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Leon S. Kennedy is one of the most trusted knights there has ever been. He is known for his loyalty and is the most reliable man that the kingdom owns.
He is one of the only people outside of the royal family that have gone and seen more of the hidden chambers that the palace owns. He knows almost everything.
He knows where safe rooms lay hidden behind bookshelves and bell clocks. He knows which shelf with teacups are made of a different material that you can break and use as a dagger. He knows which chess boards have knives hidden in the wood, where the keys to most of the rooms are kept, and which flower arrangements have, once again, blades and other stuff in them.
Probably there's more, but these are the most important ones – and the easiest to remember.
What he knows is who and what are threats. Besides untameable animals and mythic creatures – and the princess wants to desperately befriend these animals and creatures, Leon is tasked with an impossible task sometimes. Take the King and Queen's words into consideration besides the dozens if not hundreds of rules, but also please the princess.
Witches, mages, and any other magic wielders are also a threat. The list is bigger, but usually it's stuff he never gave attention to. It's both people and items such as dreamweavers, people skilled in oneirokinesis and dream catchers.
He and another man always guard the princess’ bedroom, but sometimes he gets different tasks and assignments. Instead of staying up the whole night, awake by the door, he received a few day activities. Obviously, all his tasks were in areas where the princess would be.
He didn't mind it, he was happy for a change.
The knights have been instructed on how to fight and resist various threats or entities, and Leon was always on par with this. Until one night, when he had a weird vision.
He was sleeping like a log. His sleeping schedule is often messed up, fatigue follows and often drowns him. While sleeping, he started to see what he would call a strange entity.
He would see himself, in armor and everything, sometimes with his horse by his side. In front of him would be a somewhat tall lady, dressed all in black – black shoes, black dress, black hood. The only pop was her two silver weapons, a sickle and a crossbow that seemed way too small to be real. The second pop was red, she had a belt on her hips where she had some potion-like flasks that were red.
She, the entity, was normally turned, her back facing him. He started stepping closer, his horse by his side following, and his sword slightly out of the stash.
She seemed not to move an inch but would somehow rotate slowly. He noticed how she had short black hair, it seemed like a bob with red earrings and necklaces. He stopped inching forward, almost freezing in place.
He felt his heartbeat start to run, and he doesn't know why. He can't see her face clearly as her hair and hood frame it perfectly. But he sees that tinge of red, that shade specifically, he would feel almost hypnotised.
He was still sitting still, he felt almost caged. The woman seemed to inch closer to him, and told him something. He hears it, scarily enough, he heard it extremely clear.
But he woke up as if he was in a rush, almost jumping out of his bed completely. Awoke so sudden, after countless sleepless nights, he felt something in his chest – besides the sting of gasping for air. He felt as if he now only had half of his soul still in his body. Almost as if half of his heart escaped the cage made of his own ribs.
He was confused and exhausted, but his day had to start early and go do his duties.
Leon tried not to think of a dream, once because he felt a little strange yet bittersweet, and once because he dreamt of a witch. Dreams and witches, things he would avoid at all costs.
He thought his tiredness got the better of him, and it happened again, the second night in a row. Except this time, he felt controlled by her.
This time he was sitting down by a river, looking at his own reflection. He noticed the stream getting weirdly faster, the water was moving so fast now that drops of it would hit his face.
For some reason Leon wouldn't move, even as more and more water would hit him. Sure, it was little splashes and drops but now it hit his eyes. He immediately jumped back and started scratching his eyes.
His eyes were stinging so bad and he wouldn't take his hands away from his eyes until he heard the same voice he heard in his previous dream. Once again, he jumped, this time to his feet.
Ungluing his hands from his eyes, being a little dizzy and panting, he managed to focus on the person that was speaking to him. His vision was blurry, but he felt as if in a tranche as he managed to catch a better glimpse of her face.
Everything around was foggy, it's as if clouds came down from the sky and decided to rest at eye level.
Leon swore to himself in that moment that he has never seen a woman so beautiful ever. He wonders why she haunts him, but before he can form a full train of thoughts, her voice brings him back to his senses.
“Kneel and look back down into the river,” she ordered, and he immediately did that.
He barely heard half of her words and was already down. Leon noticed how his eyes were insanely red from all the scratching, and then noticed that another reflection accompanied him.
The woman bent down and he watched as the water calmed, looking at her throughout the ripples. It was wrinkled and it almost painted her differently every time he blinked, but he couldn't look away. His eyes still weren't stable.
“What's your name?” She asked, looking at him curiously. But she already knew the answer, she had watched over Leon a few times before. Now, she is just entering his life, but first throughout dreams.
“Ummm,” he was a little dazed, but the look in her eyes was so soft that he just spoke, “Leon Kennedy.”
She nodded, humming his name again, “Leon S. Kennedy.”
Leon was surprised, for a second he didn't know if she actually mentioned the ‘S’, whether he imagined it or the crippling water gave him that sensation. “Yours?” He asked.
She stared at him for a moment, not sure whether to tell him just yet. “Ada,” she gave in.
He repeated her name weakly, and before he could ask anything more, she got up and started walking away. Not long after, the image of himself sitting down by the water darkened, and he woke up.
He woke up not as scared or shocked as the first time, but a little comforted. He managed to see her face for good now, and also found out her name – and he remembers it. He thought it's a fitting name, but why does she only ever appear in his dreams?
Leon shrugged off the thoughts and started getting ready for the day. Putting on his chest piece, then leg pieces and his metal boots. He stashed his sword in his belt and got out, walking throughout the gardens, to his position.
