"Eternal Dreams [three]" by Renee Reizman

Chapter Three:

Age six

-November 15^th, six years after birth-

Quick steps echoed throughout the castle. At first, the sounds were unnoticeable, but if one listened closely a small, hollow, tapping sound could be heard. Just like the previous year and the year before that, the tiny sounds belonged to none other than a six-year-old Angel Whitewing. Her usual desperate desire to go outside and reach the real world was enough to prompt the girl to continue the same stunt every year.

            And like the years before, she was caught again.

            “Well, well. It’s my little sister wandering the halls.” Said the voice of a young man. It belonged to a short, curly black haired, green-eyed male. He was about eighteen, and would probably be parting from the castle quite soon. Benjamin was the second oldest child in the family.

            “Ben!” Angel said, stopping in her tracks. It had been a year, and Angel had changed quite a bit. She was still young and innocent, and quite short. But her hair was much longer; her wings were more feathery, and her eyes were much more knowledgeable. It was for sure that she would continue to grow and develop to be an adult in a short time.

            “Didn’t father say you should stay in your room? My, Angel, you’re such a rebel.” He teased. Benjamin wasn’t nasty, but he could be rather conceited at times. And he was horrible with dealing with children; he often hurt their feelings without knowing.

            “Well… I just wanted to… get a drink of water!” Angel said quickly. She was not good at lying. Her brother would definitely be able to see through her excuse.

            “I’m sure.” Benjamin said dryly,  “You know, father’s not too far off. You should hurry off to your room before he finds you. I know that I wouldn’t have gone off. No sir. I would have been a good little boy and stayed in bed as told…”

            Angel didn’t need to hear the ramblings of what Ben would have done if he were in her shoes. She hurried off quickly, but she knew avoiding Edmond would be difficult. If he were close by, he would most likely find her. Angel groaned silently. She didn’t want to feel much more pain. Hadn’t it been only earlier this year when she had experienced a life-threatening beating? The girl shook her head, quickening her pace as much as possible. Despite her efforts, the sight of her father’s shadow made her falter.

            Edmond looked at his daughter, arms crossed. Angel nearly bumped into him, but the girl was quick enough to stop only a foot away. “Out of your bed again, I see?”

            “I’m sorry.”

            “Is that all you have to say for yourself?”

            “Yes.”

            Thus followed silence. The king and the princess looked at each other with deadly glares. It seemed like any movement would send off a battle.

            “Have you learned any magic yet?” Edmond continued.

            “I know a little.”

            “Meaning?”

            Angel shook her head. “Whatever happens… just happens.” She shrugged her shoulders.

            “I understand. Something uncontrollable. Excellent.”

            “Daddy…” Angel looked at her father with a more relaxed stare. It was a look yearning for understanding. “Is there something wrong with magic?”

            Edmond looked down at his daughter. He seemed confused. “Well… it’s…” the king hesitated for a moment, and then spoke up again, “You wouldn’t understand.” He said shortly.

            Angel looked at her father for a long time, before nodding. She had already turned around when her father continued.

            “Where are you going?”

            Angel stopped in her tracks and looked back up to her father. “To my room.”

            The king wavered for a moment, studying the girl. His eyes were cold, as always, but his voice was filled with superficial warmth. “If… if you want… you can go outside,” he quickly added, ‘When your brother returns, of course.”

            Angel starred at Edmond for the longest time. The words she had just heard were overwhelming, almost fake. She secretly gave herself a small pinch, to see if she was dreaming. There was a small sting of pain, telling her that this moment was true. Angel almost ran to hug her father, but instead she just nodded. “Thank you, daddy.” She was about to allow Edmond to walk away, but then she piped up again, “When will Dyne be back?”

            “Around the holidays.”

            Angel nodded. “Thank you, daddy,” she said again.

            It was Edmond’s turn to turn around this time. He walked down the hallway, hands behind his back. Angel was dumbfounded. This had been her dream, to go out into the world like a normal child. She had longed for the chance to have fun, be free, and to enjoy the innocence of childhood. But this wasn’t right. The feeling of an accomplished goal should have made her feel jubilant. Instead, Angel distrusted the offer, too suspicious to think of it as a good thing.

