Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ The Charade ❯ Suddenly I See ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter Five: Suddenly I See

 

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1

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“I… I, um…” Cerasus stammered, slowly backing away from the doorway. He was almost out of the parlor before Cal found his voice.

 

“Cerasus, wait!”

 

The boy stopped dead in his tracks, wide-eyed and nervous, like the first time he had met the tall, dark haired man. He felt frozen, like his limbs refused to bend to his will. Calcifex took a few steps forward.

 

“Cerasus… What are you doing here?”

 

The prince shook his head. “I… just thought… I could visit you…”

 

Sid flew over to Calcifex and stopped above his shoulder. “I told you, Cal. Now look what's happened…”

 

“Sidereus, shut up,” the wizard snapped, not taking his eyes off the boy before him. He didn't realize his slip until it was too late.

 

“W-what?” Cerasus looked terribly confused, as though he couldn't believe either his eyes or his ears.

 

“Oh… Ahm… Well…” Calcifex couldn't find the words he wanted at first, so he slowly walked up to Cerasus, grabbed his wrist, and led him to the couch, where both of them sat down. For reasons he didn't want to consider, explaining himself to the prince became very important.

 

“Okay, I know this going to be tough to swallow, but this is the truth, Cera,” he began, using the nickname he had adopted for the boy to let him know how serious he was being. Cerasus didn't respond, just sat there, appearing unwaveringly shocked by everything going on around him.

 

“I'm… a wizard, all right? I can use magic, and this,” he pointed to Sidereus, who reluctantly glided down closer to the pair, “is the real Sidereus. The man I told you about… doesn't exist. In fact, a lot of what I told you wasn't honest. I know that sounds dreadful, but I did it because otherwise you would have found out about me, and… I didn't know how you would react to that.”

 

“What is he?” Cerasus asked, nodding at Sid, his voice hoarse. His throat had become oddly dry.

 

“I'm a light spirit. And what the hell is this about a man with my name, Cal? What have you been telling him?” Sidereus buzzed in front of his companion's face, glaring angrily, but the man just swatted him away.

 

“I'll tell you the truth, if that's what you want to know, Cera.”

 

The boy shifted his blue eyes back to the wizard, and nodded once.

 

“Okay… So… What do you want to hear about?”

 

After a moment of consideration, the prince replied, “Your parents. What… really happened to them?”

 

Calcifex sighed. He hated this subject, and while it would have been easy for him to just refuse the question and send the boy away, he couldn't bring himself to do it. For the first time in far too long, he felt like he owed someone something, and the obligations weighed him down.

 

“My father… He seduced my mother. I don't know what his name was; I never found out. When my mother told him she was pregnant with me, he left. My mother, and I do know what she was called, it was Genetri, well… She didn't like me at first, I think. But as I grew older, that changed a little. I don't know if she ever truly… Loved me… But as a child, whatever affection she did spare was enough for me.”

 

Cerasus didn't say anything, so he went on.

 

“I started developing my magic when I was still a boy. That's when my mother started to really hate me. And I don't mean dislike, or find as a minor annoyance, I mean full-blown, `I hope you die' hatred. I only stayed with her then because I felt a sense of duty, I suppose. I took care of her, because she gave up on doing that herself. I came home one day from shopping and… she was dead.” What had started as a bitter rant became a monologue that carried sorrowful undertones, and when Calcifex noticed the change in his voice he quickly hardened it back to a more appropriate, nonchalant manner.

 

“The woman killed herself,” he said, shocking Cerasus, who had never heard such menace come from the man before him. He couldn't tell if the animosity was directed at the memory of his mother or his self. Calcifex didn't seem inclined to go on after that, so the prince assumed that particular tale was over.

 

“H-how long ago was that…?” he asked with understandable hesitancy. The wizard looked like he could snap at any moment. But when the quiet question reached his ears, his frame sagged, and all the long-buried resentment retreated back into its place.

 

“That was two hundred years ago.”

 

Now that was some news. “What?” Cerasus was sure he had heard incorrectly, but no.

 

“Yes, it's been a couple centuries. I can still remember every detail, though, which is a pity.”

 

“But… how? How can you still be alive?”

