XXXVIII.

If you ever find a Faun, do not ask about the future. And, if you ask, do not let him play a song. If you do, be warned that darkness and fear will be showed to you. Because their predictions are not a gift from nature, but a curse from death.

Priest of the Monotheistic Order of nature – the “Unbelievers”

*

In the castle, Arthur was guided to a room and was given new clothes to wear – after all, the number of days and battles transformed the clothes of everybody in the group in little more than dirty rags.

After taking a bath in wooden bathtubs that were placed next to his room, Arthur went in towels to the place where he was supposed to put his new clothes.

They were simple, but spotless clothes and, when he touched the cotton on the shirt and the linen on the pants, Arthur realized, for the first time, how much he had missed comfortable clothes like those. He was also given a black coat, which was supposed to make his appearance more “official”.

He is alone in a small room, where he would also have to wait for dinner before leaving. Rinlia had assured him that everything was fine, and he should not worry about anything. Thiago offered himself to stay with Arthur, but Yvanna objected and the boy ended up alone, with his clothes on a bench in the middle of an empty room, while he kept the towel covering his body.

-Would you… Do you mind coming out for a while? – He murmurs to his shadow. – I would be more comfortable if I could be sure that you are looking the other way.

The shadow distorts itself for a few moments, taking the form of Akemi, with the typical smile on her face and black hair falling over her shoulders.

-I thought we had a closer relationship. – She says, amused by the situation.

Her transformation still surprises him, but, at this point, surprise is no longer a feeling that keeps him from reacting for a long time.

-Not to that point. – He replies, smiling back.

-All right. As you wish. – She turns her back to the boy.

He uses the opportunity to change his clothes and to get ready for dinner.

-You can turn around now.

The girl turns and smiles.

-I think this is the first time that I see you clean and without any major injuries. – She approaches him. – Even that time on the beach you were dirty with sand and your clothes were in a horrible situation. I mean… There was also the time I showed myself to you on the Glade.

He looks down, staring at his own clothes.

-I think you are right.

-Of course. Here. – She runs her hands over his hair, trying to fix it. – If you are going to have a transformation, do it properly. Your hair is a mess.

He waits until she is satisfied with the result. Her hand does not have a definitive consistency and each time she runs her hand through his hair it is like a different hand, with a different shape. She eventually stops, although he doubts that she has changed much without spending energy.

-I am glad we can talk. – She says. – I need to tell you something about the future.

-Oh, yes. I think we can finally have some peace in Fiandel. – He answers. – Besides, Rinlia told me she wants to teach me about magic when we get there. It looks like Yvanna is also going to teach me a little bit about combat. If I can learn a few things, I may be able to help you. Perhaps-

-Arthur. – She steps away from him for a moment, so he can see her expression. – That’s what I wanted to talk.

He is confused for a moment.

-What do you mean?

-I mean that you are getting stronger and using more energy every time you battle. Against the monster in the lake, you lost control, but, against the Arachnes, it was clear to me that you are learning how to store energy.

-And that is a bad thing?

-Not to you. – She turns to a bench placed in the corner of the room, sitting on it. – Actually, it is a great thing for you. But, as we are now, if it continues like this, soon I won’t be able to hide myself in your shadow. I avoided going out for so long and, even then, the lupines noticed my presence. I suspect that others could also have noticed me.

-You mean… - He sits next to her. – The stronger I get, the stronger you get? And is that keeping you from going unnoticed?

-It’s still not impossible for me to hide. I’m getting better at it and maybe I can go on like this for a while. But you seem to understand the basics. I don’t know how long it will take, but if it continues this way, someday it will be impossible for me to hide. It’s great to have a body and to be able to talk. – She indicates herself with a big smile. – And I am very grateful for that. However, you are going to Fiandel, a kingdom where I cannot live if I cannot hide. Besides, I don’t know how long I can bear to live hidden in your shadow.

Arthur feels himself getting tense, predicting what she will say next.

-Arthur, I don’t know when, but I need to warn you that, eventually, we will need to go our separate ways.

*

Yvanna carefully arranges the lace of the dress at her neck, then runs her hand over the silk and admires the way the garment falls like a glove over her curvy body.

Her red hair is down on her face and her smile shines as she relishes the possibility of winning a battle that has nothing to do with weapons or magic.

-Give me my shoes. – She tells Thiago while he fixes his shirt, putting it inside his pants. Diligently, he hands her the shoes that were lying on the floor next to him after the shower they took together.

-Here.

-You seem troubled by something. – She says, still busy, analyzing her own image.

-I’m just thinking about the future. Thinking about the training I will have with Rinlia after we get to Fiandel.

-Still can’t control your magic? – She looks at his hands. It’s been a while since the soldier told her about his problem.

-I’ll make it. – He says, clenching his fists and sitting on the long bench, placed next to one of the walls.

Yvanna came over and sat beside him, putting her hand over his, remaining silent for a few seconds before looking into his eyes.

-I know you’ll make it. You are more resilient than most. You survived this far, didn’t you?

-Thanks to you. I never really thanked you for that, did I? – He tries to look her in the eyes, but Yvanna avoids it for a moment. - Yvanna?

She shakes her head, regaining her composure as fast as she can before looking back into his eyes. Her expression is one of concern.

