healingbonds (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
healingbonds) wrote2020-10-11 08:31 pm
healingbonds) wrote2020-10-11 08:31 pm
Ballad of the Dogsledder Praying to the Northern Lights | Chapter 10
Chapter 9 << | index |
Oz: I do not know.
Arthur: ............
Oz: ......I regret burning your room.
I should not have done it, but it was the only means I had.
Arthur gazes steadily at Oz.
He peers right into Oz’s eyes, and then gives a gentle smile of relief.
I’m sure that Arthur understands the reason why his room vanished.
Even without definite words, just by fearlessly looking right at each other.
Arthur: It’s all right. Some things still remain. Riquet found it for me.
Arthur turns around, and Riquet steps forward, clutching a book preciously to his chest.
Riquet: Here, Oz.
Oz seems to remember that book. He reaches for it with a nostalgic expression.
Riquet taps his hand sharply.
Riquet: Nope. Please promise you won’t simply throw it away. If you don’t, then I’m not going to give it to you.
Oz: I do not make promises.
Riquet: Then I won’t give it to you.
Riquet glares at him sharply. In contrast, Oz laughs happily.
Oz: It’s a picture book that Arthur made himself. There’s a sealing enchantment on it. You won’t even be able to open the cover.
Riquet: ......You’re right...... Please open it, Prince Arthur.
Arthur: You should be able to open it with your spell, Riquet. I recorded interesting plants that I discovered here and there inside that book.
Cain: Huh, that’s so interesting. Try chanting your spell, Riquet. Something surprising might jump out at you.
Riquet: Sheesh, stop trying to scare me! I got it, I’m opening it.
Riquet: << Sunrotea Edif >>
As Riquet chants his spell, the cover opens with a faint glow.
A magical plant compendium flies out.
Each time he flips a page, all sorts of plants stretch their vines over the page, unfurling their leaves and bursting into bloom.
On the pages of the open book, I see lines resembling words, written in a child’s handwriting.
Oz gazes at them fondly. His expression is so gentle and happy that it brings me to tears just looking at it.
Arthur, Riquet, and Cain too, laugh happily as they flip through the book together.
The sounds of laughter ring out throughout the lonely castle at the furthest edges of the North.
Cain: Wow, this is amazing......! This flower tried to bite me!
Arthur: Ahaha. It bit me in the past too. It was a pain to pull out the teeth.
Riquet: What’s this seed? It smells like chocolate. Or perhaps honey? Ah...... Oh, speaking of which.
Oz. If you promise to cherish what I give to you......
Oz: I do not make promises.
Riquet: Geez! I’m giving you what I specially prepared. It’s something sweet, crunchy, and delicious.
Chloe: Cookies! Did Nero make these?
Riquet: I made them.
Shylock: How wonderful. Should I prepare some tea? And some wine for the adults.
Cain: Yay, let’s do that!
Arthur: I can prepare some simple food. ......? Murr, what are you doing on the balcony?
I look up at Arthur’s words. Without any of us realizing, the balcony has been enveloped in the darkness of the night.
Against the backdrop of the night sky, Murr throws out his two hands and laughs.
Murr: Look, look, Sir Sage!
The aurora!
Akira: Huh......?
.....Wow......!
I hurry out onto the balcony.
Mystical lights like dancing curtains sway across the clear starry sky.
From blue to green to red, the divine and beautiful aurora continues to change without pause.
Akira: Amazing......! This is my first time seeing it......!
Riquet: Me too...... How pretty...... Have you seen this scenery since you were a child, Prince Arthur?
Arthur: Yes......
Arthur gazes up at the aurora with a smile on his face. He turns around towards Oz, calling out in a loud voice.
Arthur: Sir Oz, here’s something that stayed behind all this time without changing.
Arthur’s silver hair gleams under the light of the aurora: the same aurora that watched over both their meeting and their parting.
Oz smiles gently, walking towards Arthur. He caresses Arthur’s hair the way you would a young child’s.
