Pegasus Boyfriend: Clotaire (complete)

    My grandmother had met and fallen in love with a Centaur after the passing of her husband. My grandfather had died when my mom was still quite young. Both her and my grandmother had gone to grief counseling due to the shock. It was there my grandmother met him. The two of them were happy together, and I grew up on the farm they started together.

    The farm was a sanctuary for Centaurs, a place where they could come and heal. My grandmother and grandfather, that’s how I knew him, had spent their lives rescuing Centaurs who had been placed into labor camps or were in trafficking rings. Something my grandfather had gone through and was making sure no one else had to through.

    When she died, I took over, running the place with, hopefully, the same strength and compassion my grandmother and grandfather did. It was hard work, but I had the help of many hands there. Several Centaurs who had been on the farm before worked here as well, staying on as counselors and volunteering their time to help a place they believed in.

    There was another farm across the way, one that dealt with Unicorns and Pegasus. My grandfather had helped it get started, even donated funds so the barn could get built. The Pegasus that owned the place had been rescued by my grandfather. He had been kidnapped by poachers as a baby and, when my grandfather found him, he was ten years old and had suffered cruel treatment all his life. He was covered in scars and had scared my grandmother to death. We hadn’t seen someone so young in such a state before. Forced to work gruelling labor under harsh, unforgiving conditions, Clotaire was a harsh and angry kid, but my grandfather worked with him until the day he died.

    Clotaire was rightfully angry. If I had been raised the way he was, I would be too. But I always felt he had been ungrateful to my grandfather. He had taken his money and gone to open up his own rehab farm across the way, taking everything my family had taught him and, rather than staying to support the place that healed him, it was like he didn’t care for us at all.

    Since our farms shared a fence, our patients often commingled. It wasn’t rare to find everyone gathered around the fence, talking and trading stories and having a good time. I suggested to Clotaire we take down the fence and build a commons area together. Something like a patio with a firepit. Clotaire refused, saying he had the fence up for a reason.

    It’s always bothered me. Then again, Clotaire always bothered me, even when we were kids. He was a hard one. I’ll admit, I was always jealous of the relationship he and my grandfather had. I know my grandfather cared for Clotaire and wanted to help him, but when I was little, I always felt ignored in place of Clotaire. I had tried befriending him, but it blew up in my face. 

    I’ve tried to keep my distance from Clotaire. It’s hard to do, considering we work in the same field and our neighbors. But for the most part, as long as we keep to ourselves, we don’t have the usual blow ups. We had many heated exchanges as teenagers and he was part of the reason I moved so far for college.

    On Sundays, I like to go hiking. I take a trail through the woods and sometimes just wander around for hours. I also collect herbs I see, knowing that the centaurs back at the farm will really enjoy them. I also like looking for ginger, a little thing my grandfather taught me when I was little. He taught me how to spot ginger and, whenever I found some, to always replace it so more will grow. Finding ginger is a massive event at the farm. It is a treat for the centaurs, and I so love seeing them excited. 

    I am going off the path where I know there is a patch of wild blackberries, when I hear a strange noise. I hear thrashing and grunting, a sound of frustration and agony. I follow the noise, unsure if I’ll find something dangerous or something in trouble. 

    I hear someone scream and I rush forward.

    “I’m coming!” I call out. “It’s ok! I’m coming! Stay still!” I slide down the hill and nearly fall into, what has to be, the biggest thicket of brambles and vines I’ve ever seen. It’s so wild and overgrown, it looks like barbed wire. 

    Out in the field, I see Clotaire thrashing. He’s trapped on his side, tangled and ensnared by the thicket. 

    “Oh, god,” I whisper as I try to make a plan. I look for a way to get to him. I take my backpack and use the emergency blanket to wrap around myself. 

    “Stop thrashing,” I try to coax him as I ease down into the thicket of thorns. “You’re only making it worse!”

    Clotaire screams and kicks and bucks as if he didn’t hear me. He whines and whimpers, and I realize he’s crying. He’s having a panic attack.

    The thorns rip at my ankles and I use my pocket knife to whack through some of the thicker brambles. 

