Mathieu (White Flame Trilogy)

by Paula Flumerfelt

  “Maybe it does to you now, but you stepped out of your orphanage and into the realm where the big kids play. Plotting, planning, and maniacal laughter are all requirements to play here. Especially with…well, never mind. How do you like the drink?” Avian said, crossing her legs at the knees. They looked at each other for a few seconds.

  Mathieu sipped at the colored beverage. “It’s unique. Sweet, tangy…and kind of tart.” He took another drink, liking the way the flavors played across his palate.

  She grinned like a cat. “How wonderfully astute of you. I wouldn’t have been satisfied with ‘good’ or anything so mundane. As I’m sure you’ve gathered, I don’t like plain or ordinary. I don’t accept anything less than interesting.” Her glass met the table as she reached for a small cookie.

  “I’m beginning to notice.” He murmured under his breath.

  Avian covered her mouth as she yawn, then rubbed her cheek. “Good. You pay attention. I like that. Tonight, we relax. Tomorrow, we set to work.” There was silence for a moment and then, “Do you own a suit?”

  “No?” Mathieu answered in a confused tone.

  “Damn. I feared that. Well, we’ll just have to get you one. Tonight, before you take me to retire, we’ll stop by my tailor and get him to take your measurements.” Her gaze swept across the lawn critically.

  Mathieu looked around as well, trying to see whatever it was that she saw. “Um, okay…”

  “It’s covered in your compensation for dealing with me, if you‘re worried.”

  He folded his arms, an eyebrow raised. “It’s not that…I’m just not a suit kind of guy.”

  “I don’t have a dress code, but sometimes you need a suit for…occasions.” Avian kicked her feet up onto a little snack table.

  Mathieu fixed her with a look, face still tight with the expected trap that would spring around this concept. “’Occasions’?”

  Her eyes sparkled with unspoken secrets. Something told Mathieu that he’d see that look a lot.

  “Fine. I don’t know the way around the castle, so you’ll need to lead the way…” Mathieu set down his empty cup, tilting his head to look at the sky. It was tinged pink and blue, an amazing swirling of color. “You don’t dislike me, do you?”

  “Not really. I think it’s annoying that Papa stuck me with someone I don’t know, but he could have done worse. Oh! A gift.” Avian reached into the pocket of her silk shirt, pulling out a delicate gold pocket watch with crystal inlay. “This is for you.”

  With gentle hands, he reached out for the pocket watch, cradling it delicately. “It’s beautiful…”

  Grinning, she surrendered the watch to him. “That’s my personal crest. Don’t lose it. It’s only on loan so you aren’t late.” The design had a sun within a star-like shape with pointed edges. It was tribal, almost. “Also, it’ll make sure no one gives you crap if you wander away from me.”

  He considered the design for a moment. “Appropriate.”

  Slowly, her smile softened. She looked across the gently swaying lawn to the castle, her eyes far away.

  “Can I…” he hesitated, “ask you something?”

  Avian nodded, eyes still glazed over. “You may.”

  “What’s Korinth like?”

  Her eyes flicked to his, brow furrowed. “What?”

  Mathieu flushed slightly. “I-I was just curious.” His tone was defensive, arms folding over his chest.

  “I can’t answer that very well,” She finally answered after a long pause, then continued, “however, if you wait until tomorrow, you can ask Professor.”

  “The one you assaulted with the globe?” He said, trying not to laugh over the scene he had seen earlier. It was still fresh in his mind.

  “Yep.” She grinned again. Mathieu noticed that her teeth were very white, even against her pale skin.

  Rolling his eyes, he popped open the watch, looking at the time. “It’s nearly dinner time…We should head back inside so you aren’t late.”

  She wrinkled her nose with a huff. “Fine. If we must.” A dramatic sigh graced her rise to her feet.

  “I’m pretty sure Narrie will scalp me if we aren’t on time. She seems to take her job very seriously.”

  Avian waited for him to offer his elbow, which he did, and they began to walk together. “Shall we?”

  “Yeah.” He was only able to lead her to the door before she had to take over, as to prevent them getting lost. That was something he hoped wouldn’t happen for too long; he hated needing to rely on her to go anywhere.

  The dining hall was large and long, the only room he’d seen with wood, a cherry color, in it used for both the floor and walls. The table in the center was made purely of glass, the legs designed as spiraling columns, the top polished with beveled edges. The chairs were made of something heavier but had the same sheen as the glass.

  “Everything here is so extravagant…” Mathieu sighed, looking around. At first it had been something to marvel at, the decadence seeming so grandiose, but now it was getting tiring. Everywhere he looked were silk tapestries, overdone room décors, and unique stone work.

  Avian wrinkled her nose again. “I suppose it is. I’ll see you soon.” With that, she released his arm and headed towards the table.

