Chapter 113 - First Tear

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The sensation of being able to release your feelings this way, through the waters falling down your eyes, the very tight pain in your chest and lungs that suffocates you as you heaved.....

All of this felt wonderful to Sangfroid.

He let them all flow freely, holding his beloved close. Finally, he can show how much pain there was in his heart.

"I will only give up once he agreed to. Once he declared he loves you too. But please, Your Highness, don't tell me to not be upset about it. I want to be upset when it happens, to suffer in agony as I should. Because that just proves the intensity of my love for you." He choked on sobs, breathing heavily to keep speaking. "If I did not get upset, I never loved you at all. And my love for you is all I have ever known in my life."

"Sangfroid....." Leron's eyes were very wide, as he patted his back. 

"I know that it is hard to believe with the way I treat you. I just have so much respect because I don't want to overstep my boundaries. Even when I already have the Amulet, I still see you as a prince." Sangfroid admitted. "I will always see you as a prince, because to me, you are the very definition of the word. I never knew any other prince my whole life. I want to serve you, but I also want to be by your side."

"As something more. I want to be both a loyal guard, a friend, and a lover." Sangfroid wiped his eyes. "Can't I have all that? Would it be too selfish for me to mean that much to you? Because to me, you are both a prince, a friend, and the one I love most."

Leron was dumbfounded, unable to sleep. The tears in Sangfroid's eyes are even more pristine and beautiful than the diamonds in Ofelia's lagoon. They felt so precious to him, because this is the first time he saw them.

Sangfroid is crying for the first time because of him.

Even when someone is not in love, such a miracle will still cause quite a stir in their heart.

"Sangfroid, you're not selfish for wanting that..." Was all he could say. "You're not selfish for having feelings. I just..... I didn't want to hurt you more than I already am, that is why I do not want you to hope. But I have forgotten that you are one of the most persistent people I know, so..... I....."

Sangfroid showed a bit of hope in his stoic face. ".....You?"

"Sigh, I am also confused." Leron said honestly. "I don't know what to do."

Sangfroid didn't say anything, like he was letting Leron take his time to understand his own thoughts and feelings.

They just stayed there, hugging under the hundreds of constellations in the velvet twilight sky that blanketed the quiet night.

Crickets sang their song but not too intrusively, and fireflies soon began to float in some places. A pale skeletal hand reached out to them, but not quite grabbing, just lazily reaching out for the sake of reaching out.

Vladstin can feel the complicated emotions of the two people, and even if he doesn't know the context, he somehow knows. He just knows.

He also sighed heavily with his body laying on the thick tree branch, watching the sky above with tears in his eyes.

He wanted to be there too, to observe and listen, but felt that it was not right. Somehow, reason and conscience overpowered his instincts. He chose to respect their privacy.

But that didn't stop the aching in his heart for the both of them, to reach out and console either one of them.

After a while, Sangfroid's tears have dried, yet he still waited for any movement from Leron. He is not waiting for another miracle to happen. He's not expecting this to immediately change Leron's mind.

He actually felt that he is one step closer to a path that he had long yearned to take.

"Prince Leron..... I don't need an answer right now. I am just letting you know my feelings." Hesitantly, he pulled away from the comforting embrace. "I will be alright...."

"Sangfroid.... I....." Leron's expression says it all, he is deeply troubled. But he still held on to Sangfroid's hand. "Don't go. Stay here if you want."

".... Mn."

They just stared at each other for a long time, not moving, getting lost in each other's eyes.

"You can hug me again if you want..... It does feel a little cold so we could warm each other."

"Mn."

They embrace again, this time more comfortably so, once the tension in the air had fully eased. Leron felt his hands moving on their own towards Sangfroid's hair, which he braided himself. He brought closer to give it a little sniff, which cause a little rattle in the poor younger boy's heart.

"Your Highness...." His eyes were wide.

"What do you use when you bath to smell better, Sangfroid?" Leron asked.

"Uh..... It's a special past the Bishop thought me. Since I always keep my hair long. To avoid tangles." He explained.

"Can I use it too? I want to smell like it." Leron smiled at him, a hint of teasing.

But Sangfroid being the earnest follower he is, nodded profusely to the request. "Yes, Your Highness. You can use it as much as you want."

Leron chuckled, the pleats of true happiness in his laughter that he never had for a long time. He patted Sangfroid's head. "Never change, Sangfroid. Never change. You are still as adorable as you are when we were young."

Sangfroid looked away, skin turning maroon. "I'm not adorable..."

"Just because you are a big, dashing man now, doesn't mean you cannot be adorable." Leron pinched his cheeks. "You will always be in my eyes."

