Chapter 27 #2
“It was meant to prepare us for a time when the three of you would come face to face with your greatest fears. When Jackson would have to face losing control and more people he cared for. When Edmund would have to face his own weakness and risk losing himself for the sake of power. And when you, dear boy, would have to make a choice. Lose the magic that has formed you into the man you are, or face a life chained by it.” Her gaze darkens, pushing Hakeem back further into his seat.
His blood goes cold, hands trembling as they dig into the upholstery of the luxurious armchair keeping him from falling to the ground.
He is frozen under her ruby eyes, no thought swimming through his mind, no sound dare break out of his lips.
Lady Eloise’s expression softens, a warm smile encroaches from her lips, hands lay crossed on the thick tome on her lap as she straightens her back.
“I’ve said too much, though it matters not.
It seems fate was rewritten once more, by you.
The dark tunnel that lied ahead seems to have vanished by a simple emotion you stirred in both those fine young men. ”
Hakeem’s voice is a whisper, as a single breath lets a word escape him, “How?”
Bemused, Lady Eloise hands the leather bound tome back to Jean-Paul, who banishes it from the room. “When you were confronted by that foolish cultist, one similar to those who killed your mother.”
Hakeem leans forward, eagerness and curiosity replacing his anxieties.
“A dormant bond flared to life between the three of you, a single, overwhelmingly powerful emotion resonating with the fear that flooded your heart and mind.”
She stands from her seat and elegantly strides over to Hakeem’s side.
He rushes to stand, dismissed by a held up hand.
She places a gentle hand on his shoulder, cold compared to Jackson’s warmth.
She is a true vampire after all. She looks down at him with a grandmotherly smile he never expected to see from someone of her position and power.
“The desire to protect. You called out to them, and they responded in kind. It was a callous mistake from a foolish man, and the genuine cry of your heart reaching out to Eddie and my grandson changed fate itself. That one moment, however inconsequential it may have seemed at the time, spared the three of you from many hardships in your future.”
“I don’t understand,” Hakeem asks while gazing up at Lady Eloise, “how can someone like me do all that, with a simple cry for help?”
She chuckles into her hand and returns to her seat, helped down into it by Jean-Paul. “You forget, dear boy, you are no ordinary arcanist. You are born of a djinn, a god of magic chained into servitude, and brought into this world by true love’s wish.”
A djinn must lose their physical form to produce a half-djinn child. One loved by magic yet unbound by chains of servitude.
“Do you know your mother’s dying words, Hakeem? The words that your father gave his entire existence to grant?”
Of course he does. They are etched into his soul, replayed every time a nightmare comes to haunt him. Like watching someone else’s memory. Even now, he closes his eyes, and it unfolds in his mind.
“As their heartbeats began to slow,
as copper filled the air and pooled below.
Broken, torn, and in their sorrow drowned.
A final wish born of true love’s kiss,
to offer a new life a chance better than this.
‘May you grow strong and free to live,
to one day be gifted with all the love we can never give.’”
Tears begin to roll down Hakeem’s cheek.
He didn’t realize he had started crying till Jean-Paul offered him a handkerchief.
He dabs his eyes and sniffs, “So, what? Are you saying that just because I was born of a wish, I have the power to influence fate?” Hakeem stiffens when he notices the sharp tone with which he addresses Lady Eloise.
“Hm, not exactly. You allowed Jackson to see the beauty in his magic, in himself. Saving him from the darkness that dared consume him once more. You gave Eddie the chance to feel strong, relied upon, to protect rather than be coddled and protected. To you it may seem as though your presence in their lives has been insignificant, but trust me my boy, fate proves otherwise.”
He drinks up the now cooled tea, trying to combat the dryness in his throat. “So why tell me all this? Shouldn’t this have been kept a secret from those involved in this tale?”
Lady Eloise snacks on a biscuit from a tray laid before her.
“Because, Hakeem, when you were confronted in the coffee shop that day, the story unraveled drastically faster than planned. We are far beyond where we should be at this point. Jackson commanded his power, reclaiming control lost so many decades ago. He came face to face with his trauma soon after, letting himself be cared for by you and Edmund. And speaking of dear Edmund, he was both yours and Jackson grounding presence, someone to rely on, when fear gripped both your hearts. One longed to regain control over his life and magic. The other longed to be needed, to protect. Your presence in their lives granted them both the opportunity, though again, we are ahead of schedule by about a few years.”
Okay, now Hakeem is more confused, “I thought you said we were three months ahead of schedule?”
Lady Eloise’s eyes widened in shock, a hand daintily placed over her lips, “Did I? Oh my my my. It seems I have babbled on far too long. That, Hakeem, is one thing that has yet to pass. A spoiler I surely mustn’t reveal.
Now,” the doors open behind them, “I have kept you here long enough. I’m sure you have plenty to think about, but I’m afraid I can offer no further insight on the matter.
It was ever so lovely to meet you. I apologize for the impromptu lecture, though it just came out of me when you dared say you were no one special. ”
One off hand comment of insecurity and Hakeem’s mind is blown by all the information pouring into it. He gets up to leave, grabbing his jacket, not noticing his glasses fall from one of the pockets. “It was lovely to meet you as well, my lady. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be taking my leave.”
As Hakeem makes his way to the open doors, Lady Eloise calls out to him one last time. “Mr. Al-Najim.” He turns around just enough to see her. “Do take care of those boys. I hope you won’t let what you’ve learned today interfere with your judgment.”
He clenches his fists at his side, nails digging half moon marks into his palms, mouth drawn into a taut line.
