Celia Rey Sinmara von Grantz
How many days had passed since the black-haired boy had been summoned to Aletia? His coming had certainly brought about great change. New color had suffused the world, transforming it into a vibrant tapestry that scored its hues into her heart. She was grateful, truly. She would never forget the debt she owed. Meeting him had filled her days with light, signaling the start of a golden age.
“Your Grace?” came a voice.
Rey turned from the window. A woman knelt on one knee in the center of the room.
“Have I done something wrong?” the woman—Meteia—asked hesitantly, as though trying to gauge her mood.
“Forgive me. My attention was elsewhere... Is something the matter?”
“Erm... High General Schwartz has returned from his southern campaign. His Majesty wished to know if you desired to be present at his reception.”
“I would love to. Tell Artheus— I mean, tell His Majesty that I will gladly attend.”
“As you wish, Your Grace.”
Rey let slip an involuntary giggle as Meteia bowed her head.
“Have I committed some rudeness, Your Grace?” Meteia cocked her head suspiciously. “Or is there perhaps something on my face?”
“No, I’m terribly sorry. It’s nothing you did. It’s just, to think the day would come when I would hear Hiro called a high general...” Rey covered her mouth with the back of her hand, trying in vain to suppress her laughter.
“I see... His face is amusing, it’s true, although he’s maybe grown a little more manly of late— Ahem! Not that I think that, obviously! It’s just something I heard the people whispering. I would never... Oh, that’s right! Did you know that they’ve taken to calling him a hero? You should have seen how he puffed up when he heard. I ought to have landed a punch on that ridiculous face right there and then!”
A litany of expressions crossed Meteia’s face as her mouth ran away with her. She had served Rey since childhood, so Rey could tell that meeting Hiro had softened her hard edges. Everything was changing. Everyone he touched began to show emotions they had never before displayed. Even Artheus’s cold exterior had mellowed, and he had learned to care for others. Rey herself was no exception.
“How many years has it been since he came to this world?”
How many years indeed. Much had happened since. Their situation was still dire, but Hiro was no longer quite as hard-pressed as he had been then.
“Erm...I’m not certain I could tell you. He never ages.”
“We can hardly fault him for that. After what he did for us...” That was a debt that no apology could satisfy. Rey smiled ruefully to herself before shaking her head and expelling a sigh. “I must change before he arrives. Would you help me?”
She tried to raise herself from the bed, only to find that she couldn’t. Her limbs were not strong enough. A shadow fell over her shapely features.
“Allow me, Your Grace.” Meteia’s eyes glimmered with unfallen tears as she extended a hand.
With a small smile, Rey took it in her own trembling fingers. “Thank you. These days, I fear I can hardly stand unaided.”
“Shall I tell Lord Hiro to call on you here?”
“I would prefer not. Seeing me like this would only hurt him.”
“Surely not! Your Grace, he’s your—”
“Yes, I suppose he is. But still, I don’t want to make him go out of his way.”
In truth, she knew that Hiro would come to her chambers without a word of complaint, but with so much time having passed since seeing one another last, she wanted to greet him in good health. Pain was the last thing she wanted to see on his face.
Rey seated herself on the edge of the bed and cast a glance over her shoulder. “Could you open the window?”
“At once, Your Grace!” Meteia half-ran to the window and opened it wide. A gentle gust of wind rolled into the room.
“What a pleasant breeze. Spirit King himself is welcoming Hiro home.”
“Do you think so? Would he really...” Meteia cut herself off. “Well, we’re lucky it’s sunny, I suppose.”
With a giggle at her servant’s recalcitrance, Rey turned to look out of the window once more. How many more times would they see one another’s faces? How many more words would they exchange? How much laughter would they share in the limited time they had left?
The end was bound to come, and soon, but the brilliance of her feelings would never fade. The miracle of their meeting in this cruel world was a good that she could never deny. These memories would remain forever within her breast, warming her heart from within.
“The years may pass, and the seasons may turn, but I will wait forever, until you come back to me.”
As sunlight streamed in through the window, a soft smile spread across her face.
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