Cain: This is the greatest night! Let’s drink! Cheers, Shylock!
Shylock: Fufu. You don’t have to rush. Let me fill my own glass.
Oz: I will pour it.
Shylock: ............
Oz: Did I cause you anguish?
Shylock: No, because I am a Western wizard. Cheers to your castle and the aurora.
Murr: Let’s dance! Play us some music, Rustica!
Rustica: That’s a delightful idea. What would you like to hear?
Chloe: Violin would be good! What about the dance? What do we want to dance?
Arthur: A waltz, for these splendid clothes and such splendid music. Can I have your hand, future maestro?
Chloe: Whoa! An invitation from the prince! My heart is beating!
Riquet: Sir Sage! Dance with me!
Akira: Yes!
Riquet pulls my hand along, our bodies swaying. And I hear Toto sucking in his breath from behind me.
I turn around, and see Toto lifting his face. He gazes raptly at Oz, whom he had continually looked away from, fearful and trembling.
Just as I gazed at aurora for the first time, Toto’s smile is filled with amazement, joy and satisfaction.
Toto: ......Ah......
It is a sigh of pure happiness. The wonder of overcoming your own fear, and finally looking at the scenery before you is beyond what you can put into words.
Feeling Toto’s gaze, Oz turns around. He lifts the corner of his mouth, and bestows a smile upon him.
That will become Toto’s new charm.
I also gaze at Oz. I don’t think he’s a demon king who doesn’t possess a heart. But he’s no kind and gentle wizard either.
Someday, if a time comes when Oz threatens to snatch away something precious to us, none of us would have the strength to resist him.
Even so — or maybe that is precisely why — we may still be able to build a bridge of trust without averting our gazes from fear......
The next morning after our happy night, Oz casts a spell over his own castle before we return to the magic headquarters.
A spell for the castle to light up every night, and for human silhouettes to dance on the balcony, so that the villagers won’t have to be afraid.
Standing against the lonely castle, I’m sure those lively silhouettes created by magic must be as warm as the wonderful night we spent there.
Chapter 9 << | index |
Oz: I do not know.
Arthur: ............
Oz: ......I regret burning your room.
I should not have done it, but it was the only means I had.
Arthur gazes steadily at Oz.
He peers right into Oz’s eyes, and then gives a gentle smile of relief.
I’m sure that Arthur understands the reason why his room vanished.
Even without definite words, just by fearlessly looking right at each other.
Arthur: It’s all right. Some things still remain. Riquet found it for me.
Arthur turns around, and Riquet steps forward, clutching a book preciously to his chest.
Riquet: Here, Oz.
Oz seems to remember that book. He reaches for it with a nostalgic expression.
Riquet taps his hand sharply.
Riquet: Nope. Please promise you won’t simply throw it away. If you don’t, then I’m not going to give it to you.
Oz: I do not make promises.
Riquet: Then I won’t give it to you.
Riquet glares at him sharply. In contrast, Oz laughs happily.
Oz: It’s a picture book that Arthur made himself. There’s a sealing enchantment on it. You won’t even be able to open the cover.
Riquet: ......You’re right...... Please open it, Prince Arthur.
Arthur: You should be able to open it with your spell, Riquet. I recorded interesting plants that I discovered here and there inside that book.
Cain: Huh, that’s so interesting. Try chanting your spell, Riquet. Something surprising might jump out at you.
Riquet: Sheesh, stop trying to scare me! I got it, I’m opening it.
Riquet: << Sunrotea Edif >>
As Riquet chants his spell, the cover opens with a faint glow.
A magical plant compendium flies out.
Each time he flips a page, all sorts of plants stretch their vines over the page, unfurling their leaves and bursting into bloom.
On the pages of the open book, I see lines resembling words, written in a child’s handwriting.
Oz gazes at them fondly. His expression is so gentle and happy that it brings me to tears just looking at it.
