by Auriane Bell
“Yes, yes… dead… many are dead. If you get as old as I am, there is hardly anyone left to talk to. I’ve called one of the remaining girls not long ago, yes, yes… but she didn’t make any sense. It’s sad, so sad. They’re all not well up here,” Mrs Crouse pointed at her head.
“I see,” Mairin mumbled. “Um… what will you do for Christmas? Are you going to celebrate with Jane?”
“Yes, yes… Christmas. I’m not going to do anything on Christmas. Yes, yes.”
Mairin wasn’t really surprised to hear that but she was hoping the woman would at least be able to rejoice in something.
“Yes, yes… all that’s left for me is to die. I’d be glad if I could just die.”
Mairin felt a lump in her throat. The only people the old woman had loved and cherished were gone but saying that was clearly going too far.
“You mustn’t say that, Mrs Crouse,” she scolded her, but in reality she couldn’t find a reason for the old woman to cling to her life. Mairin was torn between coming up with an excuse to leave and completing the probably unfeasible task of proving to the woman that her wish to pass away was wrong and rash.
“Good day, Mrs Crouse!” Adrijan gently shook the woman’s hand, trying not to put too much pressure to her brittle bones. “I see Miss Muriel has found her way to you – how pleasant!”
Mairin was speechless. Hadn’t he told her that he would wait for her outside?
“Father Adrijan! How nice of you to come! Is it time? Can I go see him now?”
Why wasn’t Mrs Crouse muttering anymore?
“That depends entirely on your wish, Mrs Crouse.”
Mairin tried to catch his eye but he seemed to ignore it.
“Wouldn’t you prefer if Miss Muriel continued seeing you? I’m certain it’s nice to chat with her, wouldn’t you agree?”
Mrs Crouse waved Adrijan closer to whisper into his ear but again she didn’t tone down her voice enough so Mairin was able to understand her just the same.
“Are you certain she hasn’t stolen anything? I can’t find my ring!”
Mairin frowned.
“You never know with young people these days! I don’t even think she’s married yet and look at her, she must be well over twenty!”
A smile was playing about Adrijan’s lips.
Very gently he put his hand on the old woman’s shoulder, reassuring her that Mairin hadn’t taken anything. His gesture reminded her of what had happened on the day he had left for Traumstadt. Had it not meant much after all?
“Can I go now? Oh, I want to see him again!” Mrs Crouse said and got up, hobbling towards the adjacent room.
Adrijan watched her for a few moments before answering.
“If that’s your wish.”
Both of them vanished behind the door but it was slightly ajar and after winning the fight with her conscience, Mairin nervously walked over to it and gazed through the gap. Mrs Crouse had allowed the priest to help her take off the coat and slipped into her bed, now only wearing her nightgown. Adrijan sat down next to her on a chair he had pulled close.
“Make it quick, father!” she urged him.
“Are you certain you don’t want to reconsider, Mrs Crouse? Mairin is a nice girl.”
The old woman shook her head.
“I’ve been waiting for this for over forty years. Nothing can change my mind now.”
Upon hearing this, Adrijan took a small object out of his pocket and Mairin recognised it as the hour glass Vivian had showed to her in the winter garden. Was he going to take Mrs Crouse’s life in front of her eyes?
“Hold on to this and relax,” he said, handing her the hour glass.
The old woman was agitated. Perhaps she was trying to make sure that there was nothing she had forgotten.
“There’s an envelope in the drawer of my dresser, Father. Please take it and give it to the church.”
Adrijan nodded. “What about your niece and nephew?”
Mrs Crouse laughed lightly. “There’s still enough left for them.”
Mairin was shocked about the change that had taken place in the old woman since Adrijan’s arrival. How could she summon so much strength for the gruesome purpose of dying?
“Very well,” he said. “Now close your eyes and try to think of your husband. Relax and slowly feel the energy leave your body…”
“Will it hurt, Father?” the old woman asked, following his instructions, but Mairin could already see the object in her hand glow brightly. Its shine spread and soon Mrs Crouse’s whole skin was covered with a thin layer of sparkling, light blue dust. Adrijan touched her hand.
“Don’t worry, Martha. I’m with you and before long you will be reunited with your loved one.”
Mairin’s heart was beating fast. What was he doing? Priests weren’t supposed to lie.
“Let your energy flow to me. There’s nothing left here for you.”
She felt the urge to interrupt whatever it was, she was observing but the peaceful expression on Mrs Crouse’s face kept her from doing so. Instead she watched it happen, the silent transfer of life. It progressed excruciatingly slowly but the woman didn’t seem to be in any pain. Mairin’s gaze wandered from her to Adrijan, whose face was again showing a solemn expression. The dust that emitted a blue glittering aura, soon also covered him.
And so it came about, that Mairin experienced the murder of Mrs Crouse, as silently and quiescently as she was spellbound.
It was over. Adrijan closed the woman’s eyes, took the hour glass and clasped her wrinkled hands in front of her body. After the transfer he always felt physically revived while the effect on his mind was the absolute opposite. Scared to face Mairin he got up from the chair and retrieved the envelope from Mrs Crouse’s dresser first. Then he turned around.
