Frost (EDITING)

THE DRUNKEN DUSK

"What a beautiful night! Isn't it Hazy Bird?" Ced said, walking down the path that led to Far Far Away.

It being only dusk, his remark was in poor taste. Hazel was glad to have passed by the woods in daylight (and without any bandits abducting them.) She could not wait to get back to the camp. The quest had gone terribly. Not only had they been unsuccessful, the entire journey had been tiring and for no reason at all, it seemed.

Cedron had been no help either, having not been his usual self. Looking at him running down the way, like a car without brakes, Hazel was worried that he would never be.

"Are you sure I didn't sprout wings, Hazel? Because look! I'm flying! Flying."

"Ced wait!" Hazel shouted, following him.

"Come Hazel, hold my hand, then you can fly too. What a waste it is to expend all that effort walking! My legs, they feel so light."

He almost tripped over a rock, but Hazel caught him, right on time.

"Ced, I need you to be normal until I can take you to the nurse." she said.

"Why be normal when you can be stunning ?" Ced said, sounding exactly like an Instagram caption.

"Wow. Where was this self confidence when needed ?" Hazel wondered out loud.

"And you know who else is truly and absolutely stunning ? You." Ced said, riding the confidence train.

Hazel rolled her eyes. "Smooth."

"You mock me! That's a rude thing to do!"  Ced pretended to look upset.

"You know what else is rude? Calling someone conceited and insulting their friends." Hazel said, rather resentful.

"It is!" Ced agreed, "Who said that to you?"

Hazel gave him a weird look. "You, Ced."

"Oh!" he said, frowning, "Sorry, I don't really believe you."

"You better, cause it's true."

"But it doesn't sound like me, does it? Because I feel quite cheery. Do happy people say such things?" Ced asked,"Or perhaps.... Do you think I've changed?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. You're just not the same anymore, Cedron. Look, I know what happened in the Battle of Oz still bothers you. Your mind is always elsewhere. It's like you're reliving those moments every minute of the day." Hazel said,  "And I don't know how to help you, honestly. God knows I want to, but you keep pushing me away. Then somehow, you get drugged, despite me warning you against it.

"Why do you do this to yourself, Ced? It makes me feel helpless and hurts me so much to see you this way. It's almost nauseating and I feel perfectly wretched, to be frank. It might be nothing compared to what you're going through, but it does suck. So if you could please just tell me, what I can do to help you."

There was a pause. Ced was staring right at her. Strangely he looked normal and calmed down.

"I love you."

Wait what. No way. Suddenly, Hazel felt extremely dizzy. What else did this day have in store for her, she wondered. She did not know how to respond. Her brain refused to function. But to her surprise, she found herself saying, "No, you don't."

Ced nodded and shrugged. "I suppose."

They walked in silence for some time, with Hazel trying to process what just happened. She would be lying if she said that she had never considered the fact that Ced liked her. But she had never taken his casual flirtation seriously. Did Ced have genuine feelings for her ? Had he meant what he said? It was difficult to determine, considering his present predicament and the fact that he was, well, Ced. One could never tell when he was joking.

Hazel finally asked, "So, that was the fairy dust talking, right?"

"Would you believe me, if I said the truth, Hazel?" Ced asked.

Hazel felt a sudden unease in her stomach, as her heart raced. She nodded.

His eyes seemed to be reading her face and a sad smile formed on his.

"Yes, it was."

*******

" Get up !" The man shouted, his form changing back from an owl's.

She felt pain, she felt weak, things that he had trained her to not feel.

She tried to stand up but fell down again . The man kicked her on the leg where she had wounded herself .

The pain was immeasurable, it coursed through every cell of her and its effect reverberated.

She cried out in agony.

" You have to be strong , dear ." he said . He sat down and stroked her hair with his bony, clawy fingers. She shivered.

" You have to have the strength." he said , as he pulled a tuft of her hair, causing her to scream.

" Does it hurt you ?" he asked, his cold, yet amused gaze piecing her. She did not reply.

" Does it ? Tell me !" he demanded.

" N...no ." she said. She dare not say the truth.

He slapped her hard on the face ; the mark would be etched on her for days now, as he had intended.

" This will remind you, every time you look at yourself ...of how worthless you are. I see powerlessness in you. Weakness." he sneered.

" Get up !" he commanded. She obeyed.

" Try again."

This time, she gave it her best. She channelled all the strength her aching body could summon and all the rage, restlessness and desire in her mind. Soon, she was covered in feathers.

She spread her wings.

" Fly !" he cried out.

She rose up, a few centimetres above the ground, only to fall down , a few seconds later .

Rothbart took her into his arms and smiled at her. He held her hand and supporting her, walked her to their house.

" I did try ." she sobbed, tears coming out of her eyes.

" I know." he said kindly, " But you didn't succeed. And what do we do until we succeed?"

"Don't stop till you see blood." Her voice quavered.

"Good girl." he smiled, but the smile vanished the next instant. "Now don't stop, even when you see blood.

"Don't stop."

The wind blew into her face, and she could feel finally feel its freshness against her skin.

She slowly opened her eyes, to see darkness all around her.

She got up from the bed and saw a woman sitting by her side, snoring lightly.

She was alive, she could feel it in every inch of her body. 

The Swan Queen was awake.

********

WHEEE !!

Major cliffhanger and end of Part One of the book ! Btw , how did you guys like the Haced moment ?

Adieu Beloveds

Bookworm