Forgotten Magic

Chapter 4

I heard a knock at the door.

The sky was dark and I supposed it was around 10:00 pm. I hadn't eaten, though I had heard Varian and his father talking downstairs.

"C-come in," I whispered, wiping my eyes on the hem of my cloak.

The door eased open slowly and softly and Varian's father stood in the doorway.

"Savannah, was it?" he asked.

I nodded, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. "Yes."

He smiled a little bit. "You may call me Quirin." After a moment, he continued. "Do you want to eat anything? Varian and I had dinner a little while ago."

"No thank you," I murmured. "I'm alright." I shifted on the edge of the bed, moving my eyes to the floor as the silence dragged on.

"Mind if I sit down?" Quirin asked.

I nodded without looking up.

I heard the soft creak of the chair and for a while we just sat in silence

"How did you happen to meet my son?"

It had been a while, and this sudden question startled me. I looked up, eyes wide, before shaking my head and averting my eyes again. "His raccoon stole one of my apples."

He chuckled. "Ah, I see..." I heard him shift in the chair before continuing. My son explained your situation to me. If you don't mind me asking, if you've been on your own for such a long time, how have you not found anywhere to stay until...now?"

I hesitated, more than I already had been. "Well...I'm not quite sure. I suppose I haven't actually stayed somewhere long enough..." Something else clicked for me. 'Until now'? But I didn't stay anything.

"Well, I hope you can find a place here in Old Corona. You are always welcome here. Varian seems very happy to have you as a friend."

I paused. "...We'll see."

After a while, Quirin stood up and left. The door creaked shut behind him as he exited the room and I just stared blankly at the wall, thoughts racing-a contrast to my idle appearance.

I wondered why people were being so nice to me. To me, that just didn't make sense at the time. Varian and his father seemed like very good people, but I didn't understand why. I felt almost unsafe in this place, welcomed and taken care of. Polite and respectful was something I was never used to. Unless I wanted to tread into what I liked to call 'uncharted territory'. A compilation of old memories I didn't want to think about.

But no matter how much I thought about it, I felt...despite myself...safe.

...

Over the next few days, I found myself smiling almost all the time. From tiny delights like assisting Varian in his alchemy to larger ones like a field of butterflies. It was all just so much fun.

And I wished it could last. Even when I knew it couldn't.

...

"Where are we going?" I asked, walking beside Varian and Quirin. It was dark and cool and the skies were clear. My cloak drifted behind me in the soft wind along with my dress.

There were other people out too. A lot more than I expected to see on a night like that.

"Today's the birthday of the Lost Princess," Varian explained as we turned onto a path in the woods.

"Oh, I've heard about that," I blurted. "Vaguely..."

"Well, to freshen up your memory, this was the day the princess of Corona was born, and, I believe, the day she was...kidnapped," the alchemist continued. "Every year, we send lanterns into the sky in hopes it may bring her back."

For a while, we walked in silence. When we reached the ocean between the island and the mainland, we all stopped. I almost held my breath as I took in the sight. The castle and island outlined in gold and orange light and the water, I mean, to this day it still makes me stop to admire it all.

"And now, we wait until we see the king and queen light their lantern before lighting our own," Quirin stated, eyes focused on a point on the castle. I followed his line of vision, just in time to see a small light appear at the castle.

I don't know if I can even put in the words to describe that first lanterns and just...how beautiful it all was. But, I'll try my best.

I remember watching in awe as thousands of lanterns rose into the sky and drifted towards us. Varian and Quirin lit ours and sent it up with the rest of them, and I could hardly keep track of it as it merged with the thousands in the sky.

And at that moment, I felt no insecurities, no sadness behind the pure wonder and joy. I felt right at home there, in that moment, and felt I could spend the rest of my life there and it would be perfect.

But as the lights disappeared in the distance, I came to a realization. I couldn't stay no matter what anyone said. No matter what I said. Or thought.

And I decided I had to leave...that night.