            Angel started to walk back down the hallway, in the opposite direction of her father. She took every step slowly. The time moved by at an agonizingly slow pace. What was seconds seemed like hours.  She would have continued down the hallway just as slowly, but then something certain something that caught her eye.

It was the glimpse of crimson that stopped Angel in her tracks.

            The girl leaned down, picking up a small, fine, red feather. It was very bird like; one could have thought it belonged to the legendary phoenix. Angel examined the feather intently. It was so familiar; she knew she had seen it before. It wasn’t long until Angel gave a gasp of surprise.

            The feather was none other than one from her mother’s back. Shaking her head, Angel realized that this had to have been the reason why her father had been so kind. Nobody, not even her mother, knew of the king’s harshness to Angel. If Aurora had seen her husband abuse her child, it would be obvious that Edmond was the source of the abuse. Aurora Filly already suspected that the king was the one causing Angel’s pain, but never had any proof. Angel suspected that Edmond knew of his wife’s presence, therefore, causing him to do the unthinkable: show kindness towards a sorceress.

            Technically, Angel was not a sorceress. Even she knew the truth. But if things turned out the way they should, it would not be long until Angel would be able to do various amounts of spells and chemistry. They would start out as simple enchantments, and then proceed to advance ones. In fact, in wouldn’t be long until Angel could truly be considered a sorceress.

            Angel continued to stare at the feather for a little while longer. She seemed puzzled and confused, but only shook her head. She didn’t understand why her mother would go out of her way to protect her. Aurora Filly had never really helped her before, with the exception of very traumatic times.

            Snapping her gaze away from the feather, Angel looked around the deserted hallway. She pocketed the feather, picked up her skirts, and hurried down the long corridors. Angel figured that she had to find her mother and confront her. She had to ask why Aurora would care and why she would look out for her.

            Angel also considered, as she was halfway up the flight of stairs that lead to her mother’s chambers, that her whole thought process might have been a fluke. Perhaps the feather had been on the floor from a while ago, and hadn’t of been moved. Or perhaps it really was from a bird that had been caught in the castle’s rafters. Whatever the case was, Angel felt that she had to make sure that she was not mistaken.

            As Angel’s thoughts cleared, she found herself at the top of a long spiral staircase. In front of her was nothing more than a simple wooden door, with no handles for opening. A few words were etched into the door’s surface. The engraving read “Aurora Filly Whitewing.” Under that is said, “Proceed with Caution.”

            “I know to be careful.” Angel said aloud to herself.

The girl feebly knocked on the door. There was no answer. Angel knocked once more, and again, there was no reply. Angel pondered her situation for a moment, wondering why her mother wouldn’t answer. She was almost certain that the queen was in her chambers.

Angel studied the door once more. There was absolutely no doorknob, handle, or lock, for that matter. The entrance seemed impossible to open. Angel wondered what the point of a door that couldn’t be opened. Angel sighed, leaning her back on the door. She ruffled her wings a bit, switching her gaze to the ground.

            Angel sighed. Her mother must have had quite a likeness towards solitude, for she wouldn’t have had a door that wasn’t possible to open. It seemed like her question would not be answered today, and probably not tomorrow, nor the next day. At this rate, Angel thought, it would never be answered, and probably forgotten by the time she had a chance to ask.

            But just then, as if her will was a sort of magic key, the door burst open. Angel fell backwards with a cry of surprise, arms flailing. She burst her wings out and gave one mighty flap to upright herself. To Angel’s dismay, it wasn’t enough, and she fell flat on her bottom with a heavy thud.

            Angel sat on the ground, taking in a few deep breaths. The sudden startle made her feel tired, and slightly weak. But the determined girl shook her head, picking herself up to her feet and gazed around the room. The sight put her in pure awe.

            The room was extremely large and spacious. The walls were lined with thousands upon thousands of books, each telling of a form of magic. There was witchcraft, necromancy, enchantments, charms, conjures, potions, spells, scrolls, and even types of incants that could open one’s mind to help produce a hex.

