Finding Heathcliff

Fifty-Four

The first piece of news Astrid heard on finally entering the Land's End cave, when she and Azrael got separated by the flood of people coming to greet them, was from Izar. One of his men managed to escape the LandEnders soon after Astrid's group had left for Oblivis, when Orion had not returned as he had told them he would.

"I'm sorry, Princess, I never expected any of them to disobey my direct orders," Izar apologised, and Astrid could see that he really regretted that the man could have easily reached if not Starling, then someone truly loyal to Regent Arcturus by now, and find a way to inform him about the latest events.

"Please don't apologise," Astrid said, "I don't blame you, and there's nothing we can do about it now." She had noticed how despite being sworn to her uncle, Izar had his own opinions and didn't agree with his way of ruling the kingdom, and she hoped that once she will be crowned, he won't hesitate to join her guard.

Just like Azrael, she found the second piece of news more unsettling.

"My doves have not returned yet," he said as he led her along an ill-lit corridor, then through the heavy dark curtain into his room.

Astrid loved the place-- the small round cave with the old gramophone and the tall bookcase seemed to belong to him so much more than his chambers in the White Tower. If it wasn't for the worrying news, she would have felt elated to be back here.

"What do you think happened to them?" she asked, feeling afraid for the couple of white birds she had grown to love.

She walked towards the bookcase and ran her fingers along the spines of the scores of books, caressing them, realising how much she missed her beloved library, while Azrael got the gramophone in motion. An unusual music, with actual words sang in a smooth female voice demanding Astrid's attention filled the air around them, and she sighed and leaned into him contentedly when she felt his arms wrap around her from behind. Whatever had happened, whatever was happening in Eurovea, they would solve it, they could do anything together...

"Let's not worry about them now, they can look after themselves, they've been around as long as I," he whispered in her ear and Astrid gasped, her mind struggling with the sensation of his breath landing on the column of her neck as much as with the idea of the doves being eternal like him.

He was trying to distract her and it worked-- Astrid didn't insist on the subject as he spun her around, and, swaying softly to the rhythm of the music kissed her deeply, until her legs threatened to give way and he carried her to his bed.

"Azrael, I need a word," Michael's voice reached them from beyond the curtain minutes later, reminding them of their reality.

"I..." Azrael muttered, his fingers pulling at the laces of Astrid's corset, which they had just undone.

"This wasn't our moment, I guess," Astrid smiled at him, then sighed. Michael's omniscient presence and his worry and impatience to meet Polaris again was another thing they could do nothing about. "Go hear what he wants. I'll wait for you."

"And I'll bring you something to eat." He kissed her and left quickly.

Astrid removed her black dress, magically fresh and clean as if she had just put it on a minute ago, washed as well as she could using the water she found within a basin and an ewer, took Azrael's copy of The Book Thief from the shelf, and lay down, waiting for him, but she was fast asleep when he finally returned.

He couldn't wait for the day when this mission would be over, Azrael despaired when he returned more than an hour later, finding her sleeping, curled around a book.

He set the tray of food he brought on the mantelpiece and took the book away gently, before he lay down next to her, his heart soaring as she, without waking up, closed her hands around the fabric of his shirt, her head coming to rest in the crook of his shoulder when he wrapped his arms and wings around her, the motion bringing a content smile to her lips.

Weeks kept speeding by, and they hadn't had a day just for each other yet. Too many things kept happening, too many people kept interfering. He understood that she was a princess, a future queen who had duties to fulfil, expectations to live up to, promises to keep, people to care about, and apart from all that, she was an archangel's daughter... However, he was selfish enough to wish that she was just an ordinary girl who would want to spend her life with him, especially should her life be humanely short.

Azrael pushed a few strands of her hair away from her eyes, observing her beloved sleeping face. He had glimpsed that awful thought pass through her mind more than once, even though she tried to hide it from him. She was afraid, afraid of her mortality, not as much for herself as for him. It was something they would have to talk about, once that all this would be over, later... She was too young to worry about growing old and dying now; he would never leave her anyway, and maybe, just maybe, her angel side was strong enough... But this was a dangerous thought. If it wasn't true, it would only make everything so much harder after...

Abandoning those thoughts, he frowned at remembering Michael's plans. The archangel wanted to free Polaris at all costs, if it meant another war, so be it. But that would break Astrid's heart, Azrael was sure about it, her heart that had already suffered greatly when her demon fiancé died. She loved the country that she was brought up to look upon as her responsibility as much as she loved its people, especially those she had left in that castle which Michael wouldn't mind burning to the ground if it would save his Polaris.

Azrael liked those plans as little as he liked the idea of making the girl the queen as soon as possible-- she was too young, she deserved a few years of a happy carelessness before she would shoulder the life spun of worries and duties. And fears-- it was just a question of time before it would become a public knowledge who her real father was, and Michael had more than enough enemies among the humans of demon descent all over the world, not only in Eurovea...

He kissed her on her temple, then closed his eyes, trying to ignore the thoughts that refused to stop filling his mind with always more complicated enigmas, until he finally fell asleep.