Little Black Bird

The world is dim. So very dim. Everyone is so close, but so far away. They don’t speak anymore. They don’t dance anymore. They don’t do anything anymore. They sit there and die.
I don’t want to die yet. But everything is getting so very dark and far away.
What do I have to live for?

A light, in the distance began to dance its way closer. It seemed to twirl one way and then jump another. It made stops in the darkness, but not for very long. Soon it seemed like it might reach out and touch you. “..ell….now,” Gurgled words reached through the void. Words. It remembered words. “…ou…you have a kind face.” The light speaks.

It is a light and not a light all at the same time. The light should speak more though, It wishes to hear more words. Much time has passed since any words were spoken for It to hear.

“I feel like you can hear me.” “You are listening aren’t you, these faces aren’t for nothing.” “Who carved your faces?” “This place isn’t evil. You could never be evil.” “Today my mother made me practice sewing while my brother and sister got to see the West Woods. They have magic there still they say.” “The dark is really calming. Talking to you is calming as well.” “Do you have a family?” “Father wouldn’t let me see the magic show. Voulg sniffers he called them.” “The house tree made flowers for me.” “Can you do magic?” “My little sister said I wasn’t allowed to play dolls with her cause they like me better.” “Darkness is much better than the light. No one can give you strange looks when they can’t see you.”

This light always comes back. Almost every night. It begins to look less and less like a simple light every time. Its words are very clear now. It just sits and talk. The light finds comfort, It thinks it feels this comfort as well.

Then the light didn’t come. It didn’t come for a long time. That darkness that the light liked was filling everything up again. When the light did come, it came fast and clear. Something was wrong with the twirling light. It flickered. Not flickered out, but flickered brighter and brighter until it was unbearable. “Can’t you just be a person and not a tree. You’d be the only person that listens to me. You’d be the only person I’d like.”

Two blue orbs pierced the light and the darkness and a warmth began to flow. It was a tree, but it wasn’t a tree. Soon it was only the part that wasn’t a tree and instead was a boy; a child boy whose hand was being held by a child girl. Lines crawled up the right arm of the girl from where their hands met. She didn’t seem to notice, her eyes were focused on the tree that turned into a boy.

“You are the light.” Finally It could talk back to the light.

“You’re my tree friend. Do you have a name?” The girl wasn’t as shocked as a sane person should be. She adjusted and accepted that a large old tree turned into a boy. Her face was actually delighted and curious.

The boy pondered this question. Did he have a name? He thought perhaps at one point he did. Blurred in the back of his head something came out of his mouth as, “Luca. My name is Luca.”

“That’s pretty, I like it. My name is Skylark!” She replied bubbly. The questions flew out of her. She had a million. After spilling everything that ever happened to her, she could finally ask him everything. Sadly he knew nothing about how or why anything. He didn’t have a family he knew about. He didn’t have anything. Well he somehow had green greyish torn clothing, but besides that he didn’t have anything.

“Okay Luca, you’re an orphan. You lost your memory and I just found you wondering through South Woods. Not here in the faces. I’ll get in trouble if they know I play with the faces. I’ll get in extra trouble if they think I turned a tree into you as well…so don’t mention that either…come on we’re gonna live together!” She shouted as she grabbed his hand and pulled him in some direction.

“Luca, wake up.” Skylarks’ light hair draped the sides of Lucas’ face. Her eyes staring closely at his were the first things he saw as he woke up. “What were you dreaming about?” She asked as she backed her face away from his.

How you saved my life.

Luca simply sighed and effortlessly picked the girl sitting on his chest off and put her on the bed next to him. “Nothing really” He responded.

After Skylark woke up in the woods, Bast said that it was probably pixie playing tricks at the party. They like to do that. Luca kept quiet about not believing her, for Skylarks’ sake. Why would pixie tricks make Bast act the way they did the other night? Almost as quickly as Luca had the dazed Skylark in his arms, Bast was there and rushing them out to the faces. He almost didn’t have time to whistle for Brein. The wolf jumped out the open window and followed them that night. The elderly woman had a fearful look on her face the entire time. Writing it off a pixies wasn’t enough to convince Luca. The court accepted that excuse pretty readily, not that people giving Skylark weird looks is anything new.

“The fight is today. Do you think Orin is going to win? That would be two generations in a row from Pomprey to be Crown Blood.” Skylark mumbled while she lay on her back kicking her feet in the air. She often spent her mornings in Luca’s room while the rest of the house was bustling about.

“Your brother is a strong fighter; I wouldn’t be surprised if he won.” Luca replied as he pulled a shirt over his head. He watched the small girl in her sleep shorts and loose tank top kick at the drapes hanging from his bed. Sometimes it was hard to tell that she was a high ranking member of court and of royal blood. “What’s wrong Lark?” She was being too quiet.

“I don’t want to watch the fight.” She responded immediately.

Luca sat down next to Skylark and pulled her into his lap. Of course she didn’t want to watch the fight. The fight for Crown Blood was beyond brutal. They used any means necessary. It was dirty. It was bloody. It was to the death. Two families were going to lose their eldest child and the other was going to rule. “You have to watch the fight, little Lark.” He commanded gently to her. “He’s your brother. He needs your support.”

