A visitor of the night

The sound of the tapping at the barred windows startled me. I jolted awake and looked around while my vision was still blurry. I saw a dark figure outside the window, checking the surroundings outside anxiously.

"Viola!" It was a man's face I felt my heart skip a beat. I couldn't tell if it was fear, or excitement making my heart race. It definitely wasn't His Majesty.

"Viola!" He repeated. He was speaking soft enough that no one else could hear him except me. I walked towards the window to get a better look. In the moonlight, I saw beautiful light blue eyes reflecting back at me his hair was wavy and dark, and his face handsome. He looked like a romantic man of the night, coming to steal brides from their husbands. I blushed in the dark.

"Hello," I spoke quietly and shyly as I looked around.

"Viola, I heard you awoke so I came here to see you, how I have missed you!" He reached his hand through the bars and opened it, asking for mine to hold. I awkwardly touched the palm of his hand, observing how smooth it is and how much bigger it is than mine. Awkwardly fascinated by this man.

"Viola?" I looked up at him. This must be Leonard little Livian told me about. I looked into his eyes and saw his heartache in front of me so powerful my own chest ached despite not remembering him.

"What did they do to you?" He asked me with worry in his eyes. "I came to see you every night in your sleep, and now you have woken up. Why do you not come to me as you use to?"

"I am sorry. I do not know who you are," I told him quietly. It felt awful, but telling the truth is best the to do in this situation. "Or anyone for that matter, including myself. I have learned my name and some of my life thus far through Livian and His Majesty Kache, but nothing more."

"Viola-," He pleaded, "I am Leonard, we have been in love for years. His Majesty took you from me because well," He looked down at his clothes. They were not of nobility but mere common servants' clothes. I looked down as well. Even in those clothes, he was much more handsome than His Majesty dressed in glamorous suits. "It's okay", he continued, "You don't have to worry my love, please, just be okay and that is enough for me," I smiled at him as I held his hand. Not only is this man handsome, but he seemed caring as well.

I felt a rush of emotions arising in me as I fell against the wall and a splitting headache. There were only flashes, but I saw Leonard and I together walking on a beach, together in the alleyways kissing while avoiding any onlookers, embracing each tightly, crying together, and being ripped apart from our embrace by some strange man I didn't recognize. I started to cry again from the impact of these emotions hearing Leonard whispering my name over and over again in worry. They were only a few, brief moments, but impactful enough to let my tears flow like a river.

"I remember something, I remember us together, in brief moments. It, it's beautiful, I remember you promising to help me," I told him in my excitement about all the moments I saw of us together. I saw tears come to those beautiful blue eyes of his as he smiled at my memory coming back so fast. He bunched up my hair in his hand and blew me a kiss, nodding his head excitedly.

"You are my intelligent dearest, and I will always be there for you, please, don't forget me, I will help you escape my love. Don't let him touch you, you are mine, and we will go to a home of our own far from here soon," He smiled at me. Not remembering everything, I still felt fear at the idea of running away with someone new, but I felt I could trust him with my life as I nodded my head, listening to his captivating voice.

"I-I need to go already, so we can't risk being caught, don't tell anyone, even Livian about us seeing each other for now. Give us some time to work out a plan together, I love you Viola," He said to me with such emotion the wall between us felt as though it was shaking.

"Three weeks" I said.

"What?"

"I have three weeks for recovery, and I don't think His Majesty will wait for me to be ready beyond that, please, help me escape by then. Then we can go to a home of our own, there are enough stones to buy a life of our own." I pointed to the room behind me, all those stones always glimmering in the light, they would be a key to my future. He nodded in agreement before kissing my hand goodnight as he ran off. I saw the sun was close to rising, he must have gotten up extremely early to see me. If he is on the opposite side of all these palaces, he has a long way to run. I smiled, this man seems a bit crazy but adorable.

While I was giddy from the excitement of the night I couldn't return to sleep until I heard a knock at my door where no one answered when I asked them to enter. I got up and called for a maid or little Livian until she came and opened the door, holding with big eyes a pot of flowers. Black petunias.

"These symbolize death through the color, and resentment through the petunias. The note says from the Empress! How very bold of her!" Little Livian exclaimed with pure disgust and anger in her voice.