Birdie

Darkness as my cover and silence surrounding me, I moved quickly through the empty manor halls. It was well best midnight and yet I could not sleep one wink. Contemplation is my enemy of the night for all my ideas, all my plans, memories, speculations, musings, and feelings have taken ahold of my body and have deprived me of sleep. Once one thought is seemingly completed or to be dealt with at another time, a new one takes its pale. Finally feeling overwhelmed with all of this thinking, I had thought it beneficial to actually get out of bed and do something. That's when I spied the leather journal and the golden key beneath my pillow, grabbed them, and snuck quietly from my room.

The servants have retired to their quarters long ago, as had Pierre and Uncle Edwin. I am alone in the halls save only for the tickling breath of a cold Autumn night. Running on the balls of my feet, I descend the stairs and enter the corridor of the second floor, and take off down the second hallway. I stop before the bedroom that had once been my Uncle's and Odette's, wrapping my slender fingers around the crystal knob and breathe in deep. I exhale and push it open.

The room is cold and sterile, a square box that lacks the emotions I had felt the last time I had been here. The contents of the room still are in utter disrepair, but no feelings of remorse or longing still linger. I rub my right shoulder with my hand, shaking away the cold before tip-toeing over to the large chest in the corner. I kneel before it and open it, drawing back the lid slowly so it does not groan and creak. I place the diary and the key gently on the bottom of the chest, gazing over the items with care and my final goodbye. My eyes linger for a moment on the picture of the Silversmythe family- darling Elena with a smile as wide as can be and one of her front teeth missing, Odette with her straight back hair, beautiful eyes, and sophisticated smile, and lastly Uncle Edwin with his slicked back hair and fatherly gaze.

With a feeling of woebegone and yet, at the same time, the sadness after a good friend departs, I stand and glance over the room once more. Books thrown here and there and pages cluttering the floor, tables upturned, and sheets and pillows torn with feathers everywhere. On impulse, I start to clean. I put the bookshelves upright and place the books back in their places. I collect the mistreated pages and stack them in a neat pile and set them on one the nightstand that I have to put right. Next I collect each and every feather and push them back inside the pillows. Some are uneven but it doesn't particularly matter all that much. Then, I make the bed, hiding the rips in the linen as best I can. I'm not sure how much time has passed when I have finished, but the light streaming through the window tells me that it is rapidly approaching the morning hours.

I turn around with a yawn and head for the door, looking back to inspect my work. Everything is tidy and in its place except for the bed. Though I swear up and down that I had smoothed out the sheets as best I can, the imprint of a hand has taken form on the comforter, as if it had been clutching it fondly. With a final thought on to leave the bed and all thoughts of the handprint alone, I leave the bedroom and make my way through the hall.

"Have you finally figured it all out?"

I stumble backward in fear, hands clutching at my chest. I nearly fall down but I am able to steady myself using the wall for support. I exhale deeply, breathing hard as I spin on heels. Sitting next to the bedroom door with her knees pulled up to her chest and her chin resting on them is Tinsley. The snow-haired faery is completely still. Her bright sunshiny eyes are closed, but there are tears streaming down her cheeks, but her tears are much different than that of a human. Each droplet catches every fraction of light and reflects color all around us, a glimmer of blue here and a spec of pink there.

"Tinsley," I whisper softly, still panting. "You just took a year off my life, I think. How long have you been out here?"

"Have you finally figured it all out?" She repeats, her voice firm yet sorrowful. I raise and eyebrow and come to sit cross-legged in front of the girl. Looking onto her smooth pale face, I can't find a trace of anything but tears. No emotion is shown, just her tears.

"Did I figure what out?"

"Elena," she murmurs, "and Odette, and why they're not here. About how it's all my fault."

"Odette was ill. You had no control over that," I say soothingly, reaching out to touch her hair. Through closed eyes she senses my motives and jerks away from my hand. I withdraw my hand as though she'd tried to bite me.

"True enough, but I am the reason Elena isn't here. I am the reason Master Edwin sees her in everything. I am the reason he busies himself with work rather than living his life to the fullest. I took away what was precious to him and just look how its changed everything. Master Edwin is worse off than he was ten years ago and Elena hasn't been heard from since they day they took her. For all we know, she's dead. And it's all my fault."

"No, no, no, no. No," I say sharply. "Now, you look at me, Tinsley. Look at me. Open your eyes." A moment passes but slowly her eyes open, two irises the color of sunflower petals staring at me. I lay a hand on her knee. A chill finds its way through my body but I ignore the need to shiver. "None of that is your fault. You did the right thing."

"I had a daughter taken from her father-"

"You did the right thing," I say, tone as solid as a stone. "Uncle Edwin came to you, and only you, when he asked for you to write to the orphanage. He trusted you to do the hardest task he could ever have done in his life. He knew that you would understand, and I know that you did. He knew that she wasn't safe with a father who is slipping in and out of normality. You got her out of here and into a safer, more loving environment."

"Still, there is no love greater that could be given to her than her father's. Now she'll never have the chance."

"Tinsley, there are all sorts of love in this world. She is probably loved just as much by her new family as she would have been here. And seeing as she's what? A few years older than me? I believe that by now she would have realized that what her father was going through when she was little was not the best environment for her and that he did her a favor. I am almost positive she knows how much courage and love that must have took."

"I tore them apart," she whispers, eyes pleading for me to deem her guilty. I shake my head and move so that we are sitting side by side. She leans against me with her head tucked into the crook of my neck. I reach over and stroke her hair and this time she lets me, her only protest being a sad sigh.

