Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Continuum ❯ I Have Love for You ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter Two: I Have Love for You

 

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1

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Calcifex, for all the fuss he displayed, could not, when he was honest with himself, find any reason for being angry with Cerasus. He knew, deep in his heart - his black, shriveled, hateful heart, his mind supplied - that the boy was at no fault.

 

Cerasus was innocent, shy, loving, and compassionate. He would never betray Calcifex, nor be anything but honest with him. There was simply no way he could have arranged the marriage. It would contradict everything he was.

 

And so Calcifex knew he was furious not with the king, but with Flamma-regi. And himself. The woman had the gall to blatantly try to separate them, and Cal had almost been fool enough to let it happen. His outburst would take a lot of apologizing over for everything to be all right again, but the wizard didn't worry too much about that. He and Cerasus had dealt with tougher matters before.

 

Still, his head whispered, the things he said had been quite hurtful. So before he went back to the bedroom Cal decided to find a little something to bring back to Cerasus. He looked around; he was in the gardens, under the white wooden awnings that still hung with beautiful moonflowers. This was the place the wizard had taken Cerasus in order to begin teaching him how passion manifested itself physically. Even the memory of that night - the dozens of long, slow kisses they shared under the moon and the nearly glowing white petals - was enough to make Calcifex feel warm.

 

His first idea was to pick a flower for the king - Cerasus adored any kind of blossom. But then Cal remembered that many of the flowers did not bloom in this season, and the moonflowers would not open up until night fell. Unfortunately, there really was nothing else available for a suitable gift. The wizard was just beginning to get frustrated when the most marvelous recollection filtered into his mind.

 

Some seventy years ago, in a mostly rural kingdom called Fauna, Calcifex had learned from an old witch how to conjure forth fake, undying flowers. At the time, he had not understood what the purpose in such a spell would be. But now he knew exactly what good it was. Smiling from ear to ear, and all the while reciting exactly what he would say to the king when he gave him the present, Cal set to work.

 

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2

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Sidereus was attempting to wheedle information out of a sniffly Cerasus with minimal success. The king had stopped crying an hour or so ago, but he certainly had not cheered up, not that the spirit had expected him to. The furball from hell was nowhere to be seen, having long since run off to find more interesting subjects.

 

“Maybe there's time to stop it from happening. When is the date of the ceremony supposed to be?”

 

“H-her eighteenth birthday.” Cerasus ran a hand over his puffy, red eyes.

 

“Which is when?”

 

The boy opened his mouth to reply only to realize that he had no idea. In his upset he had failed to ask Flamma-regi when Lady Damonica would be celebrating her birth.

 

Sid frowned. “You don't know?”

 

Cera shook his head.

 

“Shit.”

 

If the king had been the type to swear, he would have agreed heartily with the spirit's declaration. There was no help for it; he would have to see his mother again to learn the expected date of his damnation, as he liked to think of it.

 

Resignedly, almost robot-like in manner, Cerasus stood and stated, “I'll ask her.”

 

Sidereus, who had been buzzing around in circles in thought, stopped and stared at the boy. “What?”

 

“I'll ask Flamma-regi the date of the… of Lady Damonica's birthday.”

 

There was something amiss in Cerasus' voice, Sid noted. It had acquired a hollow, dead tone that did not bode well. And though he heartily objected against the idea, the light spirit informed the king that he would wait while his task was accomplished, and also told the blond to come back and share his findings as soon as he could.

 

Cerasus agreed and was gone. Not ten minutes later, Calcifex showed up. Sidereus lost himself.

 

“You heartless ingrate!” he bellowed at the wizard, gaining brightness with every word. “You should have known better than to scream all those things at him when it's not his fault at all! Now he thinks you hate him and he's gone off to face that damn dragon of a woman and-”

 

Calcifex was covering his ears - although it did little to damper his friend's scolding - and squeezing his eyes shut so tightly he wondered if they would open again when he tried. The second Sidereus had begun shouting he knew it would be a good idea to close them if he wanted to keep his sight. However, the heat from the rays was starting to get to him so he interrupted the tirade loudly.

 

“I know, Sidereus! Will you just hush for a damn second?”