On some days he would be tasked with protecting the main gates, on other days the palace itself, or the rooms of the royal families. Quite boring days since he only switched positions a few times a day and had maybe two breaks for eating.
Leon, being one of the favorites, had a little more liberty. On some weekends he could get out and into the town.
And after all of these visions of this woman called Ada, he started going out more. Into town, from noon to evening, looking around for anyone who looked remotely like her.
It wasn't until he was near the edge of the town, looking into nothingness. He was a little zoned out, not being completely aware of his surroundings.
“Leon S. Kennedy,” ringed in his ears, made him completely jump out of his daze state and mind, honestly. No one has ever said his name in such way either, he can't quite put his finger on it, her tone is drowned in both sweetness and a tinge of proudness.
His name came out of her mouth alongside a sound of metal. She hits her sickle slowly, leaning into a wall made of stone. It appears she is next to him, just a few meters away.
Leon's mouth was a little open, he just watched her, almost in awe.
“Not going to say anything?” She teased, turning slightly more to him, “not happy to finally meet me?” she teased.
Leon felt like he was a doll, a marionette and she was playing him with strings. She knows she appeared to him, but he doesn't quite know how, and he is almost scared to mention the dreams.
“Ada?” He managed. His tone wasn't sure but he felt it. He felt the way his heart started racing just like it did during his dreams, and it's like he just knew it was exactly her.
“You remembered,” she smiled, not taking her eyes off of him.
“Yeah,” he stuttered. Leon took a few small steps towards her, determined to get to know her.
“Careful, boy.” She looked around them, to see if anyone was watching. “You do not want to be seen with me.”
Leon started looking around as well, and debated whether to ask for extra information or not. He indulged himself, ”..why?”
Ada got a little alert, preparing to take off. “I'd say that's for another time, handsome. You'll see me soon.”
And just like that, she started walking extremely fast out of the bounds of the town. She drowned in the shadows of the forest, disappearing completely.
He wanted to reach out, scream her name and go after her. But he had a castle to guard, and the life of important people laid in his hands.
Leon decided to trust her words, and he started walking back to his headquarters. He doesn't know why he is this confident, trust is a luxury he can't afford.
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A few hours later, Leon got into his bed and groaned. Such heavy armor that he walks around in, it gets to him every few nights. Still, he probably wouldn't trade his job for anything.
He put his head on his pillow, not sinking in quite as much as he would like to. His last thought before entering the realm of dreams was about her.
His wish was to come true, as he found himself in the forest once again. Alone, walking around aimlessly. He felt various different smells, trees, plants and flowers adorned his path.
He walks forward, looking left and right as he notices how the sun bleeds and disappears. Everything around is now dark, and he can faintly smell rain. Dark clouds above the stars threaten to drown him.
But Leon walks for her. And just like that, his determination leads him far.
He found her, sitting on a big rock, seemingly talking to a raven. He gets closer, but doesn't call out her name, instead he watches how there are more black birds around, idly sitting as well as a black cat.
She turns around, almost eerie to him. It's like she senses him. “Took you some time.”
He smiled dumbly, unsure of what to do.
“Come, sit.” She patted on the rock.
Closeness, and so fast - Leon thought. He didn't mind it.
He sat down, but she didn't turn around to glance at him. She kept looking at what seemed like her pets, giving them full attention.
Leon slightly leant in, observing how she's petting them. He decided to start, his tone was low and careful, “why couldn't you stay longer when we met the other day?”
Ada wants to giggle. “What if I am just a fragment of your imagination?”
But she isn't, and Leon is certain, he is sure of it. “We met at the edge of the town.” He didn't exactly indulge her question, and for some reason, she seemed to like that.
“I'm surprised you haven't called me a witch or something else by now.” She muttered that while looking at him, but her face was unreadable.
“I..” he wanted to say something, his mouth opening a little a few times but no words would get out. He wasn't sure why she would say that, though. He learnt how witches are bad and to be feared, and he took in consideration how he would feel if she truly was one.
And one might think Leon is broken, because he does not fear in the slightest.
“The gates of horn and ivory spell truth, and lie. Which gate do you pick?”
Great, now she speaks in riddles. He puts one and one together and decides on the first, hoping her words are true.
“..horn?” He says, slightly worried.
Ada smiled, her eyes gleaming towards him, “you indulge me in such ways. I like that.”
And just a second later, a loud thunder is heard, and he wakes up, in a cold sweat. He sits on his bed, looking out the window of his little cabin to see a merciless storm.
He thinks how bad it will be tomorrow morning, having to drag his feet with metal boots throughout mud. Add in his exhaustion too.
He goes back to sleep, hoping his jump didn't wake up any other knight in the room.
It is now morning and the sun has risen like it always does. It's the only constant pattern Leon recognises nowadays. He can't imagine the sun not rising tomorrow. And he can't imagine not dreaming of her tonight.
He has another day where he is free and has liberty, but just half of it today. He decides to go into the library after he is done with his duties in the morning.
He goes, and walks around the full shelves. It overwhelms him how many books he's seeing, and knowing he's not looking for any book in particular. He hopes something glimmers for him, but he doesn't read a single word from the covers.
That is until he trips and almost falls, that he carelessly reads “A dream is a wish your heart makes”. He reaches for it, holds it in his hands and lets himself slide down the wall until he is sitting down.
His legs are up in a triangle, the book tilted on his thighs. He opens the book, and the first page repeats the title name. He drapes his fingers atop the ink, and then turns the page.