Skylark crossed her arms and swung herself away from Luca. “Orin has never once called me his sister. When people ask how his sister is doing, he always talks about Aine. Even when they ask about the weird sister! I’m the weird sister!” She distracted herself with the small knives Luca kept on his dresser. “I’m the black sheep of this family.” She mumbled mostly to herself.

“Well that’s impossible since you’re a little bird.” Luca responded taking the sharp objects from her hands. “Go get dressed, or I’ll be the one that gets punished.” The taller and stronger male had no problem pushing the blonde girl from his room.

Skylark admitted defeat once the door clicked shut behind her and had no choice but to get ready. She trudged up the stairs to her room. All but ladylike the entire time she found a dress, put it on and made her way to the dining hall. Her dress today was a dark green color and less flowing than what she normally dawned. One side was slit up to her thigh. Her long hair was tied in a tight braid that ran down her back. She didn’t feel like looking like the floating air head everyone took her for.

“Thank you for gracing us with your presence this morning, Skylark.” Adara greeted in the cold tone she always took when speaking to Skylark. “I do hope there will not be any pixie tricks at this event.” She continued as she motioned for her eldest daughter to sit between her and Aine. The table full of guests chuckled lightly at this comment. It was a dark laugh, one that had something hidden behind it.

The tall girl took her seat gracefully. Her eyes scanned the table quickly. Most of the royals were here. Naturally. Her father was not present. He almost never was. They lived in South Woods. North Woods was where most of the political things happened in Albright.

Across the table from her was Orin. Though he never once called her his sister, they didn’t have a bad relationship. Orin didn’t judge her for her lack of interest in the courts or the fact that she enjoyed running and training with Luca and Brein. The Faen, especially the royal bloods, scoffed at physical exertion. Of course the Crown Blood trained daily. It was a Kings job to be strong. It never quite made sense to Skylark, but if she thought too hard about the Faen, none of it made sense.

The breakfast was quiet. No one really spoke unless necessary. Hours before the cruelest event Skylark could ever imagine, was no time for jokes and laughter. Everyone was excited, but chilled to the bone at the same time. Their family could take power or they could be losing their eldest child. That didn’t really matter; two people were going to die today and there was no joy in that thought.

Once the ‘festivities’ were over, families made their ways to the arena. The arena was only ever used for this event. Despite their flaws, the Faen took no pleasure in meaningless slaughter. Under the arena there were three separate chambers; one for each of the families to be with their champion before the fight. The arena itself was chaos.

Adara and Aine cried and hugged Orin. They smothered him really. Skylark watched her brother suffocate by herself. Luca wasn’t allowed in the chambers, but he would be able to watch the fight with her. It was close to the time when the family had to leave. Orin detached himself from his mother and youngest sister and had them ushered out.

“Sweet Skylark, aren’t you going to shed a tear for me?” Orin asked as he walked up to her. Orin was an intimidating man. He was large, his muscles were easily visible and he always had a dark look on his face. That was just his face though; Orin was kind and being raised for Crown Blood had the tendency to take away a smile. His large hand placed itself on Skylarks head.

The blonde scoffed jokingly and motioned to her outfit. “This is my badass dress. I can’t cry while I’m being tough.” She couldn’t keep up the charade and only managed a half smile for the male. “You go and win, okay?” She murmured keeping her eyes on his.
Orin managed a slight smile and nodded his head. “I’ll do that.” Orin turned to move into the preparation room. Skylark had slowly begun to leave before Orin began to speak again, “When I see you again, I have some things I need to tell you, little sister.” That was it and he disappeared into the dark other room.
Skylark made her way up the stairs to her place to watch the fight. Luca stood to the back of the box where her family watched. “Orin called me his sister just now.” She whispered to the dark haired boy when she got next to him.

Luca smiled down at her knowing that Orin’s approval meant a lot to her. It wasn’t an entirely comforting thought for him. The only reason he could think of for Orin to say that was because he thought we was going to lose. The pretty girl was never that perceptive. She never questioned any ones motives; that had been Luca’s job since they met.

The fight was about to begin. They led the competitors onto the arena. There was Vos Illakium, another male and possibly larger than Orin. Vos had long hair that ended by his butt. He was a mountain; extremely strong, but slow. Then there was Zeria Xernous. Zeria had uncommonly dark hair that only made her sharp facial features more intense. She had the typical bright eyes and light skin that shone against her dark hair. More than just her hair, she was known for her fighting abilities. She was faster than anyone and silent.

Against these two, Orin looked like a child. He was a year or two younger. He wasn’t a distinguished fighter. Actually no one had seen Orin fight. He practiced alone with his trainers. Skylark tried many times to get him to train her, but it was all in vain.

To Luca this seemed like it was their plan all along. Vos and Zeria had reputations and were feared, but everyone knew how they fight. Orin was a mystery. He was a strong, dark faced mystery. He wondered if his knowledge of his enemies and their lack of knowledge would actually prove enough.

Skylark tried to lift herself onto the stone ledge of the box to get a better view of the arena. Luca broke from his thoughts to put her up there with ease. She managed a smile before looking over the field. There was a maze made from gnarled bushes that were covered in thorns. Another part was covered in a forest. The last part was completely open but stood on rocks of varying heights.

“Something’s wrong. The trees feel it.” Skylark muttered almost in a trance without moving her eyes from the field. Luca turned to her in time to see a quick flash of electric blue streak in her eyes.