so close to Aurra that they seemed to be a grasp away. Every once in a while the three moons would twirl around an unseen force, and the moon who was closets of the world would be replaced by another.

No one knew why the heavenly orbs replaced each other. Though one thing was sure each one of them held a significant meaning. Tonight, we were graced by the blue moon. It shone above us like an enormous sapphire. The sheer beauty of it was enough to deliver envy into our hearts. Such divine things were beyond our reach, and every man would have to be filled with nightly glances.

I remember the moon way back when I was a child in the orphanage. It was the color of milky white then, often thought to deliver pure souls for those who were born under it. As for the blue moon, it signified beauty, love, lust and secrets. Desires that fueled our fickle heart and wishes that we keep. It is believed that kings would plunder kingdoms if their want was great enough to be heard by the moon.

Lucious took me outside for a walk when he saw me by the doorway. He asked for my company and I obliged. Together we strolled into the west garden gazing into the sleeping flora and the stars. Fireflies drifted by, radiating blue and yellow. From afar they could have been mistaken as fairies hoping to and fro in a jubilant dance. But the fae were shy creatures and would never be out so openly.

"Forgive me for acting out earlier" Lucious spoke breaking the silence. "It's just the very idea of slavery is revolting. I mean treating human life as merchandise is..." He sighed deeply.

"If only a lot more would see it as such. The crown may say it is outlawed, but they never did pass any law regarding it."

"Why not?" I inquire.

"There are two reasons why. First it is because the crown stinks  of corruption. Secondly no one takes those who go against it seriously. They merely shrug them off thinking it would simply pass by." Lucious perched himself by a wooden bench and I followed.

He swung his right leg on top of the other and placed his cane leaning against the bench arm. He licked his lips before continuing his argument.

"There are rebels who go against the crown for many reasons, slavery being one of the biggest. And what does the crown do to this people who demand change? They brand them as traitors and hang them as warnings to others. Even those who aren't rebelling are getting dragged in. You take pity on your fellow human and you hang as well"

I remember the man and woman we passed getting to the estate. Their bodies limply hanging against a tight noose. Dismembered faces eaten by crows and a red label proclaiming them as traitors. They could have been civilians mistaken to be fighting in a war they were not part of. Perhaps they even had families who mourned their loss, but could never claim their bodies.

I felt a strange kinship to them. Knowing well enough what it is like to lose everything, but being a stranger going against an age-old system. We all rebel in our own little ways. Even I had my instances during my imprisonment. They may have been subtle, like sharing a loaf of bread with a prisoner who was being starved. But never could I imagine being part of a huge fight against an oppressing hand.

"But how could you go against it all? Slavery has been around since the beginning, breaking it would create havoc" the question tumbled out of me.

"So has the fight against it. You see, you just need to teach people. Make them see that their freedom is their own, and not the property of others. Once they realize they'll rise and slavery will be abolished." Lucious waved his hand like the solution was obvious.

"Once injustice becomes law, it becomes our duty to begin a revolution. Everything has been laid out for us, someone just needs to take the first step" he added.

"You are not a rebel are you?"

Somehow the thought of him being a vigilante made me shiver with worry. A noble with a damning cause, that would be enough to lead him to execution. In the world of nobility, even the slightest mistake could lead into a downfall of misery. The thought of Lucius falling into that abyss would be a nightmare. But with the strange glint of justice in his eyes, and the sighs of a better tomorrow, the line between him and damnation was thin.

"Me?" Lucious shakes his head. "My title would make a dangerous alliance with the rebels. They would not gain anything aligning themselves with me, except an early death. But I do not hide the fact that I sympathize with them. I find it immensely refreshing that there are others out there who share the same views as mine"

"What about you Avia? Do you think slavery should be abolished?" he asks, turning the spotlight to me.

I couldn't help but smile upon hearing my name. It was surprising that he even remembered considering both Rotheir and Dana had begun calling my Fleur. In spite of this my smile soon wavered as I felt the weight of his question against me.

Am I against slavery? One would think being a former slave I would immediately answer with a yes. I suppose everyone who are chained would be biased when asked the question. But I did not see just one part of the coin. I saw two sides of it.

Slavery has been around since humanity learned to trade. Some were born into it and have never known anything else. I knew a family in Hillside who gladly served their masters. They had been part of a long line servants tied to the family. Somehow along those generations, they became an extra limb. If all of a sudden slavery would be abolished, then where would they turn to? In a blink, they would lose everything they knew, and nothing is more terrifying than the unknown.

On the other hand, I saw the darker side of it all. The side where most lay, against it. The part of the grand system where all that was wicked lurked. I agree that freedom should not be taken, that it is ours and ours alone. That such injustice should not be permitted, and that we have a right to use the free will we were born with. But could this elaborate network, whose root stems from the very core of the earth, be stopped with one severing tie?

"I don't know" I replied honestly.

Lucius sighed, hearing my answer. He rose and picked up his cane. "It's already late. Best not to stay any longer" he offered me his hand. I took it, and together we walked back to the main hall.

He escorted me to the bottom of the stairs that led to the east wing. The part of the estate where my room was located. I thanked him for the stroll and was about to walk up when he called me back. Lucious picked up my hand and held it with his. He brought it up to his lips, as his breath warmed my cold skin. His gaze shot up to mine as I found myself once again the focal point of his golden eyes.

"These hands were once chained and now they are free... You are free. Never restraint yourself, for the likes of others. You've been held back for a long time. Don't you believe it's time for you to stop bending for the wants of others? " And in what seemed like a quite whisper, he leaned in and planted a kiss.

I would have lied if I said his action did not make me flare up inside. He stirred something within me when he kissed my pain goodbye. I was afraid that he would have recoiled upon touching my calloused hands, but instead he held it with his own. Not a single ounce of disgust or hesitation poured from him. He kissed my hands so tenderly that for a moment I had forgotten everything that was.

"Your past has been a whirl of tragedy. I understand that you have felt pain much greater than I. But do not let that bring you agony. Instead, wear them like the armor that they are meant to be" 

He whispered the words so quietly they could have been lost to the wind. But I clung myself to those words and engraved them deep into my broken soul. That was when I felt the pieces of myself slowly come together.