And there is.. nothingness.
And he turns another page, and it is blank.
And he turns yet the pages and yet again there is nothing.
Just a white paper, staring back at him. He grips the book harsher, and ruffles throughout the whole book. He finds nothing.
Leon thinks he's going mad. He gets up, book still in hand, and walks over to the place from which he picked up the book, and takes whatever book was right next to the one he got. He doesn't care for the title, he opens it to see if there are words – and there are.
He puts it back, and picks another one, he skips through it and there are words. But the book he desires to read is empty as if it is waiting to be written. He sighs, and puts everything back.
Leon is distressed. The smell of books, both old and new, tries to comfort him. He always enjoyed it, he thought it was weird but later he found out that more people enjoy it. He reminisces a little about the time when he was just a little boy, but he doesn't spare too much time.
He gets up, admits defeat, and leaves. Leon came looking for answers, but he got left with more questions now.
He idles around the castle, walking to his cabin, ready to end the day – and possibly see her again. She is the only thing that broke his boring pattern.
He gets inside his room, takes off everything and slips into easier and softer clothes. It's a little earlier than he usually sleeps, but an hour or two might do him well.
Leon falls asleep, and awakes soundly in the morning. No dream this time, not even a thought. He doesn't wake up dazed or scared this time, but deep inside of him he misses the feeling.
Today, Leon has a different task, to go hunting. He changes into more comfortable clothes, still wearing some armour but lighter pieces.
He leans down as he sits on his bed, reaching for his bow and quickly stashes some arrows in his bag. He hangs it over his shoulder, grabs the apple that has been sitting on his bedside table for a few days now, happy to give it to his horse.
A few more men go with him, some on their horses and some in a carriage, where they'll stow everything. They are going into the forest, and they will be there for half of the day, if not more.
They hunt for anything really, deers, bucks, rabbits, birds. Leon would enjoy hunting since it's mainly about getting perfect headshots, so the animal's fur is intact for clothes and the meat for them to eat. But he doesn't truly enjoy it, since he feels like not only he takes away an innocent animal, but a soul.
Everyone says it's for survival, maybe they all lie to themselves to feel better.
They stop by a creek, a flowing water oddly similar to the one he dreamt of. And now he remembers her, again.
All the men on horses go into different directions, up and down the creek and some more laid back, into the forest to take some cover. Leon does the same, but he spots the rock of which he dreamt of. He goes exactly there, in the position right where he and Ada previously sat.
And now, they wait. A boring part, every single one of them would agree.
The forest is thick but calm, the only sound they hear is the water, and some small ruffling in some bushes. Flowers and plants all around, you would never guess the things that go down in the deeper pits of the forest.
The knights and hunters will be there for hours, and while it's nicer than staring at the castle made out of stone or at the wooden stable, it can be just as boring. An animal popping up every now and then is the only real difference.
And as Leon is on the lookout for animals like the others, his mind drifts off to Ada. Why didn't he see her the previous night? Has anything happened or has she forgotten? Ever since he woke up he tried to remember, he was thinking that he has just forgotten the dream and will remember it as the day goes on. That is something that has happened to him in the past, so he hopes it is that.
But his train of thoughts stops as he hears a lot of rustling behind him. He loads his bow with an arrow and extends his arm fully, ready to attack, whether it's some kind of threat or an animal.
But he soon drops everything, seeing Ada come out of the shadows, on a black horse.
She dismounts and leaves her horse hidden in between trees, stepping forward towards him. She crouches a little, taking cover by the rock.
“You didn't come last night.”
Ada smiles. She almost thinks he didn't necessarily care. “I came now.”
Leon's face twists a little, but then he smiles. “What are you doing here?”
“Watching you and your friends.” She looks around them, and at the empty creek. “You don't seem so lucky.”
He looks around as well, “yeah, we didn't catch anything yet.” He sighs, already bored.
“I came with a question,” she takes the hood off of her head and looks him directly in the eyes, “meet me at the crossroad? Tonight?”
Leon didn't expect it, but he wouldn't say no to that either, “sure but,..” he nervously scratched the back of his head, “I won't be able to stay for long.”
“I won't keep you for long then,” she smiled as she got up, ready to let herself be engulfed by the shadows.
Their stories have no farewells and no goodbyes, everything just happens. And while that keeps Leon a little on the edge, he likes the thrill of the chase.
So the next few hours become insanely boring for Leon, but he at least has something to look forward to. Yet, he isn't sure. He doesn't really know her, but he feels connected to her in more ways.
His trust is blind towards her, but she is no threat.
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“A brave man I see,” Ada greeted Leon, her voice both a little sarcastic and happy.
“I wouldn't not come,” he smiles, stepping closer to her. He feels lighter, once because he is wearing less armor and twice because he now sees her.
She gestures for him to follow, “come.”
He starts walking, incredibly aware of his surroundings all of a sudden. He doesn't fear the forest, but the unknown that might be in it. He is a little anxious, but takes his heart in his teeth.
At night in the forest, even the littlest ruffle and grumble gets him. He can't know that he isn't walking into a trap either. But he follows her with her heart and slowly starts seeing a small cabin in between some trees, with a garden.
Into the distance he can see a few animals, her horse and what seems like some deers, bucks and bunnies.
The walk there was short, barely a few minutes. No words were exchanged, just eventual glances.
Ada opens her door and steps in, holding the door for him.
He enters, closing in and is immediately absorbed by the look of what seems to be her house. Red curtains, red bedsheets, red books, red feathers on pens, red frames for pictures and drawings.
