A Wizards Fairytale

Chapter 17

Aries did not sleep well that night. He woke up in a cold sweat, having been tortured by an old nightmare. Henri always told them that their old demons would fade as they got older and disappear into a distant place in their head, but some nights were easier than others. Aries thought he never would forget the feeling of being locked in the cupboard, thirsty and bleeding, delirious from blood loss. He vowed to himself that his sister and any children he might have one day would never feel pain like that.

Shaking off the bad memories, Aries took a long shower and got dressed. When he came back into the room, Rue was sitting on his bed. Jacques was still asleep. Aries wasn't worried about waking him. The guy could sleep through World War III. Rue was not in her custom outfit. She was wearing a long-sleeved gray t-shirt with a pair of black pants that were obviously not hers. Her hair was in a braid down her back. Aries raised an eyebrow. This was very bare for Rue. He was surprised she had left her room.

"Gabrielle leant me clothes," Rue explained, fidgeting slightly. "And my hair was too messy to wear down." She felt like she was naked. Usually she was hidden under long dresses and cloaks. It was strange to be this open.

Aries nodded. "Did you contact Henri?"

"He's on his way," Rue answered, fiddling with her braid. She studied Aries. "You didn't sleep last night," she stated.

"Nightmare." He didn't need to say much more.

"Cupboard again?" she asked gently. It was a fear that had never left Aries, not after all these years. He was no longer afraid of those Muggles, but memories of that confining space still scared him.

"Yeah," he said quietly. Rue could tell Aries wasn't in the mood to talk so she just squeezed his hand gently. Aries smiled weakly at her.

"I've decided something," Rue stated, changing the subject lightly.

"Hmm?"

"I like Gabrielle."

Aries froze. "What?"

"I said, I like Gabrielle."

He shook his head. "Rue, you don't like people. Ever."

She gave him a look. "I like you and Henri," she said.

"Barely," he muttered.

Rue sighed. "I like Gabrielle," she insisted. "I think she'll be good for you. Keep you out of trouble." She leaned her head against his shoulder. "Zana wouldn't want you to be so lonely, you know."

Aries sighed. "I know," he replied. The truth of the matter was he was falling in love with Gabrielle. It scared him like love always had, but he knew the alternative was what Rue had chosen: a closed off life. His mom wouldn't have wanted that. "Come on," he urged, pulling her up to her feet. "Let's go so Henri."

The old man was waiting for them outside that carriage. His eyes studied his surroundings periodically, completely aware of everything going on around him. It had been years since he'd actually been in law enforcement and even more since he had been a field Auror, but Henri had never gotten read of the mindset: Be ready for anything.

"Talk." Henri was in business-mode at the moment. It was the way he had been when Aries and Rue started training. Friendliness came later.

"We were set up yesterday," Rue explained. "Somebody leaked our mission information. We were surrounded. It was lucky we all made it out okay."

"Professionals?" Henri speculated.

"Definitely," Aries agreed. "They knew what curses to fire and had specialty cursed blades. I've only seen those on..."