Finding Heathcliff

Six

"...and after World War III, it changed again. All the countries of Europe united to create the Republic of Eurovea, with London as its capital. But not even that made life easier for the people. It was a period of earthquakes, seismic tidal waves, droughts followed by torrential rains, and consequent floods. New diseases that could not be treated under such circumstances appeared, reducing the already decimated population of the world. And then..." Astrid inhaled deeply, trying to recall the long-gone events. Once she told this part of the memorised history lesson to the strict old man sitting in front of her, she would be free...

She let her eyes flicker to the tall bookcases surrounding them, to the spot where she always hid her beloved Wuthering Heights; she couldn't wait to hold the ancient book in her hands... "And then there was World War IV," she said quickly, hoping that the tutor would not ask her what had led the already suffering population of the old world to another conflict. "The sea level had risen so much by then that Eurovea, which had become a kingdom in the meantime, morphed into an archipelago. And... oh yes, after the last war, we lost all technology."

"Hmm... That's, more or less, true. It will suffice for today, Princess, only because it is your birthday," the old teacher said seriously, already standing up. Unlike herself, he was excited about the ball; she could feel it. "And also because I know that Master Orion knows the history perfectly," he muttered more to himself than to her. "He will be a good king..."

Astrid noticed how his eyes rested on the large sapphire of her ring, glimmering dimly in the shadows cast by the bookcases, before meeting hers. She knew that the people, both in the castle and in Starling, preferred Orion to her; he was the more popular half of the future royal couple. Until this point, Astrid simply accepted their preference as something she couldn't change without overthinking it. But as the trial, which she knew would not be easy, approached, it annoyed her always more. Why should she put herself through discomfort, maybe danger, and then marry a man she did not choose to please a country that did not care to have her as their queen? If they wanted Orion as their king, then they could have him without her; she didn't care.

Liar, her subconscious spoke. Astrid did care-- because her mother had, and her grandmother before, and a row of other queens whose names she couldn't remember. She needed to try harder to win the people's respect and loyalty. It was her own fault, most likely, that they preferred Orion. In all honesty, she couldn't blame them. Her fiancé was older, less shy, and looked more mature and competent; he was charismatic and knowledgeable. He, olive-skinned and black-haired, also looked so much more like one of them, Astrid mused unhappily, her looks were something she could hardly change and her translucent, blush-prone complexion and golden curls made her look like a stranger in her own kingdom. She wondered if someone like Orion would ever choose to marry her if she wasn't the future queen...

Banishing the unpleasant thoughts, she forced a smile at the old man still standing above her, then watched him bow in greeting and shuffle towards the distant door as fast as his legs permitted, impatient to get dressed for the occasion. Just what did they all like about the balls?

Shaking her head, the princess sprang to her feet and rushed towards the bookcase hiding her favourite book the moment the heavy door closed behind the old teacher, separating her from the rest of the world. The library was still her most favourite place, despite the absence of the pair of doves that used to materialize out of thin air each time she walked inside in the past-- she had not seen them since the night when she spoke to the mysterious man on the balcony.

Pulling the ancient volume from its spot and caressing its spine with the tips of her fingers, Astrid walked to one of the four window seats of the large room, choosing the one facing west. The sun would set soon, and she loved to watch the sunset. She climbed close to the multitude of cool glass panes that composed the tall window and drew the dark curtain behind her. There... If they wanted her to attend the ball tonight, they would have to find her first. She laughed at herself-- it would take less than ten minutes for Arabella to discover her hiding place, even less for Orion. Still, even the tiny act of rebellion against their expectations felt good.

Rereading Wuthering Heights yet again, she soon forgot about her own world. If only Orion was like Heathcliff... If someone knew what love was and experienced it in all its forms, selfless and selfish, compassionate and cruel, it was Heathcliff. If only love really existed, Astrid would want to encounter it at its full intensity. Because sunshine only felt precious after a long rain, because the most brilliant mornings chased away the blackest nights... And because no one had ever loved her like Heathcliff loved Cathy...

A soft, muffled sound-- fabric brushing against the wood of the bookcases-- disturbed her reverie, making her realise that the sun had set without her noticing it.

Was it Arabella coming to look for her? With bated breath, Astrid sat perfectly still for a while, but when she heard no other sounds from beyond the curtain, she dared to peek through. It took her eyes a while to adapt to the tenebrosity reigning within the library, but then she saw it-- a book she had never seen before lay on the floor under the window seat. She would have stepped on it in the darkness had she not heard the person who laid it there for her. Who had put it there, why, and why did they not speak to her if they knew that she was hiding behind the curtain? She was so curious!

Reminding herself to breathe, Astrid slid off the seat and picked the book up, then climbed quickly back-- the four window seats now being the only spots of the library offering enough light to see the old pages.

The book was ancient, less used but older than her copy of Wuthering Heights; she could tell from the print and the scent of the yellowed, speckled paper of its many pages. It was big, thick and heavy and she couldn't believe she had never noticed it before.

"The Book of Angels," Astrid read the title, her impatient fingers pausing where they lay on the top right edge of the hardcover page, ready to open the volume and discover its secrets.

Angels... She had read the word before, but she could not recall where exactly. In her mind, it was tangled with other words she had read but never heard pronounced, like churches, faith... heaven... demons... And the scent of burning incense. The scent that wasn't supposed to exist in her world and yet she had encountered it and could remember it in its tiniest nuance.

She laughed nervously to disperse the shivers running down her spine. Angels were mysterious, powerful beings, but they did not exist, not anymore in any case. Just like love, they persisted forever encased within the pages of old books and not beyond.

But what if...? Why did someone want her to read this book? Who?

"Oh, here you are!" Arabella burst into the library, making Astrid jump and drop the book on the floor.

She picked it up again fast and stuffed it under her arm while Arabella, the flickering light of the candelabra she carried making her face look ghostly pale in the surrounding darkness, rushed towards her, noticing nothing.

"You must hurry, Princess, your meal is ready, and then you must dress, your uncle has a surprise for you!" She beamed at Astrid, who only nodded silently and let the woman take her by her free arm and drag her from the library.