Melissa's Story of Artillicus

Melissa twirled on the dance floor. Her ebony hair flowed in elegant curls down her back and framed her sequined white mask. The dress she wore was a wave of black curtains that opened at the bottom to reveal a teal silk skirt. Melissa’s arms extended and clung to Kaleb’s. No one was supposed to know who anyone else was. It was, after all, a masquerade ball. But how could Kaleb not know who she was? She was the most gorgeous girl in the room that night. Melissa was the most gorgeous girl in most rooms any night.

“So, are you from around here, my Lady?” Kaleb asked in his deep voice. He was dressed in formal, black attire. It was an old dress suit that had been passed down from his father. It was worn by Kaleb’s father when Kaleb’s parents had wed.

“I am not,” Melissa laughed, going along with his joke, wondering if he really knew it was her.

“Oh? And where do you come from? What brings you to Leader Oscar’s holiday ball?”

“I come from lands across seas where I am a princess. My father, the king, was cruel, but there was way for me to escape. Stowing away on the boat of a local merchant, my fate was learned that I was the child of the moon goddess, Atura. She appeared before me in a dream telling me to go to Artillicus. After landing on an island between the two motherlands, I sailed here. Again, Atura came to me, this time while I was still on the island, and told me that I would meet a young man in Artillicus of which the two of us would fall in love instantly. But at the midnight hour of our meeting I would have to kill him.”

“Such a shame. I wish this young man a happy life until he meets you.”

“Such a shame is true. Because I realize that I have fallen in love with you. I have fallen in love with you and so strong is this love I am sure I must kill you tonight. Yet, I wish for more before the midnight hour strikes?”

“As sure as the midnight hour shall come, I am in love with you as well. But I fear your love for me is not true. You have had much to drink and must be mistaking lust for love.” Kaleb tilted his head and raised an eye in curiosity. His blond hair spilled over the top of his full-face mask in the messy way Melissa had come to love. She of course knew it was Kaleb. Who else would have his amazing blue eyes that shone brighter than the sun and deeper than the sea? And who else would go along with her stories? Melissa was a writer, she had always been one. It just came out in her more around Kaleb.

Melissa stared at her best friends with a longing not even she recognized for what it was. She was remembering the first time they played their game with her stories. It was years ago, when they had first met. Kaleb was sitting across from her at a cafe and she was laughing at him.

“So what are your plans for the summer?” Kaleb asked, sighing.

“My plans? I want to fly on the wings of an eagle to North. The polar caps of the Earth have always interested me and what better time to go then now?”

“Yes, but flight? On an eagle? How does one accomplish such a menacing task?”

“Oh! But I’ve done it before. When I was a child I was locked in our apartment and my mother had left me to fend for myself as she went to a party with the local merchant. The tub was overflowing and the stove had lit the walls on fire. I leaned out the window and shouted for help when the great bird swooped down and took me on his back, flying me to the safety of the orphanage a few blocks away.”

“What an adventure! You are indeed, a great story-teller. I fear for the man who falls for you, you could tangle him in lies and feed him what he wants to hear, only for you to own the possibility of breaking his heart at any time you’d like.”

It was Melissa’s blind eye towards compliments of her that she ignored his longing to be the poor man who fell for her.

“Melissa?” Kaleb asked his voice shaky. The music had stopped but she was still clutching him, her head buried in his chest. “Mel?”

“Hmm?” she asked, looking up.

“The music’s stopped. Are we done with your game? I liked your story this time.”

“I’m sorry, the wine. I was dizzy. The room was turning in every which direction it should want. Can we sit down?”

“I should think. Come on, we’ll find you a table. Maybe you should eat something.” He shook his head, worried anything might be wrong with her. “I’ll go get our food. You wait here.” He crossed the wide ball room to the buffet. As he poured gravy on their roast, Leader Oscar walked towards him.

“Kaleb. How are you this fine evening?”

“I am well. And you, Leader?”

“I too, am well. I see you have come with a lady.”

“Well, on some levels, Leader. You see, she is just a friend. We are nothing more than that.”

“But you wish it to be?”

“I do not lie that the prospect has not occurred to me, Leader. But Lady wishes nothing more than friendship.”

“I see. Well, serve her more wine, a lady such as she may get overwhelmed with the alcohol and you may very well get your wish,” Leader Oscar chuckled lightly.

“Are you suggesting I take advantage of her, Leader?”

“I don’t see why it would have any disadvantages. You could only gain from the prospect.”

“I could never do that to her.” His tone was stone hard and he had dropped the politeness that came with calling Leader Oscar by his title. Kaleb frowned and glanced at Melissa, who was focusing hard at a single point on the table as Leader Oscar’s face fell too.

“I always knew you wouldn’t do well in politics because you’re unwilling to do the dirty work to get what you want. I suppose that is what makes us so different.”

“Yes, I suppose so,” Kaleb said, the last two words cold and lingering in Leader Oscar’s ears. “I suppose so.”

He carried the plates back to the table where Melissa had ducked her head in her arms.

“Come on, Mel. You need to eat.”

“What, so I have something to throw up?” She had lost all rhythmic style to her words and refused to lift her head.

“Please, Mel?” Melissa stuck her forehead up and glared at Kaleb before hastily grabbing hold of the fork and shovelling roast in her mouth. Kaleb smiled at his victory. Only he could make her do anything all because of the light flick he added to the end of Mel and the long, childish emphasis on please. He knew she would do anything so long as he said those exact words.