            Along with the enchantments, there were types of fake animals all around. Most of them were the types that were found in forests, such as: owls, squirrels, rabbits, deer, foxes, and even some more animals Angel couldn’t name. There were tapestries, rugs, and curtains of all kinds, made of so many different fabrics that could make even a tailor’s head spin.

            The floor was also littered with cushions and unbelievably comfortable chairs. And what was more was that every cushion and chair was in a shade of blue or purple. From light sky blue, to a deep, rich, royal purple, the room was filled with the cool colors to give a nighttime setting to the room.

            Probably the most amazing part of the room, in Angel’s mind, was the ceiling. Despite that the sun was high in the sky at that moment, the ceiling of the room, which looked like it was a glass window, revealed the night sky. It was dotted with hundreds of small, yellowish white orbs, simulating the stars in the sky. In fact, because the ceiling was almost exact to the real night sky, the room was even illuminated by the masterpiece, with the few exceptions of rosy candles burning. The room was glazed over with a heavy midnight blue tint, giving the appearance of an eternal nighttime. It was beautiful.

            Angel stepped about the abstract room, searching for the presence of her mother. She noticed that there was no such thing as the color black in the room. Everything was shaded in cool colors, presenting an oddly relaxing tone. Angel found that she liked the room, but knew that she couldn’t stay for long.

            She hadn’t been in search for long when a birdcage caught her eye. Angel stopped by the cage, eying the winged creatures curiously. Two ruby red birds fluttered about their enclosure, singing their bird songs and flapping their wings furiously. Angel wondered if the birds played another part to the relaxing atmosphere of the room, or if they were merely kept as pets. Both answers seemed reasonable.

            “A sorcerer must be fully relaxed in order to tap into their full magical abilities, my dear.”

            Angel jumped suddenly, the voice completely banishing her train of thought. The girl turned around slowly just to come face to face with Aurora Filly Whitewing. “H-h-hello mother. I-I wasn’t peeking or a-a-anything…”

            Aurora looked at her daughter for a long time. She seemed to study the girl’s expression, noting every trace of nervousness and guilt. And then, almost out of nowhere, Aurora started to laugh. It was a soft, musical sound that was actually quite soothing to one’s ears.

            “Oh, my dear, don’t worry! Being curious is a wonderful thing, or at least it should be!”

            Angel stared at her mother dumbfounded.

            “Angel, love, calm down. If you made it through the door you have every right to be in here. The pesky thing is rather choosey, and only allows certain people. Heavens, I have no control over it.” The queen looked at Angel sternly. Her daughter didn’t seem to reply, so she strode over to a navy colored couch and sat down. “Did you have a purpose to enter my chambers, Angel?”

            Angel looked around the room thoughtfully. She then switched her gaze back to her mother. “I wanted to ask you something, mommy.” She found a comfortable looking cushion, lavender in color, and plopped down upon it as politely as possible. Aurora leaned back comfortably upon the couch and watched her daughter intently.

            “Well?”

            The girl hesitated for a long time, for she couldn’t quite word the question she wanted to ask without it sounding so blunt or simple. She fidgeted a little, growing restless and edgy upon her makeshift seat. Finally Angel carefully formed words in her mouth, relaying them out to her mother.

            “Well, mommy, you’re not around a lot… So I thought…. um…” Angel paused again, shook her head, and continued. “Why did you care so much? Why did you keep an eye on daddy?”

            Aurora blinked blankly. She brought up one slender hand, brushing it through her perfectly curled locks of hair. She then smiled, and shook her head. “I don’t know what you mean, Angel dear.”

            “Today in the hallways. You were there, weren’t you? Because daddy’s never nice or anything and I thought that you–”

            Aurora waved her hand, dismissing what Angel said. “You must have been mistaken. I have been here for the day.”

            Angel shook her head quickly. She didn’t believe this at all. Angel rummaged through her pocket, whipping out the crimson-colored feather that matched the same feathers sprouting off of Aurora’s wings. “See!” she said, pointing to the feather in her hand. “You were there, and this is proof!”

