Monsters & Fairytales (37 page)

A nice conversation picked up after that. We were all eating and talking about the food we liked the most in both our worlds. The Minakai was jealous he hadn’t been able to try my breakfast and had Carlyle promise to make it for him. Carlyle seemed very pleased by that. It was adorable how his face lit up. I ate slowly to enjoy the flavor. The food was so
rich,
everything was rich in this world. The color scheme, the air, the vegetation; I was amazed by it all. I wanted to wander off and explore more of it.
             

In the distance was a waterfall. When the sun hit the spray, there was a rainbow of twelve colors showing. I recognized a few from my world, but the others were just so vibrant. I had never seen such hues before in a natural setting. I wanted to dance in it. This valley, or arvey as they called it, was magical.

There were more of those giraffe-like things grazing around the edges of the valley. Their long necks gave them the ability to get into openings in the cliff walls. I wondered what food was worth trying to get out of there that they couldn’t get off of a tree. Something moved by the water and my eyes jumped back to the waterfall. It looked like a black mermaid was sitting on a rock just to the side of it. She was leaning back, basking in the sun. I smiled at her.

“That is
Ngyench
. She is a part of the Mazdar tribe. The underworld, if you shall.” Sebastian said.

I had forgotten he and the rest of them were sitting with me. My brain had tuned out their conversation earlier.

He nodded to the creature and she nodded back.

“She’s beautiful.” I whispered.

“I can think of someone much more beautiful.” He nudged me.

I let my eyes unlock from my surroundings and focus on him. He was smiling the cutest smile at me. I blushed and nudged him back. The warmth of his arm embraced my shoulders and the softness of his lips touched the side of my head. I never wanted to forget the way that felt.

“Liar.”
I finally said to him insinuating I was more beautiful than Ngyench.

Smiling, I rested my head under his chin and took a deep breath.

“I’m going to be very sad when you leave.” Sebastian said. “I’m going to miss seeing your smile more than anything.”

“Anything?”

I looked up at him and raised my eyebrow. He ran his fingers up my arm and twisted them around my own.

“
I’ll be sad every time I look at my fingers and yours aren’t in the spaces between them.
And I’ll be sad when I go to sleep and you aren’t there when I wake up-”

“Don’t talk of the sad things.” I quieted him.

“What is this?” The Minakai interrupted us.
“Feel-
ings
?”
He slurred the word, like it were a disease. “Sebastian? You feel for her?
A human?
It is real?”

“You called it out! You said he should sit with the one who was in his heart!” I blurted out.

“It was a metaphor. I knew you’d want to hear that. I was just trying to please you. He can’t actually feel for you.” He said. Was he jealous?

“Forgive me, Sir, I’m afraid you are wrong. I didn’t understand it myself until I saw her again. It was different than the times she had called me back to her. When she walked in the door at your manse, the emotions I had, well, I’ve never experienced them before.”

He kissed my hand deliberately in front of the Minakai. I felt like a school kid breaking the rules in front of the principal.

“Emotions?!
Sebastian!”

The Minakai threw his head back and laughed. It echoed off the cliffs more as a roar than laughter. It was fitting, almost, that his echo was more fearsome than his persona.

“What’s so funny?”

I looked at him with caution; I was on guard.

“This is madness.”

He shook his head, laughing again. He was becoming more and more of a lion with each passing minute.

“You were the one who said it all in the first place. Even in your office, you said that both of us had strong feelings in our hearts. You asked if I returned them. And besides, I told you on the
cliff
that he had cried for me. It’s not my fault you’re choosing to not believe us.”

“Well, now! I'd said you cared for him, I never said he cared for you.
You humans will love anything
. We Aegyssusians are a much more superior race than that. It takes a pure heart and a pure soul to even stand a chance against us.”

“Why would I stand against you? If you are going to tell me how things are, then you should probably make sure you actually know them yourself!”

I was highly offended. All I wanted to do was run away. Why did he keep ruining everything beautiful?

“Mirabelle, honestly?
In your world he is considered a monster and yet you dote on him as if he were the prince in a fairytale. A monster, the hero in a fairytale, it’s absurd.” The Minakai drifted off.

“Fairytales?”
Sebastian asked, looking at me.

“Yes. They’re fake stories of love triumphing over everything. Our kind favors them because we all want that magical, swept-off-your-feet romance, but we know it’ll never happen.”

“Never happen? I thought love was something you all want?” Sebastian asked.

“Want, yes. Have, no.”

“You honestly feel that way?”

He sat upright. Was he offended?

“Of course.
To have someone love me the way that is portrayed by all these fictional stories is absurd. I would never expect a man to sweep me off my feet and be head over heels in love with me to save me from an obstacle.” I admitted.

“That’s a terrible way to live.” He said.

“It’s the truth.”

I looked away from him. I couldn’t help it that I was like every other little girl. I wanted someone to love me that much. I knew he was it, but admitting that meant admitting I’d get hurt. I still wasn’t ready for it.