“I hope you enjoy my home.” She watches him inspect it from the doorstep. She walks towards her wooden table, “tea?”
“Sure,” he takes small, careful steps. He sits down at the table, across from her.
She pours them both each a cup of tea, and for a moment she just watches him.
“I really like your place,” Leon said, picking up his cup, which was also red. He took a sip, and that is the best tea he has ever drank, his lips immediately curled up at the taste.
She notices and smiles back. “I'm glad.”
A black cat walks around, it jumped on the counter that's glued to the wall, and then higher on a shelf. Leon looks a little amused, and Ada follows his gaze. “Her name is Lilith,” she returns to her own cup, drinking.
“Very cute. I remember in my dream, you had more animals.”
“My horse, cat and a few birds. They are all that I have,” her voice didn't give much of an explanation, but Leon thinks she seemed a little sad as the last words rolled off her tongue.
He smiles almost apologetically. “We…” he stops awkwardly, looking for words. He wants to know everything about her, there is so much to ask and so much to know but he doesn't want to scare her. “We can't meet up during the day, I see..?” It was more of a statement than a question.
“Humanity sees me as a cursed creature. A broken thing,” she watches him sharply over her cup, “they want my body and soul.”
He freezes. He doesn't know what to do, what to say, or whether he just shouldn't. He is still, until she speaks again. “Go on, ask me. Ask me what you crave to know.”
“Are you a witch?” His words got quieter and quieter, not knowing what to expect.
“I am.” She doesn't seem offended or hurt in the least. She probably has endured so much that this is the littlest of her worries.
Leon just looks at her, and he tries to find subjects to talk about. He is cautious with his questions, he doesn't want to push her or anything.
“Any witch can take control of one's dreams?”
“I specialise in that, I'm a dreamweaver.” Ada enjoyed the question, “The human mind is phenomenal, and dreams are the second best thing.”
Leon can tell she is smart, and instead of being scared of her and her powers, he is weirdly drawn towards her. “Ada the encyclopedia.” He jokes, smiling ear to ear.
She returns the smile, “Wong. Ada Wong.”
He seems to be collecting pieces of her like a puzzle. Leon is willing to play any game for her.
He doesn't know what to respond, he nods and continues to smile as he sips from his tea again.
After a little bit of silence, only ever hearing a soft wind outside, he wonders “will I see you tonight again?”
“Greedy now, aren't we?” she laughed, and it was the most beautiful thing to have adorned Leon's ears in all his life. He would do anything to hear her, again and again. “Sure, we can do that, but I may name a price,” her voice was honeyed, and he wondered what she had her eye on.
“I'm listening,” Leon's breath still hitched a little, but he is sure that the price she has is not too high. She seems to indulge him just as much.
“I want,..” she taps her fingers, her voice going lower, “a crystal butterfly. I know you have those in your palace.”
He thinks for a moment while slowly nodding, getting his hands on one shouldn't be so hard. He's willing to risk it. Even more, he indulges her sweetly, “what color?”
“My my, a careful man..” she seems to be thinking of it seriously. She wants to say blue, because for some reason that color reminds her of him, but she chooses against, “red.”
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Leon's schedule for today was perfect. During the start of the week he is mainly tasked with guarding the princess, Ashley.
She doesn't do much, but she sometimes goes on long walks in the castle's garden, and that's exactly where the crystal butterflies lay. Grabbing one shouldn't be hard.
“Good morning, Miss Graham,” Leon bows down to her, offering his arm to accompany her.
She smiles, “hi,” she interlinks her arm with his, “I told you Ashley is enough.”
He nods and starts walking at the same pace as her. He has wondered why she would need a guard so close during the daytime and inside the palace's quarters, but he knows better than to ask.
Leon doesn't particularly mind it, it is somewhat of a break for him. And now, with a secret mission, this assignment of his is one of the easiest he's ever had. He just has to catch one and hope no one notices.
“I'm so happy that it's almost summer, aren't you?” Ashley questioned, visibly amused. She is so bubbly, that she could break at any time.
“I don't really mind the seasons, but it is nice,” he always tries his best to be as nice as possible, and as honest.
“I wish these gardens could bloom even during the winter!” She got out of Leon's hand and started jumping around, in her flowy dress and heels. She is a sight to see.
Leon smiled fondly, and then he started looking for the butterflies, aimlessly walking around, still following Ashley but not paying as much attention to her. He looks and looks and searches, and starts to frown as he doesn't spot any. He wonders whether to ask her, wondering if it would be weird, but she is so pure, she might think Leon just wants to see them.
But something holds Leon back, he believes the guilt would eat him alive. To ask her where they are, seemingly with good intentions and then take one away. Truthfully, no one would notice, after all, the palace has thousands. Yet he can not find one.
Leon wonders if Ada would allow him back into her house without the butterfly. His perception of her didn't quite change after finding out she is a witch, which may seem surprising. He isn't head over heels for her, but she has a charm that makes him deeply attracted to her.
One night after meeting her, he wondered if she casted a spell on him, after all, she is a witch. But being someone different, maybe somewhat of an opposite compared to him, doesn't deem them bad. And it hurt Leon a little when she herself said it, “humanity sees me as a cursed creature, a broken thing.” He always tries to hear out the person before jumping to conclusions.
Speaking of jumping, Ashley called his name and made him break out of the daze he was in.
“Yes, princess?” Leon hurries to catch up with her, being somewhat on par with her.
Ashley looks over her shoulder to him, “it's lunch time. I'll go, don't forget to go later!”
