TKATD: The Island From hell

Chapter Nine: The Crow and the Dove

Victor was laying in his bed with an ice pack over his stomach, if that damned bunny man could do anything, it was kicking someone so hard they had to lay in a bed for days.

Whenever Victor tried to get up, it felt like a thousand pins were shoved into his side. This meant that he couldn't continue his trials, for lack of a better term. He hated calling it torture, it wasn't classy enough. When someone says torture you imagine an old dirty room, but as any other person with a shred of dignity, he performed his trials in a warm and dimly lit room, with clean floors and decently comfortable chairs.

He was still inflicting pain of course, but with class.

Valentine was sulking because ever since Victor's injury they couldn't do stuff together. They couldn't elope in the intense emotions of their bedroom.

Valentine would still check in every now and then, every now and then being every two minutes.

He wouldn't even knock, he would simply barge into the room, startling Victor in the process. This irritated Victor, but then again, Valentine was cute when he was all stressed like this.

"Three, two, one...."

"VICTOR!" Valentine was just on time, "are you ok? Do you need a new ice pack?"

"I'm fine Val, but I could use some company."

"You don't say," Valentine sat on the side of the bed, next to Victor.

The two of them laid in the bed together, they talked about several things, but by far Victor's favorite was remembering how they met.

"Remember when we first met?" Valentine asked.

"Yes of course I do, but please, remind me."

Valentine began to retell the story. Making it sound like a dramatic play.

The night was cold, but the moxie was limitless.

A gala was being held at the most beautiful mansion.

Cupids Mansion of Lovers.

It was owned by a charming young man, Valentine Ó Searraigh. He was known for his complicated yet intriguing love life. But this gala was to end the errors to his trials of love. Tonight he will find a mate. Or at least he hoped he would.

At the other side of the estate, another man was just arriving. A young woman, who looked a bit younger than him, was dragging him by the arm.

"Come on Vic, you gotta have some fun in your life." She whined, trying and failing to drag him to the doors.

"I told you, I would love to attend, but I'm not a very loved face around here."

"That's why it's a masquerade, so you can be yourself and people won't judge you based on what they previously thought about you." She shoved a mask towards him. "Wear this."

He sighed, "fine."

The mask resembled a crow, Victor should've expected that would be the mask she gave him. He was often called a crow, or a bad omen, in the political world. But those who opposed him weren't the most open minded. And if his companion was right, no one would care tonight.

As they walked in, his companion's jaw dropped. She had never seen the inside of the estate before.

Victor on the other hand had been there a few times, for reasons, but he never came when he was a known politician, now it was harder to get around when everyone on the west end hated you.

But despite all the times he had visited, the estate had never looked as lively as it did today.

Guests danced, gossiped, and chatted with each other. Beautiful gowns swept the floor and gentle hands guided them through a waltz. Victor noticed his dear friend, Lorelai of the Eastern Starboard, dancing with a young girl her age. They looked so happy together.

And then, Victor felt the emptiness in his chest, he felt the ache and pain of loneliness. A feeling he was well acquainted with.

"Victor, are you okay?" A soft and familiar voice asked. 

"I'm fine," he lied, of course.

"Alright then," she moved from the topic quickly, knowing not to push him, "by the way, Cupid is coming down the stairs."

"Cupid?" He cocked an eyebrow. 

"Eros himself, the owner of the Estate," she looked at the giant marble staircase in infatuation.

Victor looked to the top of the staircase, and one of the most dashing men he'd ever seen was cascading down the marble.

He wore the mask of a dove, something that made his red eyes stand out even more, his elaborate suit hugged his figure, and his cape practically floated down the stairs behind him.

It took the man walking down the entirety of the stairs, and even walking through the crowd, for Victor to realize he was walking straight towards him.

As the man known as Cupid got closer and closer, the feeling in Victor's chest vanished, and was replaced with a longing of another kind.

Cupid stopped mere feet away from Victor, and bowed.

"Care to dance?" He asked. His eyes pierced Victor in a way that made him want ever so dearly to dance the night away.

"Forgive me if I step on your feet," Victor said, accepting Cupid's offer.

The crowd cleared the dance floor. Leaving room for the Crow and the Dove to take their breaths away with a dance that would captivate anyone.

They swayed the floor with such grace it was as if nobody was watching them.

Like two birds flying thoughtlessly through the clouds.

As time passed their entrancing dance came to an end. They stood in the middle of the elaborately tiled floor. Their hands were intertwined, Cupid's arm was around Victor's waist.

The crowd rang out in applause.

Victor's companion ran up to him.

"What was that!?" She asked, utterly surprised.

"I-I don't know," Victor said after getting lost in Cupid's eyes for just a moment.

"I apologize, I didn't know you were in a relationship."

"I'm not," Victor said all too fast. His companion was his little sister, probably the only person who could drag him to such lavish events.

"I'll leave you two alone then," his sister said suggestively.

Cupid leaned into Victor's side, and whispered in his ear.

"My name is Valentine," and like that, Victor realized the bond he had just formed with the man, the thin string of trust connecting them, a name held weight in Victor's world, and Valentine's name was the heaviest to carry.

Victor leaned towards Valentine's ear and whispered back.

"Well then Valentine, how about you and me take this upstairs."

Valentine looked at him and smirked.

"Whatever you say."

The night was full of intense emotions and heated moments. They woke up beside each other and knew, this is what would make them whole. 

{Out of all the chapters that was one of my favorites to write, it's a bit iffy in some places but overall I love it and I most certainly forgot about all the plot holes I put in it, and now I've overfilled them with concrete.}