Snow Heart (16 page)
Authors: Arvalee Knight
†
Alric sipped down the warmth of the tea. He didn’t bother to speak with Aunty or even look at her. She was jotting down ideas into a journal. Every once in a while she looked at Alric, almost waiting for him to say something. Finally Aunty couldn’t stand the silence any longer.
“Alright, what is it?”
Alric looked at her as if waiting for her to answer the question.
Aunty tossed down her pen and folded her arms. “Don’t give me attitude, punk. Sailles is your sister no matter how you look at it.”
Alric grumbled a sigh. “That’s what Nieves said.”
“She’s right and you know it.” Aunty didn’t care if she had to speak the truth to Alric, no matter how harsh it had to be.
Alric felt like it was the hundredth time he defended himself from the very same accusation. “She left me here to rot, Aunty. For eleven years my older sister ignored me and shut me out of her life. I have no reason to consider kindness towards Sailles.”
Alric slammed his tea cup down onto the kontatsu table. The room was small and empty of just the two of them. Two walls of the room, opposite of each other, were closed shoji sliding doors.
“You’re right,” Aunty replied in a gentler tone.
Alric looked at her with a softened expression. “You agree with me?”
“I’m on your side one hundred percent. Your sister should have written to you… or sent some form of information to let you know she still cared.” Aunty closed the journal and capped her pen.
Alric was relieved to know someone was on his side.
“I’m still angry with you,” Aunty informed.
“You… said you were on my side with this.”
Aunty gathered her things and stood up, bending and stretching her legs each one at a time. She felt a little stiff from sitting for so long. She was used to the all night parties and dances during the travels she took throughout Europe. It wasn’t like her to be sitting down for so long.
Alric was impatient. “I don’t understand.”
“You should apologize,” Aunty told him.
He leaned forward pressing his elbows into the table—something he hardly ever did. “Sailles doesn’t deserve an apology,” he said to his tea cup of which he hovered over.
Aunty hugged her journal with one arm. “Not to Sailles. To Nieves.”
“Nieves…”
Aunty headed to the door. “You bruised her arm pretty fucking badly, kid.”
He snapped his attention around to her.
“Yep. Wilhelm took a look at it and gave it a bandage.” Aunty let her right hand brush strands of her hair behind her ear. “She doesn’t blame you so there’s no reason to worry. Still, Alric, you should apologize to her. Even if you hate saying sorry to people.” Aunty slipped out of the room leaving Alric to deal with the guilt on his own.
CHAPTER 21
The kiss of winter wind nipped against her skin as she looked into the ripples of the koi pond. The various fish swam about nipping at the small insects that would be brave enough to land upon the water’s surface. About the pond were small lily pads and water grasses. It was a pond that looked like someone took care of it often.
Nieves heard the sounds of footsteps behind her. She turned just as Alric was sitting down with her on the edge of the pond—a rock wall that made up the pond’s interior.
She gave a smile to him and he scowled in return.
“Oh,” she said looking to the pond. “You’re still angry.”
Alric tensed, resisting from hurting her. “You should be angry with me. I could have broken your arm.”
“This?” She raised her mummified arm. “It’s nothing, really.”
Alric gritted his teeth and tightened his jaw. He wanted to scream at how foolish she was acting. “Don’t you get it,” he said through clenched teeth. “You could have been hurt severely.”
Nieves shook her head. “It’s just a bruise. Why is everyone overreacting?” She remembered how concern Wilhelm had been when he found out. Hiding a large bruised shaped like someone’s hand on her wrist was not as easy as Nieves thought it would have been. Wilhelm had acted like Alric was a mad animal that could lash out at any moment.
“You’re leaving,” Alric stated. “I want you off the estate and in the city by sundown. I never want to see you again.”
Her eyes widened with disbelief. “You… What?”
Alric turned at her and looked her straight in the eye with anger. “I hate you, Nieves. I want you gone.” He stood up and began to walk back towards the main house.
