Starry Night

omg I updated after 3 months!...or was it longer? Curse you writers block! Sorry for taking Soooooo long.

......................................................................................................


Naturally things had to be pre-planned before actually going to the fair. Which meant Oliver and Molly would have to wait another night before we all got to spend the weekend together. But that was okay. I didn’t mind at all after I had come to realize just how exhausted Blake was.

He agreed instantly to the fair idea, yet as we were heading down the stairs to consult with Fern he nearly collapsed. I wasn’t very strong but I did manage to grab his hand in time to pull him towards me so that he wouldn’t stumble down the long flight of stairs.

“I’m sorry.” Blake apologized groggily.

“It’s alright.” I assured him. “It’s no problem. We were gonna have to wait till later anyways, so how about I go get Fern for you and you just get some rest tonight. You look like you haven’t slept at all lately.”
Blake’s weak smile indicated that I was right about the lack of sleep and I turned to head back down the stairs when his hand caught mine.

“Blake?” I looked back.

He smiled at me gently. “I’m alright. Just stay by me and help me down the stairs.”

I frowned. “I’m not strong enough to catch you from falling down the whole flight of stairs if you suddenly take a nose dive you know.”

“Please?”

His gentle, pleading face won me over and I took his arm in mine as I escorted him down the stairs. I couldn’t help but be a little angry at myself for falling for the puppy eyes routine.

At the foot of the stairs stood Chase and Fern as though they had both been waiting for us.

“Singer.” Chase greeted me with a warm smile. “I know you two have probably made plans, or at least Blake probably has, but I hope you don’t mind if we take him from you for tonight?”

I smiled up at the two of them, knowing full well that they were just as worried as I was over Blake’s current condition. “Actually, I was just handing him off to you two. I was hoping he’d be able to get some sleep tonight for once since he decided to stay up so long.”

“Singer!” Blake sounded upset, but was interrupted by Fern before he could argue any further.

“He’s right and we all know it. Now come along and I’ll help you to you’re chambers. I already have something for you to take to help you sleep since I know you’ll stubbornly try to stay awake so long as he’s here.”

Blake glanced at me and I waved my hand off at him in a shooing manner. “I don’t want to do anything to put you in a worse state than you already are. Now hurry up and go before I decide to leave altogether. We can hang out when you’re better okay?”

“Hang out?” Chase openly asked. “What kind of plan is that?”

“What do you mean?” I answered.

Fern then took Blake’s arm and placed it over his own shoulder to help him walk. “Never mind what plans they made. What ever it is, it’s strictly between the two of them.”

I felt a little confused over the conversation. “We were just gonna go to the fair is all.”

“Oh.” This time it was Chase who appeared confused. “Why would you say you were ‘hanging out’ then?”

I then came to understand the misunderstanding. “’Hanging out’ is just a phrase used to describe spending time together where I’m from.”

Chase didn’t seem to fully grasp the concept, but smiled at me anyways. “What a strange custom.”

“Will you be staying here tonight?” Blake asked from over his shoulder as Fern helped him walk away.

I waved my finger at him. “Only if you’ll sleep tonight. That way we can go to the fair tomorrow night together.”

“You heard him.” Fern pulled Blake along.

Blake’s smile wavered before he began to willingly follow Fern.

Chase and I watched them disappear from sight, then stood in the hallway silently for a while.

“Well, last night didn’t go exactly as I had hoped it would.” Chase finally exclaimed.

“How do you mean?”

“I wanted you to talk to Blake so he WOULDN’T end up like that. What happened anyways? All I understand is you two had some sort of argument, but somehow from the way you two are regarding each other now I’d say I was wrong.”

I shook my head. “You were right. We did have an argument, er…More of a misunderstanding is all.” I blushed, recalling how aggressive Blake’s advances had been.

“I see.”

I noticed Chase was staring at me now. “What?”

“Nothing. I was just wondering….Did he say anything in particular to you that made you upset?”

“That’s normally how misunderstandings and arguments start.”

“I’m sorry, perhaps I wasn’t clear enough. What I want to know is did he explain how he felt about you?”