  Mathieu looked around the room once more before going out and wandering around the hall aimlessly. He somehow managed to find a kitchen, however, it was empty. Peeking into the cabinets, he discovered that it was a completely empty room. There wasn’t even a crumb. Disappointed, he searched a bit more, how else was he supposed to learn the castle, and nearly took Narrie out as he came around a corner.

  “There you are! I thought you were going to miss dinner.” She took him by the upper arm in a claw-like grip, dragging him down a hall with all the persistence of a mother.

  “Thanks, Narrie…”

  Nodding, she pushed him into the servants’ dining room; it was packed, but homely. There were several small tables pushed together to make a big square with over a hundred chairs around it. People were pressed together, eating and laughing as they talked about the day. Elbows and hands bumped together as everyone moved like a multi-armed organism. Only one seat was left open.

  Many calls of Narrie’s name rose from the group. She smiled and gave a small wave, dragging Mathieu behind her. As she headed for the single straight back chair, a second chair appeared next to the first for Mathieu to sit in. He took it and politely thanked the girl who had retrieved it for him. She patted his shoulder with a genuine smile and reclaimed her seat. They were like a family. It made something inside him ache.

  Looking down at the plate that was put in front of him, he thanked that person too. Oddly, they actually told him ‘not a problem’. Not a problem? It was as if it was expected of them, and he found that strange.

  Mathieu didn’t say much as he ate with the other, only a few people actually acknowledged him, but that was okay. He felt like he was a part of something there, and that feeling was enough. As dinner concluded, he helped clean, drying part of the dishes with Narrie.

  Soon, he was free to go and went back to where he had dropped off Avian. Shouts were coming from inside the room and he hung back, waiting. The yelling was growing progressively louder when it suddenly stopped and the door flew open. In the moment between her emergence and her realization that he was standing there, Mathieu saw the hurt and the tears that were moments from spilling over. Avian’s mask of composer came back up after a split second.

  Without a word, she stomped up to her room, slamming every door she went through. A few of them ended up in his face. As soon as Avian got to her room, she curled up in bed. The blanket was pulled over her head and she was shaking softly.

  Mathieu was fighting a very serious war within himself. He hardly knew this young woman. Should he try to comfort and help her, or was that too intimate? She didn’t seem like the type of person to ask someone to hold her, to soothe her. Would it hurt her pride?

  He settled for something mild;
Mathieu slowly approached the bed, leaned down and touched her shoulder softly. She stilled. “I’m sorry.” He murmured. With that, he stood and went into the room that had been designated as his.

  The room was nice, if a single sized bed covered in a puffy comforter, and a large, overstuffed pillow. The dresser was impersonal. It had translucent, already full of clothes, and the vanity was clearly meant for a woman. It had a round mirror and a stool. A bathroom was attached to the bedroom and it followed the simple theme.

  Mathieu went back into the bathroom and found also that his bag had been set in a corner. The clothes were gone from it and the book was set on his bedside table. He set the pocket watch beside it. The money and his other few belongings were still in the confines of the bag.

  Going to the dresser, Mathieu pulled open a drawer and held up a shirt that must be new, seeing as he didn’t bring it with him. It would fit perfectly. Narrie must have used my other clothes to get my measurements… Refolding the shirt and tucking it away, he kicked off his shoes, stripped to his boxers, then curled up in the bed. It was warmer here than the orphanage had been. He rather liked it.

  ~*~

  Hours had passed, but still he couldn’t fall asleep. Rolling onto his back, he stared at the ceiling, wondering if Avian was alright. Silly. I’m sure she’s fine. It took a few moments for him to realize that he could hardly see. His vision at night had always been rather amazing, able to see by just the stars when no moon was present. But this room was complete dark. He didn’t have a window. Sitting up, he set his feet onto the floor which was surprisingly warm. Everything about this place didn’t make sense and it made him feel off. But he would adapt. He’d desired a new life, and he’d gotten it.

  Using his fingertips, he found the wall and went to the door, pulling it open. He peeked around the doorframe and saw, with the dim light coming in through Avian’s window that she was asleep, if the deep, steady breathing was any indication. As quietly as he could, Mathieu went to the window and looked down at the view. She had a lovely view of the gardens. Even at night, they were lit up.

  He wanted to get a closer look at them; Narrie had said something of gardens earlier, but with whatever had occurred at dinner, he hadn’t gotten to see them yet. The moons were different here: brighter somehow. Just like the castle, it was beautiful. Everything was so visually appealing here…

  Ateri was spectacular; it was as vibrant as they said. Technology was more advanced here than it had been in the few towns he’d been to. Of course, those had been outer towns, not cities liked this. Technology had come a long way. Transportation that were controlled by a telepathic connection were common place. Hologram transmitting crystals were used for communication. Everything was so fancy and high tech.

  “They’re pretty, aren’t they?” Avian stood beside him, her eyes only half open. “The flowers I mean. They were Narrie’s idea.”

  “You should be sleeping.” He gave her a sideways look.

  She shook her head, putting her hand on the window frame. “Can’t sleep. Stay up and talk with me for a bit?”