“Alric.” Nieves reached out for him while trying to stand. “Please.”
He regretted turning around—he regretted it more than anything. Her tear stained cheeks and the hurtful sorrow in her eyes felt like too much. Alric knew he couldn’t let Nieves stay. It was too dangerous for her to live with him. The snow was coming and soon… No, he told himself, he had to make her leave.
“Go, Nieves. Go pack your things.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat but she couldn’t speak. The harder Nieves tried to fight back her tears the more they slid free. “I won’t leave,” she muttered. “I refuse to let you go through this alone.” Mostly, Nieves was afraid to leave to the city without anyone. Erika wasn’t alive no matter what anyone said. “Please. Don’t abandon me, too.”
His heart jolted to a sudden stop—skipping two or three beats—then resumed its objective. Alric had never heard those words before but he could almost remember himself saying those words to Sailles.
“Why are you crying?” Alric asked, a little too coldly.
Nieves finally looked him in the eye. “You just told me you hated me.”
“You’re so stupid,” Alric said, the coldness not really present because his voice wavered and his eyes began to sting with salt. “I’m just looking out for your safety. It would be best if you left this place as soon as possible.”
Nieves slapped him briskly across the face. “Idiot,” she spat.
Alric snatched hold of her wrist subconsciously, the same he’d bruised.
She winced with pain, taking a step back.
“I’m sorry,” he screamed, letting her wrist go. “You… slapped me. And I…”
Nieves stepped back too far and her foot slipped on the slick rock of the koi fish pond. Alric did the instinctive thing of trying to prevent her from falling into the water but in the process of grabbing hold of Nieves she pulled him in. The two of them fell into the pond with a scream.
The water hadn’t looked so deep on the surface but come to find out it was at least six feet or more. Nieves clung to Alric as he pulled them both to the surface for a gasp of fresh air. Cold winter latched on to Alric and Nieves as they began to shiver.
It was Alric, surprisingly, who laughed first.
Nieves let her lips slip into a smile. “It’s-s… s-so cold,” she stuttered.
“Y-yes.” Alric nodded his head in agreement.
Nieves looked up at him—she suddenly burst into laughter which caught Alric’s attention. He glowered down unsure what to make of her action. “You… you.” She began to laugh, placing her head against his chest. “I’m sorry. You have a water lily pad on your head.”
Alric pursed his lips. “Thanks so much for laughing about it.”
“You’re welcome,” Nieves replied, sticking out tongue.
Alric sneered just before dunking her beneath the surface.
†
“What are you doing?” asked a curious Rusuto to a spying Aunty.
Aunty looked over her shoulder for a brief moment at Rusuto then returned her attention back around the corner of the house. “I’m watching them.”
Rusuto raised a brow and leaned over Aunty to view around the corner. He looked right at the koi fish pond and noticed two people were swimming in it. “What in good lord,” he exclaimed.
“Shut up, stupid.” Aunty glowered at him and pushed him away from her. They hid behind the house as Aunty began to explain. “Well, rumor has it that Alric summoned the Demons of the forest last night in order to save Nieves from Wilhelm.
“And just this morning I walked in on Alric… on top of Nieves. I’m not sure if they were going to kiss or not but I wish I hadn’t interrupted. Alric might have admitted his love to her. Then again… who knows?
“A wedding?”
Aunty nearly jumped out of her skin with happiness.
Rusuto’s hand smacked over his mouth. “Honestly? Girl, you’ve got to be jesting with me. Alric. In love.”
The two of them peered around the corner to find Alric laughing as Nieves splashed him. He defended himself with a lily pad then chucked it right at Nieves who gave an astonished look of surprise. She grabbed the closest thing she could and chucked it right back at him—a poor defenseless koi fish.
“Oh my lord,” Rusuto whispered his words with stress. “The fish are stuck in a battlefield. Those poor things are being forced to submit to Nieves’s throwing skills.”
Aunty huffed. “Skills? She throws like a girl.”
“I thought Nieves was a girl.” Rusuto began to look puzzled.
