Mosaic Windows

Chapter 3: "Can We Keep Him?"

CW: broken bone, self deprecation

Virgil sighed in annoyance as he lost focus on the same page of his book for the second time in a row. A crack of lightning lit up the window as he closed his book, standing from his desk. Rain pattered against his window as he left the room, closing the door behind him.

The castle was empty, but that was nothing new. He, Logan, and Patton were the only ones that lived there ever since the attack. She only spared them, if "spare" would be the correct word. They could leave the castle at any time, but they lost their horses during the attack so the walk to the closest town wasn't worth it.

Not that it mattered because as Logan had learned, everyone forgot about the castle. They forgot about it, and the kingdom, and the royal family. Everything his parents have done... forgotten. History erased, turned into a fairy tale.

Virgil shook his head as he went down the hall. He felt numb until he started to walk down the stairs, purposely ignoring a room as he passed it. His legs were shaky as he stepped off the final step, turning to head to the back of the castle.

He went through a hall before pushing the door open, leading outside. Rain pelted him instantly, and he sighed as it fell against him. The rain was colder than he would like, seeing as it's winter, but he found it relaxing nonetheless.

Grass bended into the mud, the green color duller than usual. Virgil walked through it barefoot since he hadn't put on his shoes. He didn't care, he didn't even care about tracking mud into the castle. He could feel each blade of grass under his foot, and as he walked away, the grass behind him seemed to come alive, growing a few inches and brightening.

The dragon witch seemed to have given him some magic. She turned him into a monster like herself. Exactly like herself, but too weak to do anything but control plants and the weather. Well... he had less control over the weather, it seemed to change with his emotions, except for when he concentrated enough.

When he moved far enough from the castle, he turned back to the gray bricks full of vines. The garden was behind the castle, bushes full of flowers lined the wall and came out like a natural fence. However the castle itself... above the door he came through was the window that held his glass self.

His glass self is ten, and human. His parents' faces were still shattered, their bodies standing there. His mother's hand is still on his shoulder, and he could feel her arms wrap around him even now, ten years later.

If they lived... would she still hug him as he is now? Would his father still make grand speeches about him? Would they...?

Virgil didn't flinch when he heard a deafening crash behind him, a flash of light reflecting off the glass. The rain hit him harder, soaking him to the bone.

However, when he heard a horse whinny and a scream behind him, he whipped around to see where it came from. A large form seemed to run away on four legs, a horse with no rider.

Virgil ran towards the exit of the garden. One good thing about the curse was that his vision was better than others. Well, maybe, Logan and Patton both have glasses and they're the only ones he can compare to. But even with those glasses, they struggle to see in the dark.

They wouldn't have seen the white arm that wrapped around something. Virgil realized that it was a leg that was held against a red vest. The man let out a strangled noise of pain, his eyes squeezed tight.

"Hey!" Virgil shouted, falling to his knees in front of him. "Are you okay, dude?"

There was no response other than a small whine as Virgil put his hand on his shoulder. The prince bit his lip and looked behind him to see no one. He sighed as he pushed an arm under the man's shoulder, lifting him up. The stranger cried in pain, but barely seemed conscious, just keeping his arms wrapped around his leg. He must have hurt it.