Sleeping Roses

Like Ice and Diamond

It was later that day, after spending an hour persuading Dr. Rowe to let him out so he could do something other than lie in bed feeling sorry for himself, that Kilan was told to go to Beldon's office.

When he knocked and received no answer, he hovered outside until Beldon's valet, who happened to be passing, told him he could go in and take a seat while he waited for the master.

It was another ten minutes waiting until Beldon walked in. Kilan quickly stood up and Beldon stopped in the doorway when he saw him, then looked around in confusion.

"Luka isn't here?" he asked, though clearly not expecting an answer, the emptiness of the room was answer enough. He frowned. "Now where has he gone, he was due here over fifteen minutes ago."

"I can go back downstairs if this is inconvenient for him," Kilan said quickly – though he really didn't want to delay discussing Briar for longer than he had to. "If something's caused him to run late it'll be more important that talking to me."

"Luka doesn't not approve of being late," Beldon said, a slight smirk joining the comment as he waved for Kilan to follow him down the hall. "Besides, this involves his sister, what could be more important? I have an idea where he might be lurking."

"Will I bother him?"

"Well I'll be there to calm things down if you do," Beldon said and Kilan didn't feel better.

They reached a set of high arching door and Kilan had to scramble around in his memory of the Upper Floors to remember where they were. It clicked just as Beldon pushed the doors open.

It was the portrait gallery.

The doors swung away to reveal a huge hall that stretched way into the distance, sunlight pouring through the windows revealing hundreds of paintings, from towering portraits to tiny miniatures that could have sat in his palm.

Kilan spotted Luka the same time Beldon did and Beldon led the way down the hall to the window seat that Luka leant back on, looking up at a painting that loomed above them on the opposite side of the hall.

"You're late, Luka," Beldon said when they reached him, setting a hand on his shoulder and seeming to jar him from his thoughts as he jumped before looking at Beldon.

Kilan looked to the portrait that had held Luka's attention so fast and stopped.

It was a painting of a group of siblings; they all shared the same eyes – Luka's eyes... and Briar's eyes. The same vivid green whether surrounded by black or blonde hair.

There were two other men in the portrait, one with black hair, one with golden blonde, and they could only be Briar's other brothers.

He stared up at Briar. She was a little younger then the girl he knew now, but it was still her, beautiful and striking, though with perhaps the slightest upturn of the nose – a haughtiness he didn't see when speaking to her.

To think, he could have figured out her identity right at the beginning of the dreams if he had just bothered to wander into the gallery.

"Does she look like that now?"

Kilan looked around then quickly bowed to Luka when he realised he was being spoken to. "Sorry, Sir?"

"Dose Briar look like that now?" Luka asked.

Kilan looked back at the painting. "Almost," he said, "A little older."

"Yes, well that was painted when all four of us were still around," Luka muttered, "Is she well?"

"Well enough, I suppose."

Luka looked at him. "And what do that mean?" he asked, his eyes like ice making Kilan flinch.