Love Can Mend {An Aphmau Fanfiction}

Aphmau

"Lady Aphmau!" Someone pounded on the door and called my name. I groaned, setting down the teapot back onto the stove. No tea for me. I crossed the tiled floor and opened the door, wrapping my arms around myself against the sudden gust of cold air.

"Richard!" I said in surprise. He stood in front of me, brown hair swept sideways over his forehead and blue eyes bright. His cheeks were rosy from the cold, and small snowflakes had lodged themselves in creases on his coat. "What are you doing here? I thought today was your day off?" He grinned, shaking his head to disperse the snow.

"It was supposed to be, until Sir Dante asked me to come and tell you that you are needed at Thalia's house. He looked like it was urgent." I nodded, grabbing my coat and throwing it on, covering my blouse.

"Thank you Richard. You can go if you want to now." He gave me a cheeky grin, pulling his coat tighter around his shoulders.

"You kidding me? I want to know what's going on." I laughed, closing the door behind me and starting towards the village. Richard walked jauntily next to me, whistling a happy tune. happy tune. Sometimes he acted so carefree, it was hard to imagine him as one of my guards. All of my guards sometimes surprised me.

"Do you have any idea of why Dante needs me?" Richard started to shake his head before stopping. His eyes were thoughtful, and I realized that he did know something.

"There was a man at the gate. He had a bundle in his arms, and I could've sworn I heard him say the name... I could've sworn he said Lady Cadenza." My eyes widened, and I stopped to stare at him.

"You're sure?" He nodded, quite certain in himself now.

"Yes, he did. I saw hair the color of fire." Without another word I started running down the frozen path as fast as I dared. Richard jogged after me, taking his time so he wouldn't slip.

I opened Thalia's door, breathing harder than normal. My coat was askew, and I hurriedly fixed it as to make a good impression. I was the Lord of Phoenix Drop for the time being after all.

The room was extremely warm, almost making me want to go back outside. A roaring fire burned hotly in the hearth, and a large pile of wood was stacked next to it. Donna and Zoey were sitting close to an open window, fanning themselves and chattering quietly. Kawaii~Chan and Dante were sitting on the steps to the second floor, hand in hand. Katelyn was talking energetically to a man who looked extremely familiar, and Travis was holding her hand, not hearing a thing she was saying. Thalia sat in a chair next to a cot with several blankets, hiding a figure with hair the color of fire.

Thalia looked up, weariness clouding her eyes. "Lady Aphmau." Her voice was slightly raspy, most likely from working hard in this boiling room. She started to stand, but I waved her down, coming instead to stand by her.

"Richard said Cadenza was here." I said, removing my coat and tying it around my waist. Looking around, I grabbed a glass cup, leaned out the window, and filled it with fresh snow. I placed it by the fire, smiling at Thalia. "Once you've gotten really thirsty, that snow will be the best water you've ever tasted." She smiled lightly, resting in the chair.

"Thank you my Lady." My smile widened, and I sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to disturb Cadenza. Her skin looked deathly pale, and her chest barely rose. She was close to dying, anyone could see that.

"Thank you Thalia. You've been working nonstop to keep her alive." I said, reaching out and giving one of her shaking hands a squeeze. She barely squeezed back, and I leaned over, grabbing the now melted glass of snow. She took it gratefully, downing the cup in a single go.

Katelyn came over to me, still holding Travis's hand while leading the other man next to her. Her face was flushed, and her coat was balled up against the wall, so she was obviously as hot as I was. But she was grinning, not something she did everyday.

"Kace, this is Lady Aphmau, Lord of this village. Aph, this... this is my brother Kacey." I stared at her, reeling inside.

"Katelyn... you have brother?" She nodded, her grin slipping into a sideways smile.

"Yeah. I haven't seen him since before we went to the Irene Dimension, so it's amazing to see him again. I hope you like him." She stepped back, letting me talk to the brother that looked so much like his sister.

He gave me a smile, inclining his his head. "M'lady. It's a pleasure to finally meet the Lady Aphmau." I kept my eyes from rolling and instead forced a smile at his comment.

"The pleasure is mine." Then he laughed, relaxing and embracing me like an old friend.

"Katelyn told me how much you hated that. It's really nice to meet Katelyn's best friend, let's put it that way." I laughed, watching his eyes sparkle.

"Thank you. Not many know me by that these days." He chuckled, wrapping his arm around Katelyn's shoulders.

"I'm not surprised. One of the only things that have surprised me today is my big sister finally settling down with someone." He squeezed her shoulders, and suddenly both Katelyn and Travis both found somewhere else to look in the room except each other. But their hands were locked together, and a pang struck home as I realized that Aaron and I never got the chance to act that way. But soon. I hadn't forgotten.

"Well, it took him a long time." I joked, and Travis winked at me before giving Katelyn a kiss on the cheek. She blushed even harder, pulling away from the men in her life to go and stand by the now open door. Zoey and Donna were still talking, and it made me glad that Zoey could relax. Kawaii~Chan and Dante hadn't said a word, but I could tell that they would be heading home soon. Thalia has fallen asleep at Cadenza's side, and once more I found I couldn't keep my eyes off of the Lord. She had been missing for more than half of a year, but now here she was. Once she woke up, no doubt she would be hard pressed for answers.

"When are we going back?" Katelyn questioned as I stood by her side. I looked at her, and she elaborated. "Back to the island. The Capital. Levin can't be Lord forever." I sighed, leaning against her in the love of friendship.

"Honestly, I don't ever want to leave. Phoenix Drop is my home, always will be. But you're right. I'll head over to the Island to talk to the boys next chance I get." She nodded, and looking over at her, I could tell that she was ready to burst with joy. She wasn't saying everything, but eventually she would. I knew Katelyn, and she had never let me down before. That's why I loved her so much.