Mother

Aidos hesitated outside Hanno's door, his hand hovering over the knob. The house was silent, save for the faint rustle outside. He had waited long enough, he decided, and pushed the door open gently. A single candle was lit, its abrupt flame threatened to die as he stepped inside. Hanno sat by the window, his face turned away.

"Hanno," Aidos began softly. "Mr. Galloway told me not to disturb you in your room. I couldn't help myself."

Hanno didn't respond immediately. He remained still, his gaze fixed on the darkness beyond the window. When he spoke, his voice was quiet, almost detached. "It's not the priest, Aidos. It's not Vetia. It's… something else."

"Did you get attacked?" Aidos questioned, still standing at the door, unable to step forward.

"I didn't. I—" He sighed. His words were strained, as if spoken with a heavy heart.

Aidos stepped further into the room, closing the door behind him.

Hanno turned then, his face illuminated by the candlelight. The streaks of red had faded. He took a slow breath, as if steadying himself, and met Aidos's gaze. "I've had leprosy for a while. Since I was a child. Some extreme form."

"Leprosy?" Aidos repeated, his voice barely above a whisper. "And you are sure of it?"

"There isn't any other explanation," Hanno admitted, his tone calm but tinged with resignation. "The symptoms started small—numbness, patches on my skin. I thought it was nothing at first, but then it worsened. My grandfather called a physician. He confirmed it."

Aidos stared at him, his chest tightening. "I am sorry—"

Hanno's lips curved into a faint, bitter smile. "Don't pity me. It does me no good."

"Then you must rest."

"It is not that much of a burden. And to rest and worry my father? This is my cross to bear, Aidos. Not his. I should help for as long as I can."

"Don't be a fool," Aidos snapped, his voice rising despite himself. "You're not alone in this. You don't have to carry it by yourself."

Hanno's smile faded, replaced by a look of quiet resolve. "Perhaps not. But I won't let it define me. I won't let it change who I am or what I must do."

"I got concerned, that is all. I thought my father took out his anger on you. My father and sister—"

"Speaking of—" Hanno interrupted. He stood up from his chair, revealing his streaked face. "Your sister was watching from up above. She was far more accepting than your father—"

"She is not as she seems," Aidos reminded him.

"I'm no judge of that. I only speak what I saw."

There was a silence between them, only broken by Hanno's unexpected question. "At the balcony, there was a man by her side. The priestess' side," Hanno asked rather inquisitively.

"A man? Was he tall and lean? Head bowed?"

"Exactly."

"He's a eunuch," Aidos said with a pout.

"A eunuch?"

"Real men are not supposed to serve the priestess. It is scandalous and improper."

"What's improper about serving a priestess? Why subject a good man to such cruelty for the sake of serving her?" Hanno asked as he paced around the room.

"The priestess—" Aidos hesitated. "Can never marry. Having a man serve the priestess is scandalous. Others would think that the priestess has taken a—" Aidos could not complete the sentence. Had he been at home, he would have been punished for uttering such words, for it would be blasphemy.

"A lover?" Hanno completed the sentence on his behalf. Aidos simply nodded and bowed his head.

"Why would a priestess not marry?" Hanno asked, his voice tinged with sorrow. "How would one guide others to God's love when one has been barred from love altogether?"

"She was readied for her fate. My sister is not capable of love. She has neither loved her people nor her friends. She is cruel, crueler perhaps than my father, who has rained terror into the hearts of these people. I have never seen a woman so heartless, and I have lived my entire life learning to accept her as a higher, holier being," Aidos said, his frustration boiling over. "My apologies, but there is no reason to feel pain on her behalf. If you are at her mercy, she will toy with your life. To be cast out and to be shunned by my people is mercy. They fear her above all. They'll do anything to please my sister's twisted demands, all in the name of God."

"Everyone is capable of love, even the most heartless beings."

"That's foolish."

"I've seen lions and snakes learn to love their owners, Aidos. A man, highest of all forms, is the most radical lover."

"It's easier said than done. They've just turned their backs on you; soon, they will make you suffer. My father is an eccentric man—he knows no limits." Aidos felt his temper rise. He was disturbed, his posture recoiled as if he were soon to crumble into himself.

Hanno's gaze didn't waver. "Then let them. I've faced worse than their fear, Aidos. I've faced hatred, their ignorance. This… this is just another trial. Another test of faith."

Aidos shook his head, his anger giving way to a deep, aching sadness. "Your patience and humility draw me to surrender myself," he said again, his voice softer now. "I truly hope they surrender themselves to you too."

For a long moment, Hanno said nothing. He turned back to the window, his eyes searching the night sky as if for answers. "Thank you, Aidos. For your respect and for remaining steadfast."

Aidos, with a heavy heart, nodded. "Alright," he said quietly. "I'm here. Whenever you need me. However you need me."

Hanno didn't respond, but the faintest hint of a smile touched his lips. Aidos turned to leave, and the door was shut with a very gentle nudge. Hanno stood for a long while in the darkness, staring at nothing in particular before moving towards the window where he once sat, his hand running over the flame of the candle. It hurt. It shouldn't hurt. Hanno sighed and took the seat again.

"Did you not hear him?"

Hanno looked up from the window, at the small shadow that had stood over him.

"She's never to marry."

"I know, Mother," he said as he swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Then why are you thinking of her?" She moved over his shoulder, her hand caressing the back of his neck.

"She fascinates me, that's all," he said, looking distantly out the window.

"Your father made that same poor excuse before he took a lover."

"This is not the same."

"You don't have to lie to me." Her hand brushed his hair back.

Hanno paused only just a moment. "I've never seen anyone like her, man or woman. I don't speak her tongue, nor will she ever speak to me, but I have never desired—"

"Hush, dear child. Don't speak words you can't bring to life. There stands a world between the two of you. One no bridge can bring together. Let it be as it is. And there should be nothing to bother you any longer," his mother said as she kissed him gently on his forehead. Her presence always calmed him, made his muscles melt and his mind drowse.

"I can't let it be as it is," he said into the air, but she was long gone, and he was left sitting in the mess of his own mind, unraveling his own confession.