“Why?” I asked. “Did he tell you about it?”

“So I’m right?”

I blushed and nodded.

“So what do you think?” The man finally asked after a moment of silence.

“Why do you want to know?”

Chased looked off towards one of the pillars in the hallway before answering, as though he had to think about what he was going to say next. “Mostly because I was the one who told him to confess to you.”

I was rather surprised to hear that, but then I remembered how eager he was to have me and Blake alone last night. I should have suspected he was up to something.

“Why would you do that?”

“Because he’s my friend.” Chase answered. “We’ve been best friends since childhood. He’s always looked out for me, even when I was chosen out of all my brothers to become a prince he cheered me on all the way, knowing that I wasn’t confident in my abilities to lead a country. Never once have I seen him this worked up over anything, not even when he himself was chosen to become a prince.”

“Wait.” I stopped him. “I’m confused now. Are prince’s elected here?”

He regarded me as though I were some sort of alien. “Of course. We’re selected by majority rule in a group, then are made to go though certain tasks which will tell if we’re capable of handling and holding our positions as princes. Each country has a majority rule vote that selects the top one hundred best candidates who then go through the tasks. Out of the top ten, the more vigorous tribulations are put forth and the one who stands out becomes the next prince. Did you not learn that in school?”

I shook my head, knowing that even if I had gone to school my world wouldn’t have covered such topics here. “I didn’t even finish school. After my parents died when I was little I had to fend for myself and wound up alone and unable to do things people normally do.”

His expression softened. “I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize. You didn’t do anything.” I smiled up at him warmly. “You probably went through a lot more than I did when you became a prince.”

“I wouldn’t know.” He answered. “Anyways, how about we go and do something ourselves since you appear free tonight?”

“Like what?”

“Well, I know the fair’s in town, but you want to do that with Blake right? So how about we go for a worgen run?”

“Worgen?” I tilted my head, thinking I had heard that word before.

“…..You mean you don’t know what a worgen is either?” He was observing me as though I were pulling some sort of prank on him. Obviously Blake hadn’t told him everything yet.

“Sorry for how ignorant I am, I can’t really help it though. I’m not used to this place yet.” I looked away ashamed.

I felt Chase put a hand on my shoulder then gently and he smiled at me. “How about we just go worgen riding anyways.”

I was curious. I couldn’t quite place my finger on it, but I remember hearing that word somewhere before. So to find out I nodded my head and allowed Chase to take me down the hall and outside where we were greeted by a man in a smart suite at the door who bowed as we passed by. Then we turned and began walking the same direction we had after Chase had taken me outside when I had healed Blake.

It didn’t take me long to figure out that he was leading me to the stables where to giant wolves were sleeping. When we got there he opened one of the stable doors and walked inside. I held back for fear of the enormous creatures attacking me for being a stranger, but then Chase beckoned me to follow and I did.
Inside, the wolves all stared at me. Not in a hungry manner, but more in a curious manner. Chase walked towards one of the black ones and held out his hand. The beast then stood from its hay bed and placed its muzzle in the man’s palm.

“So these wolves are called Worgen?” I asked standing back.

“I wouldn’t know what wolves were, but yes, these are worgen. Had you honestly not known that?”

I shook my head. Then a sound from the back of the stables caught my attention and I noticed a white worgen scratching itself.

“That one’s name is Flux. He’s quite mischievous. Likes to pull on you’re clothes when you’re not looking.”

I walked closer to the creature, but not close enough for it to reach me. It then looked up at me with it’s eyes, just as green as everyone else’s. The wooden barrier was low enough for it to stick it’s head out while blocking the rest of it’s body. The stable room itself looked big enough for at least four horses to share.
Suddenly the white worgen jumped up and placed its front paws on the top of the wooden barrier and shoved its head at me, head butting my chest lightly.

I froze, afraid it would bite if I moved suddenly. But then the creature began poking me with it’s muzzle. It got to my stomach then. I grabbed its head when it began to tickle me and the great beast seemed to sigh.

