Chapter 112 - Constellations

Once they set down Ofelia to the river, the girl pointed at the sky. "Look at the stars! So pretty...."

The two humans nodded. Leron chuckled. "Yes, the Falaina Major constellation is even there."

"Constellation?" Ofelia tilted her head.

Sangfroid explained, "They're figures made by stars. The Falaina Major is a big whale, a much bigger whale-shaped constellation than Falaina Minor."

Ofelia just looked confused even after the translation, so Leron added: "Ah, but she doesn't know what whales look like, so she can't see it."

"Oh. Mn." Sangfroid nodded, feeling a little silly yet no one could tell.

Leron rubbed his chin as he looked for more star groups to teach to the child. "How about the Siren constellation, Aglaope, then?"

He drew it using his index finger, and the child's sparkly eyes followed. "Can you see it now?"

"Ohhh..... I can! It looks like Mommy." Ofelia nodded.

"Huh, really? Agalaope is then said to be the Mother of Sirens according to the legends in Gargenstat." Leron explained.  "She has long tentacle-like hair that moves by its own will, latching on to unlucky sailors and dragging them to the bottom of the sea."

"Ohhhhhhh....." The siren girl listened with great interest, wishing she had tentacle hair too so she could easily capture her food.

"There's more." Leron sat on the grass beside her river, and Sangfroid did the same. "There's Fenix, the Phoenix. It's a bird made of fire that can be born again once it turned into ashes. Acabura, the strange 6 limbed serpent of Sun K'mer..."

As Sangfroid, translated, he became more and more interested in constellations too. Prince Leron was never allowed to play with him after sunset, so they haven't really talked about it, since they only come at night. Sangfroid knows the basics that he can use for navigation, but not the origins or tales behind them.

"That one, the Concerda, is not just a winged hog. It's a symbol of peace and prosperity in the Kingdom of Corazaunia." Prince Leron explained, relaxing himself until he had sunk lower to the ground and had been laying on it now, his hand behind his head.

"Why is a winged hog a symbol of peace?" Sangfroid asked, also laying down but sideways, facing Prince Leron.

"Haha, but you didn't ask about the prosperity part. Why is that?" The prince chuckled, with his eyes truly twinkling like the stars above.

"Because hogs are prosperous looking. They can be associated with having bountiful things. Yet don't look like peaceful creatures to me."

The prince grinned. "So what you're saying is that a hog is a symbol of prosperity because it is big. And it doesn't look peaceful to you, that's why it cannot be a symbol of peace?"

When put that way, it really does seem like a shallow line of reasoning. Sangfroid was about to defend himself, when---

"That's exactly what I wanted you to answer." Leron said. "To show how much humans base their symbols according to perspective. To looks."

Sangfroid shut his mouth, blinking confusedly. He just let the prince continue his lesson, listening and sometimes translating it in a way Ofelia can understand.

"Constellations are symbols. And they appeared because of humanity's sight, how they see something. But humans sometimes look at the same thing in a different way. Like how in Zhauli, that constellation over there is a Bearcat, which is an animal that only exists in their kingdom. But everywhere else, it is just a Racoon."

"Either way, both interpretations are correct. Because that's what they are. Interpretations." Leron emphasized. "Everyone can have a different interpretation, and it could neither be right or wrong. After all, it's just a bunch of stars in the end."

He looked at his two students who are stunned and fascinated by his deep way of thinking. "What do you think I am telling you about this?"

Ofelia went first. "Hog can be peaceful, and also not peaceful. Up to Daddy Sangfroid to decided, or Ofelia."

That is right. But to Sangfroid, this meant something else.

"How you see a person...." He gave a slight glance over the tree grove where Vladstin may be. "And how I see a person may differ from one another. But since it is only our perspectives..... then neither of us is right or wrong."

"Yes." Leron sighed peacefully, satisfied by both of his students' answers but not commenting anything else about it.

He continued on: "Angles can change perspective. Like looking in this direction, that group of stars looks like the head of a horned goat. But for someone looking in the opposite direction, it looks like a bearded man."

"When connecting this 'Daddy Sangfroid's' answer....." Leron couldn't help chuckling a bit when saying the word as he turned on his side to face his childhood friend. "Two people who know someone from a different part of their life will have a different perspective about them. They're looking at that person from different angles. If he was kind at one of them, but evil at another, that's how the difference in perspective is made."