                                                                           The elder sorceress’s eyes widened slightly to the sight given by her kin, but that was the only reaction she made. After a second or two, she recovered, and she was back to the nonchalant attitude that she chose to display. “Angel” Aurora began, “You have wings yourself, and you should know that every so often a feather or two flutters off.” The queen snatched the feather out of Angel’s hand quickly, in one smooth motion. “These are very valuable. If one is to shed, please, collect it.”

            Angel was taken aback at the sudden reaction. It seemed to be more defensive, if anything. But the young girl could not grasp the meaning of her mother’s actions, and shook her head once more. “So… you weren’t there? You don’t care?”

            “It’s not that I don’t care, it’s that I haven’t the time.” Aurora said quickly. “Your mother has much work to do, and it must be done in order to bring society one step closer to revolutionizing the world.” She looked at the quill in hand, and then back to Angel. “Perhaps you don’t understand what it’s like to become a sage, but,” Aurora rose to her feet, striding over to the birdcage. “In time, you will strive to goals, ones similar to mine, I do believe, and you too will become one of the best of the best.”

            Aurora opened the birdcage, allowing one of the ruby critters to perch on upon her index finger. Each of the queen’s fingers had one silvery colored ring on them, each one different, and each received at a different time. Aurora Filly continued her speech, keeping an eye on the bird. “Though, returning to your original question, I wasn’t anywhere near you and your father when the event you speak of occurred. I insist that you shall not accuse me of forcing your father to show any concern or acts of kindness towards you. If he had done something out of the goodness of his heart, you should be grateful, not unappreciative. Do you understand?”

            Angel nodded silently. She felt that she understood, despite she didn’t feel as though the reasoning was well enough to satisfy her. The girl settled back down on the cushion, waiting for her mother’s soft, musical voice to start up again.

            Aurora looked from the bird perched upon her finger to Angel. She gave a small reassuring smile. “It’s called a Cardinal. They’re very common birds, and yet, they are not seen often.” She seemed to have said the comment out of the blue, but in fact, Angel had been wondering what type of bird it was. “Is there anything else?”

            Angel sat silently for a moment, accepting what was told to her. She looked at her mother’s face, feeling much calmer, and gave the simple answer of, “No.” By now, Angel had grown weary of the day’s odd adventure. She curled up upon the cushion and let out a sigh. The room’s night effect allowed her to grow sleepy. It wasn’t long until Angel had fully passed out on the lavender pillow. Aurora never lost her smile, and waited for her daughter to fall into a deep sleep before resuming her work. It wasn’t hard to give an innocent person only half of the truth, and that was exactly what she had done.

-December 23^rd, six years after birth-

It was a very frigid, yet delightfully snowy day. Despite that it was too cold to beg to enjoy the outside world, the fact that a white Christmas occurring that year was something to be thought of. For the past three years, the winter had only delivered a light snow during the months. Occasionally, there had been a rather large snowfall, but it had only happened on any other ordinary day. The region was thrilled by the fact that their holiday season would finally consist of the cold white fluff that warmed one’s heart.

            The Whitewing family, on the other hand, was not known for thinking too much of religion. They never found themselves celebrating any of the known holidays during the year, and the December traditions were no exception. The Whitewing’s did throw a celebration on Christmas day to show the rest of the country that they did acknowledge the festivities that occurred during that month; but they never related it to religion in any way.

            Of course, this wasn’t what Angel was concerned about.

            Dionysos Whitewing was expected to return to the castle any day now. The king had even admitted it himself. Though Angel knew that she would not be able to go outside when her brother returned, the day was simply too cold, she was thrilled by the fact that a loved one would be staying in the castle. Finally, someone would be able to care for her, and she wouldn’t have to endure loneliness any longer.

            Angel sat up upon her bed, but did not make much of an effort to leave. She was tired today, and had slept most of the time. She would have rested a little more, but it was a little past noon right now and she would receive her lunch any moment. Angel had also found herself awake by the anticipation of her brother. If she was sleeping she would not discover the news of his return, and she was desperately awaiting Dyne’s arrival.

