After being scolded by the captain, Elwin and Prin decided to go to bed before he would have to come back and tell them again. No one wanted to see that happen.
Prin kissed Valor’s cheek goodbye and then they left him to his own devices. Since he wasn’t afraid of his father, he could decide for himself whether to sleep or not.
Elwin was afraid that Aster was irreparably mad at the both of them. And trying to keep her captive in the room like that just sealed the deal. But he wasn’t going to say it to Prin. He looked depressed enough already.
“Well.” Elwin said, helping Prin off with his shoes while he sat on the edge of the bed. “At least you made Valor really happy. Not that he didn’t love you enough already.” He smiled into Prin’s face, trying his hardest.
“Mmm hmm.” Prin said, not really listening and looking like he had lost the will to live. He lay down on the bed with his back to Elwin.
Elwin got in beside him. “You’ll have another chance with Aster, it’s not like we can go anywhere, nor can she. So we’re all stuck here together.”
“I don’t think she wants to see me.” Prin said.
“You can tell she wasn’t herself at all.” Elwin said. “You’ll talk again tomorrow.”
Elwin snuggled in close to Prin. He was worried and wanted to make him feel loved and comforted. Even more than that, he wanted to be sure and wake up if Prin got out of bed.
“Prin . . . you’ll always have me no matter what.” Elwin hoped that was even remotely the right thing to say.
Prin turned over on his side with his back to Elwin.
Oops, guess not.
Prin reached behind himself and patted Elwin. “I know. You’ll always have me too, whether you want me or not.” He laughed wryly.
Elwin snuggled in closer, nuzzling his face in between Prin’s shoulder blades. “If she doesn’t forgive you, she wasn’t worth being friends with anyway.” He said firmly.
“Alright, that’s enough.” Prin said softly. “Shh.”
“I mean it.” Elwin insisted.
“Go to sleep.” Prin said.
*
It was well into the morning when Prin woke up again, he could tell by the quality of the light struggling through the gaps in the curtain. The day after. The day after all of THAT happened.
He tried to push the thoughts away, to relax into the still sleeping Elwin. To forget himself for even a few more minutes back into the soft oblivion of sleep. Nope. Not happening.
Prin had planned on leaving Aster alone, giving her some space. His presence in the room could agitate her enough to prevent proper healing . . .
He couldn’t leave Aster alone.
If only he could explain himself, at least he would have closure. If Aster never wanted to see or speak with him ever again, he couldn’t blame her. But at least the truth would be off his chest and she would know it hadn’t been . . . personal. She had to know that Prin would never want to hurt her.
He could feel himself getting teary eyed at just the thought of seeing her, but he was determined to try not to cry and make it seem like he wanted her to feel sorry for him.
Prin went to Valor’s room first and opened the door as quietly as he could. It was dark inside, and when his eyes adjusted he could see the Valor shaped lump in the bed. Alone. Well that had been what he figured, but he just had to check.
Aster’s white bag, filled with a few scant belongings from her vanity (Prin sincerely hoped it contained anything she would consider worth saving), was still sitting under the window where he had left it. Prin picked it up, determined to at least reunite these few remnants of her old life with their owner.
Old life? Well, her life with Mama Kris in back of the pink house was definitely over now. And surely there was something to be grateful for there at least? Even if it hadn’t gone down in the way anyone had envisioned that it would.
Prin didn’t know where to go next. He was afraid to open just any random door, for fear it would be Wrena’s room mainly. And she would not be pleased.
Luckily for him, as he walked the halls, a door to a room he had never before entered, or seen open for that matter, was open a crack.
Prin walked towards it slowly, as though approaching a skittish animal. He pushed the door open just a ti-iny bit more, until he could see into the room more clearly.
The room was dim, but not dark. The heavy curtains were closed but an oil lamp with an amber shade glowed on the side table like an oversized firefly.
It was a nice bedroom gone to mess with a wardrobe, spilling its guts all over the floor. Men’s clothes: vests, shirts, trousers, jackets, all fell around obscuring the red and gold carpet like leaf litter on the forest floor.
Boxes crowded the other side of the room, looking like they may fall over at the slightest provocation.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
The bed was dressed in red. The embroidered crimson bedcover, lay over the single occupant like a funeral shroud, with just her pale face on a white pillow floating free above it.
The outline of her body was obscured by treasures, adding to the funereal aspect. It looked like . . . offerings.
There were jewelry caskets, and lose jewels that glittered with gold and silver and sparkling stones. There were also pieces of fine silk fabric, and small carved figures of animals and people, an inscribed silver dagger with a curved blade, and even a mask carved of stone that looked like green ice. Among other things, almost too numerous for Prin’s eyes to take in all at once.
Prin must have made an involuntary noise of wonderment, because Aster’s eyes opened.
“Sorry.” Prin whispered. “Sorry. I’m saying that a lot lately.” He looked at his feet. “But never . . . enough, of course.”
“Come in, I guess.” Aster said. She wriggled under the load, looking like it was hard to even sit up with the weighed down coverlet on top of her.
“Do you need any help with that?” Prin wondered. He closed the door behind himself and stepped slowly into the room.
Aster sat up suddenly, a few items cascading to the floor. “Why’d you do that? Did you come to finish the job?”
“What!? No.” Prin stopped where he stood. “I just came to bring you a few of your things I managed to grab for you on the way out. I thought we might talk and . . . I guess closing the door was just automatic.”
Aster wiggled her arms out from under the blanket and put a gold tiara on her head, giving him a sloppy half cocked grin. “How do I look?”
Prin wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. “Great. Amazing.”
Aster laughed. She gestured around herself. “His way of trying to make me feel better. I guess it’s sweet in an overwhelming sort of way.”