 

Calcifex shrugged, like it was no big deal that his lifespan had easily succeeded the average human male's by over one hundred years. “It was the most powerful spell I ever cast, and allow me to boast a little here, also the most difficult. It involved a little bit of maneuvering my soul, which is a tricky thing to do, make no mistake, but I got it right, in the end.”

 

Cerasus was stunned, hardly able to believe what was being told to him. Calcifex didn't look a day over twenty-five, maybe twenty-eight, at the most. And yet he had just confessed to be over two centuries old.

 

“But then… how long will you live? Are you immortal?”

 

“No, not even close. I suspect I'll be dead by the time I reach eight hundred. Maybe sooner if I get into trouble.”

 

“That… is an awful long time…”

 

“Yes, well, luckily the spell is reversible. If I get bored I can just get rid of it, and I'll start to age like normal.”

 

“What on earth have you been doing for two hundred years?” asked Cerasus, who couldn't imagine what living that long must be like.

 

“Ah, now that is definitely a story worth telling. But…” Cal glanced outside at the setting sun. “It's also incredibly long, and the supper hour is almost here. Why don't we eat first?”

 

The prince was eager to hear more, to possibly make sense of the consternation that was waging war in his mind, but his neglected stomach protested at the mention of food, so he gave in. “All right… But you'll tell the rest right after?”

 

Calcifex looked down at the boy as they both stood, and the depths of his green eyes went far and contained ages of memories. For once, his real age was bleeding through his youthful façade, a sight that was almost painful to see. He looked tired, unbearably so, and it was a wonder he even bothered getting up anymore.

 

His voice was just as worn out when he answered. “Yes, Cera. I'll tell you whatever you want.”

 

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2

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They ate dinner in Calcifex's parlor, silently, each reflecting on the events of the past couple hours. Sidereus, sometime during the whole scenario, had disappeared into his pocket watch, and wouldn't come out. As soon as Cerasus was done eating, he put his plate down and looked expectantly at Calcifex.

 

“So what happened?” he asked, not bothering to elaborate. Not that he needed to; Cal knew what he was wondering about. He put his meal down. He had been unable to finish it, a testimony to his rattled nerves.

 

“I left, burned the house down, even. I didn't care for it anymore, or anything inside. Years of bad memories can affect someone like that, you know. And I started traveling. Practiced magic… Absorbed cultures. I've been everywhere in the world, Cerasus. There isn't a place on the planet I couldn't tell you things about. I can play music that can awaken your spirit, sing in languages you've never even heard of. I know where to find the best wine and who makes the best chicken.”

 

“What's your favorite place to go?” the prince asked.

 

“Ah, now that's a difficult question… But it's probably a tie between Markell and here, in Laedel.”

 

“Really? What do you think is so great about this place?”

 

Calcifex was half-anticipating that question, and he nearly smiled. “The Faire is the type of thing I die for. And, you know… there's this really great prince that I know here. You might know him; he has the most amazing blue eyes.”

 

Cerasus gasped and stared at the wizard. No matter how many nice things the man threw in his direction, he had never grown used to accepting the compliments. “Me…?”

 

Calcifex nodded, face solemn.

 

“So… you really do like spending time with me… I… wasn't sure…” Biting his bottom lip, Cerasus looked away, trying to force down the blush that wormed into his skin.

 

“When I said that to you, Cera, I was at my most honest. Don't forget that, okay?”

 

The prince felt kind of like an inflating balloon; Calcifex's words filled him with a happiness he hadn't known since his father had died. The man was his friend. “Thank you,” he mumbled, afraid his voice would crack if he spoke any louder.

 

Calcifex did smile at that, and a warm feeling sunk into his very pores. He didn't try to analyze it or brush it off. He just let it be, enjoying the way it left a content impression in the pit of his stomach.

 

“You're quite welcome.”

 

Cerasus' timid grin was an endearing thing, and Cal was almost distracted by it when the boy said, “How did you meet… Um…Sidereus?”

 

“Hah… Siddy and I go way back. He tried to kill me, I sealed him in a watch, and we've been a team ever since.”

 

“He tried to kill you? Why?”

 

“He wanted my magical power. For spirits, it's rather potent stuff. He was ready to drop me from up in the air and let all my bones break just for a taste of it. Can you believe that?”

 

Cerasus shook his head, eyes wide, entranced by the story.