"You did nothing wrong. Trust me, Tinsley, you helped this family more than you realize."

"I have told myself this over and over, but I still cannot escape the guilt I feel."

I keep stroking her hair and lean my head against hers. I close my eyes now, drowsiness starting to set in. I have been up all night after all, I should have expected this. However, I force my eyes open, forcing myself to be alert and awake. "Guilt is not worth feeling. What is done is done, and there's no changing it. She's better off, happier even, where she is now."

"Do you really believe that?"

I sigh in thought. Do I really believe that? After all, I know that no matter how I feel towards my Uncle, he will never replace my father. The love that we shared seems irreplaceable. But that doesn't mean that my Uncle and I's love isn't of the same magnitude, rather it's just a different sort of connection. She could be feeling the same as I do no, loved by someone who took her in. "Yes. I do."

She exhales, her faery breath sweet and sugary in the chilled air. It is a long time until she speaks. "Then I believe it too," she says.

"Good," I smile, shifting so that she moves off my shoulder and I am able to stand. She stands as well, both of us flattening out our nightgowns. I smile down at her as she looks back up at me, conveying her gratitude as best she can. I bend down and kiss the top of her head.

"Let's go back to bed, shall we?" She grins, wiping away crystal like tears with back of her hand. She sniffles, giggling soon after. I peer around her to get a glimpse of the window and the rays of the sun already creeping through the panes. I shake my head.

"I can't," I apologize, "I have to get ready for school."



When Pierre and I return from school, I seek out Anastas immediately. Unfortunately, he's not at our usual spot waiting for me but after a minute or two of searching I find him in his little garden that extends from the backyard through the glass tunnel. Anastas works diligently, snipping dead or deformed petals from his creations and eliminating any thorns or things that would make his flowers ugly otherwise. He lifts his eyes to meet me when I approach but drops them soon after to continue you working.

"I am sorry, Skye. I have to cancel our session for today."

"Why?" Curiosity pounding through my core, I come closer yet. He snips at something and then breezes by me, passing a square card into my hands. It is bordered in shimmering gold and adorned in silvery spirals that make the shape of flowers. On the back side is a large imprinted symbol of the Royal family's crest- a rather large lion barring the antlers of a buck.

"It's an invitation," I say aloud, more so to myself. Finally done inspecting it, I flip the card so that its words face me and begin to read:

Dear loyal subject,

It has been brought to my attention that your floral creations have been deemed the most excellent of all three Kingdoms. My council shall be convening in exactly three nightfalls from this night and I require your foral expertise. You are requested and commanded to arrive at the palace in two days time so that you may furnish my halls with your creations. Bring whatever supplies or crew you need, but if you chose to be absent, you will be punished.

The One and the Only,
King Avedin

"More of a requirement, actually, but I am excited about it nonetheless."

"When did this even happen?" I ask as I hand the invitation back to Anastas. He takes it and pushes it into the waist of his pants, having nowhere else to place it.

"This afternoon. After I had escorted you and Master Stillson to the school, I came back to Everstile at about noon to sell my flowers. I do this maybe two or three times a week, but today a little human man in the fanciest clothing I had ever seen and escorted by two humans in armor approached me and handed me this piece of paper. I finished out the day selling and then came back here to decide what plants would look best in the palace."

"This is an amazing opportunity," I remark as I look over his plants. So many of them would look great anywhere- plants with blossoms that are glistening white stars and ones whose petals could grow or shrink in size or alter their shapes and colors.

"I am quite aware," he chuckled. I hear his scissors snip at something else. I breathe in deep, hoping that my next question will not surprise him and if it does, that he will understand and allow for what I am asking. I tighten my fingers into a fist and exhale.

"Do you think it would be possible," I pause and gulp. Anastas steps away from behind a row of flowers, coming to stand in front of me. He looks down at me curiously with his white eyes concentrated and gleaming in the Autumn sun. "Would it be possible if I could accompany you to the palace?"

"My answer is yes," he says slowly, but tilts his head with skepticism, "But I must ask why?"

I blush and hang my head. I then tell him of my plans, of telling the king of the mechimals and hoping that he might want to endorse it and put in orders of his own or do something to get the word around. He watches as I explain and when I finish, he smiles at me. "That sounds like a good idea, Skye. You may accompany me, but I advise you to bring one of the products with you. From what I hear, the king is a rude little man who bores easily. Your words may not sway him, but demonstration just might."

"Thank you so much!" I wrap my arms around his middle and bury my head into his gut. He laughs but places his cold hands upon my shoulders in a moment's time.

"There is no thanks needed. You are doing a wonderful by trying to help your uncle kickstart his business. You've truly been there for him through it all. You've given him support and encouragement and love. He'll appreciate this, even if the king declines."

"You really think so?" I asked and hugged the faery tight. Despite his cold exterior, his friendship and his support kept me warm. He has been kind to me since I have met him and I would like to think that he thought more of me than just a human he knows. I hope he values me just as much I value him. He rubs my shoulder softly and I take it as a sign that he does.

"I do," he smiles and pulls away. He returns to his place behind his plants, trimming and making his flowers absolutely perfect. I stand there for a moment, lost in thought, but he steps out once more to shake me from my thoughts. He laughs and says, "Just because I am busy today does not mean you can skip your endurance building. Go, get to running." I chuckle, followed by a sigh, and leave the greenery area behind to start my training by myself for the day.