She was standing in the door, looking at him in a way one could only look at a murderer. The abhorrence and disappointment, as well as the lack of comprehension in her gaze were a more severe punishment than her reaction to his approach. Adrijan allowed her to slap him and quickly covered her hand with his own to keep it on his cheek. This was more like what he had expected when he had told her that he had taken her father’s life.
Mairin tried to pull back her hand, but he kept pressing it against his face. Without letting go of her he removed the small chip he had told Hilda to plant under the collar of her coat. Adrijan had listened in to their conversation. He knew what Mrs Crouse had told her, yet Mairin condemned him for what he had done. How could she have forgiven him for her father’s murder but not for Mrs Crouse’s? Hadn’t her death too come as a release?
By inviting her to bear witness to his deed, Adrijan had provoked this situation but now that he experienced it, he wished he hadn’t. Every lie, every kind of pretence had to be better than this.
Mairin started to shake and he caught her when her legs gave in. Once she had regained the control of her own body she immediately stepped away from him.
Adrijan pursed his lips without taking much notice of it and left Mairin alone to attend to his unpleasant duty of telling the house keeper that her mistress had passed away.
Afterwards he would deliver the old woman’s generous donation to the nearest church and take Mairin back to Mondstein castle, where she belonged.
“Ah, finally the lovebirds have returned,” Vivian bantered them. Adrijan glared at him while Mairin simply ignored what he had said. Quite aggressively she trudged over to him and mumbled without looking at him, “I accept.”
“Hold on. You accept wha-? “ Before he could finish his sentence she had already left.
“What’s going on?”
Vivian repeatedly blinked, wondering if he was dreaming.
“She’s going to marry you, Viv,” his brother explained.
“Ah. Alright,” Vivian mumbled. “Wait… what?”
Adrijan shrugged. “I’m in no mood to explain.”
He followed Mairin’s example and the immortal was left behind in the entrance hall, scratching
his head about what had occurred outside the walls of Mondstein castle.
Despite the amount of servants that accompanied them, it was Vivian who opened the door of her carriage and supported her as she awkwardly tried to find the first step with her foot. The weight of her cloak, gown and petticoat as well as the tightly fitted corset complicated the process and if the master of Mondstein castle hadn’t adjusted his grip at the right moment, she would have slipped and without a doubt become the laughing stock of Traumstadt.
Vivian encouraged her with a smile and led her through the swirling snowflakes towards the first inn, where they were to meet part of the townsfolk.
Mairin pulled her cloak together with her free hand, trying to keep out the freezing cold. Icy wind tore at her clothes and swept defenceless snowflakes over the street, sometimes whirling them into the air and making them eerily look like forlorn souls that were roaming the pathways of the artificial town. The temperature had declined far beyond the freezing point and Mairin realised that she had never before experienced snowfall during a cold spell like this.
Between the specks of white, Adrijan’s hair flickered like a flame of blood. He entered the inn before them to announce the immortal and his bride.
“The immortal, ruler of Traumstadt and master of Mondstein castle, his majesty Vivian Anfarwol and his bride, her ladyship Mairin Muriel.”
Vivian led her through the entrance, leaving her no time to be surprised about the way she had been introduced to the crowd. The commoners bowed obediently before the important guests and soon the room was filled with music, chatting and laughter.
As instructed Mairin had handed out Christmas presents to the children. There had been nothing to complain about regarding her behaviour but Vivian had noticed that her cheerfulness hadn’t been thoroughly authentic.
He was still wondering what had happened between her and Adrijan and more than ever he was determined to find out what was keeping them apart. For now though, he had set different priorities. There had neither been revolts nor assassination attempts and the carefully supervised security flaws that had been meant to lure out their enemy had not been made use of. Adrijan had always stayed close and Vivian hadn’t been worried about his own safety but nearing their final destination, he was faced with thoughts about the possible danger of his plan.
Mairin couldn’t believe that she was back in Sunflower Garden. This time everything was different though. This time the grand hall had been decorated in Vivian’s and her honour.
In midst of all the grandeur Traumstadt’s elite had gathered to see the legendary immortal and his fortunate bride. Vivian looked regal and stunningly handsome like always – today in a Victorian outfit – and there was no sign that he minded being stared at. Mairin assumed that if she had been perfect like him, she wouldn’t have cared about being the centre of attention either. Unfortunately she was in her own skin and also in the less likable position – if looks truly had been able to kill she would have already lost her life in the first of the six inns they had visited. Although it had unsettled her, it hadn’t been respect and awe that had exhausted her this much – it had been the envy and the hate she had been certain to sense wherever they had gone.
Despite her previous home being their last stop, she hadn’t been able to get accustomed to the procedure. To make matters worse, the people present were of high social standing and therefore more difficult to impress.
“Can I… just hide?” she whispered. Their arms were linked and she awkwardly moved closer to her groom.
Vivian gave her a smile and put his gloved hand on hers.
“Relax, princesse. You look amazingly beautiful in this flowing crème coloured dream of a gown.”
The warmth of Vivian’s hand felt nice. Why was it, that he always knew what to do and what to say?
