The sun had just begun to set as Avander glided down a particularly dark corridor of Hale Manor, looking bored as usual. After the excitement of the previous week, things had suddenly grown quiet and dull. He had hoped that, given the revelation of Joan's identity and the reunion of the Guide and Godling, they would get into battles more often. He was itching to fight, to rip someone's head off. The power he had gained was yearning to break free and destroy everything in its path.
However violence wasn't the only thing on his mind. He had been giving his current situation great thought, pondering over his decision again and again. Had he made the right choice, joining the Godling's side? There was no doubt in his mind that, if Satan ever got his hands on him, he would be in trouble. He had been sent to help corrupt Joan, but had instead switched sides. It was a dangerous thing to anger the Devil , but the prospect freeing himself from the bonds that kept him in Hell was too alluring to ignore. To escape from the servitude of Satan was a great and rare feat. Only two inmates of Hell had managed it, both of whom had joined the ranks of Heaven. But Avander did not desire Heaven, he craved freedom, one that would allow him to roam free on earth and cause as much destruction and suffering as he willed. But for that he would have to help the Godling and play the good guy for the time being.
As he walked, he passed by the maid, who was busy dusting the portraits and humming under her breath. He brushed past her and she instantly straightened up, shudder and quickly scampering away, sensing Avander's unearthly presence. He , watched as she tripped over the hem of her skirts in her haste before moving on. He finally stopped outside the library, only because the door was slightly agar. He poked his head in to see what Joan was up to now, only to find Heidi standing alone by one of the bookshelves, eyes scanning the book spines intently. She registered Avander's presence and looked over at him, her face lighting up with a friendly smile.
"Hello Avander. What are you up to today?" She asked.
"Nothing." He replied dully.
Heidi nodded, before reaching out a hand to grab one of the books, but given her shortness, she was unable to reach it. Even when she stood on the very tips of her toes, Heidi could barley brush the book with her fingers. She glanced at Avander.
"Could you get that one for me please?" She asked sweetly.
Avander frowned, wondering why one of the most powerful being in the universe needed his help to get a book. He trudged over, roughly pulling the book down and thrusting it into her waiting hands.
"Thank you." Heidi said graciously, running a finger over the book's leather cover. The book was old and dusty, looking as though it had not been touched in ages. Heidi blew the dust off and gingerly opened it, smiling pleasantly.
"What are you reading?' Avander asked curiously.
"A fairy tale." Heidi replied. "I was bored and though I might find something to read. I was lucky to come across this old collection of story books. These must have been Joan's."
"Now that's a funny though." Avander said as he tried to imagine Joan reading a fairy tale and gave a snort of amusement. It was a surprise she hadn't burned all those books to crisp already.
"Do you want to read it with me?"
Once more, Avander was thrown by Heidi's strange and childish requests. She certainly had a knack for catching him off guard. He looked down at her with arched eyebrows.
"Read a fairy tale...with you?" He said slowly, as though he himself was still trying to register what she had asked of him. "Are you sure you really are the Godling?"
"Yes to both questions." Heidi replied with a cheeky grin. "Anyway, you'll never know if you like something unless you try it. You just said you aren't doing anything."
Avander continued to frown at her. Heidi gave him an innocent, pleading look. "It has dragons and princes and princesses in it." She said, trying to tempt him.
"Does anyone die in it?"
"Maybe." Heidi said, holding up the book. "We'll have to read it to find out." When Avander still looked unconvinced, she added "I won't stop badgering you until you read at least one story with me."
"It's not as though you can stop me from walking away." Avander said.
"Of course I can, I'm the Godling, remember?" Heidi pointed out, finally slipping her hand through his and dragging him over to the table in the middle of the library.
"Really, one fairy tale won't hurt your big bad demon reputation..." She said as she sat down on the table, forcing Avander to sit with her. She placed the book between them so they both could see the delicate words and intricately drawn illustrations. Avander sulked while Heidi started reading out loud. Often, she would push the book toward him and tell him it was his turn to read. He would do so, but in a flat tone, which made Heidi scold him lightly.
"You're not doing it right." She said, wagging her finger at him. "When you tell a story, you have to do so with emotion. You have to captivate the audience with your words and make them hang on to every sentence."
"What audience?" Avander asked indignantly. "There's only you and me."
"Still, you have to try making things interesting. That is the whole point of the story after all."
"What do you know?' Avander snapped. "It's not like any one has ever told you one."
There was a flash of sadness in Heidi's eyes. "No, of course not." She said quietly. "I've never really had anyone to tell me a story. I destroyed my own parents, so they are most certainly out of the question. Most of the angels left me on my own to practice my abilities when I was in their custody. Still, I've watched how human parents read their children bedtime stories, and I do not know why, but I've always wanted someone to do the same with me..."
Avander studied her as she trailed off, noticing how small and childish she looked, clutching the book with a dreamily yet slightly sad expression on her face.
"Do you know who your parent's were?" Avander asked out of interest. "You never really told me how you were created."