“Shall I walk you to the dining room?” He offers, extending his arm.
“Hmmm,” she looks around and eventually decides to interlink her arm once again with his, “no, but up to the main door of the castle would be nice!”
“Of course, anything.” He starts leading her towards the building.
Dropping her off, he bows and then goes towards the stables. He has some time to kill, as the royal workers eat after the royals themselves.
He found an apple in his small bag attached to his hip, and started throwing it up and down, as if he was a jester playing with balls to entertain the king. What a job that is, he wonders if that would be hard.
Reaching the stables and going inside, he picks up the nearest brush he could find and continues to walk towards his horse. “Well, hello there. Got you a little something,” he patted his horse on the head, handing it the apple.
Leon opened the gate, stepping inside the stall. “You like it, don't you? I'll try bringing you more treats.” He starts brushing his white horse's mane, a luscious and slightly wavy hair.
He enjoys spending time with his horse, it is one of his most trusted companions. Petting it, giving it treats, walking around with it, mounted or not.
After a little while, he moved onto the tail, and after brushing it until he was happy with the new look, he went ahead to scratch the horse's head, behind the ears. Leon knows how much his companion enjoys it.
Eventually, he pats it goodbye and leaves, hanging the brush back where he found it, and walking towards the castle.
After eating and finishing his duties for the day, he waits until the sun falls, preparing to go into the forest. He decided on visiting Ada even if he didn't get his hands on the butterflies.
The forest seems less scary to him now. He walks fast, excited to see her.
Leon knocks on the door, and then he takes a step back. A mere second later, the door opens and Ada steps aside, letting him in.
“Hello.”
“Hi.”
Ada closes the door and goes to sit down on her bed. She seems extremely relaxed, even though she just let Leon inside and they've met like twice before.
She doesn't ask about the butterflies.
“What have you been up to?” She tidies her corner a little, putting some books and paper down, at the foot of her bed. The golden, soft light gives her a glow that's extremely dreamy, painting her even softer, and Leon thinks he's imagining.
“Not much, just the same boring tasks as usual.”
“I see. I could never, you're admirable for that,” she glances at him as she continues to arrange things around her bed. Suddenly she looks up as if a star struck her and she pets down a spot on her bed, inviting him to sit down.
Leon walks towards her and sits down exactly where she showed him. Ada watches him closely, but for no particular reason.
Then, Leon remembered, “I didn't manage to get the crystal butterflies today, I’m sorry.”
Ada instantly shakes her head and waves her hand, “it's no big deal, rookie. I didn't expect you to come with it the next night,” she smiles, “I'm not in a rush.”
He feels lighter, and says a little “okay”, before deciding to look around again. The way her little space is decorated is very cute, you can tell she loves silk and red. Red and silk bedsheets, red and silk pillows.
Then, he spots a shelf on a wall with what seems like potions, “you brew?” Pointing towards them.
“I mainly mix plants, I find it more fascinating as they are completely natural and found anywhere, “ she explains to him, shifting closer to point at a few flasks on there, “calendula, thyme, clove, lavender.. all these are medicinal.”
He is amazed, he imagines she must study a lot to know how to mix plants and remember what they all are useful for. And just before he chimes in, he is surprised that he talks again, “and there,” she points to the side, “these are poisonous, foxglove, henbane, larkspur, lily of the valley.”
“Wow.” is everything he says at first, “you really, truly are an encyclopedia. I imagine you love plants?”
She nods, “flowers too.”
“I noticed the small garden outside.”
They idle for a few minutes, and Leon soon decides to leave.
“It's getting late, I should go,” he gets up and takes a few steps towards the door, waiting for her to come as well. “Next time I come, I'll bring the butterflies.” He winks playfully at her.
She is satisfied with every word that comes out of his mouth. Ada gets close enough to him, and notices that he didn't take another step back, instead, he just watches her. She wonders whether to take the gamble and put her arms around him, or not.
Her own heartbeat beats so loud that she hears every thud in her ears, and her hands go up to his neck. Leon doesn't move, he waits for her.
After she tangled her arms around him, he steps towards her and puts his own arms around her waist and instinctively pulls her closer. They now are so close that they both can feel the other's breath on their faces.
Ada decides to try and go in, slowly reaching up. Brushing her lips atop his, waiting for a moment just in case Leon wants to pull back, but she is almost shocked when instead he closes the little distance they had.
They both go in slow and Leon feels the way Ada applies a little pressure on his neck, bringing him closer. He hums and he thinks he reached heaven when he felt her fingers starting to play with his hair.
He thinks no one was ever so tender and careful with him. Such gentleness, he almost believes he doesn't deserve it.
They both pull back at the same time, clearly a little dazed – they both feel like they were under a spell. Who knows, maybe love is a spell.
They both smile, and Ada is the first one to say, “see you, rookie.”
“Goodbye, Ada.”
He walks out, quickly walking back to the headquarters. The road is not that long, but he walks extremely fast.
To avoid being seen, he jumps a fence through the back side. He knows his way around without being detected or falling into a trap, so it's no problem.
Another thing is, his roommates. No one ever wonders why the other came so late. They all eventually go out late into the night and return at late hours, but they don't really speak on it.
So when he gets to his room, he just goes in, changes clothes and goes to bed.
And tonight, he has a faint dream. But it feels heavier than usual, but he doesn't know how or why. Lepn also can't depict whether or not Ada is in it, everything is unclear.
He starts to believe that he has a nightmare, especially when he starts to hear shouting and screaming.
