Dissonance
3027 Words
I searched the stair’s ledge for support. Another blot landed on my feet. It was darker than the one before it. Plates shattered, voices screamed, and tears crawled. Something crunched—it sounded like an instant noodle cracked in half. I ran toward the kitchen where it had escalated.
Two girls, barely women, had their fingers tangled in the other’s hair. Crimson darker than human blood flowed from one’s ear. On the other, it ran from the nostrils. They both cursed, called the other one names of infamy, and scowled like tigers thirsty for blood.
“Ladies, I don’t want to see more blood flying across the floor,” I tried to separate the two from their unbreakable grasp.
“Stay out of this!” their unified voice pushed me to the cupboards and dropped to the floor.
I crawled in the grizzly scene. These weren’t girls anymore, but savages. All love disappeared from Cyrille’s eyes. A thread of crimson met me halfway through my goal. Their deafening screams shook the household. An icicle from the ceiling dropped on my back.
My hands wrapped around Cyrille’s body, pulling her away from the intruder. She let go, but the pulling continued on my hair. Burning ice danced in her blue eyes. She stabbed my shoulder blades with her fists. I tightened my hug on her. Cold tears continuously flowed down her eyes. I couldn’t speak.
“Well done, my queen,” an aged man clapped behind us, walking stick clutched under his pits. “You have shown your prowess against this meddling intruder.”
“Redler? Why are you here?” Cyrille’s cries halted in an instant.
“I was passing by, my queen, when I heard the commotion. It seems that the root of it was this young man. I knew he was trouble,” he stared at me with utter disgust.
She slammed my arms to the ground. A good-sounding c***k followed. I couldn’t feel my legs, and there was nothing else to aid with my mobility. I slumped there, mute and unfeeling. Why did things end up this way? It was painful to breathe, painful to not at all. She didn’t glance in my direction—not even once.
“My, Her Grace doesn’t look so good. Does she want me call in a professional?” Redler offered.
“No. I can manage myself. Bring me some tea and biscuits. I need to think, so you may excuse yourselves after. You saw nothing here, you got it?”
“Loud and clear.”
“Luke, you hear me, right?” she paused, interluded by stifled breaths. “I’m so disappointed in you. Well, what should I expect of a human? How can I give myself to you when you give yourself easily?” she sighed. “Love doesn’t end in words, you know.”
“Cy… Cyrille… I… I…” a squashed voice attempted to escape from my throat.
“No more, Luke. Please…”
An icicle bore my back deeper three times, “Just passing through. Don’t mind us.”
“Gah!” a weak groan came from me.
“Oops, my bad. It must suck to be you, boy,” Redler crouched down and smirked at me.
“Redler, why are my tea and biscuits taking so long? Have you heated the pot yet?”
“We’re on it, Your Grace. There was an obstruction in the way.”
“Speed it up, please. I have some business to care of. I can’t get to it until I have had my sip.”
“What are your plans with this boy if you don’t mind me asking?”
“But I do mind, Redler. He’s part of my business. Am I required to share my personal matters with you?”
“Uhh, that’s not it. It wasn’t my intention. I will get to your tea,” abashed, his feet rushed to the counter.
Steam from the oval pot kept track of time. He poured me a glance of suspicion as he transferred some of its contents on a cup, and the rest in the thermos. His gaze never left me until he cleared my place of abandonment. What else was I supposed to do? My limbs became numb, so were my mouth and excuses.
“You’re lucky she didn’t cut off your head,” a snide catch up from him.
“Where’s my tea, Redler?” a demand coming from her.
“It’s on its way, Your Grace. Forgive me, but should we do something about this boy?”
“I said he’s part of my business. Don’t make me repeat myself. Make sure to lock the door when you leave.”
“I have a proposal if you would so allow it,” he whispered, but it was inaudible.
“No! We can’t have him undergo that thing. Have you forgotten what happened before?” she rigidly declined.
“But Your Grace, he could be useful to us.”
“I won’t allow it. End of discussion.”
“But You Grace—”
She raised a hand, “Goodbye, Redler. See you tomorrow.”
“We will see ourselves out. Apologies for stalling your business,” the door clicked with a gentle slam.
