Valerian

“Lumen!” A familiar, soft voice woke me from a deep, dreamless slumber.

A bright surge of light came from a magically created window beside me. I squinted and rolled over, pulling the warm blanket over my head.

“Get up,” Lyra said in a low, authoritative voice. Judging by her tone, you would never guess she was a slave.

“Go away, woman, it’s early...” I protested, hiding under the blanket that was quickly becoming scorching hot.

I leaped out of bed and tossed the now flaming blanket to the other side of the room. “Well, that’s one way to wake a man up. What happened to a gentle nudge and a kiss on the forehead?” I asked, impressed by Lyra’s approach.

“What, are you a child?” she asked, squinting her eyes in disgust. “We have to prepare you for the academy council meeting later tonight. But first, you need to take a bath; you reek.”

“Yes, yes, I know...” I conceded without taking offense, for she was absolutely right; I reeked. “Where might I wash myself?”

“In the bathroom?” she answered with a hint of attitude, pointing to the only door I saw in the academy.

“Alright, your attitude was cute at first, but now it’s getting annoying,” I muttered.

Walking up to the door, I took off my dirty, ragged white undershirt, stained with blood, and tossed it on the floor, revealing my flesh.

“You could’ve done that behind closed doors!” Lyra squeaked, averting her gaze.

“Weren’t you ordered not to take your eyes off me?” I teased, finding her reaction amusing.

“This time, I’ll make an exception.”

“As you wish,” I said and entered the bathroom.

A white bath, trimmed with golden edges, greeted me.

“There’s no water in it!” I yelled through the closed door.

“There’s a tiny arcane blue circle on the wall! Press it,” she guided me through the door, and I followed her instructions.

Pressing it, the water poured seemingly out of nowhere, filling the bath to the brim. I entered the bath and let out a loud groan.

“The water is bloody freezing!”

“W-what!? It shouldn’t be!”

“Well, it is! Can’t you use that fire juju of yours and warm it up a little?”

“Are you decent?”

“I’m in the bath; of course, I’m not!”

“Alright, just cover your... thing; I’m coming in!” she stumbled over her words before opening the door, covering her eyes.

Blindly, she navigated toward the bath and sat on the edge with her back turned to me. Her blue dress had a V-shaped cut, exposing her pale back. Carefully and slowly, she dipped her forefinger into the cold water and whispered, “Ignis.” Her finger glowed softly with a red light at her command, and the water started heating.

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“Is it better?” she asked, averting her gaze toward the ceiling.

“A little bit more.”

“Now?”

“Little bit more.”

“What about now?”

“And... Perfect! Thank you, my ember,” I said as I relaxed, leaning the back of my head on the headrest, my hands resting on the sides of the tub.

I could hear her soft footsteps as she left the room, closing the door behind her with a faint sigh.

Once I finished my bath, two maids entered, each carrying a different platter; one with food and the other with a teapot and a single cup. They laid the breakfast on the small round table in the middle of the room, bowed politely, and then left.

Sitting on a pillow in front of the table, I noticed something peculiar. There was only one serving of food, with one knife and one fork; the same with the tea, only one teacup. This breakfast was meant solely for me, which made me slightly mad. Lyra had watched over me the whole night without even getting a wink of sleep, and she didn’t even get breakfast? Looking at the bags under her eyes, I wondered when was the last time she slept.

“Come, join me,” I said, standing up and gesturing to the floor pillow in front of the table.

“No, that is the food meant for you, not me,” she said almost instinctively, as if trained to respond that way since childhood.

“No, I insist.”

“I...”

“If you do not join me this second, I’ll be forced to strip and parade through this room completely naked,” I warned.

“You wouldn’t dare?”

“Oh, my ember, you have no idea!”

“Fine,” she finally agreed, sitting on the pillow, and I sat across from her on the wooden floor. “J-Just don’t say anything to Miss Lilith, please?”

“My lips are sealed,” I said, mimicking the motion of zipping my mouth and throwing away the key.

“What now?” she asked with a puzzled expression.

“Now you eat.”

“What about you? There is only enough food for one here.”

“I’m not even that hungry,” I lied. “This slice of bread and a bit of jam will be enough for me. Now, eat.”

She was hesitant at first, nibbling slightly like a stray cat and pulling away from the food, acting politely. But then she started gobbling it all, and in an instant, she licked the plates clean.

“Full?” I asked with a teasing grin.

“Um, yes. Thank you...” she answered, her cheeks blushing and her head lowered in embarrassment.

I spent the rest of the day teasing Lyra and found it quite amusing when she got mad. It was the most fun I’d had in a while. Once she warmed up to me, her words and actions were no longer dictated by duty; for the first time, I saw her as a person, not a slave. She was a proud soul, much like a lion, with a fiery mane that acted as an aura around her, making her seem unreachable. Despite her expensive dresses and jewelry, it was the simple things that made her happy—things we often take for granted. Simple food, simple drinks, and simple conversation brought out her brightest smiles. Yet, behind that fiery mane lay a bottomless pit of insecurities. While she carried herself with grace, every movement and word were carefully planned, fearing each could be wrong and lead to consequences she would have to pay for—heavens know she had paid them before. Watching her ponder every word and step made me regret the harsh words I had said the previous day. She didn’t deserve any of that; it wasn’t her fault she was a slave. I couldn’t free her until she wanted to be freed, as doing so against her will would not make her any freer than she already was.

As dusk crept in, it was time to get ready for the council meeting.

A dark-blue suit hung on a hanger, and Lyra urged me to wear it. Turning her attention to the wall, I undressed and carefully put the suit on. Looking in the mirror, the suit fit my form nicely, as if tailored especially for me. A pair of classy, black leather shoes were neatly placed in a wooden box. Putting them on, they fit like a glove. How did they know my shoe size? I didn’t even know my shoe size. The last piece of the ensemble was a tie, a slightly darker shade than the suit. No matter what I did, I couldn’t tie it for the life of me. I twisted and turned it, tightening it around my neck like a rope until I erupted.

“Do I need this stupid thing?” I protested.

“Let me see,” she said, walking up to me.

Taking the tie from my hands, she commanded, “Lower your head.” And so I did.

She put the tie around my neck, crossed it, looped it, and then lost me. I had no idea what she did, but the tie was neatly tied around my neck.

“Thank you,” I said, to which she did not answer.

Her soft hand gently passed through my shoulder-length hair, styling it and removing the loose strands from my face. Like an ember, my chest burned hot, and the air became suffocating. It must have been the tie around my neck or her fire magic that made my chest squeeze and my breath short.

“Shall we go?” she asked.

“Yes.”

With that, we left the room and headed for the council meeting.