Fate may have shifted and changed to bring them together, but it didn’t force him to feel the way he did about the two men who have found a home in his heart.
He looks back to Lady Eloise, determination burning in his silver eyes, “I will let my heart speak for me, my lady.” The doors close behind him as he makes his way back to the party.
* * *
From the shadows of the library stalks a figure towards Lady Eloise and Jean-Paul. “Annabella, a lady does not lurk in the shadows of a home where she is a guest,” says Lady Eloise whilst enjoying a tartlet with her tea.
“Mother,” Annabella Nocturne now stands over her mother, glaring down with her arms crossed across her chest, “was there a point in giving the poor child an existential crisis? He didn’t need to know all of that.”
“Didn’t he?” Responds Lady Eloise with mock shock lacing her tone, eyebrows raised on her wrinkled forehead.
“It seemed to me he didn’t believe himself worthy of Edmund and our Jackson, so I simply informed him that he was.
I simply wanted to chat with the boy over tea, but you know I have no patience for self deprecation.
I may have over indulged a tad. Nothing incriminating was said, however. ”
Annabella sighs, massaging the bridge of her nose once more during this exhausting affair.
She sits across from her mother, accepting a cup of tea from Jean-Paul.
Lady Eloise continues, “Besides, dear, wasn’t the plan for the boys to become close, further cementing their future in this harsh world of ours?
The affection may be an added bonus, but it’s all for naught if they don’t think themselves worthy of one another.
Hakeem is Jackson’s fated match, afterall, yet he still sees himself as less than. ”
Annabella’s eye twitches at the outdated, yet oddly fitting, terminology.
“The plan, mother,” her tone is strained, eyes flaring with ruby mana, “was to give the boys a choice. They shouldn’t feel forced towards each other.
What if Hakeem now feels he has no choice but to stick by Jackson and Eddie’s side?
Resentment is a poison on any type of relationship.
Shadi already blames me and Christopher over the loss of his sister.
If he feels Hakeem is being forced into this he may convince him to leave.
We cannot pay our penance to what happened that day if that man refuses to even allow Hakeem to interact with our families. ”
Lady Eloise rolls her eyes at her daughter, which only prompts more bursts of magic to expel from Annabella. “Calm yourself, Annabella. The boy will feel no such thing.”
“And how are you so sure, mother?”
“Tone, young lady.”
Annabella huffs as she sips the tea, at least it tastes good.
“For all your experience, Annabella, you still lack people skills. Are you telling me you couldn’t see it in that boy’s eyes?”
“See what?”
Lady Eloise lets loose a long, agonizing sigh. “It’s as plain to see as the moon on a clear night. The boy made his choice long before he left his room. I’m sure all of them did before the ball even began. Those boys chose-”
They are interrupted by a creak of the large double doors leading into the library, Eddie standing at the threshold.
“Um,” he realizes he might have interrupted something, “sorry, I was looking for Hakeem. He’s been gone a while and I got worried.
Jackson is getting some air and I didn’t know you were here, Lady Nocturne. I mean Mistress and Lady, I mean-”
He is cut off by Annabella raising her hand as she rises from her seat. “You interrupted nothing of importance, Edmund. My mother and I were having a little chat, that’s all. Hakeem has already made his way back. Perhaps he took a detour to get some air as well.”
Eddie bows at the waist, “I see. I will take up no more of your time, excuse me.” He turns to leave and finds Jean-Paul Christopher of him, holding out a familiar pair of glasses.
Lady Eloise calls out to him, “Do be a dear, Edmund, return those to Hakeem when you find him. I’m sure he’ll be needing them when that clever spell of his runs its course.”
He turns around slightly as he pockets the glasses. She could tell? “Of course, my lady. I’ll be sure they make their way back to him.”
An amused grin flashes across her face, fangs catching the light of the hearth. “Be sure that you do, dear boy. And take care of one another.”
He doesn’t need a moment to realize what she means, his heart warming at the notion. “I will, for it’s my honor and my privilege,” he says, as he heads away from the library.
Annabella goes to leave as well, “Well, mother, I hope you’re right and you haven’t ruined the chance for those boys to have a future together.”
Lady Eloise scoffs and waves her off, “Oh enough of the dramatics, Annabella. Return to your loving husband and gaggle of political allies you hoard like a dragon does to gold. Give my regards to Christopher and his lot as well I suppose.”
Annabella rolls her eyes as she begins to recede back into the shadows, “You could always join us, mother.”
“Oh, by the gods no, too many people.”
* * *
Once more Lady Eloise is alone in the library, except all four Jeans now stand behind her. “Welcome back, you four.”
They speak in unison, “What are your commands, my lady.”
She sighs as she rises from her seat, back facing them. “None of that for now. I would like to end this night on a positive note. I would like to see my Jean.”
A single, strong voice speaks from behind her, belonging to a tall, slender gentleman, dressed in a fine suit adorned with a pure white handkerchief, “I am here, my Ellie.”
She turns around, a loving smile decorating her face, and gazes on the man before her. “Only on the solstice, when the stars align,” She begins, before the man continues.
“For just a moment, away from seeing eyes.”
“We join in a dance, just one, where I am yours and you are mine.” They say in unison. The man takes Lady Eloise in his arms, a soft melody plays throughout the library, as they dance a dance meant just for them. Their faces come close together, barely a breath apart.
“My dearest, Jean.”
“My lovely, Ellie.”
Their lips join in a tender kiss, a moment made only for them. The story of Lady Eloise and her Jean, one of love, loss and perseverance, is one meant for another day.
For now, it’s theirs alone.