    “Clotaire, breathe,” I say to him, trying to keep my voice smooth and even. “Remember what Elan told you. Breathe in through your nose. Breathe out your mouth.”

    “Oh fuck, is it you?” Clotaire whines. “You couldn’t save yourself from a wet paper bag!” He laughs, but he still sounds panicked.

    “I know. I know. But I’m trying to get you out of the paper bag,” I huff and keep my cool.

    Clotaire laughs loudly. “That’s a riot!”

    I get close to him. Most of the brambles and vines have been flattened by his struggling and fighting. I kneel down beside him and start hacking away at the brambles. 

    “How’d you even get here?” I scoff.

    “Slipped,” he grunts. He whines as he looks at the blade. He turns his head away and strains his neck, as if trying to escape.

    “Hey, hey, it’s ok.” I whisper and place my hand over his eyes. “You’ll be out of here in a jiffy.” I cut through a snare of vines and he’s able to free his arm. “You slipped. Ok. I just about fell in too.”

    Clotaire slaps my hand away and places his palm over his face. “Just hurry up!”

    “I’m trying.” I shake my head and use my hand to rip up some brambles from his wing. His wing stretches out and he sighs with relief. “You’re really tangled in. It’s going to take time.”

    I notice he’s covered in lots of small cuts and welts. I don’t know how long he’s been stuck here, but it’s obvious he’s been fighting and making it worse on himself. I stroke down his back and his flank.

    “It’s ok, Clotaire,” I murmur. I remember what my grandfather used to say to him when he would go into one of his mood swings. “I’ll be here for you, no matter what.”

    Clotaire snarls in frustration and lays limp on the ground. “You’re so fucking annoying.”

    “I know. But at least I’m here.” I look at him, our eyes meeting. He always had the most beautiful eyes, deep violet like the peaks of mountains at sunset. 

    I finally get him free and to standing. His wings are still tangled and filled with briars and it’ll take some work to get them out. He’s hurt, so I help him walk around the thicket and get out of the woods. 

    We come out behind my farm and he jerks, as if wanting to go in another direction. I make him stay on course.

    “We’re almost home,” I say. “I’ll get you patched up there and then you can go to your place once I’m done.”

    “I don’t want to go there,” he snarls.

    “Clotaire,” I coax him. “It’s closest. We try and get to your place, you risk getting even more hurt. The supplies are right there, I can see them in the window. Just let me help you.”

    Clotaire glares down at me and shakes his head. I see tear tracks on his face and, for a moment, I understand why my grandfather wanted to help him so much.

I lead him into the house. Luckily, it’s quiet. The centaurs are out for the day; some have gone to church, others go on long outings. So luckily, we will not be bothered. I have him lay down in the infirmary, where I take the vines and briars from his wings. I clean each cut I can find, which there are a lot. I patch him up as best I can and I check his front leg, which he seemed to be favoring as we walked.

    Clotaire watches me with an angry glare. His dark eyes focused on every little thing I did. He then scoffs as I bandage and splint his leg.

    “What?” I finally snarl, having had enough with his shitty attitude. 

    “I’m amazed is all,” he grunts. “Someone like you actually knows half of what they’re doing.” He turns his head away.

    “Someone like me?” I snap. “Ok. That’s it. What is your problem with me?” I stand up and pop my hands to my waist. I glare down at him, returning every harsh look he’s given me since we left the woods.

    “You were a spoiled brat then and you’re a spoiled brat now.” Clotaire’s upper lip curls over his teeth. “You took for granted what you had here, and now you’re stuck with it.”

    “I love this place.” I’m very nearly shaking with rage. “This place has always been so important to me. I worked my ass off to feel even remotely worthy of taking it on when my grandmother died!”

    “You aren’t half the woman Ziibi was!” Clotaire blurts. “You don’t deserve this place if all you see is a burden!”

    “It’s never been a burden!” I roar at him. “You’re a burden! My grandfather gave you everything and you ran away from him. He loved you like a son and you took it and used him!”