 

“Anyway, I forgave him, and we reconciled, I suppose you could say. We bicker like a couple of old hens, but we love each other.” Calcifex stopped to chuckle. “He admitted it to me, even.” He winked, making Cerasus laugh.

 

“What else do you want to know?”

 

“Umm… Would you… show me a spell?”

 

It took a moment for Cal to consider the question, but he finally decided there was no harm in it, so he said, “Sure. And let's get Sid out here at the same time, shall we?”

 

Unsure about what the wizard was planning, but excited about the prospect of witnessing some magic, the prince nodded.

 

Calcifex got up from his chair and went to retrieve the pocket watch - and the spirit inside of it - from his bedroom. He came back, timepiece in hand, a minute later, and set the thing on the table. “Oh, Sidereus,” he called. “Don't you want to come out now?”

 

“No.”

 

“Come on, Sid. We want your company.”

 

“Like hell.”

 

“Please?”

 

“Fuck off, Calcifex.”

 

Cal sighed and rolled his eyes at Cerasus, who wasn't sure whether or not it was okay to laugh at the scene.

 

“Will you just leave me alone? Jeez.”

 

With a pointed glance at the prince, knowing his irritated friend would see the gesture, Calcifex mouthed the word `cranky,' and waited for the reaction that was to follow. It didn't take long.

 

“You bastard! I am not cranky! I'm just pissed off because you're being an asshole, all right?”

 

The wizard laughed. “Are you sure you wouldn't even come out for some… magical flames?” He then went about waving his left hand at his leftover dinner, casting one of the simplest incantations he knew. A small fireball erupted over the food, and Cerasus' sharp intake of breath signaled his surprised pleasure. From inside the silver watch, Sidereus could be heard, groaning ever so quietly, trying not to respond to the delectable scent of fire fueled by the wizard's powers.

 

“So… want to be let out now?”

 

“… I hate you, Cal.”

 

“Of course you do,” the man said with a smile, and released the latch on the watch. The light spirit flew out in a rush, instantly swerving towards the flames. He was around them in a second, absorbing every last little flicker of heat and magic. As per usual, his outer shell glowed, then sank down. “Oh, gods, that was good…” He glared at his black haired friend. “But don't think this means I've forgiven you yet, witchy.”

 

“I wouldn't dream of being so bold.”

 

“Hrmph.”

 

Their banter was interrupted by a soft giggle that was emitted by the young prince. The two friends looked at him, then back at each other, and even Sidereus could not stop the grin that overtook him.

 

“That was amazing… All of it,” Cerasus told them. “But,” he looked at Sid. “How could you tell what Calcifex was doing while you were in there?”

 

Cal supplied the explanation to that before Sidereus even opened his mouth. “Ah, another one of my little tricks. I enchanted the watch so that Sid can see out of it, but no one else can look in. I put the same charm on the pockets of all of my shirts, since that's usually where he stays when we travel.”

 

“Wow. I would never have thought to do something like that.”

 

“It was my idea,” Sidereus bragged. “Cal just takes all the credit because he's a big-nosed, conceited-“

 

“Big-nosed? I'll have you know all my features are perfectly proportioned,” Calcifex sassed. “And don't get jealous just because you-“

 

“-don't have a nose. Blah, blah, blah. I've heard it all before, dumbass. Like I would want to look like an ugly human.”

 

Cerasus was laughing again, reminding the wizard and the spirit that they had company. “You two… are really funny…” He said in between laughs, trying to hold them back with a hand at his mouth.

 

Sidereus stopped shooting withering looks at Cal in order to smile proudly. “Yeah. We are, aren't we?”

 

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3

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After that, Calcifex was utterly honest with Cerasus about everything. Well… almost. He decided to leave out certain aspects of his life… Like his penchant for sleeping with anyone mildly attractive. Oh, and the fact that he was rutting with the boy's mother. And like Sid had predicted, it was becoming increasingly difficult to hide his relationship with both prince and queen from each other. Almost all his free time in the day was spent with Cerasus. At night, he was summoned to Flamma-regi's room, thus having to come up with some excuse for the younger man as to why they couldn't take a walk in the dark or enjoy a late night snack in the kitchens.