 

Sid stopped yelling, begrudgingly, and had the sense to dumb down his luminosity, but continued glaring at Cal with all the anger he could manage. He felt like it was the old days when the sprite had held the constant duty of acting as some sort of conscience for the man, only this time he was defending Cerasus' well-being and not their own.

 

Calcifex slowly opened his eyes and looked at Sidereus. “I know,” he sighed, feeling a headache forming behind his brow. “I was in the wrong. I've come back to apologize.”

 

It was then that Sid noticed the flower that Cal grasped in his left hand. It was a beautiful white blossom whose petals opened out and up in a wavy pattern that looked like a pair of lips waiting to be kissed. A single green leaf sprouted from its long stem, and a red satin ribbon was tied around its middle. Cerasus would love it.

 

“Why did you say those things to him, Cal?” asked Sidereus, meeting the wizard's green gaze. “You really hurt him this time.”

 

Calcifex frowned. “I know I did. I didn't mean to, Siddy, you must know that. I just… when I thought of what his… engagement will mean… I went mad. I was too furious to think that it wasn't Cera I was angry with.”

 

“He didn't ask to be married.”

 

“Of course he didn't. I realize that. But that won't make it any easier, will it?”

 

“He's going to try and get out of it, if he can. I said I would help.”

 

Calcifex smiled sadly. “Thank you, my friend. But if I know Flamma-regi, and I dare say that I do, she will not have made backing out an option.”

 

“You won't give in to this, will you?” Sid approached the wizard as he took a seat on the couch.

 

“I don't have much of a choice. What weight does my opinion carry in this matter against that of hers? Besides, all of Laedel wants to see their precious king married to a lovely young woman. They want him to have an heir just as darling as he,” Calcifex said with a hint of bitterness in his voice. “Some of them may have accepted me thus far but I do not see them supporting me in light of this news.”

 

“So what then?”

 

It was unspoken, but Cal could discern the worry in Sidereus' question. “Do not sound so down, Siddy. Obviously, if this marriage is going to commence there is little to nothing I can do about it, but that doesn't mean I won't be here for Cerasus.” A tiny, real grin surfaced on the man's handsome face. “He's mine, and I intend to make sure Flamma-regi and everyone else knows that.”

 

Just as he finished his sentence, the door to the room burst open and Cerasus entered. Sidereus was upset to see that once again the boy was close to tears, but he preferred anything to the look of surrender the king had sported when leaving earlier.

 

“Sidereus!” Cerasus shouted, failing to notice Calcifex right away. “It's next week! The wedding is in three days!”

 

Calcifex swore.

 

Shock written all over his features, Cerasus clapped a pale hand over his mouth upon becoming aware that he and the spirit were not alone. A moment later the same arm dropped back to his side as a rush of lethargy sapped him of the strength required to keep it elevated.

 

“Cali…”

 

The wizard had lost his own energy as well. He merely gazed forlornly at his lover, unable to think of anything to say. He had expected underhanded tricks from Flamma-regi, but withholding the date of the wedding until it was so close was unimaginably cruel. Three days. That was the time he had to tell Cerasus how much he loved him. To show him everything their relationship meant to him and how grateful he was that it had persevered thus far. Three days until he would have to move out of the bed they had shared for a year and move back into the lonely room he had once called his own, way back when he had first arrived in the castle. That time seemed like another life altogether. A different person had lived those days, and would apparently be living them once more.

 

Desperately, his held out his arms to the king. Cerasus released a choked sob and practically launched himself into Calcifex's embrace. Neither of them cried, having no power left to do so. Instead they clung to one another tightly, so close that they might have merged into one person and they wouldn't have noticed.

 

A tug of memory came to Calcifex and he gently lifted one of Cerasus' knees to retrieve the white flower beneath it. Slightly battered, its stem and petals were out of sorts, but a quick brush of his fingers returned the gift to its former glory, and Cal silently presented it to the boy in his lap.

 

“Oh, Cali,” the latter breathed. “It's lovely.”

 

“It's a promise, Cera,” the older man replied in hushed tones. “A promise that I will always be here for you, no matter what happens, and that I will love you, for as long as this flower lives.”

 

Cerasus' heart sank. “But, when it dies-”

 

“It will not. It is an everlasting flower and will bloom for an eternity and more.”

