Our Last Dance [ONC 2021]

Chapter XI ~ The Cure

'So you actually think you've found it?'

We were walking down the stairs of the opera house, making our way towards the exit. Since the moment we embraced each other, we hadn't let go and now my arm was still linked in his.

'Well, I promised you I would, didn't I?'

'So how does it work exactly? Is it a potion, or some sort of spell, or some kind of ancient ritual? Do I have to sell my soul or something? Is it—?'

'So many questions. I can see your curiosity hasn't left you.' I could feel the blood rise to my cheeks as he laughed at my rambling. It was the same laugh as ever, loud, but not unpleasant to listen to. It was that kind of sound that immediately forces people to break out into a smile themselves.

As we reached the exit of the newly inaugurated building, he stopped walking. 'How about we go back to my place? We have got more than enough rooms there, and then you won't have to beckon a carriage for yourself. And when morning comes, I will tell you everything you need to know.'

'Everything?' I thought back to that night in the garden when I had caught him writing his farewell letter. He was planning to leave you before, to break his promise to you. Why would this time be any different? But it was Icarus, my persuasive Icarus. How could I ever say no to him? Didn't I trust him with my life? If he wished to tell me, he would. If he didn't, I would make him, just like then.

'Everything.' And with those words, he brought my hand to his mouth and gently kissed it. Everything. I believed him.

There were indeed more than enough rooms in Icarus's house. It was obvious he hadn't left his life as a member of high society. As soon as he, or his housekeeper rather, opened the door to my room, the gold and crystals overwhelmed me.

Above the fireplace on one side of the room hung a big mirror, enclosed by a golden frame. I had seen it before, two years prior at his aunt's house. I wondered how he got his hands on it, since he'd clearly stated in one of his letters that he hadn't dared to go to her house. One of the other walls in the room was almost completely covered in windows, hidden behind heavy curtains patterned with flowers. Roses.

'If you need anything, you can just ring the bell, dear.' The housekeeper pointed at a bell hung next to the bed. I simply nodded in response, unable to think of anything else to say.

She closed the door, and I was alone.

I wanted some fresh air, but there was no balcony, and I didn't wish to go downstairs again with there being a chance that I would run into Icarus. I hadn't seen him for what seemed like ages, but now that I knew we had all the time in the world, I felt like being alone for a while.

So instead of going outside, I sat down in one of the windowsills and looked at the stars. Only the brightest were visible. All the others were outshone by the lights of the Parisian streets. Once more my mind travelled to dancing there. No expensive chandeliers, only the stars. The stars and Icarus and me. wouldn't that be wonderful?

Soon, the candle that lit my room burned out and the dark forced me into a deep sleep.

~ ~ ~

That night I dreamt the most horrible dreams.

We were dancing, Icarus and I, and just like in my fantasies, we were surrounded by the stars. It was beautiful. The light shone like that of the chandelier in the opera house, but brighter, casting everything in a white-yellow light. I was wearing the most beautiful dress, which moved along with every step I took. Icarus looked just as he'd done in Venice. His black suit was adorned with roses and his hair was a mess, but I loved it. I loved him.

But then the stars began to fall, and they took everything down with them. First, the light. One by one I saw the tiny spots disappeared from the sky. Then, the black started to burn, set ablaze by the trails of fire they left behind. I looked around at the chaos, but Icarus danced on. He didn't let go of me and I couldn't do anything other than to twirl along. My feet began to hurt, and then wounds appeared. Thick streams of blood dripped out, smudging the floor with a deep red.

I heard myself scream. 'Icarus!' But it was like he'd become deaf. The floor started to crumble, and big fractures appeared everywhere we stepped. 'Icarus!' The dark beneath us seemed endless, where the debris soon disappearing from sight. 'Icarus!' He looked up.

He was grinning at me, at the chaos around us. Then, then the floor was split in two and he fell. His grin never left his face. 'Icarus!'

~ ~ ~

The next morning, I woke up crying, hoping nobody had heard me scream.

My back hurt from sleeping in the windowsill and my body felt paralysed by fear, but after I'd convinced myself that it was just a dream I got dressed and went downstairs. There, Icarus was already waiting for me.

'Morning, my dear.' He greeted me, stretching the o in morning. 'Ready to find out about the rest of your life?'

We laughed. Within seconds I'd descended the remaining stairs and threw myself in his arms. 'Well then get on with it. What is this cure you've found? Are you sure it will work?'

'Patience, my dear. Patience.' He then took my hand and gently guided me to the breakfast room. The table was loaded with all kinds of exquisite things: French pastries, fresh baked bread, the most exotic fruits and many more things I didn't even recognise.

'So? What is it?'

I broke off a piece of bread while he started explaining it to me. 'So, you don't have to do anything for this. I already took care of everything, so no worries. Basically, it's this ritual where you take the life of, uhm, plants and stuff and add those to your life. So you will have more time before you die, and thus you'll live longer.'

It sounded easy, too easy. 'Are you sure that's it?' He nodded. 'You're absolutely sure?'

'Yes.'

'And it will work?'

'Don't all my ideas work?' A smile graced his face and I smiled with him.

'Yes,' I said, 'Yes they do.'

And it did. It worked wonderfully. A year went by, and then one turned into two, and the more time passed, the more I believed it. I was free.

'Hey, Ophelia,' Icarus asked one night, 'What would you say if I asked you to travel the world with me?'

I looked at him over the top of my book. 'I would say that it was about time. You still have to take me to Greece.'