“He is very generous, I’ve noticed.” Prin said. “Did it? Make you feel better?”
“No, maybe, I don’t know.” Aster said. “I guess it did put my losses in some sort of perspective. Though it’s not like I can keep this.” She gestured around herself. “Dowry.”
“How about this?” Prin took Aster’s stuffed bunny out of the bag and tossed it to her.
Aster smiled. “Hey little guy!” She laughed. “This is the only doll I ever kept. It was given to me by an old woman who made them herself. She had a market stall where she sold such things and . . . I guess she thought I was a kid.” She shrugged.
“I had one too.” Prin said. “You don’t have to be a kid.”
“True. But I have to watch for people making that mistake.” Aster said. “You know, ‘cause I’m short. This was when – This was when . . . After the first fire when I had nothing and nowhere to go.”
“Aster.” Prin sat on the edge of the bed, trying not to knock off any more pretties. “Do you want to talk about . . . what happened?”
Aster flinched. “Only if you talk about why you tried to kill me first!” She said fiercely.
Prin nudged the dagger closer to Aster’s hand. “Put your hand on that, if it’ll make you feel better.” He suggested.
Aster curled her hand around the ornate hilt of the dagger. “Well?”
“It’s the curse.” Prin said bluntly. “This is why I couldn’t tell you about it before. It makes me attack and eat people. Only it’s not me really? But that’s no excuse. Whatever it is, is using my body to kill people with.” He looked down at his hands, expecting them to be perma-stained red with blood. But they weren’t, they were fairly clean and sort of pink but just in a way that was part of his skin tone, and contained more rings then he really meant to be wearing but somehow just ended up with. One was still holding Aster’s bag. “Oh, here you go.” He sat it down amidst the treasures.
“O-oh. What do we have here?” Aster said, distracted. She pulled out a handful of ribbons and pins. “Hair clips, nice.” She rummaged around and pulled out the diary. “This always finds its way back to me.” She dug again and pulled out a little jewelry case made of two shells hinged together and opened it. Inside was the diamond shaped like an apple on the gold chain. She clasped it to her heart. “Thank you.” She cast her eyes upwards, thanking someone other than Prin, for the divine intervention.
“I thought maybe the vanity seemed to be where you kept your important things.” Prin said, by way of explanation. “And there wasn’t much time.”
“Wait . . . I did see what I thought I saw.” Aster slowly looked up from the bag, meeting Prin’s eyes. Her hand reflexively tightened on the dagger. “You were eating that man. That’s why Elwin set the fire. He’s in on it with you.”
“It’s a curse! I told you. You’re making it sound like some kind of criminal gang, or something. There’s nothing to be in on. It’s a curse and . . . Elwin loves me.” Prin suddenly felt so tired. This wasn’t going much better than he had expected it to.
“You really can’t help it? Because why would you do that if you could help it?” Aster said. “I’m really confused. I took some more medicine because my arm was hurting and I’m a bit foggy headed.” She put her hand to her forehead. “It’s a curse.”
“Right.” Prin nodded eagerly. “I would never hurt you on purpose! You have to know that.”
“This is why you have to find the witch.” Aster said.
“Yes. I’m so sorry Aster. I’ll understand if you can never forgive me. I just had to explain myself. This curse wasn’t something I asked for. Or did anything to deserve. I don’t know why she did it actually! I can’t wait to ask her that . . . among other things. When we find her.” Prin said.
“Okay, bunny. I have slept beside you, got high with you, invited you into my little sanctuary . . . Which I guess that part didn’t work out too good in the end. But my point it, I have trusted you completely, and I’m usually a pretty good judge of character.” Aster said. She shook her head.
Prin didn’t know whether to be encouraged by her use of the nickname she had given him, if it was being used ironically, or if she was talking to the stuffed animal.
“You are.” Prin said.
“What made the curse activate when it did? Why not some other time when I was sleeping and couldn’t defend myself?” Aster asked.
“It only goes off every . . . so many days. But I think threatening things . . . violence, makes it hungry.” Prin said. “I’m sorry, Aster, I don’t fully understand it myself. I had a really long night, chasing – Should I get into the story about Valor and his witch? Or maybe later – Anyway, I think I saw that man trying to hurt you and the anger and fear and rage I felt . . . Gave it an opening to come out. Or something. Like a self defense mechanism.”
“You were trying to help me.” Aster said.
“In a weird way, yes. Then it took over and I couldn’t stop it.” Prin said. “You know . . . I love you Aster. I am in awe of you. I think you’re gorgeous, and cool, and funny, and kind, and so talented with anything artistic, and –”
“You’ve said enough.” Aster cut him off, raising the hand that had been holding the dagger. She smiled, softer this time. “I believe you.”
Prin blinked back his tears. “Everything else I’ve told you about myself is true, I just had to leave that part out.”
“I mean, of course you did.” Aster acknowledged. “But what made you stop attacking me once you started?”
“The fairy! I think she sprayed some knockout gas in the room. Where is she anyway?” Prin asked.
“I don’t know, around here somewhere. Probably snooping.” Aster waved her hand through the air. “She always comes back.”
“If not for that I would have killed you.” Prin said. “Or, it would have, I mean. I know it.”
“Well, you did have a second chance though. Why did you save me from the fire? Witness and all?” Aster asked.
“Because I was back to myself by then! Of course I wouldn’t leave you there. I would have turned myself in to, whoever, whoever’s in charge, if I had to. To get you help. If Elwin would let me.” Prin said. “Aster, I was always planning to bring you with us when we leave the island but I’ve changed my mind. I’m sure you don’t want to be with me anymore anyways. I think you should stay here with the captain.”