I noticed lines of crimson flowing out from my arms, heading for my mouth. Some dried on the floor together with the previous fight. Darleen was gone. I didn’t feel her leave and there was no other way out. Could have I dreamed her? No, that’s impossible. I swore I felt her presence. Was it her, though? My eyes whited out.
A beep and black turned white. Another beep and I saw a thin white line. On the third beep, there was a girl—her eyes blue as sky, her dress a simple cyan, and her cerulean hair curled up. With my throat dry, I tried to speak, but no word ventured out. Her face was blank as a sheet of paper when she saw me lift my arm.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
I shook my head, “I… I…”
“Shh… rest up some more. Save your strength. I won’t leave your side until you get better.”
A soundless breath ran from my mouth, and my eyes closed.
Hurried knocking brought me back to the surface of my consciousness. Cyrille wasn’t there by my side. A group of old men smirked by the door, holding a bouquet of white roses. I learned from my mother that they meant innocence and symbolized early death of a child. Hopefully, they won’t step on me this time.
“Who died?” I asked.
“We offer peace. These white flowers symbolize a starting friendship for us dragons,” Redler placed the flower over the side desk.
I quickly replied, “Apology accepted.”
“We haven’t confessed to our sins yet. Hear us out, okay?”
“My ears are open,” I glared at them.
“The girl you saw earlier was an imposter. She was an experimental clone the castle was working on. I slipped a gray square patch under the table after having tea with you. Somehow, Cyrille found out about this and called us off. Could you please help us appease our queen?”
“Why should I help you? To her, I’m a dirty pig. No, a wild boar driven by lust,” my words flew like daggers.
“We heard and we are sorry for that,” they bowed with knees folded to the ground. “Please forgive us from our trespasses.”
“Drop your Middle English accent. Talk to me like a normal human being. I’m not your lord worthy of worship, but a lowly boy stuck in this foreign land.”
“Your roots started here. Meaning, you aren’t a foreigner, but a lost descendant,” he explained.
“Quit venerating me. It doesn’t make me feel any better,” I gazed at the glass window opening up to the cloud afternoon sky.
“But that’s a fact. There are ancient records that prove your kind’s existence with ours,” he insisted.
“I thought they existed in fairytales.”
“And you thought we only existed in them. We are living proof.”
I laughed hard, “You have what it takes to be a comedian instead of a counselor. You were only protecting your queen’s interest, and I forgive you for that. I haven’t taken good care of her, but I’m trying.”
I squeezed the ends of white sheets. Will she be able to forgive me for this? What should do?
“Her Grace speaks highly of you when we are alone with her. She would always count your bravery and manliness inside her chamber. Keeping you here might bring her risking the Crown.”
“What should I do? I can’t leave this continent. She’s also mad at me for giving in to my desires.”
“We are at fault for pushing you to your limits.”
“’You cannot change what happened, but what happens after,’ my father used to say that,” I placed my hands behind my head. “I hope gramps is doing alright.”
“We weren’t lying when we told you he was in the hospital bed. It’s been months since you’ve been gone. After a couple of weeks, it would be a half a year.”
“Hold on, am I hearing you right? Months have passed?”
“That’s right. A day here is equivalent to one week. We can’t tell exactly when the barrier will normalize and allow us departure. For now, it’s best to stay here.”
“She would wish I’d disappear after what happened. There shouldn’t be a reason for me to stay here and yet I have no place else to go.”
“How about we give you some physical exercise to help you think?” he offered. “Your wound should be fully healed by tomorrow. You were only unconscious for a few hours.”
“Wouldn’t she wonder where I went?”
“Let us handle that for you, but promise us that you will talk to her.”
“Alright. I will do what I can.”
“Also, keep this a secret between the four of us. It’s best to not mention a breath to her.”
“What are you boys doing here? You’re not distressing my patient, are you?” Cyrille stormed through the door.
“We meant no harm, Your Grace. We offered white roses to this boy.”
She scooped up the bouquet, “Do you know what this flower means to humans? Why the white roses?”
“We were exchanging flower language. Since he resides in our land temporarily, the meaning should stay within our borders.”
“Is this true, Luke?” she bore her eyes through mine.
“Yeah, we were talking about flowers. The conversation had me going.”
“May I ask where you learned about the meaning of flowers, boy?” Redler stepped closer.
