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wannahug13

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“Good morning, my Little Starlight,” I was awoken by Vincent’s voice and the smell of bacon, eggs, and fruit. I was happy to be in little pain that morning, evidently those bandages were treated with some healing potion, but I was not happy with Vincent’s pet names; it was starting to get on my nerves, the way he seemed to think he had claimed me.

            “Her name is Fresia,” I heard Akar’manak’s and Henry’s voice chime in unison, annoyed at his possessiveness, too. I smiled and opened my eyes to see Vincent’s face only inches from mine, and a horde of disgruntled, bored, and half asleep servants holding trays of food. Boiled, scrambled, and over-easy eggs piled on one platter; bacon, ham, and sausage on another; all types of fruit on their own platters according to type of fruit. There was too much food for even an army to eat, and he was bringing it for how many people, ten at the maximum; he was insane!

            Vincent smiled and smoothed my hair gently from my face, and kissed me on the forehead. I grimaced and looked to everybody in the room; Valeria lounged in a chair in a far corner, toying with a small lizard that squealed happily, Aquarloftyne and Brin’e were nowhere to be seen, though I wished they were there, and Akar’manak, who was no longer in a cage, had his arm around the little maid, both standing near my couch. Henry was sitting on an ottoman right next to me, glaring at Vincent.

            “Do I have to eat all that food?” I looked skeptically at the servants and platters again, and Vincent smiled, snapping his fingers.

            The servants started to approach us slowly, “Only what you wish to eat, my love,” He said as he motioned one with a platter of pears to us.

            My stomach growled lightly, and I reached earnestly for one of the smaller pears. I was not very hungry at all, but I still wanted to show that I approved at least a little of his hospitality.

            He waved that servant away, who walked off into the rest of the room, offering fruit to my friends. Vincent invited servant after servant to step forward, and I took a little of each until I felt sick. The food was almost gone within an hour because Akar’manak ate like a horse, and Henry ate heartily as well. The little blonde maid snuggled into Akar’manak’s side as he sat in a plushy couch closer to Vincent, Henry, and me.

            “Fresia… I have something to tell you,” Henry started, looking down at the floor, ashamed. Vincent and I looked at him, me in curiosity, and he in anger.

            “Keep your mouth closed you fool, she needs to heal peacefully!” He hissed at Henry, who glared back at him angrily, “She does not need this disturbance so soon.”

            “Why should I wait to tell her? Do you think that just because she doesn’t know will mean that she will heal slower, keeping her out of danger; not to mention staying in an area where you may lookin on her while she sleeps?” Vincent looked shocked embarrassed at the same time, not meeting Henry’s or my eyes.

            “What is going on?” I looked between the two men, wondering if there was something wrong with me. Was there something wrong; did I heal wrong?

            “Fresia,” Henry gripped my hand lightly, “Aquarloftyne and Brin’e… were in an accident yesterday, for the circumstances in Fairqwerest are getting to be much worse than before. The Duchess of Purge is angrier than ever because she found that you were not dead, and I was healthy--,”

            I cut him off, “What happened to them?! Tell me what happened to my friends!” I felt tears welling up in my eyes, waiting for the worst of news.

            “We found Aquarloftyne with massive injuries, and Brin’e was…”

            “Brin’e was what, Henry? I can handle whatever you are going to tell me,” I said, the tears spilling over my cheeks lightly.

            Henry wiped one of my tears away, “She was captured, and Aquarloftyne was supposed to give you this message,” With that, he handed me a small piece of parchment rolled neatly, but obviously read and reread multiple times.

Hello, my darling girl, Fresia,

I have your little friend, Brin’e, or whatever the little mongrel’s name is, and I do hope you plan to do as I say, or she may be in grave danger.

If you do not come to pay me a visit within three weeks time, she, and all your other friends will be dead in days. Yes, lamb, that means Vincent, that fat little Aquarloftyne, that traitor Akar’manak, Valeria, and the human man you seem to favor above all the others, Henry.

There may be others killed when I believe it needed, but I am quite sure that the list I just presented you with will be sufficing leverage for the moment being.

Oh, and tell that snob Vincent that The Duchess sends her hatred and tidings.

All my love for you, sweetie,

Duchess Fantasia Lorensius of Purge

            I stared blankly at Henry after reading the note, then proceeded to scream wildly at Vincent, “Why did you not wish to tell me of my friends!?” I waved the note in his face angrily, “What type of man are you to try to hide such a thing from me?!”

            I sat up, no pain burdening this time, and punched him straight in the nose, hearing it crunch as the bone broke under my sudden fury, “Where is Aquarloftyne?” I address the shocked and pale Henry as Vincent fell over, clutching at his bleeding nose.

            He paled to a ghastly white as I tapped my foot impatiently, not caring for anything but how my friend was; he pointed to a door that led to an antechamber almost as big as the room I was residing in, “Through that door.”

            I spared one pained glance at Vincent, my anger dying as I stood there, knowing that he must have taken good care of my little friend, doing all he could, “I…” I crouched next to him, but he backed away from me clumsily, whimpering when he fell again, “I am very sorry, Vincent.”

            I stood once more and entered the room in which Aquarloftyne rested in. Tears welled in my eyes once more as I viewed his little broken body, wrapped in plaster and bandages. His big brown eye looked over at me as I entered, and I saw the bandages across his little mouth little slightly in a smile/grimace of pain, “Hello, my lady Fresia.”

            My knees gave out at the scratchy hoarseness of his voice, because it was still filled with the warmth of love for a friends, even in his pain; and look at me! I punched a man I cared about – friend only of course – just because he wanted to protect me from emotional damage. I felt so horrible, so I just sat on the floor, my little friend looking worried, as I cried.