Fallen Angel

The Truth Hurts

Leira leaned against the balcony railing which overlooked the garden. The moon produced a glow that revealed the various flowers. Several lanterns had been placed along the stone walkways as well, so that every plant was visible. It was a wondrous rainbow of colors; filled with crimson rose, violet lilacs, any flower one could imagine seemed to exist in this garden.

 They had searched everywhere for their objective, finding nothing. Each room felt as though it were an empty treasure chest. The potential to find some fantastic object disappeared when the room was discovered to hold nothing. Disappointment after disappointment followed, and soon they were forced to give up hope.

 Leira sighed as she rested her elbow on the railing, while holding her head in the palm of her hand. “I hope the others found something of interest,” she muttered as she looked out at the garden. The caretakers’ attention to detail was astounding. She found herself appreciating the area’s beauty.

 Will nodded in agreement and moved to stand next to Leira. “Do you think we could enjoy the rest of the festival while we can, then?”

 “You can go on ahead; I’m tired of the disgusted glares people give me.”

 He smirked and replied with, “Since when did you care what other people think?”

 “I don’t care what they think; it’s simply annoying to have people scurry away from me like I have an infectious disease. I’d ruin your fun Will. You could be nice and get me some food though,” she said, noting the growling in her stomach. It dawned on her that she hadn’t eaten anything substantial all day.

 He seemed surprised at her response, but understood where she was coming from. Was she really just thinking of him? That was the last thing he expected her to do; she would rather ruin his image among the other nobles.

 He contemplated going for just a moment, but she would get lonely here, all by herself. But this was Leira though; did she even get lonely?

 “Fine then, I’ll just stay here with you,” he said.

 Now it was her turn to be surprised. “Are you sure? Didn’t your aunt want you to do something?”

 Will shrugged. “I’m sure. I see her all the time; she can wait.”

 A long silence followed, causing Leira to feel uncomfortable. Will was usually such a chatterbox, but now he was strangely quiet. He appeared tranquil and a soft smile was on his face. His blue eyes stared out at the garden as if he was seeing it for the first time.

 “You know, this is my favorite place in the entire castle,” he said.

 "Really?” she said, raising her eyebrows.

 He nodded and replied, “They take care of this place the most, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. “

 The attention to detail was stunning; everything seemed to be in perfect order. The flowers were neatly arranged into sections with stone paths making it similar to a labyrinth. She felt she would get lost in it if she went in.

 “Do you still think negatively of us, Leira?” he asked with a serious look in his eyes.

 “Honestly, I still think you spend too much time on making things look nice and less time worrying about the stuff that matters. But I suppose it is nice to unwind once and a while…” His face lit up after she spoke, which made her roll her eyes.

 Another silence followed; at that moment all that could be heard was the enchanting symphony the orchestra played. Leira really was not into music all that much, but she liked this song. She closed her eyes and listened to it, pretending that the world around her didn’t exist.