Soren sat under the tree. The sunlight seeped through the leaves turning the shadow on his body into a leafy pattern. His fingers delicately weaved through Maelis's hair trying to tie it into a braid. It has been three weeks since the journey and since the kids woke up healthy again.
"There we go," Soren smiled, "you look perfect, little oracle jelly." Soren put the braid in front over her shoulder
Maelis grinned and giggled playfully tugging at her newly braided hair, "Thanks big bro." She giggled happily.
They saw a boy with blonde hair approaching them. Maelis grinned ear to ear. She got up and ran to the boy, hugging his waist.
"Big bro." She grinned.
"What is this?" Cyrus picked up the six year old, "you normally don't come to me." Maelis only giggled in Cyrus's arms.
Soren smiled softly.
"Big bro, Soren and Cyrus." Fallon joined, he was running towards them with Levi in his arms.
"Fallon." Cyrus said, sitting next to Soren with Maelis still clinging to his neck.
Fallon sat at the opposite side of Soren. Soren cracked his neck, "you all want to hear about the journey again?"
Fallon, Levi and Maelis nodded their heads at the same time.
"But haven't you all heard about it already." Cyrus grumbled.
"It's entertaining." Maelis's grin widened.
"Besides Levi has a bad memory he wants to hear it again." Fallon held Levi up to his face.
"Are you talking about Levi or you?" Cyrus's eyes narrowed at Fallon.
Fallon playfully stuck out his tongue and shrugged.
"I will tell you the story later." Soren chuckled, "but first, I'm gonna use the bathroom." He got up from the middle of Cyrus and Fallon.
"Make sure to come back." Fallon shouted from behind.
Cyrus just grumbled.
Soren had disappeared from their view. Maelis looked at Cyrus and then at Fallon, "can I show you two my Illusions?" she said excitedly, "I learned to do it bigger now."
"Sure." Fallon said.
"Go on." Cyrus said as Maelis got down from his lap and stood facing the three boys.
"Watch, please." Maelis clasped both her hands together and slowly she closed her eyes. She focused hard. Her lashes casted a shadow over her cheeks as she focused or as much as focus a six year old could do.
Cyrus, Fallon and Levi watched closely. Levi giggled as a big version of Soren appeared behind Maelis. This version didn't talk. He just winked.
Cyrus raised an eyebrow and Fallon chuckled a bit. Levi just giggled.
"It looks like big bro, Soren." Fallon stated looking at the conjured up Soren.
"It's too short for Soren," Cyrus rolled his eyes, "Soren's much taller."
Fallon glanced at him from the side and narrowed his eyes, "you observed a lot about Big Bro Soren." He chuckled a bit.
A vein popped in Cyrus's forehead, "what are you implying, brat?" He grumbled.
"Nothing." Fallon still had his knowing smile on his face. He tried not to glance at Cyrus to annoy him further.
The illusion disappeared as Maelis lost her focus, "that was a work out." She claimed as she swiped her wrist on his forehead as if wiping off sweat.
"Sure it was." Cyrus grumbled.
Maelis looked at the three boys in excitement, "it was good right? You all loved it right?"
"It was lovely." Fallon praised.
"It was okay." Cyrus nodded his head.
Maelis was happily giggling.
"With a bit of more practice she could do better, right big bro, Cyrus?" Fallon looked at Cyrus.
"Yeah sure." Cyrus looked away.
They heard a kid calling, "big bro Fallon!" The voice of a kid said, "Yvonne scraped hilarious knee."
Fallon looked over at the sound of the voice and let out a sigh, "Coming!!!" Fallon said as he set Levi on the grassy ground besides Cyrus, "Big bro, I would be back. In the meantime, I'm leaving Levi with you." With that he left to tend to Yvonne.
Maelis sat beside Levi and Cyrus watched as Fallon went to tend to the other kids.
Cyrus watched how gently Fallon picked up the kid and comforted her. He watched Yvonne laugh as Fallon gently began healing her scraped knee. Fallon can't heal physical injuries because he hasn't mastered that though he could only heal small wounds.
A memory flashed in his mind.
Cyrus had fallen down from the swing set. His knee burned and tears pricked his eyes. He was only six years old. His knee hurted. Tears fell from his eyes.
Soren had run up to Cyrus, "what's wrong?" He noticed the wound on Cyrus's knee, "oh no you have an ouchie."
