Let Me Tell You The Story Of A Rainbow - Chapter 24
Murr twirled happily through the air, a bright, beautiful smile engulfing his whole head.
The faded, washed-out sky shined brightly with pure, white light, and starry raindrops of sugar began to fall.
Luca: …So sparkly…pretty…
Luca watched as the rain fell, her eyes glittering with happiness…and then Murr popped his head in front of hers, so close she couldn't possibly see around his face.
Murr: I found something pretty and sparkly he~ere too!
Murr: Your eyes.
What a tragedy you can't see them yourself, as beautiful as they are right now.
But worry not, little one, for that beauty will not remain unknown. I've observed it. Everyone here has. Each and every one of us knows how this world makes your eyes shine with light.
Murr grinned mischievously, and Luca must've been caught up in the magic-less spell he'd cast on her, because she smiled, too. It was a small, slight smile, but still a smile nonetheless.
The cocoon of flowers that had jealously tried to hide Luca within itself began to fall apart, flower by flower, and where each blossom touched the faded ground below, colors began to ripple out.
I watched as the dull, colorless world began to be painted over until the light from Luca's cocoon was so bright I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore.
And when the light faded and I could open my eyes again, the illustrated world inside the picture book had returned to its bright and beautiful self.
Luca almost tumbled to the ground now that most of her cocoon had fallen away, but Rutile was right there to catch her in his arms.
Now that she was being cradled by Rutile and not her floral chrysalis, I could see that color had returned to her face--she didn't look like a bloodless porcelain doll anymore. Her soft cheeks and dainty lips had been painted a delicate pink.
Rutile: Oh, Luca…you really did your best in there…!
Aslan: I'm glad you aren't…you aren't hurt. I'm really, really, so glad…!
Aslan tried to rush over to Luca's side, but his legs were trembling as much as his voice was.
But though his progress was slow, he still made his way to her, his expression blooming into one of relief as the realization that she was really alright settled in. He knelt down next to her, coming down to her line of sight.
He reached out with one shaking hand to gently stroke her cheek.
But before he could touch her, some loud, cheery voices interrupted the moment.
Figaro: Oh, here they are. Hello, everyone, glad to see you're all okay.
Lennox: You are unhurt, yes? Master Sage? All of you?
Murr: Everyone's back! Welcome hoooome!
Chloe & Rustica: We're back!
Mitile: Ah… Rutile, there's a cut on your cheek! Are you okay?
Rutile: Yup, everything's a-okay! Thank you for finding that piece of Luca's memories, Mitile.
Gosh, you look a little different, somehow. A little more grown up? You must've been hard at work out there!
Mitile: Ehehe… Yeah, I was!
Cain: Was everyone okay on this end of things?
Arthur: It was thanks to everyone's bravery, of course.
Snow: Truly, you all did very well. That goes for more than just our dear Sage, of course.
White: It goes for those who protected them and those who recovered the pieces of the girl's memory.
Riquet: I'm so happy Luca woke up. And that this place is so beautiful again.
Mitile: Me too! Good morning, Miss Luca. Um, do you remember who we are?
Luca blinked at Mitile and Riquet, who were kind of crowding around her face. She looked a bit lost in the sudden lively cheer that had wrapped itself around her.
Oz: Reclaiming one's heart is not a simple effort.
Oz's words made Luca's eyes widen.
Oz: Had you fallen to such despair that you would destroy this world yourself, I would have taken all but you back to the real world.
You did well to not allow yourself to sink so far.
Luca nodded in response with an odd look on her face, somewhere halfway between relaxed relief and an anxiety attack.
Chloe: I'm so glad everything's nice and pretty again! Now we can all take a moment to relax.
Rustica: You're the one who illustrated this lovely world, yes? It is so strangely beautiful, or perhaps beautifully strange, that I find myself wanting to compose a new song in its honor.
I have played many, many songs, you see, and yet I still feel as if I have found something beautiful and new to play within this world.
Thank you, little one. Would you give me the honor of a dance?
Rustica smiled gently, and brought the hand he'd elegantly offered to Luca back to his chest.
Rustica: Alas, though I would like to extend such an offer, it shall have to wait 'til next time.
Shylock: Indeed. It would be uncouth to interrupt such an emotional reunion.
And with that, Shylock glanced up at Aslan and winked.
Shylock: Pay us no mind; wizards are creatures that follow their own whims by nature. But this moment is one that should be dedicated to the two of you.
As the cheery atmosphere began to settle, Luca turned to face Aslan once again.
Maybe the way things suddenly felt so much more formal was what made her stare firmly at the ground as she took a few steps forward, her hands nervously playing against each other as she held them to her chest.
And then she looked up at Aslan with her wide, clear eyes--right then you could've told me they were marbles instead, and I would've believed it.
But when their eyes met, the tension melted; the same way a startled gasp becomes a sigh of relief.
Aslan: …Luca. Are you still feeling woozy? Or does it hurt anywhere?