Arthur, Riquet, and Cain too, laugh happily as they flip through the book together.
The sounds of laughter ring out throughout the lonely castle at the furthest edges of the North.
Cain: Wow, this is amazing......! This flower tried to bite me!
Arthur: Ahaha. It bit me in the past too. It was a pain to pull out the teeth.
Riquet: What’s this seed? It smells like chocolate. Or perhaps honey? Ah...... Oh, speaking of which.
Oz. If you promise to cherish what I give to you......
Oz: I do not make promises.
Riquet: Geez! I’m giving you what I specially prepared. It’s something sweet, crunchy, and delicious.
Chloe: Cookies! Did Nero make these?
Riquet: I made them.
Shylock: How wonderful. Should I prepare some tea? And some wine for the adults.
Cain: Yay, let’s do that!
Arthur: I can prepare some simple food. ......? Murr, what are you doing on the balcony?
I look up at Arthur’s words. Without any of us realizing, the balcony has been enveloped in the darkness of the night.
Against the backdrop of the night sky, Murr throws out his two hands and laughs.
Murr: Look, look, Sir Sage!
The aurora!
Akira: Huh......?
.....Wow......!
I hurry out onto the balcony.
Mystical lights like dancing curtains sway across the clear starry sky.
From blue to green to red, the divine and beautiful aurora continues to change without pause.
Akira: Amazing......! This is my first time seeing it......!
Riquet: Me too...... How pretty...... Have you seen this scenery since you were a child, Prince Arthur?
Arthur: Yes......
Arthur gazes up at the aurora with a smile on his face. He turns around towards Oz, calling out in a loud voice.
Arthur: Sir Oz, here’s something that stayed behind all this time without changing.
Arthur’s silver hair gleams under the light of the aurora: the same aurora that watched over both their meeting and their parting.
Oz smiles gently, walking towards Arthur. He caresses Arthur’s hair the way you would a young child’s.
Cain: This is the greatest night! Let’s drink! Cheers, Shylock!
Shylock: Fufu. You don’t have to rush. Let me fill my own glass.
Oz: I will pour it.
Shylock: ............
Oz: Did I cause you anguish?
Shylock: No, because I am a Western wizard. Cheers to your castle and the aurora.
Murr: Let’s dance! Play us some music, Rustica!
Rustica: That’s a delightful idea. What would you like to hear?
Chloe: Violin would be good! What about the dance? What do we want to dance?
Arthur: A waltz, for these splendid clothes and such splendid music. Can I have your hand, future maestro?
Chloe: Whoa! An invitation from the prince! My heart is beating!
Riquet: Sir Sage! Dance with me!
Akira: Yes!
Riquet pulls my hand along, our bodies swaying. And I hear Toto sucking in his breath from behind me.
I turn around, and see Toto lifting his face. He gazes raptly at Oz, whom he had continually looked away from, fearful and trembling.
Just as I gazed at aurora for the first time, Toto’s smile is filled with amazement, joy and satisfaction.
Toto: ......Ah......
It is a sigh of pure happiness. The wonder of overcoming your own fear, and finally looking at the scenery before you is beyond what you can put into words.
Feeling Toto’s gaze, Oz turns around. He lifts the corner of his mouth, and bestows a smile upon him.
That will become Toto’s new charm.
I also gaze at Oz. I don’t think he’s a demon king who doesn’t possess a heart. But he’s no kind and gentle wizard either.
Someday, if a time comes when Oz threatens to snatch away something precious to us, none of us would have the strength to resist him.
Even so — or maybe that is precisely why — we may still be able to build a bridge of trust without averting our gazes from fear......
The next morning after our happy night, Oz casts a spell over his own castle before we return to the magic headquarters.
A spell for the castle to light up every night, and for human silhouettes to dance on the balcony, so that the villagers won’t have to be afraid.
Standing against the lonely castle, I’m sure those lively silhouettes created by magic must be as warm as the wonderful night we spent there.
Chapter 9 << | index |