Chronicles of Eden - Act V (49 page)

“I really am proud that you learned to use magic like that, Daniel,” Triska said standing up and turning to face him, showing not a smile but rather a look of concern. “I am. But what does this have to do with Falla and Luna?”

Daniel slowly rubbed the back of his neck as he wondered how angry Triska would get once she heard the reason.

“Because the spell connects with those who have strong feelings for me, I can see their spirits in a way inside my mind when I focus hard enough. But it didn’t just touch the spirits of Alyssa, Specca, and Squeak when I did that,” he clarified, with Triska slowly showing a look of wonder. “It also touched them. The power you saw me wield, the way I came to find it in the first place, it wasn’t just love from my mates that gave it to me. It was also from the love Falla and Luna have for me. When we realized this they admitted it was true. Even Falla, she broke down crying when she confessed it.”

“That power you used,” Triska said softly as she walked up to him. “It came from the love we all have for you?”

“I know it sounds silly to think that, but it’s true. If you had been here when I did that I would have seen your spirit too, I know I would have. It would have given me even more strength with the spell.”

Triska gently took hold of his hand and traced her fingers along his up to his arm, remembering the translucent blade and armored gauntlet he manifested with his newfound magic. She then looked into his eyes as her hold on his hand tightened.

“What did you do after they told you, Daniel?”

“I told them… that I didn’t…” Daniel said before looking down with remorse.

“You broke their hearts, didn’t you?” Triska asked worriedly.

“I didn’t want to,” Daniel reasoned as he held a hand to his head. “I didn’t want to make them cry like that. The looks in their eyes, the way they ran away crying, I felt horrible.”

Triska watched him struggle with his decision then held him close around his shoulders, pulling him back to reality and catching his gaze with hers.

“So, you
don’t
love them?” she asked carefully.

“Triska, you know-” he started before she shook her head quickly then spoke again.

“Don’t answer for me, answer for yourself. Daniel, I saw you heroically save Falla’s life, you saved her when she was about to be taken from all of us like a real knight. I saw you stand and defend Luna from Clover when that bitch was tearing into her, you were so protective of Luna, it was no wonder she ran to you for safety the minute she could.”

“Triska, what are you saying?”

“I love you, Daniel. Everything about you I adore. You are so caring and protective of those around you, you only want the best for all of us and our world, and you risk your own life to make a difference for us all. You’ve always been the one I admired like no other.” She smiled a little and shook her head slowly almost in self-amusement. “I love you so much that I don’t mind sharing you with others to be with you. And I’ve definitely gotten in touch with my inner nature being around those monsters with you, as I’m sure you’ve noticed.”

“I have seen you girls getting along more closely as of late,” Daniel admitted with a slight smile.

“And we love it. The truth is we’re happy being like this. We have each other, but most importantly we have you. Daniel, we would do anything to make you happy, just so long as we can keep you.”

“Triska, you’re never going to lose me, none of you will,” Daniel promised as he held her close. “I swear I’ll always do everything I can to protect all of you, to keep you in my life. If I ever lost any of you I would feel broken inside.”

“Like you do with how you’re losing Falla and Luna?” Triska asked with concern. Daniel looked at her with a jump as she slowly shook her head with a remorseful frown. “Are you really going to be okay with losing them, Daniel?”

“I’m not losing them, I… I never…”

“Had them?” Triska asked skeptically. “I’m sure they would like to disagree with that. They love you; they even shared their souls with you for you to use that magical spell. Isn’t that the bond you were speaking about?”

“Maybe it was, but I never meant to reach out to them like that,” Daniel insisted. “Honestly, I feel like I was betraying all of you in doing so.”

“Why? You didn’t do anything wrong, Daniel.”

“I should only have a bond with my mates, with the ones I truly love.”

“It sounds like you do.”

Daniel stared at her in surprise while falling speechless as Triska cocked her head to the side slightly with a curious eye at him. She glanced away for a moment then looked back to him while slowly letting go and backing up a step.

“Let’s try this one more time, Daniel. Final answer. Do you have feelings for Falla and Luna?”