Even when he denies it, deep down Sangfroid enjoyed being doted upon like this, in a teasing yet also genuinely loving way.

Vladstin could feel all these positive emotions, and became even more curious. But he just held on to these feelings, relishing them in his heart.

These kinds of feelings..... They bring back so much memories. Both bitter and sweet, like fine wine. He got drunk on them all night. And speaking of drunk, he remembered his drunkard father and overbearing mother, and so he chuckled to himself.

"I miss you, Mother and Father....." He reached out to the fireflies, seeing images that weren't there. "All of you... I wish to meet you all again soon."

But there was also a sudden sting at the idea of leaving these two humans, plus their new little siren darling behind.

He was also confused.

This night had just brought so many confusions. Except for the siren girl, surprisingly, who was only momentarily baffled by the new world she was introduced to yet learned about it so fast.

She dreamt well, unaware of all the stirrings and turbulent emotions around her. She dreamt of whales, birds, fishes, and in the middle of it all... Her Mommy and her Mommy's siren friend. Very happy.

The two humans kept on whispering sweet nothings and fell asleep in each other's embrace. The vampire too, despite not needing to sleep, felt the urge to close his eyes until the night made its way to day.

-------------------------

The next day, they had reached the foot of the mountain, and so they let Ofelia take the lead on which part of the mountain they should climb to.

"Hmm..." She consulted her pearl with dots. "This way."

It was a pretty steep hike, a path more dangerous than the rest.

"Are you sure?" Sangfroid asked, since this path is bound to bring problems.

"Yes. Ofelia is sure."

"Can she still have a river to swim in?" Leron asked. "Or do we have to carry her until we reach a path less steep? Her scales flake easily from being away for too long, and I am afraid it will affect her health."

"Make a metal bucket big enough for her to fit in, and then strap it on me." Vladstin suggested. "I could carry it."

It was a very simple solution that the two humans were surprised that they haven't thought of it before.

"I will create it right away." Sangfroid nodded, and conjured metals which he smithed into a bucket.

While doing so and waiting for the bucket to be finished, Ofelia saw a pretty thing flying. It has thin wings, and no feathers like birds. It has the body of a bug, but the wings make it less ugly.

"What is that?" She pointed.

Vladstin squatted beside her, smiling. "Oh, that's a butterfly!"

He didn't say it in Gargen, so she just repeated the Common word for 'butterfly' again and again, stammering a bit.

More of them came, blessing the surrounding with their enchanting beauty.

One perched on Leron's shoulder. Ofelia said. "I like this one."

Leron had been trying to learn as much Gargen as he can, and he is quite observant, so he understood this. "She said she like this one."

"It's a white cabbage, right?" Vladstin looked at the butterfly on Leron's shoulder. "With yellow specks."

Another one came, a blue and black one. "This one is a morpho. Mother thought me about them."

Leron translated this with as minimal Gargen knowledge as he can, and it was very bad, but the child still understood, taking note of the names.

They saw another blue morpho fly towards Sangfroid, who did not pay attention to it as he was busy crafting the bucket.

Another one went on Vladstin's nose, before fluttering away only to come back again, like it cannot decide whether it likes the Vampire Lord or not.

Voadstin chuckled, finally letting it perch on his thin, calloused fingers. "A very fickle purple emperor. It reminds me of a certain someone."

"This made me inspired to come up with a poem." Vladstin grinned, saying in a bardic tone.

"Butterflies flutter by all through their lives

Butterflies flutter by from morning till night

Until the day come that they can no longer fly

Butterflies, butterflies, what a delight!"

Ofelia likes this silly little tune. She repeated it with Vladstin, which amused Leron. He also joined them, and all three were singing this tiny ditty with Sangfroid unable to hear them from the loud clangs of the metal, sweating off from the work.

"Ofelia wants to keep them." The little siren said. "Ofelia wants to see butterflies often, especially the ones that went to Daddies."

She saw one, a beautiful aquamarine hairstreak and it reminded her of her Mommy's graceful and peerless elegance. She reached out with her small little fingers to fly it, swimming further and down the river while laughing.

Sangfroid had just finished the bucket, and saw her swimming further away. Vladstin and Leron were too focused on their own butterflies, singing the silly tune. They probably thought that Ofelia wouldn't swim that far away.

But the girl zoomed like a shark, going to even miles just to catch up on the butterfly, jumping up and down yelling. "Wait for me!"

Sangfroid immediately yelled. "Ofelia! To catch up to her.

But as she swam further....She was about to meet a creature, slithering first on the ground then to the water with the desire to catch some fist, but was alarmed by the sudden arrival of the siren girl.

And so, it bared its large fangs with Ofelia still focused on the butterfly....

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