    Clotaire rises up off the ground, tears sparkle in his eyes, but he very much looks angry and perturbed. “Elan was like a father to me. I loved him more than anybody. How dare you say I used him.”

    “He took his savings to build that barn for you.” I point out across the way where his barn is like a dark cloud on my horizon. “When he got sick, I used my college money to make sure they didn’t have to struggle.”

    Clotaire’s eyes widen and his mouth hangs open.

    “I worked two jobs while also going to school so I could stay. They didn’t know. Only my mom did. We both agreed it was the best thing to do. But that wouldn’t have needed to happen if-” I stop myself and shake my head. “Elan loved you so much.” I blink and tears fall from my eyes. “He never looked at me the way he looked at you.”

    “That’s not true,” Clotaire grumps like a child.

    “You were a starry sky to Elan,” I whimper. “All he wanted was for you to be happy. He felt he never got a chance to really see it in you.” I cover my face with my hands and fall back into a chair as I sob. “Get out! Just go!” I whimper. “You don’t want to be here, just go.”

    Clotaire stands there, his eyes down and his arms limp by his sides. 

    “Why’re you just standing there?” I wiped my eyes and nose with my sleeve. “You hate this place so much, then leave.”

    “I tried to buy it when Elan died,” he grumbles. He looks around. “But Ziibi wouldn’t sell. She said it wouldn’t be fair to you.” He rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “That was the nail in the coffin for me. I left this place, hating that you were the one they thought deserved it simply because it wouldn’t be fair.”

    “I didn’t know,” I huff. “Even if it was you, it would have been better for this place to have both of us on board.”

    “Both of us,” he scoffs. “Look at us!” He places his palms on his chest. “We can’t even be in the same room together without-” he tosses his head and his tail swishes behind him. “I wanted to be you so badly.”

    “What?” I laugh.

    “I wanted to belong here.” His voice is low and his eyes are distant. 

    I sigh and my shoulders slouch. “You’re so stupid.” I stand up and approach him. “As soon as Elan took you in, you belonged here.” I go to the door and open it, stepping outside into the fresh air. 

    Clotaire steps out behind me, stepping onto the pathway. “Glad to know we both made each other feel like shit for no reason.”

    I frown after him and turn back into the house, but I stop. I step back out and turn to him. “Hey.”

    He stops and turns his head back. “What now?”

    “They wouldn’t want us to keep this up. We should...make peace.”

Clotaire turns around and looks down at me. “How do we do that?”

“I don’t know.” I shrug then smile. “But I think it would honor them. Don’t you?” I hold my hand out to Clotaire and he stares at it for a moment. 

He then takes my hand, squeezing it and shaking it gently. “Fine,” he grumbles. 

A few weeks later, I wake up to the sound of some hushed murmurs. Walking outside, I see some of the centaurs gathered around in a huddle and whispering to one another.

“What’s going on?” I stand beside them, then see out at the fence, Clotaire. He’s tearing up the fence and has a stack of supplies on his side of the farm. 

    I rush out towards him, just in my robe and a pair of sandals. “What are you doing?” 

    He wipes his brow as he tosses a chunk of fence aside. “Honoring Ziibi and Elan.” He motions to the stack of supplies behind him. “You could help.”

    I furrow my brow then look back at him. “What are you doing?” I repeat slowly.

    Clotaire frowns at me with those dark eyes of his. “Building the stupid little commons thing you wanted a few years ago.” He runs his fingers through his hair. “I got some stuff for the patio. But you’re going to have to afford the rest.”

    I break into a smile and he scowls. 

    “Ew. What?” He snorts.

    I laugh. “Nothing. Uhm-” I push my hair from my face. “I haven’t had coffee yet.”

    “Neither have I,” Clotaire grunts as he starts working on removing another area of fence. “And I’m a fucking ray of fucking sunshine.”

    “Then why don’t you break and come have breakfast?” I ask. “Dora is making her famous apple crepes today.”

    Clotaire looks at me and frowns. “Fine.”

    “We can discuss the commons too. Afterwards, I’ll come out and help you get the rest of the fence up.” I smile at him again.