“He seems to really like you.” Chase noticed, and was instantly at my side.

Cautiously I began to scratch its enormous head. For a few moments I didn’t mind, but then my hands were beginning to get tired and I had to stop. Only then did I realize Chase had opened the barrier and let the worgen completely out of its stable.

“I’ll let you ride him since he seems to like you so much.” Chase explained, then led the creature out to stand next to a pole which he tied it to. Then Chase went back to grab the black worgen he had been petting.
The saddles for them were pretty much the same used for horses, or at least as far as I could tell.

“Let me help you.” Blake held out is hand.

Without thinking it through I took it, only to be suddenly whisked up and onto Flux’s back. I wobbled for a moment, having to gain my balance. Chase climbed onto his with ease then and smiled. “Come along then.”

“How do I make it go?” I asked.

“Nudge its sides with the heel of you’re foot. Gently though”

I tried it, but the worgen didn’t move. So I tried again a little harder. The creatures ears pricked up and it began to walk forward.

Chase stayed near me to give me pointers of the creature decided to stray from my command and I was grateful for it.

“How about we visit the country?” He asked. “It’s rather beautiful at night.”

“Okay.” I answered.

Chase made a clicking sound and Flux began to follow him. We rode off down the dirt road. What few people we passed would stop and stare at us, children pointing and the adults bowing. I felt rather weird in this situation, but me managed and turned off the road into a large grouping of some sort of plants that appeared to be tree’s with branches that had bulbous points at the end of each branch rather than leaves.

The ground looked green and rippled, like frozen water and the starlight shown through the upper branches like rays cutting into the darkness. We rode through the forest and I looked all around myself. Every now and then I’d see some sort of floating orb of light disappear into a tree and make it glow. They seemed to appear out of nowhere each time.

Then we came to a clearing. It appeared to be an enormous lake at first, reflecting the sky above perfectly. Then Chase had his worgen run out onto it and only when he did not fall in did I realize it wasn’t a lake but a rolling meadow with black grass and glowing flowers which twinkled like the stars.

My head spun as I rode Flux out onto it. I felt as though I were riding on the night sky itself. But when I got used to the sensation I smiled and began enjoying it.

Looking to my right I notice an exceptionally large patch of glowing flowers and rode Flux closer to it, steering with what I little I knew of ridding. It took me a while but I finally got the worgen to obey and it trotted right over the plot of glowing lights. As he took each step though, each light suddenly floated into the air like the fuzzies found on dandelions and spread out into the air. I was surrounded by shining orbs of light which swirled around and above me. One even landed on my arm. As I watched, it sunk in and my entire began to glow.

After a moment the lights began to disappear up towards the sky and I found that Chase had trotted up beside me. “I feel bad now. Blake would have enjoyed seeing you with such a happy expression.”

“Why feel bad?” I answered facing him. “No matter how many times I see this, I know I’m gonna enjoy it!”

“I’m glad. Perhaps I’ll relay that to Blake tomorrow night so he’ll know how to spend time with you after the fair has gone out of town.” Then he seemed to remember something. “By the way, you never answered my question from before.”

“Which one?”

“How do you feel about Blake?”

I was silent for a moment as I had to think of it myself. “I don’t really know. I just know I like him is all. But I don’t quite know just how much yet.”

“You know he cares about you a lot more than he does most things right?”

I looked down at my saddle. “I know. He told me.”

“Then is it so wrong to give him a chance if you know you like him, and know he likes you? Even if you don’t know if you like him as much as he wishes you would, it couldn’t hurt to give it a try.”

“But….” I felt a little upset at this conversation for some reason. “I….”

After a moment of my silence Chase came closer on his worgen till he was directly next to me. I felt his hand on my chin and he lifted my face to look him in the eye. “You what?”

“I don’t want to hurt him.”

Chase chuckled. “You and I both.”

“What?”

The man shook his head then. “Never mind.”

He let go of me then and had his worgen begin riding off towards the other end of the meadow. “Shall we continue?” He asked.

I smiled and gently ushered Flux to follow.