Daniel opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He felt like what he was going to say started to come out wrong then began to question what he really did want to say. His mind began to replay the events from before. How Falla was nearly taken from him before he saved her with his own hands, how he had suddenly stepped up and protected her with his new skill without a second thought for his own safety. How it infuriated him to see anyone making Luna cry, so much that he chose to let the elf that may have been the key to speaking to the elven race leave. And how he had seen them both smiling at him together with Pip’s sparkly dust drifting around them, both of the girls striking him as lovely and enchanting as if he was really seeing them for the first time.

‘I love you, Daniel.’

Falla’s words echoed in his mind, the way she had confessed the truth to him in tears and in fear of rejection.

‘I love you so much, just as I always have!’

Luna’s declaration sounded off in his head, the way she had tearfully admitted it to him along with the overzealous hug that accompanied it.

“Daniel? Do you?” Triska asked again. “Or would you be alright losing them?”

The image of the gemini flashed before Daniel’s eyes, both of the twisted sisters holding Luna and Falla from behind while giggling with their twisted smiles. The thought of Jovian holding Falla’s head back to bite into her throat caused his blood to boil, the image of Luna crying as Jaqueline crunched her wings together with her hands made his heart ache.

“Daniel?” Triska said as she saw him now seeming to struggle with his answer, showing glimmers of anger and frustration as he tried to push away the vision of the gemini laughing at him with the two butterfly sisters held before them.

“I can’t…” he breathed out.

“What was that?” Triska asked.

Daniel envisioned both Falla and Luna reaching out to him with a hand each as the gemini held them close with wicked laughter.

“I can’t…” he said shakily.

“You can’t what, Daniel?”

“Daniel!”
the image of Luna cried out at him as the gemini grabbed her hair and yanked her head back.

“Please!”
the image of Falla screamed as Jovian licked her neck while keeping her multicolored eyes on him.

“Daniel?” Triska asked again as she saw Daniel showing more signs of anger towards something, his gaze aimed down slightly while his fists were now clenched. After a few heavy breaths he shook his head then looked to Triska with a stern expression.

“I can’t lose them too, Triska,” he finally answered. In his mind he saw a blinding flash of light strike across in front of him, slashing through the gemini while passing right through Falla and Luna. The dark sisters screamed as they faded into the light which brightened all around them, leaving the two butterfly girls standing in one piece and staring at Daniel with awe. The vision slowly faded to reveal Triska watching him with the same look on her face, her mouth opened slightly as she saw the fierce look in his eye as he stood before her.

“If I have to watch them die, or fall into despair, or never again see their smiles, I won’t be able to stand it, Triska.” He looked to his hand briefly as he flexed it, remembering the power he now had to wield to protect the ones he held close to him. “The sword I forged was made from the power of love all of you have for me. I’m going to learn to control it, to use it correctly, to protect all of you with it.”

“All of us?” Triska repeated. “Does that include Falla and Luna?”

“Yes, it does.”

“So you do love them, don’t you?” Triska asked softly.

“I don’t know, maybe I am falling for them,” Daniel reasoned looking down to his hand carefully. “Maybe the spell only works if I feel love for them the way they do for me. But I do know that I won’t let anything harm them or take them away. If that means that I do love them, then so be it. Because that’s how I feel, I’m sure of that much.”

After a moment he looked back to Triska, realizing she was just watching him with wonder while remaining silent. Her hair swayed slightly in the breeze as all fell quiet around them. As he started to feel uncomfortable with the growing silence Triska let out a small laugh and shook her head as a smile came across her face.

“Triska?” he asked worriedly, wondering if she was so angry about his feelings for Falla and Luna that she was smiling out of blind rage.

“Alright then,” Triska said crossing her arms. “That’s good enough for me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Daniel, I told you before. I love you more than anything, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you in my life and make sure you’re happy.” She smirked and shrugged a little while Daniel watched her curiously. “If you really feel so strongly about it then I wouldn’t dare keep you from what would make you cheerful.”

Daniel remained silent as he questioned whether this was a trap to lure him into a false sense of security or if she was speaking the truth. To his surprise Triska giggled and nodded at him.