    Clotaire sighs and a soft smile spreads on his face. “Sure. Whatever.”

    I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Clotaire smile. It’s a strange sight, but he’s all the more beautiful for it. He joins us for breakfast and, afterwards, me and some of the centaurs go out to help him tear up the fence. Some of the unicorns and Pegasus join in as well.

    We spend some time together after that. Mainly discussing building the firepit and the patio. We argue over details, such as whether or not to add electricity so there can be refrigerators for snacks and drinks. We bicker over designs for the fire pit and if there should be more than one. 

    One day, Clotaire is fidgeting with one of his wings. He keeps flicking it and stretching it out. It is like if you have something in your eye and keep squinting and rubbing to get it out.

    “Go outside and deal with it,” I grumble at him. “You’re bothering me.”

    “Then why don’t you just brush it?” Clotaire snaps at me. His expression then goes blank for a moment before returning to a scowl. “I can’t reach it. So you’re going to have to do it.”

    I set down my pad and paper and grumble. “Fine.” I take Clotaire to the grooming stable. I use a cloth to wipe down his wings and notice a big cluster of feathers that have shed, but haven’t fallen out yet. I use a unique solution Elan had made to clean the feathers so they shine brilliantly. 

    “I think that does it,” I huff. “Feel any better?” I ask and step back.

    Clotaire stretches out his wings and, for a moment, I’m shocked. I knew they were big, but it had never occurred to me how truly massive they were. They spread out at least twelve feet, maybe more. He then folds them back up, tucking them into his sides. I always thought his wings were black, but in the light, I now realize they’re deep, dark blue. They fade into his sides, which are dark in color as well, which bleed into a dusky red and yellow. Clotaire is beautiful, I can’t deny that. I’ve always thought so, but now...it makes my heart bounce.

I look up and see Clotaire has a big smirk on his face. I frown at him.

    “You seem surprised?” He chuckles.

    I huff and look away. “Surprised you even feel the need to show off so much.”

    “You can admit you’re impressed. It doesn’t bother me,” he teases.

    I glare up at him. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

    Clotaire comes up to me and captures my arm, making me look up and face him. “I would actually.” He dips down and my lips part in surprise as he kisses me. I stand on tiptoe to meet it and he picks me up off the ground.

    “What are you doing?” I moan as our lips part.

    “Kissing you, what, are you dumb?” Clotaire kisses me again and I cup my hands around his face. “Or have you just not had it done properly?” He whispers into my ear.

    “It’s...it’s you!” I gasp. “I thought you hated me?”

    Clotaire smirks. “Maybe I was just confused all this time.” He nuzzles to my cheek and kisses the top of my head. “You never looked at me when I wanted you to so badly.”

    “Oh,” I whisper and run my fingers through his long hair. “I...I didn’t know.”

    “It’s ok,” he murmurs. “You’ll look at me now, won’t you?”

    I’m not sure how to take Clotaire’s new affection, as well as my own desire for it. He’s still as grumpy as he ever was, but he’s also somehow sweeter about it. Maybe it’s just something I never noticed about him before. It’s all a ‘one step at a time’ sort of thing and we’re going about it slowly.

    One evening, during sunset, Clotaire and I are bundled up under the new patio. It’s cold and starting to snow, so everyone smarter than us is inside and somewhere warm. Clotaire and I wanted to be alone, so we gathered blankets and started a big fire in the pit. Snuggled up together, I notice how Clotaire’s eyes fixate on the sky.

    “Where were you born, Brieanna?” He asks suddenly.

    I motion back to the barn. “Mom gave birth to me in Grandma’s bedroom. She said I fell out of her like a greased up pig.”

    Clotaire scoffs. “I asked where, not how.” He nips the tip of my ear. 

    “Why do you ask?” I offer him up a marshmallow, and he bites my fingertips as he eats it. He licks his lips then takes a slow breath. 

    “I don’t remember.” His voice is low and quiet. “Or, at least, not entirely,” he grumps and rests his cheek on my head. “I remember flashes of things. Someone screaming out my name. Someone calling me in from the rain. Someone who called me Clo-toe and had a lisp.”

