Forever Shining ~ A Twisted Wonderland Short Story

The Missing Piece

Pitter patter... pitter patter...

A nocturne fae made his way through the forest. Cold rain dripped down from above, drenching him in the freezing water. He was a ways away from the palace. Malleus would become worried if he wasn't back.

Malleus. Prince of the Briar Valley. A child at heart, but a noble and headstrong leader. The fae thought about him as he walked. His lantern flickered dimly in the fading sunlight. He brushed his long hair out his eyes and fixed his corset. He would most likely fly when the rain dwindled down. Flying out in the sky was dangerous during rain, especially thunderstorms. The fae sighed as cold wind blew past him.

For some reason, he felt...

Empty.

He was missing something from his life. Even though he had so much, he couldn't feel anything but sadness. He was a general under the king and queen, and he was Malleus' caretaker. He could fly, use powerful magic, swing a sword, lead an army; he had it all. However, he still felt as though something of great importance was missing. It was like a puzzle, except one of the pieces was lost.

The fae looked down at his sword and it's sheath. The name "Lilia Vanrouge" was engraved inside the silver handle. That was his name.

What an odd name for a fae, he thought. But I love my name. I always have.

CRASH!

Thunder rolled off the clouds. Lilia covered his eyes as wind furiously whipped his hair about. Water splashed inside the lantern, putting the little flame out. Lilia sighed and tossed the lantern aside. He shivered a bit and picked up his pace. Night was approaching fast, and he had to be back soon to attend to Malleus.

"...ahh!... Waaah!!!!"

Lilia stopped. Was someone crying? He leaned forward a bit and closed his eyes.

The cries of a child grew louder. Lilia walked ahead and searched for the source of the noise. He turned past several trees and stopped at what he saw.

A village was burnt to the ground. Fires raged inside many homes, and the smoke covered the sky. The rain did not fall over this town, as if by some cruel fate it was destined to be stamped out for good.

Lilia stopped shivering and quickly made his way inside. His priority was to find survivors, and then focus on putting the fire out. He looked through each house, each window and each hole in the walls. No one responded to his calls.

He then remembered hearing the crying child. Lilia moved past several burning homes and stopped when his eyes landed on something in the distance.

A little basket stood on top of a table inside a burning home. A little figure could be seen moving inside of it. Lilia quickly teleported over to the house and swiftly ducked through the burning wood. He almost reached the basket when a large plank of wood fell down. The floor before him caught on fire, making the baby cry louder.

"H-hang on!" Lilia called. The baby flailed it's arms around, sobbing. The fae held his hand out and closed his fingers into his palm. The fire began to disperse before him, and when it was low enough he dove inside it and reached the baby.

Lilia was awestruck. The baby was beautiful, with little tufts of silver hair. The fae reached down and grabbed the baby. He cradled the child in his arms and gently looked him in the eyes.

Lilia teleported out of the house and landed a ways from the village. He took shelter beneath a tree and looked down at the baby.

"You're ok now, little one. I won't let anything or anyone hurt you again... Silver."

Lilia paused. The baby, whom he had just saved... did he name him just then?

"Silver... that's the perfect name for you."

Silver slowly began to stop crying. The baby opened his eyes, and Lilia noticed how pretty they were. His eyes shined like brilliant purple jewels. They reflected the crimson gaze of Lilia perfectly.

"...da... da..."

"Oh ho? Are you learning to say something?"

"Da da?"

Lilia's mouth opened, but then gently curled into a smile. He nodded at Silver.

"Yes. I'm your father, little one. And I promise that I'll be the greatest father in the world. My baby... my little Silver."

Something inside of him finally clicked together. Lilia had finally found his missing piece. He was finally...

Whole.