“I disagree. You can have love, and you have love. Just because you chose not to see it doesn’t mean it isn’t there. You just said this to the Minakai.”

He rubbed the side of my arm to try to calm me.

“What, you spend one day in love with me and suddenly you’re a professional?” I snapped.

“
At least it only took me a day to realize the truth. You’re still stuck in fantasy land.” He said.

“How did you live before you met me? You said you don’t even come close to spending a lifetime with just one woman.”

“We don’t fantasize or dream about what we can’t have. We have what we have and the rest is the rest.” Carlyle answered.

“So you aspire to nothing?” I asked.

“We aspire to what is attainable. If a love like that in your world is so, what’s the word, unattainable, then why worry about not having it?”

“Because we want it.
I don’t know. Everyone wants their happy ending.” I said.

“Then it is not unattainable.” Carlyle smiled.

We all sat there in silence for a while. I couldn’t focus on anything other than worrying about what they were thinking. I knew they were judging me. I was a stupid human. Sebastian had fallen in love with me and I was denying it right to his face solely because I was afraid. I was leaving. It would be pointless to admit how far into it I was. It would be safer to stay closed off. They could see right through me, though. I was such an idiot.

“Well, I will take my leave, now.
Mirabelle, such a pleasure.”

The Minakai stood up and held out his hand in my face. Sebastian and Carlyle jumped up, too. 

“Oh.”

I stood up with them and took his hand. When I touched it, he vanished.

“What.” I whispered looking at where he had been standing.
“Such a weird fellow.”

“You have no idea.” Carlyle laughed.

He got up and stretched his limbs. I wasn’t sure how to act. I wanted to just walk away. I had just lashed out at Sebastian for admitting his feelings to me when I should have stood up for him. He had deserved that much. But we were alone again, meaning I could make up for it in literal terms. So I did.
             

I leaned into him and kissed him. He wasn’t prepared, but after a few seconds he put his hand behind my neck and kissed me back. My entire body tingled. I felt much better. It wasn’t fair to be angry at him that I was leaving. It wasn't his fault. If I really wanted to blame him for anything, it would be that he was just now telling me how he felt, rather than all the other opportunities he had. But that was silly to be upset over, as well. 

“Your heart craves
these a
lot
.” He said with a big grin and quick kiss.

“Yours doesn’t?” I asked.

“I have never experienced them before you.” He admitted.

“You have never kissed?”

I found it hard to believe his lips had never locked with someone else’s. All the years of his life being capable of it, but not doing it, would have been such a waste. Well, I guess if I really were to think about it, I liked him being my first kiss and me being his.

“A human?”
He grinned.

“Good point.”

I took it. It was better than nothing.

He leaned over and kissed me again.

“Come on, you two, let’s go for a swim.” Carlyle yelled, walking back up.

He reached out and took each of our hands. Both of us resisted, laughing all the while. He tugged again and Sebastian and I froze like a game of twister. Carlyle stared at us. I broke and started laughing. With a sigh, he took off towards the water. I watched him scurry up a tree then flip off of it into the middle of the lagoon. It was so clear that I could see right down to his feet from where we were standing. It was just beautiful.

“Our world is full of surprises.” Sebastian smiled. “Come.”

He took my hand and led me to the water’s edge.

“Tell me about it.” I said sarcastically.

“Well-”

“It was rhetorical.” I stopped him.

I didn’t want to talk. I didn’t want to hear anything more about anything. I just wanted to enjoy the day and be in the moment.
Nothing else.
Carlyle was splashing around begging us to join him the closer we got. 

“Rhetorical?” Sebastian asked when we reached the water. I sighed; there was no getting out of a conversation with these guys.

“It means I stated something that I didn’t want an actual answer from.”

“Why ask then?”

He stepped into the water and splashed some.

“That’s just it, I wasn’t asking.”

I sat on a tree branch.
It bent around me like a sweater
.

“Okay.”

Sebastian walked over and bent down to kiss my cheek. I stared into his beautiful eyes for a few seconds before he took off into the water, too. I was glad I didn’t have on any shoes. I dug my toes in the white and black spotted sand, making funny shapes. The water came up to say hello to me and erase my canvas. I reached out to it and it fit itself perfectly
around my hand. I flicked a few droplets and it seemed to laugh and play back. It was delightful.
             

It ran off and so I leaned against the tree branch and watched the brothers play. They arched their wings into fins and used them for speed in the water. When they’d hit the bottom, they’d dive up in the air and splash back down very dramatically. It was such a sight to see.
             

Eventually, Sebastian had had enough of play time. He crawled up the shore and rested next to my legs. With his lower half still in the water, he managed to face me by lying on his stomach. With his hand on my leg, he kissed it ever so softly. I smiled and resituated myself against the tree. Suddenly I felt my bladder push back.
Why now?

It’s as good of a

time
as any.

((
dreams
are our reality we refuse to admit
))