Mosaic Windows

Chapter 14: Virgil is Really Gay

Nico sighed as he walked up to Janus's house, regretting ever coming here in the first place. But now that he knows the dragon witch- Prince Virgil, isn't a threat, he has to fix this mess. He knocked on the door, hearing Saint bark from the other side.

He heard someone shush the dog before opening the door. Saint still barked until he saw Nico, then went to sniff him. The older man laughed and pet the dog's head.

"Mr. Flores? What are you doing here?" Janus asked. He frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"No, the opposite actually," Nico told him. "The... other day I went to the castle that Remus told me about. There's no dragon witch there, and Roman is perfectly safe. Remus must have thought he had seen one, but the people there are really nice! They're hermits, and they don't really like coming to town, but they've been taking care of Roman, who got hurt in the forest. I'm sorry for any trouble I might have put you through, you can keep the coins for compensation, but there's no need to-"

Janus put his hand up to cut him off. "There is a dragon witch, I saw him myself."

Nico paled. "What?"

"I don't know why they didn't keep you prisoner, you're clearly not spelled." The hunter looked him up and down. "Is Roman still with them?"

"Yes but only because he was in no shape to travel back home. He hurt his leg, but the people in the castle are really nice! I promise. I assure you, whatever you saw was not a dragon witch."

Janus was quiet for a moment, his face unreadable. Then he smiled. "I see. Thank you for letting me know. Are you sure you don't want your coins back?"

"I uh..." Nico seemed confused. "Nope. Again, sorry for any trouble I may have caused you."

"It's no problem Mr. Flores. Have a nice day now." He gave a short whistle and Saint trotted back inside. Janus closed the door behind him and Nico let out a long sigh.

That felt way too easy.

~~~

Virgil's anxiety was still way too high after Roman's family visited yesterday. Of course Roman had to be connected to the mayor of Goldsfield! At least Thomas seems nice... hopefully they keep their promise.

To be completely honest, even though he has a sense of his royal duties, even as a child Virgil hated the idea of ruling a country. Obviously he wouldn't be alone, he'd have a board of advisors, but he just felt as if he would mess up somehow and get the whole kingdom destroyed! So knowing the country was doing okay without a royal family... Well, it was a relief. It's not what his parents would have wanted, but how bad could it be if the country continued on it's own?

At least for Goldsfield, they have a good mayor. It's not like Virgil could do anything to take control of the kingdom again. It would have been difficult as a human, but it's impossible as a dragon witch. No human would want a dragon witch to rule over them. So even though he has a protectiveness over this country... he could never rule over it.

The only thing he had control over was this castle. And his garden... He was out there now, tending over the roses. They die so easily in the winter, he has to take care of them. Some of them already looked wilted, so he held his hands out to them and let his magic flow to them. Their petals smoothed out and opened up, turning a healthier shade of red.

He relaxed more and smiled as each flower brightened up again. Any dead flowers or leaves he would find, he would break off and drop it to the ground. The nutrients will seep back into the ground eventually.

As he reached the last bush, he shivered from the cold. He turned from the bushes and breathed into his hands to warm them up, a small glow coming from inside them as fire warmed up his skin. That was a plus to being a dragon witch.

There was a creak and he turned to see the door opening. Roman was behind it, his brown eyes first looking at the prince, and then he glanced around the rest of the garden.

"Patton told me you would be out here," he said, stepping out and closing the door. There were two steps down that lead to a circle stone porch. He was careful not to slip on any ice as he made his way further in the garden.

"Did you need something?" Virgil asked, turning away from the rose bushes and walking towards the human.

"I was wondering where you were. Plus I don't think I had a chance to look at the garden." Roman smiled at the healthy roses. "You use your magic to keep them alive?"

Virgil nodded. "It's the only magic I can control."

"It's beautiful..." A warm breeze warmed up Roman skin, but he still had goosebumps.

"Thank you, I'm very proud of this garden."

"Only roses though?"

"They're the kingdom's flower. Besides, I like them best."

Roman smiled, reaching to feel the petals on the roses. Soft and velvety, like the ones on his crutches. Those ones are still somehow alive too.

"You also have weather powers, right?" Roman asked, looking up at the dragon witch.

"Uh, yes but... I don't have much control over it. But those are the only magicks I have."

The human frowned and tilted his head slightly. Virgil shouldn't have found it as adorable as it was. "Are dragon witches supposed to have every kind of magic? That's why they're the most powerful mon- I mean magical creatures."

The prince held his arm and looked away. "Yes, but I only have two."

"Are you... are you half human then?"

"What?" The surprise was genuine in his voice. "No, both of my parents were human."

"Oh..." Roman frowned. Then his blood turned to ice, and not because of the weather, though it certainly got colder. Oh... "You... you were human, weren't you?"

The air turned much colder, clouds gathering in the sky. They swirled like the guilt in Roman's gut as he realized he probably brought back some bad memories.

"Yes, I was cursed by another dragon witch. A real one."

"That's... terrifying."

"She was. She's the reason no one remembers us, my family."

"I'm so sorry..." She must have killed Virgil's parents. "Do you miss being human?"

As simple as it was, the question still caught Virgil off guard. "I... I guess? It's been so long though. Nothing will be normal again."

"No, I guess not."

"But I think I'd like to be human. Not that it'll ever happen."

"You don't know, there has to be a way to break the curse!" Roman gasped as he got an idea. "I could help you!"

"You... want to help me be human again?"

"Well you helped me, it's only fair I return the favor. Maybe there's something in the library about it? Or a book at the library in my town. There's gotta be something!"

Virgil smiled as he watched Roman brainstorm. Okay, yes, the human is adorable and very sweet. His hope for undoing the curse made Virgil hopeful... something he hasn't been in a long time.

"If you insist... we can go to the library. It's cold out here anyway." He started walking to the door.

Roman smiled. "Alright!" He started following after the prince, glancing around the garden. The castle walls were full of ivy, and it made Roman wonder if the dragon witch did that on purpose. As he looked up however, he saw a giant glass stained window.

The colors were beautiful, it depicted three figures. A boy and two taller people on either side of him. But it was broken, shattered, and the faces of the two taller people were gone. Where is that window? It's not familiar to Roman at all... It must be in a room he hasn't been in yet.