Tangled Hearts

How could Alec not see how precious the floof was? It was nothing more than a little poof of grey fur no bigger than the palm of your hand, with a bushy tail and two big, shiny, black eyes. It had no mouth, and no feet, and moved by bouncing and rolling. When you held and squeezed it, it felt like a pillow, with no bones inside. It made a strange little chirping sound, and wiggled its tail every time it chirped. Rhett had no idea what it was, just calling it a floof, and he was going to protect the thing with his life.

“Please, please, please can I keep it?” Rhett begged.

“You can’t just smuggle some… thing you found in the woods of Farewyth back into Aegaera,” Alec told him. “How did you even get it back in here?”

“In my pocket,” Rhett grinned.

He showed Alec how the floof could squish together like putty, fitting perfectly in his pocket with just two black eyes staring out, blinking. Alec sighed, rubbing his forehead. The military had just arrived back in Aegaera, and everyone was splitting off to go home and see their families again. Rhett had rescued the floof straight off the battlefield as it bounced around and tried to avoid getting stepped on. He wasn’t sure what the thing was and had decided to name it a “floof” on his own, later renaming his new pet Octavious. Gus for short.

“Fine,” Alec sighed, rubbing his forehead. “You know what? Keep it. But I swear, if people see it and start asking questions, and I get in trouble for stealing from Farewyth, you’re the one who has to deal with it. It better not be poisonous, either. I haven’t seen my family in months. I’m going to go squeeze a few hours of blissful sleep in before that stupid party. I suggest you do the same.”

“Right, family,” Rhett said, saluting Alec sarcastically as he walked away with Gus.

Rhett didn’t have much to go home to. Despite the “riches” he’d won over the years, he gave most of it away to live in a very, very small shack of a home in the odd part of town. He stopped at the front door and ran his thumb over a small, golden symbol on the wood, which was just a nine pointed star. Inside the house, there was a small table set up with the same symbol, this time in the form of a solid gold tablet. Beside the tablet was a rosary, as well as the holy book of Light.

Rhett picked up the rosary and started muttering prayers, continuing what he’d started earlier. After the war, he felt the need to beg forgiveness from every soul that had been lost, whether or not they were an enemy and whether or not Rhett had been the one to kill them. Light was a dying religion in Aegaera, but those committed to it truly devoted their lives to It. Rhett felt he had to thank Light for saving his life, when he was young. When he was beaten to a pulp by some older boys, it was just the priestesses from the nearby temple who cares enough to bring him back to their abbey, where they nursed him back to health. The women who completely devoted their lives to Light were called Lumina, as a synonym to the luminous deity they praised.

Rhett kept the beads in his hand, flopping onto the small mattress on the floor he used in place of s bed, jumping slightly in surprise when he heard Gus chirp in his pocket. He'd almost forgotten about the floof. It was lucky it was squishy, or it may not have been okay to wiggle out of Rhett’s pocket and start bouncing around on the springy bed, chirping happily as it jumped up and down like it was up on a trampoline.

“Well, it's just me and you, now,” Rhett said. “Just some ground rules: We live modestly - not that you even need any material objects - because that's what Light wants us to do. We live selflessly - not that you even have enough sense to live selfishly - because living selfishly brings darkness into your heart. We hurt no one - though you don't even have a mouth to bite people with - because that is forcing your own darkness into someone else’s heart. You understand? I won't make you pray before every meal, but you have to know the basics. Oh, and the most important rule of all: if you want to bring a girl home, you have to tell me first so I make sure I don't walk in on the two of you.”

The floof just kept bouncing and chirping, the chirps extending to something that sounded like “wheeeeeeeee” as it went higher and higher.

“Yeah, I know it's a lonely life at home,” he muttered. “That's okay. That's why we surround ourselves with people-”

Rhett was cut off by a frantic knocking at the door. He quickly hid the floof in a box on top of the shelf, opening the door. Standing before him were three Lumina, draped in their gold robes and draped glittering crystal jewelry to represent the shining sun and stars. The eldest, who was a high priestess, wore a gold circlet to represent her status, and her long hair loose. The other two younger ones represented their lower roles by having their hair piled up on their heads, with crystal pins holding it together. They really were a beautiful sight, the way they sparkled. It was a shame they had to live completely pure lives.

