Page 9 of Six Burning Candles

I shouldered past her, my hooves grinding the leaves beneath me into paste mixed with the dirty snow. Tears welled up in my eyes.Well, I did ask her to choose.I told her to tell me what Ineeded to hear.So why does this fucking hurt?My lungs threatened to collapse as I broke out into a gallop. Hands to my mouth to keep the sob from escaping, I sprinted toward the one place that ever made me feel safe.Home.

I broke through the trees, rushed through the streets, and ignored the sounds of boots slapping against the stone as someone ran after me. It took me no time to make it to the massive cathedral doors and bully my way inside before she could stop me. The sound of my hooves hitting the stone echoed around the walls. I felt the stares of all the gods looming over me as I raced through the last few pews toward the back.

“Rosebud? What are—where are you going?” Papa didn’t even have time to react, let alone get off the organ bench before I burst into the backroom. I only heard the crash that followed, and a yelp and curse words after that. It tore me out of my despair long enough to gasp and turn back around. I scrambled, finding Leonardo on the floor, holding his left leg in agony. Keida skidded to a stop beside me.

“Papa,” I squeaked. In the blink of an eye, I was a child again, clinging to my father’s robes and begging him to help the random bird I found in the cathedral yard. Then I was barely twenty, sobbing into his robes as he explained why he couldn’t bring my mother back. All that bravado and strength I carried disappeared as I sobbed, trying to look at his leg. “What happened?”

“I cracked a hoof against the uneven floor,” he wheezed, flopping onto his back. “I’m fine, I’ll be fine.”

“Sir, let me heal you,” Keida rushed forward only to have her hands swatted away.

“No, no, I can do it. Just give me a second.” Leonardo flopped his hands over his face like the room was spinning over hishead. “I’m fine, just an old goat catching the lip of some stone flooring. Both of you stop fussing over me.”

“Sir, please, your hoof is bleeding and your knee is displaced, let me heal you.” Keida reached forward again only to be shooed a second time. I wanted to command Keida to do it. Not that a broken leg or cracked hoof were necessarily bad, my father was notin peril.But my first response to seeing him in pain opened an old wound I thought finally scarred over. Instead, it was a flimsy scab and the wound oozed mercilessly. I trembled on the floor, reaching for the hem of his robes. Papa slowly sat up, putting his leg out ahead of him. He finally saw me and his eyes widened.

“Rosebud, I’m fine, please,” he wheezed, reaching out to cup my cheek. Tears spilled down my face, drenching his palm in my heartache. “I promise you, it’s just a scratch.”

“Are you sure you’re fine?” I crawled closer till I was nestled under his arm. He curled it around my shoulders and hugged me tight.

“Takes more than some clumsy footwork to take out this old cleric. I promise you, I’m fine. Pride’s a little bruised, and my ego’s going to need some tending too, on top of this hoof and knee. But I’m fine. Shhhh, Rosebud, I know, but I’m fine.”

I trembled against his torso, soaking his robes in tears that never seemed to stop. All I could think of was the last hug I gave my mother before she passed. I lay in her bed beside her, listening to her lungs struggling to fill, but her arms so tight around me. I could almost believe she’d make it through the night. When I awoke, she was gone and Leonardo was at her bedside, praying over her. I lay there, trying to listen for her heart, only to hear nothing but my own breaking.

“Sir! The queen is requesting…is everything alright?”

I sniffled hard, sitting up straight to dry the tears on my face. Papa continued to hold me, wrapped up in his arm, but his attention shifted to the cleric. The poor, bewildered clergy man came to a sudden stop a few feet away from us.

“Yes, of course. I’m sure they’re waiting on those blessings and candles. Keida, would you take care of those for me? Take Melrose with you while I get this leg and hoof in order.”

“Sir,” Keida pleaded at the same time I uttered the word ‘Papa’.

“No,” Papa warned with a flop of his free hand. “I have spoken. Cleric Lourne, will you give Keida the list of tasks the queen has requested?”

Leonardo gave me a pat on the back followed by a quick rub before shooing me and Keida away. I wanted to argue, but the sharpness on his face told me there was no talking back. Not as he propped himself back up on that dastardly bench and started to cast healing spells on his leg. While Lourne, one of the elven clerics of the order, rattled off to Keida what was requested from the castle, my focus was entirely on my father.

“Melrose?”

I jumped, twisting to face her. Keida offered me an apologetic grimace before she tilted her head toward the door. “We’re needed at the throne room first.”

“Right,” I swallowed, glancing back at Leonardo one last time, then nodding for her to lead the way.

Chapter Six:

~Keida~

Melrosewantedananswer.It wasn’t the one either of us wanted, but it was better this way. If she hated me, then there was no way she felt for me like I felt for her.I just wish…Wishing was for fools. Instead, I focused on the task at hand.And not the woman I thought I broke.

I finished carving the blessing into the candles for the throne room and pulled the chain to hoist the chandelier up into the ceiling once more. A massive iron contraption that had to be lowered and set on a table to replace all the candles in it.Then I took up the long lighting stick. Stepping back to see where I was aiming, I lit the massive chandelier candle by candle. As it swung gently, offering more candles for me to light, a soft aura of protection and bliss crept down the walls. Candles offered the best conduit for long standing blessings, as they could be carved and left to burn down to the wick, which allowed for such magic to settle into the stone of the room.Not to fluff my own ego, but those were some of the best enchantments I’d made.And the air filled with the sweet scent of sugarplum jam and buttery cake, hot out of the oven and still steaming.

Humming as I worked, I set all the candles ablaze then gingerly stepped down from the table thestaff of the castle gave us to do the work. Many of whom were bustling around me, making sure the throne room was prepared for the oncoming festivities. The second the chandelier was securely in place, and I was back on the ground, they removed the table. I put out the light between my two fingers. The ashen scent of smoke filled my nose, and I inhaled a little deeper than I should have.But I have a secret love for the smell of candles just put out.

“Last one,” Melrose sighed, dusting off her hands on the apron covering her gown.

I peered at her as she tugged it off her body and handed it over to one of the many staff members. They bowed their head to her and muttered their thanks. Most were too busy to stay and chat. I noticed the distinct difference in the attitude around the castle, especially around Melrose. Then again, her attitude was somewhat dourer too. I studied her as she undid her hair, clipped up and away from her neck, then worked to undo any tangles it suffered. While I expected her to come along and heckle me the entire time I worked, nary a mock nor tease was thrown my way. In fact, she asked for an apron and immediately went to work removing old blessings. It made my work infinitely faster…and nowhere near as satisfying.

“There is one more task we are required for.” I pulled my gloves out of my pockets and handed them over to her. “It will require going outside.”

“Then won’t you need these?” she rebutted with raised brows and an incredulous look.