            It wasn’t long until a short, young, yet experienced looking maid entered the room. She carefully held a large tray filled with an average sized portion of various types of food and two things to drink.

            “M’lady Angel, what would you like today?”

            The girl looked up towards the servant and her platter, shrugging her shoulders slightly. “Anything.”

            The maid looked towards Angel, wrinkling her brow into a frown. “Now, now, that’s not an acceptable answer.” She lowered her trays, handing over a large plate to Angel. “Of course, you’ll take some fruit,” the maid placed a bunch of grapes on the plate, “a vegetable,” and a handful of chopped carrots were added, “dairy,” a glass of milk was set down next to the plate, “and some protein.” The maid stopped and looked at Angel. “Well, what do you want?”

            Angel looked at the various foods. “I really don’t mind, Melony.” She received a sharp look, and hastily pointed to what appeared to be a chicken sandwich. “I mean… I want that.”

            Melony frowned a little and finished giving Angel her lunch. “Don’t point, Angel, it’s very rude.” She scolded. Then Melony smiled once again. “You must remember that a balanced diet is important, Angel honey. You don’t want to find yourself in a worse condition than you already are.” She paused a moment, and then lifted her index finger in the air suddenly, as if to pause the world around her. “Ah, yes, I almost forgot. The Queen wants you to take this when you finish your meal.” Melony set down a small vial of what appeared to be green liquid. It didn’t seem to be too satisfying, and, if anything, was rather repulsive.

            “What is it?” Angel asked, examining the vial.

            Melony shook her head. “I must say, I don’t know. But it’s my duty to make sure you drink that up.” She stood up to leave the room. “It had something to do with your health, I believe.”

            Angel simply nodded, plucking a few grapes off the bunch and popping them into her mouth. Melony was almost out of the room when Angel raised her voice to stop her. “Melony?”

            The maid turned around with a confused expression on her face. “What is it? Is the food spoiled?”

            Angel blinked, and then shook her head. “No.” she took a sip of her milk, and continued. “When’s Dyne coming back?”

            Melony wrinkled her brow in a frown again, but this time it was because she was searching for an answer. “I remember the King saying that he was returning late this evening.” The servant woman smiled. “That’s a good sign, yes?”

            Angel almost found herself jumping out of her bed. She scrambled out, almost knocking over her plate of food, and gave Melony a hug.

            The servant was very surprised at Angel’s sudden action, and more so at her unexpected burst of energy. Melony gingerly hugged Angel back, smiling awkwardly. “Try not to spill your milk, Angel.”

            Angel looked up, laughed a little, and backed away. She did a curtsy of apology, something that a maid would never dream to receive from someone with such noble blood, and allowed Melony to curiously leave the room. Angel went back to her bed and finished her meal, but then stopped at the sight of the vial given to her by her mother.

            The vial was relatively small and made of murky looking blue glass. It was halfway full with a green liquid, which looked discolored because of the container it was in. The liquid looked very much so like normal drinking water, but when Angel picked up the vial the liquid fizzled with its movements.

            Angel carefully popped off the cork that sealed the bottle. A sweet scent, which probably belonged to some kind of exotic flower, emerged from the bottle, making it a bit more pleasant to drink the liquid. Angel sighed, swinging the small vial up and swallowing its contents. The taste was very sour, not matching its smell at all. Angel coughed once, but felt better after a few moments. She looked at the vial again, noticing a very small piece of folded paper that was clung to one side. Angel hadn’t seen it before, but she pulled the note off and read it to herself.

Angel,

I see that you trust in me enough to have drunk the liquid in this bottle. It is only a first-stage sample, but I do pray that you feel much better for a long while. If this potion works, you shouldn’t have to worry about feeling ill for at least a month. Have a good afternoon, and be kind to your siblings.

Love,

A.F.W.

Angel blinked a few times, thinking what the meaning was. She was grateful that her mother had put some kind of explanation, but was somewhat bitter to the fact that she had to obtain a note instead of hearing what was to be said in person.

            Then Angel grinned to herself, jumping out of bed. The medicine was supposed to make her feel better for a while, and that she wouldn’t have to worry about being sick until the potion’s effects wore off.

