The Elven Curse

Chapter 5

Aerin looked down.

There were at least 15 meters separating him and the ground. The window opened with a bit of effort, it'd been a while since it was last opened.

Aerin looked at Mara with big eyes. Flowers around his head and body.

His mother hadn't thought of cutting any of his leaves and flowers yet, he was still young and the few people that had seen him were always complementing him on the flora surrounding him. Plus, all of the plants had started growing not so long ago, last month.

He clasped his hands together and went down on his knees, begging Mara who was in front of him, knowing she wouldn't refuse if he continued looking at her like that to take advantage.

Mara looked at him pleadingly, she knew she couldn't say no to those eyes, but she also knew she would get in big trouble if Aerin's mother found out.

"Fine", she muttered.

Aerin's eyes brightened immediately and started jumping with excitement.

"Yay!", he ran towards the window and looked Mara expectantly. The window was too tall for him, his head barely reached it's frame and the big curtains were also too tall for him to move.

Mara walked to him and stood behind him, she carefully drew the curtains. An orange light invaded the room, the sun was setting. She placed a hand on the window and pushed it carefully, Aerin between her arms with his feet on top of her own to give him a bit of height and helped her push it eagerly.

The window was finally pushed open and he jumped, Mara picked him up, letting him place his elbows on the frame. His toes floated while he moved them back and forth, the leaves on his ankles where the only part of him touching the floor.

"Wow", he looked outside and saw the vivid green of the grass beneath him with a couple of flowers growing on it.

"Look!", he said pointing below him,"it grows flowers, like me!", he giggled and looked at the trees far away. Mara smiled at him.

He'd never seen the outside, only small bits of the sky when the curtains were slightly moved, leaving a small gap between them. His mother was reluctant to let him see outside because he was connected directly to nature and afraid he would receive the pain of  it dying outside, even though that part of the curse had completely stopped since his birth, leaving dry lands and dead ecosystems far from the castle, but close enough to be seen through the boy's window.

Aerin looked at the green trees covering everything, slowly turning shades of red and orange as the sun moved down the horizon slowly, but the ones far away were brown with no leaves on them, they looked sad. They were dying. He suddenly felt a stab of pain on his chest and he winced. He was feeling their pain and grief.

He turned his head and looked at Mara, tears prickling his eyes, he sniffed. Mara, who was looking outside the window was alerted by the noise and looked down, she panicked when she saw his pain expression and picked him beneath his armpits.

Aerin's hands were clutching her dress. Some of the leaves on him slowly withering, he sobbed, her chest started to ache too, it was real pain, she stumbled on her feet and fell hard, surrounding Aerin with her arms to protect him.

She screamed in pain, sobbing and scratching his neck intensely with a limp Aerin between the floor and her body.

Someone started knocking on the door, when no one answered the soft knocking started to grow violent.

Aerin felt as if he was underwater, all the noise felt so far. He could still make out the terrifying screams Mara was making and the banging at the door.

Everything turned black suddenly.

***

He felt arms around him and his mother's eyes looking at him, tears falling and sliding on her cheeks.

He felt calm. Making out some words of what his mother was saying to someone.

"...side effects... medicine"

"...careful...pain...ature..."

His mom hugged him tightly and thanked the person in the room, then a door was closed.

"Aerin" she said, running her fingers though his hair, he hummed at the feeling,"you can never go outside or look though the window during sunsets", she sobbed," never, never, never..." her voice getting lost with her cries.

Mara became distant, avoiding him at all cost, looking at him as if she was scared of him.

His mom started cutting his flowers and plants. He never got an answer from her about why sunsets were dangerous for him, but he didn't think about it that much after he was allowed to have the the landscape's view unprotected from the curtains.

Mara went back to normal a couple of weeks later.

After the incident, when she became distant, he never knew what had happened to her.

Aerin looked outside anxiously, he couldn't make out anything in the deep darkness except the small lit fire far away in the woods.

He wanted to go there.

Lit fire means there are people, he convinced himself.

He needed to talk to someone. Someone who wasn't in the castle, who wouldn't lie to protect him or control his life.

He couldn't go outside through the main entrance, guards were always there during their night shifts, they always preferred winning a place outside so they could smoke and drink without anyone noticing. Not that anyone really cared, everyone knew about the little bets and games they did there, but they'd rather not get in trouble with the crown prince or captain, who sometimes joined them outside.

He would have to go with the window, there wasn't any other option. He looked at the duvet on his bed. He ran to it, careful not to walk over any glass shreds on the floor, he grasped it with his hands, it felt flexible but resistant. He smiled.

He walked to his closet and found two similar duvets, his heart bested loudly in his chest and he breathed fast with excitement.

He had an idea. And if the duvets weren't enough, he always helped in the stock room, he could always take some more with the excuse of being cold at night.

He looked at the window from his place and saw the small bright speck surrounded by darkness.