Tale of Four

Seeing Tristan asleep, Annabell watched, with peaceful, happy eyes, listening to the moment his breathing changed to that of when he was in deep sleep. It was a soothing sound, one she loved more than anything in the world, but one she had been listening to less. Although she wanted to stay and watch him, protect Tristan as he peacefully rested, she knew she couldn’t, not with Dexion living somewhere within the walls.

Annabell closed her perfectly white eyes and focused on Tristan. Hearing his heart slow to a crawl, and his breath become soft but safe, she flew off the wardrobe she had been perched upon, landing onto Tristan’s pillow. Lowering her head, she placed her beak on Tristan’s face and quickly flew off, smiling to herself.

’You sleep too deeply, silly.’ Telling herself she flew out the window and soared into the air. Flapping her wings, she became a white dot within the midnight sky, one of the many stars dotted in the sky if anyone looked up. Annabell smiled, feeling the wind on her face, the freedom of the world itself, and couldn’t help but let herself enjoy it.

She loved Tristan; she loved that he always let her be summoned in the real world; she loved the way he let her do what she wanted. Nothing could change that, not even Tristan himself. She had wondered, for a while, if she loved Tristan because she couldn’t do anything else, or because it was Tristan, but after a while, there was a simple conclusion. It didn’t matter. Tristan was Tristan, and she loved him. Even if he changed, she wouldn’t, so why bother worrying about it?

Despite all that, even she felt trapped occasionally. She had to protect him, make sure he was safe, because he was weak and fragile, unlike her. And because of that, she had to live in the palace when she was meant to fly. There was no bitterness or hatred about it; she understood and happily stayed in the palace, but it still felt like a cage at times. Looking down at the Everlight Palace, it looked so different from the sky.

The fabulous halls, the pillars in the throne room, the grand rooms and dark corners had nothing compared to the outside. The towering walls, lit with torchlight, wrapped around it. The roof, white tiled caught the moonlight and with glowed a serene light. From above, it was so different. Less arrogant and rather a work of beauty that stood tall, proudly looking out at the city of Everlight.

Annabell dove and spun in the air, facing the city next. A sprawling city, with tight streets, created to be like a spiderweb with paths that led nowhere at times and others reaching the city walls. Slums and manors were no different at such a height in her eyes, everything equally beneath the palace. Sections were alive, others dead, almost afraid of the night. Annabell watched it all, seeing the grand structures littered in between parts that tried to rival the Palace.

The Cathedral, a wooden megalith of gothic design, out of place compared to the rest of the city; always humming with religious hymns. Looking past, she saw the First Gate, a section of the wall surrounding the city created to have a statue of the first king atop it, a bronze statue wearing a mask with the Cosmaton star rather than a face. Even if she couldn’t remember what she was before she was Annabell, she knew it was wrong, yet said nothing.

With a shake of the head, she danced in the sky a little longer, enjoying the noise and silence of different sections of the city before diving back towards the Palace, heading for a certain room. Seeing the window crack open, she landed on the ledge just outside and peeked in, seeing a woman with a sweet motherly smile, sat next to a boy a little younger than Tristan, lovingly stroking his hair as he twitched in his sleep, only calmed by her touch.

”...ran through the trees.” Karina sang a quiet song for Matthew, hoping he would eventually find rest in his sleep. Even though her eyes were tired, she showed no sign of annoyance, rather enjoying the moment of peace with her son, ”The foxes played and hunted...” Annabell flew off, releasing her target wasn’t there, finding a window that was open and diving in. Closing her eyes, she let her mind spread across the Palace, as far as it could. Nothing could be hidden before, no lies nor secrets, yet that wasn’t what she looked for. Spreading her mind, she found a part, a section of the palace that seemed covered in darkness, a section which tried to pretend to be light but was the shadow beneath it.

Flying off, she followed it, stopping in a room where William sat alone, reading a book. Annabell flew atop a painting, one depicting a battle during the war of the Creator and looked at William. Feeling a gaze on him, William closed the book and looked up, meeting Annabell’s gaze, smiling and waving before leaving.

