The Rose of Anthacena

Chapter 21

Arin heard a magnificent crash, and then he was in pain. Oh, the pain! It hurt too much to not move, but moving only made it so much worse. He was in the grasp of pain for so long he lost track of time. Just when he thought he couldn't bear it another second, all the pain left, and he was free at last. He lay there without moving, wondering what had happened.

Am I dead? he thought, not opening his eyes. I must be dead. No, wait. I can't be. It hasn't been three months yet. Besides, I don't think I would be talking to myself if I were dead. No, I must be alive. But then...what happened? He sat up and looked around, squinting. Things did not look as he was used to them looking.

"What in the world was that?" Arin muttered out loud to himself. His voice sounded...different, somehow, but he couldn't place his finger on how. He wasn't expecting anyone to answer his question, so the woman's voice he heard surprised him.

"Don't you know, Arin?" Talia came towards him, smiling. He gaped at her. "That was the sound of a curse breaking." Arin stared at her blankly, not understanding. She sighed, just a bit impatiently. "Look at yourself," she told him. He did so, and gasped at what he saw.

Arin's hands were...human hands. Hands he hadn't seen for hundreds of years. He raised them to touch his face. It, too, was human. There was nothing beastly about him anymore. He looked at Talia.

"It's impossible," Arin whispered. Talia laughed.

"It's not impossible, and it never was," she corrected him. Arin shook his head.

"It's impossible that she could love me," he said quietly. Talia's face grew serious.

"Arin," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "the last several months Violet was here, there was much to love-if one was able to get past the way you looked. And obviously, Violet was capable of doing that." Arin smiled.

"I guess she was," he admitted. "But-what do I do now? She's gone. Long gone."

"Well-you're back in England now," Talia said slowly. "I can't tell you where Violet is," she continued after a brief hesitation, "but I can tell you she's not in Renon. However, I would suggest going there and asking her friends where she went. I would try the Harleys first, but any family in town will do." She paused again.

"Arin...I'm very sorry to say that there is a long road ahead of you still. But you are well on your way," she added by way of encouragement. She gave him an odd look. "Also, I would suggest that...before you leave the house, you...do something with your hair. It's a bit extreme." Arin looked down and laughed. His hair had grown far past his shoulders.

"Well, it has been six hundred years, you know," he said, still laughing. "But don't worry. I'll take care of it." Talia told Arin goodbye and good luck, then disappeared with her usual bang.

Arin sat on the edge of his bed and stared down at his hands, a half-smile on his face. After maybe five minutes, Will burst into the room without knocking, interrupting Arin's trance. He stared at Arin for a moment before a grin spread across his face. A grin that Arin could see.

Arin jumped up, and, running across the room, fiercely hugged the man who had stuck with him for so many long years.

"Will, old friend," he said, clapping him on the back, "it's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you in your natural form, master," Will replied, beaming. Arin laughed.

"To be honest, it feels rather odd," he admitted, "but I'll take it. Will, do you know what this means?"