The Return | Cricky [C]

Chapter L: Faith

Ville led me through the castle's winding halls, drawing us farther and farther from the party until we reached a hall of dark oak doors and low lit candles. He entered one of the rooms, beckoning me to follow. The interior was a simple yet elegant guest room, dressed in gold curtains and black damask. My heart fluttered with joy as I met eyes with the kindhearted fairy I'd bonded with during our stay at Ville's. Rune beamed with happiness, abandoning his toys splayed out on the floor to come greet me. He didn't care to be touched, but he seemed to enjoy the way I'd kneel to his height and give him my full attention.

"Well, look at you. Don't you look darling?" I fawned over his precious pastel yellow dress. It wasn't Victorian like all that surrounded me, but a soft fuzzy cotton. A large hood adorned with faux bunny ears draped over his baby pink hair. He was even more precious than I remembered.

Giggling and blushing at my comments, he ran back to his play spot. Rune picked up a picture of a kitten with a witch's hat on and little stars drawn around. Though the coloring was certainly his doing, the original black lines had to of come from an adult. It was then I noticed another in the room with us. He was a hulking man dressed like a vagabond. His long hair, red as an apple, was mostly restrained in a ponytail. A few loose strands fell along his rugged face.

"Chris, please, allow me to introduce you to Ripper. He helps me in caring for Rune and a few others." Ville smiled as he glanced down at the boy, who was happily coloring away. "I know he looks a little rough around the edges, but the children absolutely adore him."

"Kids have a tendency to see past things us adults can get caught up on." I said, earning a kind look from Ripper. I sighed, "I take it you probably want to talk about the letter I sent last week. I wasn't exactly expecting to hear back from you in person."

"Neither was I." He responded, "I have far too many responsibilities to commit myself to things like this, and I had no plan of attending. But, the king is an old friend of mine. I agreed to visit for dinner yesterday evening, avoid all the chaos, and I brought Rune with me to let him see the castle and the garden. When Johannes mentioned Ricky wouldn't be coming but Devin would, I grew concerned for your well being."

"I've gotten a lot of warnings about him, but frankly, he didn't live up to the hype. He was nothing but a smooth talker with a pretty face. I've seen a thousand in my day. I'm sure he gets his way easily with most people."

"But not you. I suppose that sharp mind of yours is why Ricky fell for you." Ville mused.

I sighed, "What should I do about him?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing." He said it with such disregard, as if telling me to ignore the creak of an old house. Ville took a seat on the edge of the bed and watched contently as Rune played with his colored pencils and stuffed animals. "Through the countless lives I've lived and all the new faces I've met, I've realized there's one mistake everyone makes in relationships. It doesn't matter the species, the race, king or beggar, they all do it. They all forget their partner is capable of reflection.

"You've said your peace with him. Now continue to love him as if nothing happened, show him the person he cares so deeply for, and eventually, your pain will turn into understanding for him. So often, a couple will only remain bitter and angry after a fight that they forget why they fell in love and they only see each other's flaws. Ricky will come around. Give him time."

"And what if he doesn't?" I asked, desperate for a clearer course of action than what I was given.

"He will. Love is simply unhindered faith in another person. That sentence tends to fall on deaf ears, though. Love is one of the most volatile and over-analyzed things in all of existence. Most are in denial it could be boiled down to one simple sentence."