 

Flamma-regi was only the tiniest amount easier to fool; she didn't care about what the wizard did in the day. When he got to her bed, all conversation was dropped in favor of kissing and groping. Not that he was complaining. Every so often, however, once they had both come down from the highs of a good climax, she would fix her stony gray eyes on him and ask questions. Cerasus was not obliged to keep anything a secret from his mother, and sometimes he shared with her that he and Calcifex were developing quite the friendship. Flamma-regi, suspicious as a troll, wanted to be sure that the association was entirely platonic. Cal had to assure her that, yes, of course, things between them were completely innocent several times before she was satisfied.

 

Much to his displeasure, he found that what he told the queen was not a lie. Despite the fact that he and Cerasus were now a month into their little affair, nothing physical had happened between them. Calcifex was getting frustrated, mostly with himself, since he had already had the opportunity to make an advance on the prince, but had passed it up, and he wasn't even sure why.

 

Sidereus was relentless in his, “You care about the kid, for the gods' sake,” campaign. Calcifex was almost starting to think he was right. What a terrifying notion.

 

In fact, the idea that the spirit might be right grated on the wizard's conscience so much that one day he decided to prove it wrong. He found Cerasus lingering in the seldom used staircase that led to his rooms.

 

“I was just coming up to see you,” the prince confessed. Calcifex smiled and reached a hand out to cup the boy's cheek. No use in dilly-dallying.

 

“How sweet of you…” he said, voice dropping an octave or two to produce a heady timbre. Cerasus' skin under his palm was impossibly soft and warm.

 

“C-Calcifex? W-what are you d-doing?”

 

What was he doing, Cal wondered. Something about the moment felt indisputably wrong, and he almost pulled away. But then Sidereus' chiding floated into his head, and he pressed on.

 

“Hush, Cera… I've wanted to do this for a while.” He stepped closer to the prince, who backed up into the wall, so their torsos were mere breaths away from one another. His free hand rose up to fix itself next to the smaller man's head of shiny blonde hair, while the other kept up a constant rhythm, stroking flushed skin.

 

“But I-“

 

Before Cerasus could complete his protest, Calcifex had steeled his resolve and leaned down to press a kiss against his lips. Bells chimed like thunder in his brain, telling him to pull away, to run, to just stop, but he ignored them, moving his mouth insistently over the prince's.

 

Cerasus couldn't move, could just barely breathe. His eyes were wide open while Calcifex's were closed, and he was unable to look away. The kiss was unexpected, somewhat rough, and… Exciting? If his rapidly escalating body temperature was anything to go by, he was enjoying himself. But why, why, why? He was kissing a man, a friend even. Such things were forbidden, particularly to the royal family. So why was the fight to stop himself from hesitantly reciprocating the gesture such a hard battle to win?

 

Before he could decide upon a plan of action, though, Calcifex ripped his lips away and backed up, eventually bumping into the opposite wall of the stairwell. He looked confused, and maybe even hurt. With a choked out apology, he disappeared up the steps, fading into the shadows of the dark.

 

Cerasus stayed, glued to his spot in the stairs. He was completely confused about whatever had just taken place. His head was starting to pound; he kind of remembered bumping it off the wall as Calcifex had come closer to him. The prince was forced to prop himself against the stone pushing into his spine. His legs shook, his knees felt weak. Desperate to make any kind of sense out of the incident, he painstakingly sorted out the events in his mind. Calcifex just kissed him. Then ran away. And… he had liked it. If he wasn't sure before, he most certainly was now. Embarrassed color painted his cheeks just from thinking of how the older man's lips had felt on his own… Soft, a little wet… And they had been trembling. Had Calcifex been scared? It was hard to imagine that the good-natured man was afraid of anything, but there was no mistaking the definite wavering in his movements.

 

If that was true, then Cerasus knew he had to find Calcifex and tell him… Tell him what? That he wanted to kiss him again? Oh, no, surely not. How mortifying would that be? But… it wasn't a lie… And why not take the chance at being kissed a second time? Cerasus was torn between hiding in his room, like he had always done, and taking the initiative to go after something he wanted, which was a completely new phenomenon to the teenager.

 

In the end, the fear of the unknown, and of rejection, was too powerful, and the frightened prince fled the staircase to barricade himself in the confines of his own quarters, away from the doubt.

 

*****

4

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Calcifex burst into his parlor, shaking from head to foot, startling Sidereus, who had been looking out the window at the city below.

 

“Damn, Cal, what the hell is wrong with you?”