“Rhett!” the eldest shrieked, throwing her arms around him and and hugging him.

Naia was his age, and they'd grown up together after the Lumina had taken Rhett in as a boy. She continued on to live the pure Lumina lifestyle, just recently given her circlet and position as a high priestess. The second, Anya, was eighteen years old, and followed Naia around like a puppy. She admired her spiritual sister so much, she strived to be just like her in every way she could. At fourteen years old, the youngest was Gina, who had just been allowed to join the sisterhood a year ago. She was still getting used to having Rhett around, since men weren't typically allowed anywhere near the Lumina, but Rhett was a special case. He knew better than to lust after any of the women, and saw them all like his sisters, not anything else.

They all hugged him tightly, until he had to beg them to breathe again. Naia quickly let go and held his face in her hands, checking him over for any sign of injury.

“Why didn't you tell us you were coming home?” she demanded. “Sister Katia has been worried sick, since you didn't write at all while you were gone. Have you visited her yet?”

“Not yet,” Rhett admitted, thinking of the Lumina who'd been most involved in raising him, and the one he considered more a mother than a sister. “They're celebrating victory tonight. I'll probably indulge in the riches of the royal family. The wine, specifically. I'll say hello and beg for forgiveness tomorrow morning. Save myself some time.”

“You're weird,” Gina said.

“Thanks, Gina,” Rhett grinned. “I missed you too.”

“They're throwing a party to celebrate death?” Anya frowned.

“They're throwing a party to celebrate that more people didn't have to die,” Rhett explained.

“It’s still strange,” Anya said. “Do you really have to go?”

“I”m their general, of course I have to go,” Rhett shrugged, leaning against the doorway. “I don’t want to, either. You’re right, it’s silly. I’ll just go for a couple of hours, take enough food to last me the rest of the week, and come back home.”

“And then you’ll come visit us?” Gina asked hopefully.

“Yeah,” he smiled, ruffling her hair to irritate her. “I’m come visit you all.”

This seemed to satisfy the sisters for the time being, enough for Rhett to rest for a little bit before he was back in a clean uniform and on his way back to the palace. His clean, elegant looking uniform, at least. He had yet to scrub the blood stains out of the other one. He still had to get used to all the glitzy parties Aegaera was throwing now. Ever since they'd united kingdoms with Elbis, they'd become peacocks, just like the Elbians. It was certainly against what Rhett believed in, but he didn't let anyone know that. Rhett didn't let anyone know anything about who he really was. He found that when you acted like a goofy idiot, people set standards low for you and don't ask too many questions. That's exactly what he wanted.

He spotted Prince Joshua and Holden, with Princess Annemarie hanging off him like a pretty little monkey. Ever since the was against Jalecia, which left Holden with a horribly scarred face and only one eye, he didn't talk much. Which was fine, because Annemarie talked enough for the both of them.

“Where's Belle?” Rhett asked, noticing that one member of the gang was missing.

“With the rest of the mothers,” Annemarie told him. “She's graduated beyond us.”

Rhett looked over to where Belle was with Lily, holding one of her twins on her hip and holding the hand of the other as he toddled around in his shiny new shoes. Caspian was there too, but he was talking to someone in a form-fitting black gown that Rhett only vaguely recognized. He narrowed his eyes, trying to remember where he'd seen her before, then realized it.

“Is that the cousin?” he asked Joshua.

“Lara Everhart?” he asked. “She hasn't been around since she went back to Elbis a few years ago. She came to Aegaera just yesterday. To stay, apparently. Rumor has it she's not allowed back home and Caspian is the only one still willing to attempt to handle.”

“I see. She really… grew up.”

“And she's finally old enough to take an interest in her, eh Rhett?” Joshua grinned.