“Leon! Wake up, Leon.” A man's voice slightly awakes him.
Then, another man's voice chimes in, “sude, you're sleeping in.”
“Weird, he's usually one of the firsts up.” Another one comments. “Maybe he had sweet dreams, who knows, dreaming of a woman.”
They all start to laugh and Leon is awake now, and he heard the comment. He has to admit, he believes it was pretty funny.
“I guess I had a hell of a night. Nightmares, would you believe that..” Leon says, his tone a little honeyed, clearly giggling.
No one really gives a damn, and he is happy about that. His day started in an unusual way, he doesn't want to jinx it but he believes it will continue just like that.
His morning thankfully is somewhat free, so him rushing to get ready wasn't that big of a deal. Today he is still assigned to assist the princess, and the gardens alongside the greenhouse are her usual spots; he believes his objective lies in the latter.
Leon imagines that the crystal butterflies have been moved to the greenhouse, and that he just had no idea. Truth to be told, they are kind of useless and unimportant.
He sighs as he is the last one to get out of the room, and walks towards the main gate to greet Ashley.
Their meeting is the same as usual, bowing, assisting her and asking where she wants to go. He thinks this isn't really needed, she is capable of handling herself. Yet he does not complain – a stable roof over his head and warm meals are everything a man could wish for.
“I think going to the greenhouse would be nice,” Ashley proposes, slowly turning towards it. “Maybe I can garden myself too.”
“Of course,” Leon says absently, walking towards the glass building.
Ashley is busy crouching down by almost every plant and complimenting them, so Leon thinks this is the best time looking for those damn butterflies.
He doesn't stick to one path; he turns aimlessly looking for a spot where there are more, and specifically a red one. Leon brought a small jar, in which to store the insect.
He isn't sure yet of how he will manage to catch one, he hopes they won't randomly spook and just fly away and out of his reach. And he hopes that no one will notice him.
Leon spots a busy corner, and two butterflies seem to be laying on a leaf, being pretty calm. A red one, and a blue one. He opened the jar and reached out for the red one, only for the blue butterfly to weirdly get in front of the other one.
He scoffs at that, trying again but this time from a different side, and similar things happen. He wonders whether the red one is injured or has something going on, but it looks just fine.
Leon then tries to come around with the opened jar rather than trying to pick up the butterfly himself. He pushes the glass close, slowly. He hopes that the butterfly will just walk into it and not fly away.
Sweatdrops already fall from his golden bangs, they race down to his eyebrows. He's unable to catch an insect, and presumably sticky now too.
He has no way of baiting these small creatures, and waiting is pointless. He tries to move the leaf, making it shake a little with his other hand, and while that makes the both of the butterflies move a little, they are still together and neither of them flying into his trap.
Leon starts getting frustrated, he can't be here all day and he would rather not be seen attempting to catch a butterfly. What kind of explanation would he give?
He doesn't turn around to check his surroundings because he doesn't want to risk losing sight of the red butterfly, but he hears Ashley still talking with some plants. Her heels click, but at a large distance from him.
As he is processing all of these thoughts, he blinks and in the next moment, somehow both of the crystal butterflies got in. His eyes light up and in his head he is throwing a party.
Now he only needs to digest around 10 more hours of whatever work and tasks until he can finally visit Ada. He puts the jar in his little bag and casually walks around, eventually making his way to Ashley.
She's spent a lot of time here, but he almost doesn't mind today.
As the sky starts to turn orange, he is already in a different spot, doing smaller tasks. He has been sharpening tools and weapons, not just his own, but his mates’ too.
Every now and then his fingers would slide down a little too fast, or they would slip too further down and it would result in a lot of small cuts. He winces at some deeper ones, his fingers start to sting in different spots as he bleeds. It's not a lot, and really not a big mess, but an inconvenience.
The moon hangs low, and her haunting begins. Leon got his satchel with him, the jar inside and started walking.
Reaching her cabin, he knocks on the door, not pulling the jar out just yet. He quickly runs his hands through his hair, trying to make sure nothing is out of order.
The door slightly creaks, “hello there.” Her soft voice makes him smile as fondness engulfs him.
“Hi,” Leon replies simply, stepping in. He feels a little awkward not getting straight to the point, so that's exactly what he settles on. “I got it.. or rather, them.” he takes out the small jar out of his little bag, and shows it to Ada.
“Not one, but two?” She looks at him, a little confused. “Compensating for the one time you came to see me but without them?” She smiled at him, but in a way that made his heart skip a beat.
Leon nervously giggled, “red ones are actually quite rare, and this one wouldn't let itself be taken away without the other blue one, so.. I took them as a pair.”
“Cute.” She takes the jar from his hands and looks at the crystal butterflies. It's funny, the way she associated blue with Leon and considered asking him for one, but instead she decided on red, and now she has both.
Then, she notices how his hands are way redder than usual. It seems some of the cuts were extremely deep.
Ada sets the jar aside, taking one of his calloused hands in her own. She looks at it and flips it eventually, “small cuts need to be cleaned and taken care of too.”
“Haven't had the time,” he looks at his own hands as she lets go of it, missing the soft and warm touch, “didn't really look at them either.”
Ada got a few leaves and a flask, walking across the room and putting them on the little table beside her bed. Some bandages have already been laid there.
“Come,” she instructs as she sits down on the bed. Ada starts cutting small pieces of bandaids, preparing them. “Sit down, knees on the floor.”
Leon does as told.