“What are you two doing?” asked a concerned and worried Wilhelm—he figured eventually he’d have to send Rusuto and Aunty into an asylum for extreme mental help the way they were behaving these days.
“Well,” Aunty began to explain without pulling her attention from Alric and Nieves. “Rumor has it that Alric summoned the Demons of the forest last night in order to save Nieves from Wilhelm.”
“Yes,” Wilhelm interrupted with irritation. “Thank you very much for making my guilt go away.”
“Shush. Shush.” Rusuto waved his hands at Wilhelm. “Alric’s tickling her.”
Wilhelm was aghast. “He’s… what?”
Rusuto giggled into his hands and stomped his feet. “They are so adorable I just want to hug them until they die.”
Wilhelm leaned over Rusuto—who was leaning over Aunty—to peer at the two in the koi pond. “Why are… they swimming in the fish pond? We have a hot spring just a few hours away.”
Rusuto looked up and glowered at Wilhelm. “Sometimes I wonder why I even love you.”
“What?” Wilhelm was confused. “You’d rather swim in filthy fish water than—”
“Shut up the both of ya,” Aunty grumbled. “I can’t hear what they’re saying because the two of you keep blabbering your mouths.”
Nieves giggled her way to the edge of the pond and tried to climb out before Alric could catch her. She made it halfway onto the rocks when Alric grabbed hold of her legs and held her in place. Drenched with water he crawled onto shore and laughed lying down next to her.
Nieves laughed as well, her breath still rapid and shallow. She hadn’t had so much fun in her entire life—even if it was a fish pond.
“I guess… this means we need new clothes again.” Alric slowly sat up and ruffled his hair rapidly with his hands to get out all of the water. “We should stop by Boris’s house and get your clothes.”
Nieves hadn’t expected him to agree to that—he seemed happier when she wore the kimonos he gave out like presents. “That’d be fantastic.”
“Amazing,” Wilhelm whispered to Rusuto and Aunty. “He’s so different.”
Rusuto sighed. “It is so romantic.”
Both Wilhelm and Aunty rolled their eyes.
“Why can’t you be romantic like that, Wilhelm?” Rusuto turned around and folded his arms. “Alric is getting more attention than I’ve ever had.”
Wilhelm slowly began to walk away. “Rusuto, we’re not dating. End the fantasies, please.”
“Wilhelm,” Rusuto called out. “Don’t walk away when I’m talking to you.” His voice suddenly became soft and gentle. “You’ll break my poor little heart into itty bitty pieces.” He sniffled wiping away some invisible tear.
“You’re such a nerd,” Aunty said in an ashamed voice while shaking her head.
CHAPTER 22
Nieves stepped out onto the porch in fresh new clothes. She dropped her small baggage onto the ground and sighed. “I think that’s the last of my stuff,” she told Alric who was sitting on the edge of the porch, staring into tall grasses beyond the rock garden. She felt comfortable in the faded light blue jeans instead of the dress styled kimono. She was never one for dresses that was for sure.
“Oh,” Nieves exclaimed remembering something.
Alric looked at her for a second, watching her dig around in her luggage. He turned back to the garden rocking his feet back and forth through the air. Alric didn’t like the idea of her preferring her own clothes rather than those he’d given her.
“Here you go.” Nieves sat down next to him with two wrapped candy bars. She handed it out and watched Alric take it slowly.
He stared at it for a moment with slight confusion. “What is this?”
“Candy bar.” Nieves ripped the top of the wrapping, pulling it down to expose the delicious desert. “I brought it with me when Boris made me move here. I’ve had it since… Halloween.”
Alric looked at it with widened eyes. “Is it still edible?”
“What?” Nieves laughed. “Of course it’s still edible. Halloween was only three months ago, silly.” She bit into it and smiled at the taste of chocolate and peanut butter.
Alric held it in his hands unsure what to do with it. He looked out into the field, thinking deeply about something. “What is… Hallow…Ian?”