Beyond Time

Moon-Kissed Flowers

"I'm fine now!" I said, playing tug-of-war with Napoleon, who was attempting to pull the clothes from my hands.

"I heard you shouldn't be working too hard."

"This isn't too hard!" I whined, and Sakura laughed.

She pulled the clothes from both of us. "You two are going to tear these apart. I suppose you must be getting bored from not having anything to do." She looked to Napoleon. "How about we just help her instead of stopping her?"

I nodded at Sakura, my eyes wide. "My angel!"

She ruffled my hair, and together, the three of us hung out the clothes to dry. I was feeling a sense of satisfaction for the first time in days. "See?" I asked. "I'm completely fine!"

"I'll believe that when you can wash the dishes without having to stop to take a break," said Arthur, walking into the garden.

"Are you going out somewhere?"

He tilted his head, with a smile on his face. "I have a date with a pretty skirt."

Sakura and I both looked at Napoleon for an explanation. He just sighed.

"Are you, um...?" I wondered how to put it nicely. "Going to the red-light district?"

Sakura nodded in approval. "That's a nice way to ask him if he's off to do something scandalous."

Napoleon put his hand to his forehead, and Arthur just smiled—a smile that deepened as he caught my gaze. "Would you like to accompany me there?"

"Nope. I think I'm perfectly fine here," I said, stepping behind Sakura who laughed and ruffled my hair. Despite our five-year age difference, she treated me more like her daughter than her friend or sister.

"Speaking of which, I have a date with Comte tonight," said Sakura, stretching her arms as she turned to face the mansion. "We're off to another party."

"Oh, don't tucker yourself out! Last time, Comte carried you back to your room," I recalled, amused at the way her cheeks turned slightly red.

"He really does carry me around like a sack of wheat flour." She headed back to the mansion to get dressed up, and I turned to see Arthur strolling past the gates, off to find another unsuspecting woman to drink from. Napoleon and I took a detour around the gardens, running into Isaac, who was staring at the darkening sky.

"Sir Isaac!" I called, with a hand raised. He looked around in surprise and then looked away as soon as his eyes laid on me. I let my hand fall. "Does he not like me?"

Napoleon absent-mindedly ruffled my hair. "Not at all. Isaac is shy."

We approached him, and Isaac didn't look at me, so I almost missed his next words. "You can call me Isaac."

I smiled. "What are you doing here, Isaac?"

He pointed to the sky. "Star-gazing."

"With no telescope?" I asked, following his line of sight. The sky had darkened completely and the stars had started to pop up out of nowhere.

"Later." He dismissively waved a hand. "I just wanted to look up."

We ended up sitting on the garden floor, all three of us staring up. Isaac pointed out constellations to us in the diamond sky, and Napoleon occasionally pointed out stars they used to identify the cardinal points during travel. Isaac looked immensely horrified when I mentioned that you would see only a star here or there in the cities in my time. I was content listening to them talk, when Napoleon started in surprise.

"A hedgehog?" asked Napoleon, looking at whatever had brushed up against him.

"Henry!"

"Isaac's hedgehog."

Isaac picked him up, and Henry took refuge on his shoulder. He then proceeded to check Napoleon's arm with rapid-fire worry to make sure no spikes had been left in his skin. Napoleon held up both hands with amusement twinkling in his eyes.

"I'm okay, I'm okay."

Isaac seemed almost like Napoleon's little brother, a feeling that intensified as Napoleon ruffled Isaac's hair, who ruefully attempted to set it straight.

                                 *

I wandered down into the city the next day, not a goal in mind. I took the time to get to know the city, while steering clear of back alleys and gangsters and creeps in the shady places. I matched people with faces I had seen before. He was the owner of the book store, she owned a bakery, he was the bartender...

The bartender waved to me, and I made my way over to him, holding out the knife hilt-first to him.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it," he said as he took it. His eyes sparkled with mischief. "I hear you got revenge splendidly."

"More like I was avenged," I said. "You're the one who told Theo, weren't you?"

He nodded. "I only mentioned a young foreigner was assaulted, and he took an interest, wringing out the rest of the details from me."

I laughed softly. "That sounds like him.

The bartender headed back inside, after telling me to come by for a drink sometime, and I continued my walk down the city. Until something felt off to me, like a certain pressure had fallen on my shoulders, preventing me from taking another step. Was this fear? There was only one other time I had felt like this, and dread settled into me, quickening my pulse.

Looking around, I spotted the source of my discomfort smiling at me, with a flower cart that was a splash of rainbow colors in front of him. I had half a mind to run, but something more powerful told me to approach him, and my feet moved of their own accord.

"There we go," said Vlad as I approached. "I was wondering if I would see you again, Aylin." The pressure lifted and still wary, I backed away. "Now, now. Think back to the castle visit. I never meant you any harm. And to further prove my point, neither Charles nor Faust will be told you're here." His smile was gentle, and seemed to be made to lower people's guards. It held innocence—tender child-like innocence. But he wasn't wrong. He had reproached Faust for his intention to do me harm.

"Where are you staying?"

"I believe that is of no concern to you," I answered.

He nodded. "I suppose not. But I was going to offer you a way home." I looked back in surprise and he smiled as he knew he had caught my interest. "I was going to," he said, placing heavy emphasis on the words. "The door would open every month, but now the door itself has disappeared. I wonder if that has something to do with you?" He might have been smiling but the look in his eyes told me he'd kill me if I lied.

I shrugged. "I wouldn't know. It's not like it's only your door that's missing."

His eyes twinkled, and I realized I had accidentally let my guard down. "So you're staying with him."

"I thought you two were acquainted."

He waved it away. "We were once friends. If the door returns, I assure you I will send for you." He tilted his head. "But I believe you could return from Abe... no Comte's door as well."

I nodded, and he pushed his cart away. "Good day, Aylin."

And with that, he left.

He didn't seem like a bad person, but I thought back to his smile. Child-like and innocent. But it is child-like innocence that tears the wings off butterflies, and leaves them there to die.

************************************