    I snuggle up against him and hold his hand, kissing the inside of his palm. “What do you think it all means?”

    He takes a deep breath in through his nose and lets it out through his mouth. “The poachers that took me-” he stops himself. “I don’t remember much before that. Too young. Too traumatic. Whatever it was, I don’t remember any comfort before that moment.”

    I sit up and look back at Clotaire. I touch the one long scar running down from the corner of his mouth and onto his neck. His mouth had been split open at some point in his young life. Probably by a poorly fit bridle and reigns. I can’t imagine what he went through as a child. I just want him to remember the love and support my grandparents gave him.

    “I want to remember is the thing. I want to know where I came from and see it with my own eyes. I just don’t know-” he lowers down and holds me, squeezing tight onto me. “I want to find it.”

    I hug tight to him, wrapping the blanket around us. The next day, I go through Elan’s paperwork. It’s all been stored away, so I have to scramble and climb over decades of family pictures, saved refrigerator doodles, and baby clothes to get to it. I sort through many lives saved by my grandparents, finally finding something on Clotaire.

    My grandfather had so much research and information on the smuggling ring that had gotten Clotaire. The poachers had given up information on their buyers for leniency. My grandfather had tracked down these buyers enough, he knew they had money. Unfortunately, the man who had purchased Clotaire had died before he could go to trial. But some information from the poachers led him to the Braewood mountains. But that was as far as he got. 

My grandfather’s letters home explained to my grandmother how he had searched high and low in those mountains for any signs of Pegasus, but he came up with nothing. I gather everything up and show the box to Clotaire.

He sits down, reading everything with a fine eye. He clutches a letter from my grandfather and his hands start shaking. I rub the back of his neck as he presses the letter to his face and weeps.

    “He did all this?” Clotaire sobs. “For me?”

    I wipe at my eyes. “You affected him so much. You made his work worthwhile” I squeeze his shoulder. “I heard him once say that if he ever got his hands on the people who had you, he would kill them with his bare hooves,”

    The letter Clotaire holds was something my grandfather had written to my grandmother on his search. He describes how much Clotaire deserves justice, how much he needs love. Elan begged Ziibi to love Clotaire like their own. He wanted more than anything for Clotaire to grow up and be able to be happy. 

    “Where is Braewood?” Clotaire asks.

    “I’m not sure.” I pull up a map and look over it. “It’s just beyond the old Pilgrim village museum. Where the nature reserve is.” I show him on the map. “It’s a good while away.”

    Clotaire sniffles and stands up. “I’m going to go.”

    “Go?” I gasp and chase him outside. “Not by yourself!”

    “Well, what else can I do?” He frowns at me. “Knowing that it is a clue where I have to go now.” He extends his wings and takes in a deep breath.

    I rush up beside him. “Then let me go too.”

    Clotaire looks down at me. “You ever flown on a Pegasus before?”

    My expression then turns sour and I sneer at him. “Once,” I click my tongue. “When you threw me in the lake.”

    Clotaire recoils a bit, then a smug smile spreads across his face. “Oh, right,” he chuckles nervously. “I forgot about that.” He then grabs my hand and kisses my knuckles. “Come with me,” he whispers. “I promise, I won’t throw you into a lake.”

    I roll my eyes. “You better not.”

    Clotaire kneels down and lets me crawl on his back. He rises and beats his wings. The power of his wings creates a kick of wind that I don’t expect.

“Hold on tight,” he commands me and I latch my arms tight around his waist. He pats my hands and starts beating his wings again. I hide my face against his back, the cold wind growing bitter and icy. I then feel a surge as he takes off from the ground.

I peek out from behind his back, seeing the ground disappearing below us. I gasp and bury my face against his back again.

“You ok back there?”

“Fine!” I growl.

Clotaire chuckles. “Just trying to find a lake. Won’t be no time at all.”

I cling to his coat. “Don’t joke like that!”

Clotaire pats my hands later. “You really should look. The view is beautiful from up here.” He holds my hand. “Go on.”