            Angel made her way off to Gwen’s room. If she weren’t there, she’d look all about the castle for her sister. Gwen had a really nice set of dolls that would pass time until the evening, when Dyne would finally come back home.

Hours passed; most of the inhabitants of the castle were tucked in bed, consumed in a dream. It was quiet, and late in the night, but Angel was up and awake, waiting for her brother to enter the room with his arms spread wide in greeting.

            Gwendolyn had assured Angel to return to her room at least an hour ago, reasoning that Dyne would probably arrive in the morning due to some sort of delay.

            Angel, however, wouldn’t accept that as an answer.

            Dark shadows had crept their way against the floors and walls. All but one light had been extinguished. Apart from Angel, the only other person in the room was a servant named Xavier. He had almost finished with his nightly tidying up when Angel turned to face him.

            “My brother can still come in, right?”

            Xavier looked up, curious. It was his first time acknowledging the girl’s presence, as she had been very silent. He winced in surprise, but caught his actions and answered Angel promptly. “What do you mean, M’lady?”

            Angel stood up, ruffling her feathery wings. “They said Dyne comes home tonight. Can he get in?”

            The servant stood erect, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “M’lady,” he began slowly, “I assure you that if Sir Dionysos wanted to enter your home he would be able to. However,” Xavier looked down upon the six-year-old, shaking his head. “I doubt that he would return at this hour. I recommend that you go to bed now, and you should wait for your brother in the morning.”

            Angel glared up at Xavier, and shook her head forcefully. “No.” Xavier looked at the girl, and let out a deep sigh.

            “I’ll keep a candle lit for you, M’lady.” He said, and left the room before the girl could reply.

            Angel retreated back to her seat and curled up, closing her eyes. She wanted to resist falling asleep, but couldn’t find enough will to do so. The night grew later and later, without a word from Dyne.

“Hey, Angel, wake up.” The soft whisper and gentle shaking stirred the girl from her slumber. When Angel managed to open her eyes, she discovered that the room was still dark and the candle that had been burning was long gone.

            Angel sat up, looking around. She waited for her vision to adjust to the darkness before she set her gaze upon the body looming over her.

            “Dyne?”

            A wide grin flashed upon the man’s face, bringing the girl into a warm hug. “I’m back! Did you miss me?”

            Angel wrapped her arms around Dyne as well as she could, letting out a giggle of delight. “Yes! Yes I did! I missed you lots!”

            Dyne laughed himself, picking his sister up, swinging her around once, and setting her back upon her feet. “You haven’t changed a bit. I’m glad.”

            The child looked up at her brother, seeing if she could say the same about him. He had the same personality, but he looked different. It wasn’t much of a physical change. Dyne was still tall and handsome, but he seemed much more mature and manly. It was an appearance that he had always been childish. It was as though Dyne had finally grown up.

            “Oh, yes, I have something for you, Angel.” Dyne said. He reached into a large sack lying next to him. He rummaged about it for a few moments before pulling out a black book. He handed it over to Angel grinning. “It’s a sketch book. I figure that you have lots of free time, so you can learn how to draw really well.”

            Taking the book curiously, Angel began to look through it. Every page was blank and more durable than a normal sheet of paper. She looked up to her brother, smiling widely. “Thank you!” she ran over and hugged him again, greatly pleased with the gift she had received.

            Dyne smiled, too, hugging Angel back and breaking away once again. “Well, you seem happy. Hope you’ve been well while I was gone.”

            Angel looked at Dyne for a moment, and nodded. “I have.” She said simply.

            Her brother smiled again, sitting down on the floor so he wouldn’t appear to be as tall. Angel settled down in his lap, curling up tightly. Dyne looked down at her, brushing some of her curls out of her face. “You seem to be much more healthy, too.”

            Angel yawned a little, nodding her head. “Mommy sent some medicine. It makes me feel better.” She soon found herself dozing off in Dyne’s lap, his arms snugly around her. It never occurred to Angel that perhaps Aurora’s consuming work involved that medicine, or that maybe she really did care for her daughter enough to revolutionize the world.