 

“Forever, then?”

 

Calcifex tightened his grip on the king and nodded. “Forever.”

 

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3

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Three days was an immeasurably short amount of time when one wanted the pace of the universe to slow down to a crawl. In a flash, all of Laedel had been notified of the upcoming wedding, the courts of both countries involved had been assembled, and a party of people from Tarragon had arrived at the palace to a lavish welcoming feast, their king and princess among them. There was no doubt in Calcifex's mind that all this quick work was Flamma-regi's doing. And as much as he truly detested it, he had to admire her flawless execution of the whole deal.

 

Also in the small time span, the wizard had been forced to remove all traces of himself from Cerasus' room and change his living quarters to the chambers he had slept in a year previous. Before, the room had felt regal and lush, had made him feel like a lord. Now it just resonated emptiness and gloom. He felt like a prisoner. Even Sidereus' constant presence was little comfort, although the spirit tried heartily to cheer Calcifex up.

 

The sheer oppressiveness of the room drove the wizard insane most days, so he often took to wandering around the castle and its grounds by himself. He was not allowed to see Cerasus anymore - Flamma-regi had arranged it so that the king was so busy he scarcely had time to sleep, let alone spend time with Calcifex. Sidereus, perhaps more in tune to Cal's emotions than anyone other than Cerasus-regna, recognized the man's need for solitude and thus never followed him when he set out on his walks.

 

It was in this way that Calcifex first saw Damonica of Tarragon. He was padding aimlessly through the eastern garden, weaving through willow trees, paying no mind to the chattering squirrels that hopped out of his path in trepidation. Nature's vast array of sounds was lost on his numb, almost meditative state; they had faded into nothing except fuzzy background noise.

 

But then a strange rustle that belonged to neither paw over land nor leaf over grass alerted him to the fact that he was no longer by himself, and Calcifex looked up to lock his green eyes on his new company.

 

His stomach twisted and rolled, and for a second he felt faint, like he had neglected to eat in days.

 

Lady Damonica, for the woman before him could be no other, was a stunning sight to behold to one unaccustomed to her presence. Long, silken black tresses that fell in waves down her back caught the morning rays of sunshine and reflected them back into the air like so many dazzling fireflies. Her eyes were a warm golden brown that stood out in lovely contrast to her pale, smooth skin. They regarded him carefully, an unsure glint lingering in the depths of her irises. Her head cocked slowly to the right - Calcifex marveled at the liquidity in her every movement - and she said, “Hello.”

 

All of a sudden he had become hyper-aware of his surroundings. His five senses felt enhanced and fine tuned, as though the princess' mere presence had sapped him of his unaffected state. Remarkably the wizard found he was still capable of speech, so he replied, “Good afternoon.”

 

The wariness in Damonica's expression morphed into idle curiosity. “I've not seen you around the palace before. Who are you?”

 

For a moment Calcifex wanted to declare, `I am the lover of your fiancé, and what are you going to do about it?', but that urge dissipated as quickly as it had come. Instead he murmured the best response he could think of that would warrant no further questioning.

 

“I am a servant in the King's household.”

 

The woman nodded in understanding. “I see. Well please do not mind me if you have work to be done in this area. I am simply here to observe the flowers.”

 

Her polite smile was beautiful, like everything else about her, and Calcifex could not stop his own lips from returning the gesture stiffly. “I will not bother you, Your Highness,” he said, and walked as quickly away from the princess as he could without appearing suspicious. He longed to put as much distance between himself and that enchanting girl as possible.

 

Within five minutes he had reached the castle's back door, having run the latter half of the way there. Panting, heart racing, he collapsed against the rough stone wall and slid down it until he was sitting in the grass.

 

Damonica was a fantastic creature indeed, a specimen of the highest quality to represent the female population. Even Calcifex, who had every reason to deplore her, could not find it in his heart to do so. In despair he closed his eyes and took deep, shuddering breaths, doing his best to stave off the overwhelming need to wail. If he had no power to resist the princess' charm, how, he wondered, would Cerasus ever be able to resist loving her?

 

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4

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The day of the wedding arrived with copious amounts of sun and blue sky. None but the most insolent of clouds dared to interrupt the clear expanse of the atmosphere, and even those were little more than puffy white whisps that dotted one's view like errant tufts of cotton.

