Wonderkind

She watched him, her eyes soft with longing as she considered him. It took her a few moments to pull away, dropping his hand and heading back up to the farmhouse, her pink cloak bright in the darkness. She left that sweet scent of honeysuckle in her wake.

 

(Zoop!)

The week passed without much incident. He would get to know the rest of the family quite well.

Finneas was an incredibly hard worker. It appeared that when their father died, June and he had split up the tasks that were left by both of their parents. One night, June explained to Zerras that her mother had abandoned all work duties in the months after her father's death, leaving the children to manage. Finneas had taken over the house and June had taken over the farm. He seemed a little more relaxed, especially when he met with Zerras to plan out ideas for inventions.

Rosalind was lighthearted and kind. She had started greeting Zerras with a "Hey, Mr. Z! How ya doin'?" This was not out of character for her. She was enthusiastically friendly, but perhaps a little nosy. She seemed to be certain that there was some relationship between her sister and their guest.

Miller was incredibly shy, but he seemed to take after his brother in their pursuit of knowledge. He would come out to the farmhouse every once in a while, and Zerras would get the distinct impression that the young elf had to summon all of his courage in order to do so. He was extremely polite, his ears always pointed back, and he was incredibly formal. He would fold his hands in front of him and ask if Zerras had time to answer some questions for him about demon life and norms. He always seemed incredibly grateful, and when Zerras changed forms in front of him, he seemed to be walking on clouds for days afterwards.

Sage was a delightful baby. She seemed to have taken a liking to Zerras, reaching out for him when he entered the room, and she would settle her head against his chest quietly, her eyes wide and thoughtful as she considered the world. They hadn't succeeded in getting her to say his name yet, but Rosalind took the task very seriously.

Juniper, for her part, seemed to be flourishing with her partner and the work. She would get up with the rooster's crow every morning, and he would often pass her as he went in for breakfast, either tending to the crops or feeding the animals. She seemed in her element and she seemed to look forward to the moments when they could hide in the corn fields and embrace. Sometimes they would kiss, or sometimes they would just sit in talk, relaxing in the shade of the cornstalks.

This particular morning, they were finishing breakfast.

 

Rosalind nudged Zerras playfully.

“Bet I can clear more plates than you,” she said, a familiar glint in her eyes.

 

She nodded, taking the plates that Miller was holding. Miller’s brow furrowed in protest.

“Hey!”

“Sorry, Mils,” Rosalind said, dancing away from him. “I play to win.”

 

The door opened and June’s mother entered. He hadn’t seen her since he had first arrived, but her gaze immediately landed on him. Rosalind brightened as Miller went into the kitchen.

“Mama!”

She ran over and hugged her mother, who rubbed her back gently.

“Go help the others in the kitchen,” she said quietly. “I need to talk to Z for a minute.”

Rosalind looked up in surprise before nodding, glancing over at Zerras hesitantly.

 

Her mother was cold and aloof, one brow raised.

“I know who you are,” she said after a moment, squinting at him. “I know what you’ve done.”

 

She looked almost relieved that he didn’t try to deny it, her shoulders relaxing.

“That depends. Does Juniper know?”

 

She pursed her lips and there was real anger in her eyes.

“Why are you playing with her?” she asked, her voice low. “She believes in you. She believes that there is something there. Why are you hurting her like this? It doesn’t...” Her nose crinkled in disgust. “It doesn’t help you get back your throne. She’s just a girl.”

 

“So you’re taking the first naive elf you can find?” she shot back, her eyes narrowing. “Juniper can’t handle it, Zerras. She’s not like you. She doesn’t see this as a tactical thing. She’s...” She sighed, shaking her head slowly. “She’s exactly like her father, and I’m not going to let you take advantage of her like this, just because she’s the first person you could find who was too silly to turn you away. She doesn’t realize that you don’t love her.”

 

“She thinks you do,” she corrected. “You’ve convinced her that you do. You’ve been lying to her, Zerras, but don’t lie to me. You don’t love her.”