  He nodded and on impulse picked her up bridal style, carrying her back to her bed. Setting her down gently, he went to retrieve a chair and sat near her. “How long have you and Narrie been together?”

  “Since I was…let’s see…four. Originally my dad wanted me to have someone to play with as a child. I was always sick and I don’t have any siblings. The garden was her idea.” Avian said, curled up on his side to watch him. Her golden eyes glowed in the dim light.

  Mathieu raised an eyebrow. “It was?”

  “She felt bad that I couldn’t really go outside because I’ve always been prone to severe sickness, so she asked my father if she could plant a garden outside my window. That way, even if I couldn’t go outside, I could still see them anytime I wanted. She planted a few flowers at first and then the other servants started to pitch in. It just kind of grew from there.” Now that she was talking, her eyes were starting to light back up and she was smiling softly like earlier. Avian looked at him. “My turn. Tell me about where you came from. I didn’t know that we had an orphanage outside of here and Zurn.”

  “Oh, yeah. It’s down past Tuckern. It’s an old wooden building with lots of room and only a few kids.” Mathieu said, clearly not wanting to talk about it.

  “That sounds nice.”

  Mathieu gave a half-smile for her. “I guess it was. But it was time for me to move on. So here I am.”

  “You’re brave to come here. What kind of things did you do there?” She sat up, listening attentively. She looped her arms around her legs.

  Mathieu relaxed back into the chair, realizing he would have to talk about it eventually. “We used to do things like clean, tell stories, take the younger kids to play down by the streams. It was pretty relaxed. I played the cello a lot as well.”

  “Played is past tense…”

  Looking at the floor, his next few words were mumbled. “My cello got broken.”

  Avian tilted her head. “Broken? Well then, we’ll just get you a new one.” She said simply, shrugging one shoulder. “I’m not musically inclined, so you’ll have to play for me all the time, okay?”

  “O-okay.” His eyes watered. “You’re very nice, you know.”

  “Eh. People tell me that and I never believe them. Who knows, maybe I am nice.” Yawning, she laid back down, pulling the blanket up to her chin and closing her eyes. He made to get up, but she cracked one eye open, “Stay until I fall asleep, ‘kay?”

  “Okay.” Sitting back down, he curled up in his chair, watching her. She closed her eye again and not long after, her breathing evened out and the tension from her face slid away. His eyes became heavy and soon he was asleep, too.

  ~*~

  He had a weird feeling in his head, like everything was coming to him through a fog and the room around him had changed.

  Instead of Avian, a tall blond man wearing jeans and a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up was leaning against the wall, watching him with an intense gaze. Mathieu tried to raise his hand to in front of his face, but found that he was unable to move. His eyes were slow to look down and as he did, there were traces in his vision. It took a moment, but his eyes focused and he found himself restrained by glowing bonds.

  “Hello?” His voice was slurred, sluggish.

  The blond shook his head and rubbed his chin. His eyes were a startlingly green, like the brightest emeralds; small scars littered his jaw and neck. His hands bore signs of scarring too. Physically, he was cut like a swimmer with broad shoulders that led to a tapered waist and long legs. Attractive was the first thing he thought about the man.

  “Hey, I’m talking to you!” Mathieu struggled to get free from his bonds, locking eyes with the blond. His words were still lagging.

  The man crossed the room and tilted Mathieu’s head up with strong fingers in his hair, eyes critically analyzing him, the details of his face.

  “’Ey!” His feet weren’t restrained so he kicked it up, catching the man in the shin.

  Green eyes narrowed in irritation and the blond released a hiss. Shaking his head, the man went to the door and left him alone in the room.

  ~*~

  Mathieu’s eyes flew open. That was the weirdest dream he’d ever had. Something about him had been oddly…real. He still felt that man’s fingers tugging his hair. Thinking back to it sent chills up his spine. The look the man’s eyes had been disappointed and that made a lump in his throat rise.

  Rubbing his eyes, he looked around the room. It was still dark, but the moons were higher. Getting out of the chair, he tucked the blankets tighter around Avian before returning the chair to its original position at the table. Then, he went back into his room and thumped down on the bed, lying diagonally across it. The room was pleasantly warm and it made him yawn. Looking at the open door over his shoulder, he closed his eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.

  ~*~

  Narrie woke him up with a hard shove,
ending with him landing on the floor in a heap with his legs over his head.

  “Oi! That hurt.” Rubbing the quickly forming knot on his head, he yawned. He looked up between his feet at the dark-haired woman.

  She stood with her hands on her hips. “It’s 6:25. You have twenty minutes to get ready or we’re eating without you.” With that, she lightly nudged him in the ribs with her foot before leaving him alone.

  Stretching from his position on the floor, he considered last night. Avian had been so kind to offer to get him a new cello. He hadn’t even done anything, but she acted like he’d always been there.

  He got to his feet and went into the bathroom to splash some water on his face. His eyes drifted to the shower, however. That looks tempting…