"Yes. The angels told me about them." Heidi said, tracing her hand on one of the illustrations. "As I mentioned, they were an angel and a demon, both male. I was told that my creation came about because of an act of love. Despite being sworn enemies, in a time of danger one of them sacrificed themselves for the other. I was created from their very being. It's a shame they didn't survive my creation. I would have liked to know what it feels like to have a family."
There was a hint of longing in Heidi's words as she gazed out of the window, lost in her own thoughts. It was hard to believe that this young girl who dreamed of having a happy family could have enough power to destroy everything. The lost look on her face made something strange came over him and he pulled the book towards himself. "Okay, tell me how to do it properly." He said in a resigned tone, hating himself.
Heidi's face lit up. "Let's do this one." She said eagerly. "The prince is going to rescue the princess and has just challenged the dragon-wizard."
Avander groaned, slapping his palm against his forehead as he contemplated on whether he should just set the dammed book alight. He glanced down at the page and made a face.
"...and the brave prince made his way up the never ending flight of steps, determined to save the princess..." He muttered monotonously.
"More emotion Avander!"
"...but found his path blocked by the towering form that was the dragon, fabled to guard the castle and keep the princess from escaping..." He said a little louder.
"That's good, keep going!"
"The prince boldly unsheathed his sword, meeting the dragon's challenge head on. He attacked, his volley of attacks having no affect on the dragon. Then, with a sudden stroke of cunning, he pretended to have been gravely injured for his fight, leading the dragon-wizard into believing he had won. The dragon transformed into a wizard and was about to strike the final, fatal blow when the prince leapt up with a slash of his sword, bringing an end to the wizard's evil reign."
"And so the prince rescued the princess from the castle and took her back home, marrying her and living happily... ever...after?"
Avander, who had been reading the story with more bravado than before, faltered as he flipped to the end and saw the illustration of a grand wedding. He scowled and glared at Heidi.
"No one died. That story was terrible."
Heidi, who seemed to be very pleased with the ending, giggled. "The evil wizard died, didn't he?"
"That doesn't count. It's not even realistic. The dragon could have ripped the fool to bloody pieces. What sort of goddamn–"
"Avander, what the hell are you doing?"
Both Avander and Heidi looked up to see Joan step into the library, an eyebrow arched and a questioning look on her face. Avander instantly got to his feet, sliding the book discreetly towards Heidi.
"It doesn't matter what I was doing." He said. "We're you looking for me?"
"As a matter of fact, I was." Joan said in her usual business like tone. She held up a letter, the seal on it unbroken. "Are you familiar with this seal?" She asked.
Avander frowned, squinting at the seal. It bore a pair of wings, words etched into the wax in some unknown language, but before he could speak, Heidi suddenly appeared. "That is Heaven's seal." She said quietly, her smiles gone. She looked serious and older again. "That seal is used on messages whose recipients reside in Heaven, mostly angels. Why do you have such a letter?"
"I do not know." Joan said. "The letter itself is from my mother's closest friends, and she has never used such a seal before. This was why I came to you.'
"Open it, and let's see what it says." Avander said.
Joan broke the seal, flipping open the letter and scanning the pages, confusion and annoyance etched on her face.
"How ridiculous..." She murmured.
"What is it?" Heidi asked.
"It's an invitation to a ball." Joan said, her voice filled with disgust. "My mother's friend holds a ball every winter. But there is something odd about this invitation. She is holding it in association with someone, a certain Lord Lucien Von Faulkner. He seems rather eager to meet me."
"You've never heard of him before?" Avander questioned.
"No." Joan said with a shake of her head. "My first thought would have been that he is a foreigner, but given what Heidi said about the seal being from Heaven, I'm not so sure of it now."
"He could be an angel then." Heidi said suddenly, leaning back on the table.
"An angel you say?" Joan appeared thoughtful as she contemplated on the invitation.
"You should forget about it." Avander said suddenly and both girls looked at him curiously. "I for one don't want anything to do with Heaven."
"Avander is right." Heidi said with a nod. "We cannot be sure which faction of Heaven has decided to contact us. If it's the one who has separated from Heaven, we should not get involved."
Joan still appeared thoughtful. Avander knew she was thinking over the situation. In fact, she had been doing a lot of thinking lately. He had rarely seen her out of the study the past few days. She had been spending most of her time planning their next move. Her search for the missing Amaki man, Alastair had lead to one dead end after another and Avander knew she was furious. Her second task of getting back her soul fragment was also going nowhere. Avander wondered if the girl had finally gotten it over her head, and if he should bail out while he still had the chance.
Patience. He told himself. I'm still bound to serve her until the contract is completed. It's not as though I can go anywhere just yet.
"We might as well see what his man has to say." Joan said at last. "If he truly is with the second faction, he won't just let matters rest if I decline his invitation. If I don't meet with him, he and the rest of his fellows will come to us. I should know who I am up against after all."
Avander scowled, but Heidi nodded. "Very well then. But be careful. Heaven is no less dangerous than Hell."