-Thiago, I need to tell you something. – He waits. – When we get to Fiandel, we shouldn’t see each other. – She indicates their surroundings. – Not like this.

-What? Why?

-You know the reason. – She tries to smile, but can’t do it right away. – When we arrive in Fiandel, preparations for my wedding will begin. If I arrive at the capital with a lover, it will be detrimental to the image of the royal family.

-But you said-

-I know what I said. – She interrupts him. – I led you to believe that I could keep you as a lover, didn’t I? And it is true. After my honeymoon is over, as long as I maintain discretion and take care not to get pregnant, I can have extramarital affairs, as a lot of nobility members do. But this is not that simple.

He lets go of her hand, getting up.

-What has changed?

She takes a deep breath, making an effort to remain in control of her emotions.

-I changed. The way I feel close to you changed. – Again, she avoids making eye contact. – In the forest, when you were poisoned, it became clear to me. What we have is taking root deeper than a lover’s affair. And something like that cannot happen. Not to me. Not when I am so close to becoming a queen.

Thiago, surprised by her words, tries to meet Yvanna’s eyes. The vampire gets up and walks away, trying to keep her distance from the soldier.

-Yvanna, I didn’t know. We could-

-No, we can’t. – She bites her lip, approaching the door and gesturing for him to stay away. – We both knew that this relationship had limitations and I apologize for being the one who didn’t know how to respect them. I got involved and, now, all I can do is try to cut our losses and get back to normal as soon as possible.

-Is it that so bad? – He asks, trying once again to get closer, but, when he sees her expression, he once more gets one step back. – To feel anything? I… We can talk. Isn’t that what we do? We talk and-

-That is the problem. Can’t you see? We are turning into a couple, Thiago. – She smiles. – I am the prince’s betrothed! I am getting married and… This? – Yvanna indicates the space between them. – This can’t continue. I cannot have feelings for someone. By the entities! Our relationship was supposed to be a distraction and nothing more than that!

-So… I am not just a distraction? I am something else?

-No. – She shakes her head and puts her hand on the doorknob. – And even if you are, I will make this relationship regress until is nothing more than a memory. For the sake and safety of both of us.

Yvanna opens the door and leaves. Thiago remains alone, standing in the empty room, accompanied by the smell of nocturnal flowers. He looks at his own hands, which, just recently, touched the vampire’s skin.

He knew this day would come. Despite the words she said to him, the soldier was never entirely convinced that the relationship between the two would last.

And yet...

-Yvanna.

*

The dinner offered by the Great Forest to those who brought the crown jewels was organized as something in-between an intimate dinner and a real banquet. The room was organized in a peculiar way – after all, it needed to accommodate elves, humans, satyrs, dwarves, lupines, dryads and several other races of the forest, each with its own size, way of walking and body structure, so that each small table placed in the hall with food and drinks had a different structure, allowing each one to be able to be allocated near a place where they felt more comfortable.

That was how Arthur ended up in the middle of the room, next to Galaaz and Lancelot, next to a table on the ground level, on which bowls of food and fruit were placed, as well as bowls of wine, water and different types of juices.

Arthur, as soon as he noticed the presence of something alcoholic nearby, took the opportunity to numb his own senses a little.

And it was with a cup in his hand that he attended Lancelot’s speech to his son, with some advices on how to behave in the human realm and the care he should take. Arthur listened attentively to the advice and struggled to keep some of it in his own memory, stepping away when he realized that the leader of the Lupines was becoming sentimental and needed to have his farewell moment with his son.

Alone, the boy circulated through the hall, admiring the diversity of creatures present in such environment. His (almost) drunken mind, coupled with the way recent events changed his life, allowed Arthur to easily accept the image of a group of satyrs who constantly smiled and winked at a group of young nymphs across the room, as the same nymphs always seemed to, somehow, keep an entire salon between the two of them.

Arthur also observed a couple of centaurs who discussed agronomy and the harmful effects of magic powders on ancestral fauna. This discussion was held with a group of little fairies, who flew freely over a table of small delicacies.

At another table, a group of elves discussed with Rinlia about the possibility of integrating the elven race with the human race and a group of dwarves, at a small distance, murmured about how it was impossible to integrate elves into any type of society.

Arthur ended up drinking a few cups of wine with the centaurs, as well as a few mugs of beer with the dwarves, before continuing his walk through the hall of bright lights and quiet music – provided by the soft touch of dryads on harps and a single satyr, who was blowing a magic flute.

The boy ate some seafood that were disposed on a long, low table, designated for the allocation of gnomes, when the figure of a caramel-skinned dryad, dressed in flowers and leaves – a type of garment that, Arthur had noticed, was exclusive to this tribe – approached and stood beside the table, facing him. Her posture was firm and her gaze, while calm, was also fixated on his face.

-Are you the one they call Arthur?

-Yes. It is me.

-My name is Ann. – She shakes his hand, using the opportunity to measure him from head to toe. – I thought you would be taller.

Confused, he tried to think of an appropriate answer, but with alcohol inhibiting the urge to offer an answer, he ended up just putting some fish in his mouth before taking another sip of wine. The dryad seemed to be amused by the reaction.

-Come with me, Arthur. The Oracle wants to talk to you.

*

*