“My mom taught me a lot of things about flowers. She cared for her nursery like they were her children. I would get jealous and cut some stems off. Later in the day, she will scold me for messing with her flowers.”
“You must hate your mother, then?”
“Not really. I wasn’t close to my parents as much as gramps. His stories transport me to different worlds when I was a kid. When I reached pre-adulthood, I became an unpaid worker in his farm. His wife was a stranger to me—she passed before I gained the ability to think.”
“What about your father?”
“He’s almost always never home. When he does see me home, I get scolded about my grades. Mom’s complaints add up to this sermon. It’s worse when they double team against me. I’m the only son, the sole bastard inside that cursed household. So, they sent me to the province with gramps.”
“Enough with the backstory. Let him rest, boys,” Cyrille spun the white curtain.
“Get well soon, Luke. We’ll come and visit you again,” Redler tipped his fedora.
She sighed, “They get to my nerves sometimes. Anyway, are you feeling any better?”
“I’m breathing fine and I can move my limbs. Am I free to go?”
“One step out of that bed and you’ll regret it. Don’t think that I have forgiven you. I have your list of sins with me.”
“Can I be pardoned? Look, I’m sorry and it won’t happen again. My heart and mind will stick where they belong. I place my promise in Elder Blue’s sacred koi ponds,” a cross drew on my heart.
“No, I won’t bring you there. You are incapable of keeping your promises.”
“Let’s start again, okay?” I placed her hands to where my heart was. “I love you and you are the world to me.”
“Even if you or your grandfather dies?”
“Family is out of the question on this bet.”
“If I become your world, doesn’t that mean you are going to leave your family, eventually? Humans have relatively short lives.”
“I can always visit, but that doesn’t mean they have to die.”
“Change of topic. I want to try something with you,” she mounted my belly. “Do you think I’m pretty?”
“You are more than beautiful in my eyes,” my hands crawled up to her tiny stomach.
She whacked them off with her hands, “I’m serious. Who is prettier, Darleen or me?”
“Of course, it’s you,” my hands shaped her chest.
She hit my cheek, “Get a hold of yourself. I’m asking you some important questions.”
“Don’t you want it to be more?” I playfully whispered.
“It can’t be more than this until you stop drooling on my body,” she crossed her arms.
“You’re sitting on top of me, how can I resist your perfect curves?”
“p*****t! I’m teaching you restraint and abstinence.”
“I’m not a virgin anymore. Is that it? You’re disgusted because of me, right? Give it to me straight, Cyrille, I’m a big boy,” I urged her.
“If you so insist,” she exhaled. “I didn’t like how you acted earlier. Taking a girl into my home and fooling around with her. Have you no shame? What happened to you, Luke?”
“I told you, I wasn’t myself. That woman tricked and manipulated me. If this would not excuse me of my crimes, at least, let me say I’m very sorry that I cheated on you. I have learned my lesson.”
“I had my punishment ready for you, but I may not use them after all. Those guys are getting it.”
“Please don’t be hard on your subordinates. They were simply doing what’s best for their queen.”
“They overstepped the line, involving you. I’m not mad at them, but disappointed. They should have known better than to mess with humans. We are the wisest race in all of Draconia. How can they be so childish?”
“I think they were a little bit jealous. That’s how kids are when a new person lives with them from where I came from.”
“Still, you are fragile, weak, and unreliable.”
“Ouch.”
“Oh, sorry, did I sprain a muscle?” she immediately dismounted.
“No. Your words sting like a fat-needled syringe.”
She punched my rib, “I thought you were going to say I was fat.”
“I didn’t though,” I laughed. “Are we friends now?”
“I don’t know. I mean, I still love you, so…”
“It’s a yes, then?”
“Maybe. I have to think of a punishment for the boys.”
“Please, leave them be. They promised not to repeat what happened earlier, as did I.”
“Really?” her palms burned my face with a c***k. “Call me if you need anything.”
“Ow! It stings like a bastard!”
“It sounds like you, Luke,” she shouted from the hall.
The day has come for me to train. A squadron of dragons marched the stone plains. I followed behind their thick, swooshing tails. Whistles impeded further advance. From the distance, a gunshot roared from a mile away. They didn’t move a muscle, even after a second shot was drawn.
Holding my heavy gun above my shoulders, I wasn’t sure what I was doing.
- Writer