I grumble under my breath and slowly raise my head. I look down and over his wings, seeing the landscape below us. It is beautiful, it all stretches out before us like a patchwork quilt. I squeeze Clotaire’s waist tighter. “It’s amazing,” I whisper.

Clotaire flaps his wings harder, pushing us through the clouds. I scream and cling tight again, hiding my face as he continues to go higher and higher. We break through the cloud barrier and Clotaire suddenly goes still.

I tug on his jacket. “What’s going on?”

He’s quiet and still.

“Clotaire, this isn’t funny!” I snap. “Clotaire-” I lift my head and look out, seeing buildings carved into the side of the mountain. My mouth gapes open as I look back and forth over everything. The city crawls up the side of the mountain, turning into a palace that goes higher and beyond the clouds. Some of the buildings are made from crystal.

“It can’t be-” Clotaire’s voice catches. He flies us in closer and we can see the people and the pegasus on the mountain. Clotaire flies higher up, following the castle as it spears into the sky.

“Clotaire! You’re going too high!” I gasp.

    “I need to see, I need to-” Clotaire stops suddenly again. I hear more wings beating the air and, as I look up, I see three pegasus surround us. 

    Two are pointing spears, while the third, who only has one arm, approaches us. “Who are you and why are you flying in the royal court?”

    Clotaire stands there, glaring at the man, silent and not answering.

    I lift my head. “We didn’t know!” I blurt out. “We were just trying to find where he came from. We had no clue this was here.” The Pegasus with one arm is massive and intimidating. “My name is Brieanna, and this is Clotaire.”

    ‘What did you say?” The one-armed pegasus whispers. “What is your name?”

    Clotaire continues to glare. “Clotaire,” he snarls.

    “It can’t be.” The one-armed pegasus flies closer. “By the goddess-” he cups his hand over his mouth. “Those are the eyes.” He shakes his head slowly. “I would never forget those eyes.”

    “What are you going on about?” Clotaire snaps.

    “The missing prince of this kingdom is named Clotaire,” the one-armed pegasus replies. “He was kidnapped at the age of three.” He cups his arm over his shoulder where his arm is missing. “I gave my arm trying to save him.”

    Clotaire’s expression is tense, but goes slack. 

    The one-armed pegasus bows his head. “If it is you, only the queen would know for certain.”

    We’re taken inside the castle made of crystal. It’s quiet as we walk through the halls, but I hear whispering all around us. Once inside, we’re lead to a throne room, where there are wide windows letting in the bright, warm sunlight. 

    Once there, a female pegasus stands up from her throne. Her hair is black and her eyes look exactly like Clotaire’s. Beside her is a male pegasus who is massive and completely black in color. His eyes are pure white as he looks down at us.

    “Her royal majesty, Queen Giovannia, and her husband, King Romulus.” The one-armed pegasus announces.

    Giovannia steps towards Clotaire, her eyes wide and her expression suspended in disbelief. She reaches out, touching Clotaire’s face. He tries to pull away, but he leans into her touch. She steps even closer, a smile spreading across her face as tears fill her eyes. 

    “My baby-” her voice chokes with joy. “My baby!” She pulls him into her arms and Clotaire tentatively puts his arms around her. I watch as they both sob and cry. The king joins them, wrapping both up in his strong embrace. 

    Giovannia then approaches me and smiles. “Have you been taking care of my son?” She asks. 

    “I’ve tried,” I say as tears roll down my cheeks.

    Giovannia beams. “I owe you a great debt.”

    Clotaire and I are led to the gardens, where I see a Pegasus just as big as Marlivaur is kneeling beside a woman in a chair. She has a baby bundled in her arms.

    “Blumiere,” Giovannia calls. “It is a miracle!” She looks up at Clotaire. “Your brother has come home.”

    Blumiere rises slowly, his face mirroring Giovannia’s when she first laid eyes on Clotaire. The two of them looking so alike. Blumiere is bigger and wider, while Clotaire is lither and darker. They stare at one another. Blumiere is in awe, while Clotaire has his ever present scowl on his face.