“Your dress is simple yet exquisite and will most likely set a new trend. Moreover it puts accents to your figure where it should – and if I may say so, gaining a little bit of weight has only made you look more alluring.”
Mairin blushed but the immortal wasn’t finished yet.
“I’m certain many of these girls admire you and would kill to have curly hair like yours. Raise your chin and face them properly like the queen you’re going to be. Be aware that you are the fairest and richest woman in Sunflower Garden. You’re not wearing jewellery worth half of Traumstadt for nothing.”
She had already suspected that she was wearing expensive jewellery but after being told their worth Mairin had to suppress the thought that it was wasted on her.
“If you’re still not convinced, then be at least proud that you’ve been chosen by Adrijan and by me – and telling from the looks of the gentlemen in this grand hall, we’re not the only ones. You didn’t think they were staring at me, right?”
Mairin felt her cheeks burn. Why had Adrijan never told her something like- No.
No, it was over.
“Thank you,” she said in a low voice and tried to face the crowd with newly gained self-confidence.
“Will you come with me for a moment?” It cost Adrijan quite an effort to ask this simple question.
Mairin indecisively gazed at Vivian, as if she were asking her future husband for permission. The master of Mondstein castle nodded encouragingly and finally she turned to follow Adrijan.
Mairin kept her distance and as they proceeded through the hall, she repeatedly gazed over her shoulder at the immortal. It seemed that his brother was able to support her better than him after all.
“Where are you taking me?” she quietly asked.
They had already arrived at their destination and stood in front of Mairin’s sister Renga, so that an answer seemed unnecessary. Adrijan inconspicuously retreated to watch the scene from the shadows.
Renga’s eyes had widened in surprise and a moment after she fell into her arms.
“Mairin! It’s really you!”
“Sister… “ Mairin gently pushed her away and tried to recover her breath. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
“I was appointed as Sunflower Garden’s headmistress half a year ago,” Renga explained. “Oh, Mairin, I wish you had such a good life as we had. I’m ashamed to tell you but once you had been chosen by the immortal everything changed for the better. I’m just surprised that you haven’t gotten married yet.”
Renga’s words made her feel bitter but she was grateful to Adrijan for the longed for opportunity to talk to her nonetheless. Mairin wanted to thank him for overlooking part of the contract she had made when she hadn’t been much more than a child but to her surprise he hadn’t remained by her side. Where had Adrijan gone?
“Sister? Who are you looking for? Your charming husband-to-be is over there.”
Renga gestured to the place where the immortal stood, but unlike Adrijan he made of course no effort to keep a low profile and was easy to spot. Mairin squinted and finally discovered the priest near one of the windows, away from the crowd. He seemed to have observed her the whole time and when their eyes met he abruptly turned away.
“Who is that priest? I’ve seen him on some occasions. He must be the cleric who is rumoured to be quite influential here.”
Obviously her sister had noticed who she had been looking for.
“Nobody,” Mairin mumbled, “I hardly even know him.”
“Your eyes tell me otherwise, Mairin. What an odd hair colour. Is he your type? Don’t you have a groom? Should you really be looking at other men like this?”
“You’re imagining things, Renga.”
She was her sister but at the moment she felt more like a meddling stranger. Perhaps that’s what they had become to each other over the years, blood-related strangers.
“You’re not going to break off the engagement, are you, Mairin? You mustn’t do that.”
Why did she sound so patronising? Shouldn’t her sister’s well-being be more important to her than a life in luxury?
“Don’t worry, Renga,” she replied, smiling fain
tly. “But tell me… could you love someone who has caused many, many people to die?”
“You’re asking weird questions, Mairin. Are you talking about the immortal? Well, never mind that. Of course I wouldn’t be able to love a murderer. In case of the immortal though… I think you should stay with him, sister.”
Mairin couldn’t believe her ears. Had Renga always been this shallow? Perhaps she was doing her wrong and she just wanted what she thought was best for her.
“What if some of the… casualties… had been for your sake? What if he had murdered for you?”
“You’re frightening me, sweetheart. Let’s talk about something else. Tell me where you got that magnificent gown. You look gorgeous in it, not like the child I…”
Mairin’s thoughts drifted off and she ended up screening the hall for Adrijan again. He had left his place near the wall and once more she was unable to find him. Instead she noticed a young woman, who seemed curiously familiar to her, talking to Vivian. Where had she seen her before? Her gaze fell on long silky blond hair, an angelic face, a slender figure… Suddenly the scales fell from her eyes. Could it really be her?
“Do I look familiar to you?”
Vivian thought her words sounded strangely like a reversed pick-up line. The woman certainly looked like Magdala, but he was absolutely sure it wasn’t her. Magdala would have made his heart race. Seeing her would have made him feel alive.
Was it possible that their prey had finally taken the bait? Was this woman their adversary?
“Weren’t you supposed to say that I look familiar?” he replied coldly, evading the question.
“But you don’t. You look much more handsome than anyone I know,” she purred, disregarding his defensive reaction, and gracefully putting her hand on his chest.
Vivian abrasively grabbed her wrist and removed her hand.
“Either way, I don’t think you should touch me… Miss…”
