Starbird (UNDER MAJOR EDITING)

Chapter 6

Odette pov:

I am flying over the Sun's surface, and it's that day. I land on the surface and light a small fire on it. The whole thing must always glow. I whirl around in slow motion, enjoying the heat of the Sun. As I whirl, I see in slow motion the drop of Shimmer Pool water fly off my hair. I turn to grab it and keep it from hitting the sun. When I see that it is inevitably going to hit, I get ready to tamp down the huge burst of flame that will come up. It lands, and I push it down as hard as I can. It still makes a flare that will be seen on Earth before flying down and making a dark spot that starts to spread rapidly. I try and relight it frantically, putting all I can into the fire. It relights, and I look around the Sun, hoping no one saw that happen. Satisfied, I turn and continue on. I turn into a swan and fly back to Valena. The rest of the day flies by, and I see the King calling, telling my father, and Father's look as we flew back into the house together. I wonder if he was keeping a secret, as his look suggested. Who knows. I am brought to being shot, then Jorgen catching me, turning and flying, almost escaping, the berak poisoning, and all of a sudden, I am upright in a bed. I wonder if it's Jorgen's bed. Is this a custom on Earth? Again, who knows? Jorgen is by me, and he pulls my dress to the side to look at my shoulder. I shy away at the unexpected touch, and Jorgen holds his hands up in the air. I move back to him and let him look at my shoulder, knowing that it's him touching me and not someone else. There's no blood on it, and when Jorgen unwraps the bandage, he gasps. I move to look into the bandage, and I gasp as well. In the wound's place is a scar, shaped like the arrow that Jorgen shot at me. I am utterly confused, as this has never happened before. Every single time I've gotten scraped it's healed without a trace. Jorgen traces my scar, and it tingles as he runs his fingers along it. It starts to glow, and it writhes, changing into a snake, then the Sun. It morphs back to the arrow when Jorgen pulls his hand away, it loses it's light, and fades further into my skin. I shake my head, confused. I tell Jorgen,

"I'm going to try something." I change, letting my wings spread, feeling my wings' strength. I wiggle out from under the blanket, and flap my wings once, twice, and three times, feeling myself rise into the air. I falter, seeing the scar still on me, where my right wing begins. It writhes, transforming into Veriahn's face and sending spikes of pain through my wing. I plummet from where I was, unable to keep myself aloft. Jorgen's face changes as he sees me trying to fly, and failing. He watches as I flicker into a maiden, fear and compassion warring on his face. He holds out his arms, but at the last second, I move out of his arms range, falling on the floor. I feel tears burning the back of my eyes, and they come in torrents, silver pouring out of my eyes. I feel Jorgen's hand brush one of the tears away. I look up at him as he wraps his hand around my shoulders and pulls me closer to him.

Jorgen pov

I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her closer. I don't know what made me do it, but it felt like the right thing to do. She rests her head on my shoulder, not knowing of the rules of propriety. You love her, this girl who fell from the sky as a swan. What? What was that voice? You asked me for help, I give it to you. Mother Annalia? 'Tis I. How do you know I love Odette? The thoughts you have in your heart. I don't think in my heart, I think in my head. That is not true. You listen to the thoughts from your head, not the ones from your heart. You are imbalanced. How do I become balanced, Mother? Tell her. Tell her the truth. But if she doesn't love me, then why would I break my own heart? If you love her, tell her. Mother Annalia, please, answer my question. I beg of you. No answer. Mother? Silence reigns. She's left me with advice, but I am terrified to follow it. Odette arches her neck back and looks up at me, her bright blue eyes penetrating my soul. Everything in her eyes says "I love you", but can I trust my heart? Odette goes limp in my arms again, and her eyes close as she leans against me again. I can see how her lashes translate into her swan form, looking at their deep black color. They almost reach to her cheekbones, and curl up delicately at the ends. I lean down to those eyes, pressing my lips to her forehead. This is when I notice how hot she is. Does she have a fever? She doesn't act like she does. Maybe that's how her people survive, wherever they're from. She turns on the bed, and I see the way she resembles a swan, her long, elegant neck with a slim silver chain fastened around it, her pale white skin, and her long dark hair. She mutters something that sounds like "verin". I think she must be calling for me, so I tell her,

"I'm here, Odette." She says the name again, but this time it sounds like "Verian"

"Sisi, I'm here. Veriahn, it's all right." Veriahn? I wonder. She sits bolt upright, her eyes flying open and breathing heavily. "What did I say?" She asks immediately.

"You said something about Sisi and Veriahn." At the mention of Veriahn, she doubles over, tears starting to fall. I wish I knew what to do. I never know what to do when women cry! I go sit on the bed and wrap my arm around her waist, hugging her. She rests her head on my shoulder and lets me pull her onto my lap. She curls up into a ball, burying her face in her knees. I note the fabric of her dress, a pure white softer than silk. Odette turns her face up towards me, and I now see the silver streaks in her blue eyes. She smiles up at me, and I feel her delicate, graceful arms wrap around my neck as she adjusts herself on my lap. I never thought I could fall in love with anyone after all the women I tried to court turned me away. She seems to love me for who I am, but I don't know if I can trust what my heart says after it misled me so many times before. In a moment of sheer insecurity, I blurt out, "I love you, Odette." She smiles at me wordlessly, and whispers back in her soft, lilting voice,

"I love you too, Jorgen." She stands and spins slowly, rising into the air as she dances on her toes. I feel air come under me and lift me, till I'm at her level. I start to panic until she takes my hands and captures my eyes with hers. She and I dance in the air for hours, Odette leaping and balancing on her toes. At the end, Odette comes up to me and takes my hands in hers. Her long, elegant fingers match with my hand, hers fitting perfectly inside mine. I move my arms to slip around her tiny waist, and she threads her arms around my neck as our lips meet. Odette lowers us slowly, letting us turn as we descend. When my feet hit the floor, I swoop Odette up into my arms and carry her to the wardrobe. Her white dress is stained and torn, and I'm sure I have something left over from before my sisters got married and moved away.