“Sucks that you're just old now,” Holden said bluntly.

“It's only, what, eight years?” Rhett smirked. “No one said I was interested, anyways. She's nice to look at, I'll give her that.”

“She'd never give you the time of day,” Annemarie said. “You're better off staying away before she embarrasses you.”

“What, you don't think I can get her?” Rhett asked, raising a brow with a sly grin. “Oh, I love a challenge. I can do whatever I want.”

“He did run a black market empire when he was sixteen,” Holden reminded her. “Right under all our noses. I wouldn't underestimate him.”

“This isn't the black market, this is Lara Everhart,” Joshua said. “I'll tell you what… If you can get her on the dance floor, I'll give you this watch. Right off my wrist.”

Rhett eyed the gold watch as Joshua removed it and held it up. He grinned, smoothing out his hair and uniform as he waited for Lara to be alone. Once Caspian and Belle had walked away, he went in, giving her a bow and the most charming smile he could come up with. She just stared, unamused. Rhett studied her quickly, knowing she was going to be hard to crack.

“I remember you,” she said, unimpressed.

“Good, I can save time without the introductions, then,” he said. “Welcome back to Aegaera.”

“The welcome committee was lacking,” she said bluntly, sipping her wine. “I shouldn't have expected much from Aegaera.”

“Harsh, but I think I liked the way that hurt,” Rhett said. “Would you care to dance?”

“In your dreams,” she said.

“Yours, actually.”

“What?” she frowned, staring at him in somewhat annoyed confusion.

“It's all a dream,” Rhett said, very seriously. “None of this is real.”

“You're weird,” Lara told him. “Please go away.”

“I can't,” he sighed, with mock distress. “It's your dream, not mine. Your subconscious wants me here, and I'm just a figment of your imagination. I can't leave without your consent.”

“You have my consent,” she said. “Beat it.”

Rhett tried to move, but acted like his feet were stuck to the ground.

“It's your subconscious,” he said. “I'm sorry, it's not up to me. It's your dream, after all. I'm stuck here until you give into your fantasies.”

“This is not a fantasy of mine,” she told him, plain and simple. “You're too average. You're not tall enough.”

“How do you know it's not a dream?” Rhett asked. “How can you be sure?”

“What?”

“I mean, you won't know for sure until you wake up,” he shrugged. “Some dreams can be very realistic.”

“You're so weird.”

“I've been hearing that a lot today.”

She looked down at her drink pensively, then set it down and held her hand out to him with all the flair in the world. Rhett grinned, taking her hand with an equal amount of flare as he gave her a deep bow, giving a quick wink to a completely dumbstruck Joshua as he led Lara to the dance floor. It was a rather quick number, and she seemed surprised that he could even keep up the way he did. A sloppy guy like Rhett didn't look as good on his feet as he really was.

“Fantasies coming true, General?” she asked him.

“Quite so,” he agreed. “I just won a gold watch off a prince. Everything is great.”

“Watch?”

“Oh, this had nothing to do with you,” Rhett said. “A friend said I wouldn't be able to get you on the floor. Not everyone is fawning over you all the time, Miss Everhart.”

Lara seemed to piece everything together quite quickly, smug smile falling off her face. Rhett noticed her tense and was ready for it when she slapped him across the face, but he didn't bother to try and stop her. If she liked being dramatic, she could have all the drama she wanted. He grinned as she stormed away from him, rubbing his cheek. As promised, he got Joshua’s watch, even if Joshua wasn't very happy about it. Still, Rhett felt a slight bit of respect and fondness for the girl. He thought about it on his walk home. Not everyone had an answer to everything, and he admired that she did. He examined the watch as he walked, stopping and kneeling down to a homeless man with his young daughter, slouched against the wall, and handed him the watch.

“You need it more than I do,” Rhett told him.

He didn't give either of them a chance to protest or offer him anything before he walked away. Just knowing that the kid may not have to sleep on the street for a few days was enough for him.