 

The wizard didn't stop moving - he couldn't. He paced back and forth over the floor, wringing his hands. “You were right, I was wrong. I don't know what to do!”

 

“Well there's a phrase I don't hear often… But calm down, Calcifex, and tell me what I was right about, all right?”

 

“I like him! I care about Cerasus!”

 

“Oh, that. Hate to say it, pal, but I told you so. You really have to learn the fine art of listening sometime.”

 

“Sidereus, this is serious,” Cal yelled, whipping around to look at the spirit. “How could this have happened?”

 

Sid looked rather miffed, like he didn't see what the big fuss was about. He glided over to Calcifex. “Look, I don't understand what's so bad about it. So you like the kid. It happens every day, so why freak out?”

 

“Because, Sid, it doesn't happen to me. You know that! I never get feelings for people. I thought it was impossible!”

 

“You like me, don't you?”

 

“That's entirely different.”

 

“How so, Cal? Because I'm not a human?”

 

“Yes… I mean, no… I mean… Oh, forget it! It doesn't matter! This just wasn't supposed to happen!”

 

“Life doesn't listen to `supposed to', Calcifex. I think you're overreacting.”

 

The wizard snorted at that remark, but Sidereus kept talking. “Put it into perspective, will you? Liking the prince will just make it better for you when you make a move on him. If he likes you back, it'll be easier, even.”

 

Calcifex sighed and rubbed his temples with his index fingers. “You've got a point,” he said. “But it might be too late for that.”

 

“Why?”

 

“… I kissed him.”

 

“Oh? And did he kiss you back?”

 

Another sigh, this one more forlorn. “No.”

 

“Well, don't get too down. Knowing Cerasus, he was probably just unsure about what to do. I guarantee that was his first… well, anything.”

 

“So you don't think… he hates me?”

 

“Gods, is that what you're worried about? Hell, no, Cal.”

 

The wizard was visibly relieved. He slumped down into a chair and let his head fall back. “This is so ridiculous. I've never been afraid to be with someone before.”

 

“Aww, does the little boy scare you?”

 

“Oh, bug off. And that's not the right word for it. I guess I should have said… Nervous. Yes, that's the one I wanted. Nervous.”

 

“Why?” Sidereus asked, settling down on the arm of the chair. “It's not like he has anything to compare your… performance to.”

 

“You say that like there's something wrong with my performance!”

 

“Well, no offense, but I didn't hear Flamma-regi screaming through the walls like you promised I would.”

 

“That is not my fault! That woman is so frigid and-“

 

The sentry outside the castle signaled the night hour with his trumpet. It was time to see Her Majesty.

 

“Damn it. I'm not in the mood to see her tonight, Sid. I mean, how do you go around fucking someone else when you just figured out that you have feelings for a person? Isn't that something most people frown upon? She's his mother, no less. On top of all that, I have a headache.”

 

“Play sick.”

 

“Think she'll buy it?”

 

Sidereus did his version of a shrug, which involved shifting his rays up and down. “It's worth a try.”

 

Getting up, Calcifex nodded. “Right. Now, there's no way she would come looking for me on her own. So I'll wait here till a servant shows up, act ill, and I'll be free for the night.”

 

“Sounds like a decent plan. Maybe you do have some scrap of a brain in that skull of yours.”

 

“Don't underestimate me, Siddy. Or make fun of me, for that matter. I'll stuff you in a jar and put you out, I swear.”

 

“Yeah, all right. You say that every five years, Cal, but you haven't made good on it yet. Why should I be afraid of you?”

 

It was true that the companions had shared this same conversation before, so Calcifex retorted with his usual comeback. “Because I have no heart, so it wouldn't bother me to do it!”

 

“You forget, my dimwitted friend, that we just concluded that you do have a heart. It belongs to Cerasus, remember?”

 

The wizard froze, realizing the truth in the light spirit's words. They branded him, burned like fire. At that moment, he no longer had to play sick. His stomach heaved, and he threw up its contents onto the expensive rug at his feet. Before Sidereus could move to catch him, he collapsed, and sweet oblivion swallowed him whole.

 

 

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Disclaimer: This story consists purely of fiction and is a product of the author's imagination. Any person/place/thing/event contained within that has any similarities to something or someone in real life is completely coincidental.

 

Constructive criticism is welcome.