Ada takes one of his hands in hers, putting on small fabrics so that the bleeding doesn't start again. Moving on onto deeper cuts, she lays his hand on her thigh, as she now needs both of her hands to patch these up.
Leon is a little surprised at that, shifting his eyes from watching her work and directly into her eyes. She is quiet and focused, she seems to do a little pout when she does that and he finds it cute. Endearing, even.
His heart skips a beat as she looks down at his face while preparing the next bandait.
She takes small leaves and places them on the deeper cuts and then continues with the fabric. She is done shortly after. It is a small gesture and maybe a meaningless one as some of these cuts might not prove big problems, but she wants to show her appreciation in some kind of way, even if Leon might not realise it. She wants to acknowledge herself.
“Done.”
“Thank you.”
She smiles in return, putting the bandage roll in a bottom drawer. It seems that all of her supplies were placed atop a very thick book, and he can't help but ask about it.
“What is that book about?” He looks at it and then back to Ada.
“It has more principles and ideas. Now I'm rereading a chapter about being a companion of the dead.”
“What is that?” Leon asks, genuinely interested. He is still down at the foot of her bed, looking up at her. His eyes shine in a way that makes Ada's breath slightly hitch.
“Guiding people and their souls into the afterlife. Maybe you're familiar with the term of angel of death,” she offers.
He straightens his back to get a little higher and takes a glimpse at the open book, “have you ever done that?”
“Yeah. Very few people do this though,” she spoke slowly, probably insinuating she wished she could help others more.
“Because it's seen as witchcraft, isn't it?”
Ada only nodded. “It's late. You should go.”
Ada owns a clock with a pendulum, and a clock wall that he only now noticed. He noticed the ticking, wondering how he never heard it before.
But she is right, he believes he never sat this long at her place – not that it would be a bad thing, but he needs to get back in the castle's quarters and sleep. His schedule has been messier, but it's worth it.
“You're right,” he gets up and she puts away the book.
Ada quickly crossed the room and got a glass, half full. She hurried to Leon, “drink this, I forgot earlier.”
Leon looked at the glass, it seemed to be some kind of herbal tea. He took a small sip at first, and then he chugged down the whole glass.
They sat by the door already and Leon handed the glass back to Ada. He opened the door, taking just one step outside.
Ada stood in the doorframe, leaning on it. “Goodnight.”
“..goodnight.” Leon started walking back to the palace.
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Leon was out hunting again. This time he decided to take a stroll on his horse and wander around the stream, letting the other men behind.
He eventually came by a little spot with a lot of colorful flowers, and he dismounted his horse right by them. He inspected them, touched a few petals to see how soft they are, and even smelt some.
Leon thought of Ada. Crouched as he was, he picked up a few. He picked some green leaves or whatever he could find, and eventually tied it. He thought he could make a small impression for their next meeting.
If their lives allowed it, he would be out in town buying flowers a few times a week and gifting them to Ada. He caught himself day dreaming about another life, again.
He stowed the flowers in his horse's saddlebag, letting the head of the flowers be seen just a little. He carried on with his tasks.
Leon found himself heading to Ada's place, but this time much earlier. He didn't wait until nightfall.
He knocks, she opens the door.
“You've vowed to the almighty ones, yet you're in the sweetest of my chambers,” she eyed him as she went back and sat down on her silky bed.
Leon sighted but let on a small smile be seen. He nervously looked in his satchel, fumbling to get the flowers out. He felt a little embarrassed, he had to admit.
Ada watched him, a smile growing on her face. She loved small gestures more than anything.
“I got something,” he put his arms behind his back, struggling to look her in the eyes and not laugh stupidly, “they're not doing as good as I wish they were but, here.” He offered her the flowers.
She walked up to him, making sure he noticed her smile. She picked them from his hands and smelt them, and nodded in approval.
Leon struck gold. One heartbeat closer to becoming even closer with her.
There is so much more of them to explore, to tell one another. He dares to ask, “so.. what kind of magic do you know?” He has some ideas, but he wants to hear it from her.
“I see that's a question you can't hold in your mouth, can you?”
When she shot back he was taken aback, he did mean it as a playful question. She was playing with him.
Noticing how he now looked a little stirred, she got up and walked towards her desk. There laid a few flowers in vases.
She gestured to them, “For starters, I learnt how to never have my flowers die.” She looked around, “but I also preserve some and keep them pressed in a book.”
Such a small and useless thing, but it was a charm of its own.
Leon was smiling ear to ear, and she decided to step up her game. “I may know one too many tricks about dreams,” Ada decided to get up, leaving her bed and instead walking over to the table in the middle of the house, “and I might be able to weave them.”
Leon had a powerful inkling. He felt that not a singular dream he had before was a coincidence. Seeing a woman in a dream before even meeting her, and feeling a little controlled by her, at least in his subconscious and multiple times, was no small thing. Leon noticed how smart she is, and she only showed so much of her.
The wooden table had carved exactly in the middle a spiral, it was not messy but not perfect either. To a trained eye, it almost looked like a galaxy. On the table lay some books, and some cards. Leon recognised them to be fortune teller cards.
“Why, take a seat.” Ada offered, and Leon sat down across from her.
“Enlighten me.” He decided to play along.
Ada shuffled throughout them, “I've also been researching to become a divinator.” She almost looked bored, but that was just her relaxed face. “My readings never fail me.”
What she misses to say is that whatever she reads, will come true at any cost. She acquired these cards through pain almost, she fought for them for so long. Normally, reading cards are sold in fairs for fun, and you'd maybe see a lady with a glowing orb read into that, too. But those were just guesses for the entertainment of the human mind.