 

The great hall of the palace had been cleaned so heartily that it shined like a gemstone. Every crevice and nook had been swept and dusted. If there were any spiders or other pests to be found in the room they were nowhere that could be seen easily. Spotless blue curtains had been hung in decorative patterns over the windows and across the walls, not so much as a wrinkle or fold line in any of them. A similarly colored carpet was rolled down the center of the hall from the doorway to the foot of the wide marble staircase opposite it. At the end of the carpet an arrangement of flowers and silver candlesticks surrounded the area where the royal couple would say their vows. The citizen's of Laedel were already swarming inside the hall, dressed to the nines for the occasion and planning the celebration that would follow after the ceremony in the Herza courtyard. The noise level rose steadily higher as more and more people convened and were forced to speak louder to be heard by their neighbors over the other conversations happening around them. Still, in spite of the crowding and the headaches that were sure to crop up later, not a solemn face could be found in the entire castle.

 

Save for one.

 

Sidereus floated in the shadows of the marble staircase, high above any wandering eyes. His small, lipless mouth adopted a long lasting frown as he observed the goings on. In his sorrow his luminescence had faded significantly, further ensuring that he would not be seen, although he wasn't worried about that anyway. He was quite alone. All the servants were busy with the ceremony, the royals and the court members were undergoing the final touches of their outfits, and Calcifex had long since disappeared, having claimed quite frankly that he thought he would be physically sick if he hung around. Sidereus could only hope the wizard didn't go too far off, and that he was safe.

 

The light spirit had spent the last half an hour with Cerasus-regna, watching the pale, shaking boy take it in turns to either pace around his room restlessly or sit stock still in a chair. There was nothing Sidereus felt he could say that would lighten the situation at all. What do you tell someone who is being forced to marry against his will, while his true lover runs off about the country doing who knows what?

 

Nothing, of course.

 

So Sidereus hovered idly by, feeling utterly useless until Flamma-regi showed up and smugly informed him that he would have to shine somewhere else since the king was needed in the dressing room. He had wanted to tell the woman to shove her superiority where it didn't belong, but instead he buzzed off cursing under his breath about malicious whores and the like.

 

Now, as the minute hand on the clock drew nearer and nearer the time of the wedding, and the finality of the event became more imminent, Sid felt the weight of his upset compressing his heart. His anger had quickly diminished into a burning resentment, and it was all he could do not to obey the welcoming call of fatigue and sleep until he was sure he would awake and find the whole matter had been a nightmare.

 

A chorus of horns rang out through the hall, and every face in the vicinity turned to see the twin doors of the entrance swing open. The court of Laedel, comprised of eight gentlemen dressed in deep blue, marched through the doorway two by two, followed a moment later by the lavender clad officials of Tarragon's court. Then the trumpets' sound changed, and Flamma-regi herself swept into the hall accompanied by Lord Singor, whose rotund form was made even more prominent by his bright purple robes. When the room's eighteen new occupants had taken their places around the end of the blue carpet, the horns stopped sounding and a pronounced hush fell over the crowd. Sidereus knew who came next.

 

A magnificently regal call was played by the trumpeters. A slender shape stepped through the threshold, casting its long shadow on the floor. The people of Laedel positively roared. Sidereus had to admit that even in light of the current circumstances, Cerasus was a sight to behold. Every garment on him from his polished boots to the flowing cape that hung from his shoulders was pure white. Gold fastenings adorned his wardrobe, reminding the spirit of the king's own hair. To complete the outfit, a beautiful golden crown, inlaid with so many dazzling sapphires, was perched on his head, glowing like a beacon. If it weren't for the trembling frown on his face and the deadness in his eyes, Sidereus would have said the boy looked beautiful. He felt that Calcifex would have agreed, if he were present.

 

Unable to bear the sheer wrongness of the situation any longer, Sidereus turned and sped away up the stairs as fast as he could, not stopping until he was safely locked away in the confines of the small silver pocket watch hanging from the post of Calcifex's bed.

 

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Constructive criticism is welcome.

 

Disclaimer: Continuum is a fictional work, purely of my imagination. Characters/places/situations are mine and are not meant to reflect upon reality in any way.