This also brought the siren to a bit of introspection on herself. "Like how Ofelia used to think Daddy Leron is not-friend, but he is a friend to Daddy Sangfroid and Daddy Vladstin."

"Yes. That's right." Leron tilted his head up to her as he smiled, patting her head. "But it's alright, Ofelia. Daddy Leron is not mad at you for feeling that way. Daddy Leron understands your perspective."

The siren nodded. She was by the edge of the river, her head resting on her two hands, eyes drooping sleepily.

"Ofelia is glad to meet daddies. Ofelia is glad to learn about..... constellations..... I will tell Mommy about them..... Yawn....."

Sangfroid also put his large hand gently on her head, overlapping with Leron's. "You should go to sleep. Leron can tell you more about constellations tomorrow."

"Y-Yes...." Leron immediately pulled his hand away. "Sleep well, Ofelia."

The siren girl didn't have to be told twice because she had already nodded off to dreamland. She looks so precious like this, just sleeping with her head above the water and plump cheeks squished by her arms.

Sangfroid took back his hand too, looking a bit forlorn. Leron didn't like that look so he comforted him in a hushed tone. "Sorry.... I was just caught in surprise."

Sangfroid looked away, but it was obvious he was hurt. "We should go back to the encampment and sleep too."

"I want to stay here and watch the stars more near Ofelia." Leron said. "They really do look beautiful tonight. It's been long since I just gazed at them and admired the constellations and their beauty."

"I see. If you don't want me to stay, I can---"

"You can stay." Leron took the hand that he avoided earlier. "Sangfroid, I want to talk to you. About everything. It's been a long time coming."

Sangfroid stopped from leaving, and moved to lay closer to him. He whispered back, "What do you want to talk about, Your Highness?"

"First... Since when did you....." He gulped a bit from the closeness, but steadied himself. "Since when did you grow affection for me?"

"I have always had affection for you, Prince Leron. I don't know a single day I don't." Sangfroid answered earnestly.

"I meant..... When did you feel that it is more than brotherly, or friendship?" Leron asked.

"Since we were children." He answered with much certainty.

"Since we were children." As a breeze came, Leron caught this man's scent. He smelled earthy like tree bark, possibly because of all his time gathering kindling for them. "Have you really not felt that attraction for someone else?"

"No. Only you."

"Then... How are you so sure that my perspective of what is love and your perspective.... are the same?"

"But you said it yourself. Both are neither right nor wrong." Sangfroid said. "So even if they are different, that doesn't make mine wrong."

Leron was a bit surprised that his own words are not used against him, but pleasantly. "What a smart student you are, you learn so fast to even use your teacher's words to prove your point."

"That's because I value the teacher's words a lot." Sangfroid edged closer, bringing Leron's hand that was wrapped around his over his chest. "I take them to heart."

"Sangfroid..... I want to be honest with you. And from now on, I want you to be honest with me too. To say what's on your mind." 

"Mn."

"How are you feeling about Vladstin?"

Sangfroid looked down for a moment, a pause. Then he said. "He confuses me."

"In what way?"

"In a way, I can't explain. I see him in a different light now. Not as an enemy.... but I can't fully accept him as a friend either. Not after all he has done."

He looked up to Prince Leron. "Now you answer, Your Highness. What do you feel about him? Are you willing to let him go if he had already given up on himself?"

Leron couldn't answer for a bit. Sangfroid continued. "He truly wants to die, Your Highness. He wants it more than anything in this world. It feels wrong to deny him of it."

"I know.... But I do not want to let go of him either." Leron sadly smiled at him. "So if I managed to convince him in the end..... Sangfroid, I do not want you to be so upset about it. That is why I am telling you now. i know it is hard but you have to let go for me..."

No response.

Then, a very soft. ".....Don't want....."

"Hm?" Leron moved closer to hear it, but to his surprise---

He was embraced by Sangfroid, so tightly and tenderly. "I don't want to, Prince Leron. I..... I want to be selfish this time. I already let go of you before, I don't want to anymore."

Leron was so surprised by this.

"I want you to love me. I will keep trying, just like how you will keep trying with Vladstin. I don't want to be abandoned again." Sangfroid said. "That's how I truly feel."

A miracle happened that night.

Leron felt his clothes getting wet. Sangfroid..... was crying.