“I’m already sharing you with three other girls who you feel so strongly for, and it’s been the best time of my life because we can all be with each other and still have you and your love.” She then glanced behind Daniel and tilted her head with a knowing smile. “I don’t see the problem with two more if you truly do love them like you do with us.”

Daniel jumped a bit then quickly turned around, eyes widening as he saw everyone standing near them and watching Daniel with wonder. Kroanette was holding onto Complica’s hand while Pip was hovering around above the princess, all of them remaining silent as they stared at the boy. Specca, Alyssa, and Squeak were watching Daniel with surprise, with Specca holding a hand over her mouth, Alyssa cocking her head slightly to the side, and Squeak glancing between him and Triska while her antennae twitched. All eyes then turned to Falla and Luna as the two were blushing brightly while holding hands next to the girls, both sisters having been rendered speechless while their wings fluttered a few times behind them.

“Daniel?” Falla breathed out as the sisters stepped forward.

“You…
do
love us?” Luna asked with a few tears forming in her eyes.

“What are you all doing out here?” Daniel asked looking around at them.

“We were too scared to dig deeper into Triska’s bag in search of food,” Alyssa explained.

“It was like a bottomless pit of wonders!” Pip exclaimed while waving her hands around.

“And we were growing worried with how long it was taking you two,” Specca added.

Daniel looked around at all of them with stunned silence before turning back to Triska, with her shrugging with amusement at him.

“Yeah, I saw them coming a while ago,” she admitted before showing a sincere smile at him. “But I wanted you to admit how you truly felt, I needed to know.”

“Daniel,” Specca spoke up, getting his attention before Triska walked past him to stand with the other girls. “Is that true? Do you really love Falla and Luna like you do with us?”

“You like them that much, Daniel?” Alyssa asked softly.

Daniel saw all the girls waiting anxiously for him to answer then turned to Falla and Luna as the two sisters took another step towards him, both feeling their hearts picking up as they wanted to know the same thing. Realizing there was no avoiding this and he had his answer he walked up to the sisters, both of them timidly watching him and bowing their heads while their wings fluttered once more.

“I don’t know how much you heard, but I’m going to say what I said before, and know that it’s the truth.” The sisters nodded slowly while holding hands more tightly now. “I wasn’t sure how I really felt about you two before. I know I love Triska, Alyssa, Squeak, and Specca, I love them more than anything, and they are the ones I could never let go of no matter what. But with you, I never stopped to really think about how I felt for you.”

“What are you all talking about?” Complica quickly spoke up. “What’s going on what is he talking about he loves you why does he love you and you and you and you and you and you what does that mean what was he saying about a sword does he have a sword where is it does he use it like Triska too because she’s amazing with it I bet she could beat him in a fight he really doesn’t look very strong how come you want his seed is he super smart or something what’s his-” She was then held closer by Kroanette as the centaur smiled weakly at seeing the confused stares the group was giving them while she held a hand over the young princess’s mouth, doing nothing to stop the girl from continuing to ramble with a now muffled voice.

“I think I’m going to see if I can help this one find some bugs she would like to eat, over there,” Kroanette kindly said before picking up the princess who was still talking into her hand then galloping off. Pip watched them go then looked to Squeak curiously.

“She talks funny, doesn’t she?” she plainly asked, with Squeak merely nodding once before all eyes turned back to Daniel and the butterfly sisters. Daniel shook his head slightly then looked to the sisters as they waited for him to continue again.

“Anyway, I never really saw you two even though you were right there in front of me the whole time. And when I did stop to think about it, to ask myself how much you both meant to me, that’s when I realized how I really felt.”

“And?” the sisters quickly asked while leaning towards him.

“And I realized that…” Daniel said before taking a moment to consider what he was saying. He glanced over and saw his girls watching him closely while Pip was hovering around near them, seeing Alyssa, Specca, and Squeak keeping their unblinking eyes solely on him, then looked back to the butterfly sisters as they were growing fearful of what the answer was. Taking a steady breath he then reached out and took hold of a hand from each of them.