The cards she owned were more like a promise. Her cards bend the line between wish and reality, making whatever she wants real. Most people would believe she sold her soul for this, but Ada is no such person.
“To spoil the future takes the fun away,..” she is more projecting her thoughts and wishes in readings.
Leon makes a funny face, “what about us in.. another universe? I'm sure you know about that stuff.”
Ada's eyes sparkled. She looked through some cards and made Leon pick a few, three/four/five numbers from 1 to 10. She gave him liberty.
“Two, four, six, nine.” the nine was almost a whisper, for a bit Ada thought she missheard or imagined it. It's like it wasn't woven yet.
2, 4, 6, 9.
Ada loved his choices. She ditched the cards, got up and got a jar from one of her shelves, inside it looked as if she had a cloud stored. “Are you able to open and smell this before going to sleep?”
Now that's one weird thing. “Why?”
She scoffed, “it's a dream and it caters to your previous choosings.”
“How does a dream fit there?”
“It's not necessarily how it fits there, I am able to store dreams besides forging them.” She pushes the glass jar, having it slide from her to him on the table. “Release it, and you will know about your life in a different timeline.”
“This witchery stuff is insane. How do you even keep up?”
Ada taps her fingers on the table almost rhythmically, seemingly taking his question in. “I let my mind wander and then I read about what I'm interested in. There's no such thing as having to keep up.”
In a world full of schedules, duties and tasks to be taken care of, she is somewhat free. Leon doesn't know if he could function so spontaneously.
“Anything else you're interested in for tonight?” Ada asks, as if to wrap up their time.
“Yeah, actually.” Leon takes his heart in his teeth, “I..” he seems to trip over his words. He doesn't know whether to play around the subject, see if he can lure her into insinuating something and then acting on it, or whether to lay it out plainly. Leon can be straight forward but now he finds it hard so he just blabbers out, “how do witches, you know, tell their feelings?”
He was nervous, not knowing if the question landed. Ada was amused.
“Never had the desire to find out. Never really spent enough time with other witches. Why?”
“I was just curious.” He scratched the back of his hair while giggling slightly, not knowing how to move from here. “I wondered if it was different from humans.”
“I am a human. Capable of love and regret just as you are.”
Love and regret, two words that swirl in his mind now. “Nononono -” great, he hopes she is playing her usual games and that she didn't take the human - witch parallel in a bad way.
He believes he once read a story, a fairy tale when he was a small child, of how love and regret were the main emotions and feelings of life. But small children wouldn't understand such stuff at a fragile age. But he also never really cared further down the line. He just thought he would get to taste both love and regret later in life.
“It's just that people are different. In the royal chambers for example, some acts such as killing in order to protect someone, even if it's the littlest threat known to man kind, was a show of love.” And it was no lie. People fed off such acts to show their affection to others.
Ada looked at him curiously, and was content with the context. She decided to indulge him further but maybe skip some more casual steps. “A lot of men said they would kill for me, so spare it.” She looks him dead in the eyes, “would you forgive me?”
Leon was perplexed. He smiled, then his lips pressed back into a line, he raised an eyebrow and then went back to his normal face. His lips twitched into a smile, “I would. I really would.”
She believed him.
She wishes she could invite him to remain here, in her little space, just for the night. But she wouldn't ask him to do such things when he's already overstepped so many of his rules and probably, morals.
And just as she was thinking of this, Leon got up, and she followed.
Their farewells evolved from mere words to shy kisses, soon into confident ones. They've been building a routine, and Leon has been coming to visit her on more nights than he should.
As they got to the door, they embraced one another and got started with their shenanigans.
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Leon did as told. He let the dream out of the glass jar, and went to sleep.
He found himself in a cop uniform, in a city so distant yet so familiar. He read a decoration, “Welcome, Leon.” It seemed cute.
In a matter of seconds, he watched a disaster fall over this city. One he couldn't stop.
The only thing that stopped was his fast train of thoughts as a woman in a short red dress appeared. He knows he exchanged some words with her, spent some time, and eventually she leaned in to kiss him and he felt starstruck.
Now, it feels like he jumped into another time. Leon is good at guessing, so he'll say about fourteen, his dream skipped fourteen years into the future.
Here, he met this same woman, again. He is sure she is Ada. They spent less time here, sadly. He had a mission from the government – similar to a mission from the royal court, he imagines. To protect the president's daughter – in less modern days, the king's daughter, a princess.
Ada saved him, and had the keys to the boat he struggled to use. She drove him a little, out of the danger until she dipped.
Later, they meet again and she asks him to join. And here Leon starts to get a migraine, he fights against his dream but to no avail. He declined, she left, and he regretted it.
Love and regret.
Time skipped again. Everything was confusing. Leon felt like he lived three full lives in this dream. He's going to say he skipped eight years this time, and found himself in endless battles where Ada helped him, again.
He finally gained some sense back, and it seems Ada has fallen, making it the time for Leon to return the favor. “Come on, wake up! If you’re really Ada, I know you can pull through this. We both can.”
“I was just resting my eyes.”
“Shouldn't sleep on the job.”
His mind started to get foggy again. He feels like he jumped into yet another timeline, but he can't tell and he can't guess either. Ada is like a ghost here, constantly in his mind and consciousness, but not really visible.
It's as if the script wasn't fully written.
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Leon has felt regret many times in his life before, and he decided to wait as long as needed for love to happen.
Ada has felt like she never really belonged to someone or somewhere, but she continued to wait for an opportunity.