Wings to Freedom

Chapter III

A Friend of a Feather.

With those final words said, Cesare storms off, leaving Alfonso and I alone.

ᕦ≧≦ᕤ

Who would have thought that following the enticing scent of cherries would lead me towards the window of the mysterious second prince?

As Cesare leaves, Alfonso finally allows himself to sigh out a deep breath. His frown remains etched into his face, but he takes a quick glance around the room, scanning for me.

"Uh .. dove, where are you?" He asks remembering that he doesn't know my name. I get up from my hiding position and fly towards him. To suprise him a little, I ended up sitting on his right shoulder.

He instantly looks at me and he can't help but smile with a soft and kind expression having let go of his frowning face. That's right, I think to myself, this is the soft and kind expression I'm familiar with.

"Sorry for the loud noises, they must have scared you," he says with a concerned look. I look back at him with a reassuring Acoo sound, and he seems to have understood my reply.

"That's right" he says. "I haven't given you a name yet".

I don't want to be given a name. I already have a name, and that is Erisah. I don't want to be stripped of that name and forced to adopt another, as if I belong to someone else. I simply wanted a friend, not someone to claim ownership over me.

Desperate for a way to communicate with him directly, I look around the room for something to help me. My eyes land on an inkpot, and I fly over to it, dipping one of my claws into it.

Alfonso is trying to make his way over to me, but I'm are quick enough to dip my claw into the inkpot and leave a mark on a piece of paper laying on his desk.

I manage to write only one single letter with my claw, my claw cramps and the pain becomes too much. The pain is so intense that it forces me to stop writing, leaving me unable to finish my name.

"E?" Alfonso says with a puzzled expression. "Is that your name?"

Well, not really, but it's the first letter of my name.

He finally notices my hurt claw, and he rushes over to wipe away the ink with a handkerchief. After successfully cleaning away the ink on my claw, he begins to gently massage my paw in hopes of relieving the cramp.

The moment the cramp got away I instantly dipped my claw once again into the inkpot, desperate to write out another letter of my name.

"K?" he asks again, still puzzled by my name.

I start shaking my head furiously and Acoo as a no in response. It's meant to be an R, not a K, but writing with my claws obviously isn't the easiest thing in the world to do.

"Fine fine, R?" Alfonso asks again and I nod yes with my head this time.

"So it's ER so far," he says, taking note of what I've managed to write out. "I wonder what the whole name is going to be," he adds with a thoughtful look, as he massages my once again sore claw.

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After multiple attempts,  I finally manage to finish my whole name and give my poor claw the rest it desperately needs.

"Erisah."  Alfonso says, suprising me by suddenly saying my name aloud.

I feel as if my heart is about to melt and I'm left feeling flustered by the sudden acknowledgement. It's truly been so long since I have last heard someone say my name out loud.

Since I woke up as a bird four years ago,I haven't gotten close to anyone before. I spend my days simply watching humans and searching for food to eat each day. But today,

my name was called upon, and for a moment, my entire world shifted and I felt like I meant something to someone.

I fly over to Alfonso, finally allowing myself to let loose and smile. I burry my face against his neck, and he laughs. It's the most beautiful laughs.

"If this is how happy you are with hearing your name, I'll call upon it as many times as you want, Erisah." He says as he continues to stroke my feathers with his hands.

He gazes at me with such a loving and tender gaze that I feel like my heart is melting in his eyes.

Our moment abruptly and suddenly gets interrupted by the sharp sound of three knocks on the door.

"Your highness, the tutor for today's class has arrived," a male voice announces from outside.

"Tell him to take a seat and wait for me in the study room" Alfonso commands as he swiftly turns to the door.

The voice obediently replies "Yes, your highness," and is soon followed by the sound of footsteps walking away behind the door.

Alfonso apologetically turns my way. "Sorry Erisah, but I'll have to excuse myself for a brief moment." He says

"You can stay here in my room if you like, since no one would probably come here unless I called them." He then adds

I feel a slight sense of disappointment as my wish to have him stay a little longer wasn't fulfilled. I nod a yes and let him go as he heads outside to meet his tutor.

I try to kill some time by looking around at the paintings and sketches on the walls, but I soon find myself bored again. Maybe I should go outside to clear my head?

Using my feather, I effortlessly push open the window and take off to the sky. The cool breeze whistles against my feathers as I fly high. I feel a sense of freedom and openness as I enjoy the view from the sky above.

I wonder if people will ever find out how incredibly small they look from above.
The fact that every tiny dot is a living human being, each with their own stories and lives, is indeed quite fascinating.

As I make my way through the sky, I find myself approaching a familiar building, almost as if it was calling out to me. I know that even if I were to close my eyes and simply sniff the air, I would still be able recognize this place. Afterall,
this was the very place where my life as a human ended.

ᕦ≧≦ᕤ

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