    “Clotaire?” Blumiere whispers. “How?”

    The baby starts crying and Clotaire’s ears flick. He turns in the direction of the crying, seeing the baby kicks his hind legs free of its blanket. The mother tries to soothe it, but the baby seems to be pitching a fit.

    Blumiere is torn between wanting his brother and to tend to his child. 

    “Solaire,” the mother whispers and Clotaire’s expression goes soft. “It’s ok, little one. It’s ok.”

Clotaire approaches slowly, staring at the baby whose coloring almost matches him completely. It screams and whines, clinging to the mother in a fit. He approaches, kneeling down beside the mother and baby.

“His name is Solaire?” Clotaire whispers.

“We named him after you,” Blumiere says. “He looked so much like you.” he then smiles. “Even if he didn’t look like you, I still would have named him in your honor. This is my wife, Aisling.”

Clotaire looks back up at Blumiere. “Did you-” his ears twitch. “Did you used to have a lisp when you were little?”

“He used to spit in your tea,” Aisling says. “Blumiere told me you used to pitch awful fits about it.”

“I still get it sometimes when I’m nervous,” Blumiere chuckles.

“You called me Cloe-toe.” Clotaire raises up and looks at Blumiere. “I remember that.”

The two embrace, laughing while also in tears. I sniffle, using my sleeve to wipe up my face. 

Clotaire holds his little nephew, marveling at his chubby belly and marshmallow cheeks. While Clotaire meets his family, I sit with Aisling in the garden. I tell her how my grandparents rescued Clotaire and about the work we do now.

“Perhaps he did that wanting to find his family.” Aisling says.

I bounce baby Solaire in my arms. “That’s what my grandfather said as well.”

“I’m glad he had you,” Aisling smiles. “Even if he was mean at the start.”

I laugh. “Still mean. But, he’s wonderful.” Solaire sucks on my finger and then starts to get mad when it doesn’t produce any milk for him.

“Oh, let me take that,” Aisling laughs and plops Solaire down to feed.

I’m given a room to stay in for the night. I fully expect to be asleep by the time Clotaire comes in. After all, he’s seeing his family again. I can’t blame him for wanting to be with them. I lay down to sleep, but before I drift off, I hear the door open and close.

Clotaire comes in and I sit up from the bed. 

“Did I wake you?” He asks.

I shake my head. “No. I was just laying down.”

He comes to me and throws his arms around me. He nuzzles to my cheek and hair before pressing long, warm kisses to me. “Thank you,” he whispers. “For bringing me here.”

“I didn’t do that,” I laugh softly. “I just found what Elan had found.”

Clotaire kisses me again. “I found my home because of you.” He smiles at me. “I love you so much, Brieanna.”

I kiss him and push him down into bed. “Do you mean it?”

“This is where I was born,” he whispers. “But my home is with you and the farm. I want to spend the rest of my life there with you. So yeah,” he bites the tip of my ear. “I mean it.”

I kiss him and push him down deeper into the bed.

A few days later, we show Blumiere and Giovannia our farms and give them a tour of the place. Blumiere makes big plans, wanting to bring Solaire and Aisling once the baby is old enough. Giovannia marvels at my grandmother’s flower gardens. I show her their graves and she prays over them, thanking them for saving her baby.

“You are getting married, right?” Blumiere asks us.

I gasp in shock and try to hide my smile behind my hand.

“You assume we like each other?” Clotaire scoffs.

Blumiere looks shocked and I shake my head. “Don’t let him tease you like that.”

“Well,” Blumiere scowls at his brother. “I was just curious. I would love for Solaire to have a cousin to play with.”

“She’s groomed my wings.” Clotaire puts his arms around me. “So we’re halfway there.”

Blumiere beams and sighs. “Good. Once you finish, Mom will for sure put you on a great wedding. She did for Aisling and I.”

I glance up at Clotaire and smile. “Maybe someday.”

Clotaire smirks. “Maybe tonight.”

My cheeks bloom bright red and burn. I shove him while he and Blumiere laugh. Despite that, in a way, tonight feels right.