Cyrus just sobbed. "It hurts, big bro." his voice cracked as he sobbed.
"It's okay," Soren would put his small hands on Cyrus's wound and close his eyes and focus hard as a tiny bit of water had come out of his palm. Not like present Soren who could shoot water from the tip of his finger.
It would have soothed younger Cyrus's wounds and he would have giggled.
Cyrus sighed at the memory as he looked away from Fallon and towards where Soren had gone. His eyes, unreadable as he stared off to the distance.
Beside him Maelis and Levi just giggled and played together.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The cold wind from the night sky blew from the slightly ajar window. Cyrus's eyes fluttered open. He sat up and ran a hand through his blonde hair and yawned. He looked over at Soren's bed. It was empty, he looked over to the door. It was open.
Cyrus silently climbed down from his bed and made his way to the door. Before walking past the threshold. He peaked his head out in the corridor. The corridor was dark and the only lights illuminating some parts of the hallways are the wall lamps. He stepped out to the hallway.
He walked along the lights that illuminated the darkened hallway. His feet fell like feathers as he walked deep in the hallway. He turned a corner but then hid himself because Soren was there on the balcony. He wasn't alone, he was holding someone. A child. Cyrus looked further.
Maelis…
Soren's holding Maelis. Lulling her to sleep. Under his own eyes are circles, dark circles. How long has this idiot been awake anyway? The moonlight made Soren look ethereal. Cyrus's heart fluttered. He shook his head. He went towards them.
"Crowface?" Cyrus called as Soren turned to look at Cyrus. His blue eyes look tired as if he has been out with Maelis for a long time. And that reminds Cyrus. How long had Soren lost his sleep to help these kids?
"Why are you awake?" Soren said. Maelis was asleep in Soren's arms. Her hands were around his neck. There were dried up tear lines on her face, "Did I wake you up?"
Cyrus shook his head, "I woke up myself." He approached them both. Getting closer to them.
Soren noticed Cyrus getting close, "Sunshine…" He said softly.
"Shut up…" Cyrus gently took Maelis off of him and Soren's eyes widened a little as he felt Maelis's weight off of him.
"Careful now…" Soren muttered. It was unusual for Cyrus to be this gentle. It took him by surprise.
Cyrus gently patted Maelis's back calmly. As the child fit right between his arms and torso. But something about it made Soren's chest flutter.
"Come on, Crow." Cyrus said as he grabbed Soren's hand with one hand and the other held Maelis steadily and carefully.
Soren blushed a little then shook his head, he is probably delirious from staying up with Maelis. He let Cyrus drag him back to their room. After going to the room. Cyrus had let go off Soren's hand.
Cyrus walked towards his bed and gently laid Maelis there and pulled the blanket on her small and delicate body. Her eyes were closed in a peaceful slumber.
Soren was still standing in the doorway watching Cyrus. He turned around and closed the door.
"You…" Cyrus looked back at Soren and took him by the hand to sit in his bed, "Tell me why did you kidnap Maelis from her and Marryanne's room?"
Soren shook his head, "I didn't kidnap her. She was standing outside the door. She wouldn't knock, she just sat there beside the door. I opened the door because I just guessed someone was outside and I was right."
Cyrus raised an eyebrow, "are you a psychic as well?"
Soren chuckled softly, "no," he denied, "just the shadows looked weird. I just thought something was wrong."
Cyrus sighed, Soren is delirious from lack of sleep, "what happened after you found Maelis?" He asked the more important question right now.
"She was sobbing. She said that she had a bad dream. So I picked her up and walked with her for some time."
Cyrus looked at Soren when he caught a rare flash of vulnerability in Soren's eyes, "I see…"
"She said that she saw fire everywhere. The orphanage the people have been gulped up by the flames."
"I see…" Cyrus nodded his head, "It's just a bad dream, Soren. Nothing to be losing your mind over." Cyrus didn't realize that he was speaking softly.
"I was out in the hall and the balcony with her for almost an hour. Then you came in."
Cyrus sighed, "Alright," he pushed Soren down on the bed and watched as Soren's eyes widened.
"What are you doing, Sunshine?" Soren's breath caught in his throat.
"Putting you to sleep." he pulled the cover over Soren. Soren was already tired so he fell asleep almost instantly.
Cyrus got up and paced around the room. He took one look at Maelis and kept pacing the room, occasionally looking out the window. Maelis just had a bad dream, didn't she?
It must be a bad dream.