The Cinders of Dezu

24th: The Portrait

Raina sat outside of the door, leaning her back against the wall and bouncing her foot nervously. The portrait was leaning next to her. She could hear muffled conversation before the large door to the kings room opened. Caddock came out. He looked stressed. The door closed with a soft thud behind him. He looked over at the young girl looking up at him. Caddock smiled.

"I know I said days... but he's too stubborn to stay down. Same as he ever was. He needs to rest a bit more. Can you try to convince him of that for me?"

Raina nodded. Caddock nodded back before making his way down the torch lit hallway. Raina stood up, facing the closed door. She looked at the portrait that was still leaning face first towards the wall. She reached for it and then stopped. She straightened her dress. She reached for it again. She stopped again. She looked at the door. Her hand lifted to knock. She paused. She looked at the back of the leaning portrait again. With a sigh she finally wrapped on the door four times.

"Come in," came the muffled response.

Raina pushed the door open with a creek. There the king sat at his desk. A blanket wrapped around his shoulders as he hunched over scribbling something down furiously before he looked back at her over his shoulder. He smiled at the image of the girl as she walked in.

"Raina!"

He turned to face her in his chair and laced his fingers together between his legs. He looked a bit wet.

"Are you... shivering?" she asked

Orion's smile was chattering.

"How does that work?" she said.

The king chuckled.

"The Kotapillar is a funny thing," he said, "It makes you feel a deep cold. Or maybe it's fever. In any case, it tends to give you chills. It seems like a bad thing but it just means it's working."

Raina was looking skeptical. Orion cleared his throat.

"So what did..." he was chattering again, "Did you discover anything with that little item I tasked you with?"

Raina frowned.

"His name is Ugly Ramen and no. He is very complicated and I don't even know where to start. But I-"

"You named him though, huh? Like your mouse? That's something. You think it's a he? You think it's alive?"

Raina was disheartened.

"No- I mean maybe... I was trying to-"

"Caddock told me you felt something from it? Something like different moods? Can you tell me about that?"

"I'm not here to-"

"Because if you've had a break through like that you're already operating better than the lead scientists I've had working on it so far..."

He trailed off as he saw Raina march out of the room. She came back around the corner with a portrait. She turned it around to face him.

"Who is this?" she said.

She had a firmness to her voice.

Orion stared at the picture in the frame. Looking back at him was the haunting face of a woman. A stunningly beautiful woman. She was asian with green to hazel eyes and a bright smile that somehow seemed the slightest bit sad. She wore a silver crown that matched her silver satin gloves. She wore a dress of bright white with curved stripes of silver-gray. The room was quiet while the eyes held the king captive.

"Where did you get this?" the king said after a long silence.

"Tell me who this is," said Raina, softly.

"Where did you get this, Raina?!"

The king sounded more forceful now. His eyes still not leaving the portrait

"Tell me who it is!" she shot back.

"I need to know who showed you this RIGHT now!"

"I found a room! It was in a room, okay?! Now tell me!"

The king looked up at her with hurt disbelief in his eyes

"You aren't allowed in that room! How did you get in-? NO ONE is allowed in there!"

"I need to know who is in this picture." Raina said flatly

"Why?!!"

"Because I'm in this picture!!!"

Orion froze and stared at her.

"That's me!"

She leaned the frame towards herself so she could point. There in the delicately decorated hands of the woman, was a carefully wrapped newborn infant. It's eyes were barely opened with nothing showing through the coverings but a face looking so contented you could almost see it smile.

"That's my white and gray striped blanket," said Raina, "It's soft and it's fluffy and it's still on the rock my dad found me on as a baby. I sleep walk to it every night."

Orion moved his palms to his knees, gripping them tightly. He looked at the picture. His breathing was heavy but silent.

"My dad found me on an island when he was young," she said, "He had just starred in his first big movie. Islands were cheaper than he thought and he wanted to impress his friends so he bought one. It was empty and too small to have anyone else already living there other than him. While he was exploring it to decide where to build his summer home, he said he thought he was losing his mind when he heard a baby crying."

Raina's eyes welled up with tears. She looked at the painting and pointed again.

"I was wrapped up and I was alone. I was in this fluffy blanket! It's even in my baby pictures!"

Raina got behind the picture frame and held it at its top corners.

"So if that's me..." she moved her finger slowly to woman's red hued lips, "Then who is this?"

Orion stared at the face she pointed to. The hazel eyes seemed to insist he answer the question. He looked up at Raina. Silently, tears were streaming down her face. The king looked down. He sighed and shook his head. Raina watched as he slowly stood and walked up to her. She felt his arms wrap around her over the picture frame. Orion squeezed her to his still shivering chest. His next words she felt in his bosom with one ear and heard them with the other.

"That... is my wife."

As he dropped to his knees in front of her, his eyes met hers before they roved about her face.

"And against all the odds, you... you are my perfect little piece of her that's come back to me."

Raina's shoulders bounced in sobs as she found herself falling back into his arms. They both held each other and wept there, Orion on his knees and the portrait of the past between them. Orion's lips kissed the top of Raina's forehead. As he did, the memories he so resisted came rushing back. He remembered kissing the smooth crown of his newborn baby girl, all those years ago.