”If there is another guest, I will be taking my leave,” William said to no one and placed a hand on his chest, bowing to her and another section of empty air, walking off, leaving the room in silence.

”Dexion,” Annabell said, her echoing voice carried through the silence, bouncing off the walls. The room changed. The moonlight that gave it a faint white glow vanished as darkness shrouded the room, a darkness created to hide everything, one she struggled to see through. Hundreds of wings flapped through the darkness all around, and once it receded letting light return, hundreds of crows littered the entire room, nestled upon anything they could stand atop.

”Dove.” A voice came from all of them, each one linked to the others. It was a charming voice that tried to make someone believe they were kind. To anyone, it would sound exactly like that, but Annabell heard differently. It was a voice full of lies. ”Leave me alone.” All the crows spoke again.

”What are you doing to the boy?” Annabell asked, thinking of Matthew, twitching in his bed, only calmed by his mother’s voice.

”Leave me alone.” The crows said again. Each one looked at Annabell, their pitch blacks eyes as dark as their feathers, all of them absorbing any light that touched them.

”No.” Annabell defiantly replied, ”You are hurting him.” Her voice carried a rare fury, making the crows shake their head.

”I have never harmed him, dove.” The crows replied, ”Why do you assume things about me. I was trapped for centuries, and I am free. Why would I harm the one who has allowed me to return?” The crows finished. Annabell’s eyes narrowed, unable to decipher truth or falsehood in his words.

”You... you...” Annabell got lost in her words, unsure how to reply. Darkness flooded the room again, and hundreds of wings flapped. Once it receded, only one crow was left, sitting atop a table in the centre of the room, looking up at Annabell.

”What is it you want from me, dove?” The crow said with his charming voice. ”We are allies, even if we are opposites. Truth cannot exist without falsehood.” The crow said, ”Does your summoner know you are here?” The crow’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of an insidious darkness in them, ”Little Tristan.”

”DO NOT!” Annabell screamed, spreading her wings. The crow chuckled.

”Will you blame me for his parents’ death as you blame me for my summoner’s crumbling mind. Will you blame me if he unfortunately dies like how so many do during war?” The crow said, ”I mean no harm to your summoner, but your presence, your constant interference, is irritating.”

”Stop hurting your summoner.”

”I do nothing. I am a shoulder he cries on; I protect him from voices that plague his mind. He kills himself with drugs and cuts his body with blades. I alone have been his friend. Where have you been all this time? Hiding in the background, watching a child silently cry for help. Do you care because he suffers in silence, or because I am his summon?” The Crow asked, leaving Annabell silent. She went to speak, but the second of silence was enough, ”You blame me for what you believe true, not what is true. I do all I can to aid him, yet my words only get so far.”

”I don’t believe you,” Annabell said, and the crow chuckled.

”Can you not see the truth in my words?” The crow said with a polite tone, ”Only one has loved my existence, only one has ever seen what I truly am. I wish for my summoner to understand what I am to him, but his mind and body reject me.” The crow paused, ”I will fight to make him accept me, and when he does, he will be free from the horrors that plague his mind, free from the terribleness of a world that does not care for crying boys who need their mothers to sleep. I am the best thing he could ever hope for, and you wish to target me, blame me for his state. No one was there when he needed it, but I will be, and through me, he will be reborn into a prince the realm is not worthy of.”

Annabell narrowed her eyes again. Her pure white eyes looked into Dexion’s darkness, and for a moment they silently stared, watching one another. ”You lie.”

”Nothing I say will ever be enough.” The crow replied, ”You are distrustful; it does not suit your nature. Is it fear because you cannot understand when I am truthful, or arrogance, believing you know better than what is before you?” The crow flew up before Annabell could speak. ”I tire of this, your constant nagging has limits. I am doing what I had done when alive, and continuing what Veron promised. Do not impede my work anymore, or Little Tristan will be the one to suffer.”

Annabell wished to scream at him, but the room fell into darkness once more. With the flapping of wings, it vanished, leaving Annabell alone.