Curtains drawn to hide any shine of light from the outside except that of a single ember lamp on the mahogany writing desk. The soft light beamed just enough so that the ancient being could read the words of Virginia Woolf from his book. The once ebony spine turned worn and grey from the years of use. The pages were yellowed, cracked and dried with age. Much of the books that lined the shelves along the walls of the study hadn't been well-kept. Though his furniture was kept clean, the books are left to cling on the fragile thread that tied their pages together as they gather dust. The mage used this spare time to prepare his mind for the journey he would have to embark once the day is over.
He felt a void, frigid feeling in his chest that he would often feel when his young apprentice would be gone for a long period of time. He used his free hand to fondle the blue stone of his necktie, given to him less than a year ago on Christmas. He remembered the fluttering feeling in his spine when Chise gave him the present.
Elias slammed the book closed, without leaving a mark for his page, and set it on the table. He pushed himself up from his chair and grabbed the robe from the coat hanger and exited his study. The mage called for his housekeeper's attention as he made his way downstairs and into the kitchen. There, he found the fairy clad in her uniform as she tends to the dishes covered in a mountain of bubbles. Elias had skipped the lunch prepared a while ago.
"Where is she?"
The woman in pink pointed out of the window toward a lone tree by the side of the house. It's leaves barely hung onto the branches as wind rushed through the crevasse. He walked through the back door and was met with the crisp scent of earth and faint smoke from the warm colored plants. Oddly warm for this time of year, but the bone-chilling wind was a reminder of the coming season. His black loafers crunched with every step against dried leaves that fell from trees. Bushes of lavender, bluebell's, gardenias and lilac have all but succumbed to the changing season. All that remained were bushes of pink and rosy camellias that hoarded the tiny stream beside the oak tree. There, beside the trunk of the tree was his apprentice. Behind her was her canine familiar acting as cushion.
Elias keeled beside her dormant body. She laid under small patches of fresh grass and wild daisies. They must have been kept alive by the excess magic feeding them from her. She had a hand on a crimson book that laid on her stomach, Eve's Diary. Her chest rose and fell with every soft breath that escaped her rosy lips. Elias recalled a story he read years ago of a beautiful princess cursed to sleep for all of eternity, only to have the spell broken by a kiss from her true love. A Charles Perrault classic, but a classic nonetheless. The idea of a curse being lifted from a mere touch is unheard of. A curse as severe as that would take a myriad of herbs and magic to uplift.
Swiftly, a light gust of wind rolled against the area, carrying with it dead leaves in a waltz. Chise's hair blew up wildly with the wind and covered her face as it fell. Elias brushed the strands of hair from her blushing cheeks, with every touch lingering on her pale skin. He rubbed a thumb on the dark patch that appeared too often under her eye. The wind must have made her cold as she inched her face closer to his palm. There was a familiar warmth in his chest when her lips curled into a soft smile to the touch. He didn't want this feeling to leave him.
"Chise, wake up."
No response.
He tried to call her name again, but he was met with an annoyed groan. She rubbed her cheek against his palm and held his with her two hands. Her hands Elias caressed her cheek with his thumb. He brought his face close to hers and nuzzled against her neck as he kept calling her. She had with her the same scent of grass during the fall, lush and earthy. Her eyelids fluttered open against deep, emerald eyes in a daze. She rubbed a tired eye with her finger and greeted him in a voice as soft as quiet as grass against a gentle breeze. "Good morning, Elias."