I could hear Aslan's voice shaking, just a little bit. The hand he was gently stroking Luca's hair with was shaking, too.
And Luca's little shoulders were trembling as well. They were very in sync, these two.
And then the dam broke, and Luca started crying. Her tears rolled down her cheeks like a river.
Aslan: …Huh?! Um-- L-Luca, are you okay?
Luca latched onto Aslan's chest, clinging to him as she wailed tearfully.
Aslan, on the other hand, didn't have the first clue what he was supposed to do here.
It was such a sweet sight, I felt myself starting to smile at the two of them.
Akira: I think what she's trying to say is that seeing your face right after she woke up, Mister Aslan, reassured her that everything really is going to be okay.
She was sleeping all on her own for quite a while, after all.
Aslan: …I…I see. I certainly hope so.
This is the first time I've ever seen her cry so openly with me…haha, it's making me feel a bit happy, somehow.
Aslan gently rubbed Luca's back, looking a bit bashful.
Luca: ……I'm--I'm happy…too.
Aslan's smile was as pure and simple as that of a little kid's.
He put one of his big hands on Luca's head and ruffled her long hair--he didn't look like he'd gotten to do that very much before now.
The corners of his amber eyes were crinkled up a bit into the beginnings of smile lines.
Chloe: There's no one here but us, so… Cry it all out until you feel all better.
Shylock: Letting your tears flow freely is its own kind of pleasure, after all.
My wizards watched over them with warm, gentle expressions… And that made me feel warm too, deep inside my chest.
By the time all of my wizards had returned, Luca had finished getting all her tears out, too.
Mithra: Oh, you've finally made it back. You're all rather late, aren't you.
Bradley: Hey, looks like things're all settled down now over here. It must be thanks to the one and only Bradley Bain's hard work that everything went according to plan, yeah?
Owen: It's thanks to my hard work, thank you very much. Just who got the pearl back from that lizard again? Think you can remind me?
Mithra: Please don't start saying such stupid things when you're already late to return. Also, it was thanks to me.
Faust: I felt the world tremble at one point on our way back… I'm glad you managed to be patient.
Nero: Yeah. I was gettin' nervous thinkin' one of the Northern wizards had gotten bored and decided to take things into their own hands.
Shino: The very guy who tried to sure seems proud of it.
Heathcliff: Ahaha… Well, I'm glad Shino…and everyone else came out of it without getting very hurt. Dr. Figaro already closed up the cut on Rutile's cheek, too.
Rutile: It's such a relief nothing too bad happened! Luca, how are you feeling now? Have you calmed down?
Luca nodded nervously, and Roxy alighted on her little shoulder, wrapping her in the soft sound of bells.
Aslan: Roxy was really worried about you, too.
Luca: …! You can see Roxy…?
Aslan: Yeah. We were only able to make it in here in the first place because Roxy led us inside. I'm so happy I was able to meet one of your precious friends, Luca.
Luca: Oh, I get it… It's because this is inside of the picture book.
Everyone can see what I see because I made this world myself.
Luca hugged her shoulders tightly. That gesture alone made it obvious how much warmth there was in her heart that she wanted to express.
Now that her little mouth had opened, Luca had lots to say, even if it only came out a little at a time.
Luca: There were a lot of things I only learned about for the very first time because of my friends.
Because they were the very first ones to ever treat me nicely…
My first friend. The first time my heart pounded. The first time I read or wrote anything, too.
The first time I felt safe when I slept, the first time I got to snuggle up with anyone… They gave me all of those firsts.
She spoke while carefully contemplating and choosing each word. Each one was as delicate as the writing in her books, as sweet as confectionery sugar… Each syllable was precise, but gentle.
Luca: When I noticed that I'd stopped being able to see everyone…I got so scared.
…And now, I can't see or hear any of them but Roxy.
I thought that if I finished this book, I wouldn't even be able to see Roxy anymore. And I hated that so much that I…
Aslan: Oh, Luca… I could tell something was upsetting you, but I didn't know what.
I thought it was that you were afraid of getting shouted at by anyone at the exhibition.
…But that wasn't it, was it. You were fighting the fear that you'd lose your friends forever, and I was just making it worse for you without realizing.
Luca: …That wasn't the only thing I was scared of.
Luca: I don't think I'm going to be able to draw my picture books as well if I stop being able to see my world.
And I thought that…that if that happened, then you'd…
Luca trailed off into silence.
She was scared of putting it into words. She was terrified of the idea that if she turned her fears into something as solid as words she said aloud, it'd make them come true.
Oz: If you do not wish to use your words, then you need not speak.
However, there are those here who have put much effort into being able to hear what you have to say.
A warm breeze caught Oz's hair as he looked at the world that unfolded out around us.
Oz: This world is much like the inside of an egg. It envelops all of who you are, keeping you protected from the world outside.
But an egg requires warmth, and it cannot provide that for itself. If left alone, whatever is within will die.
That which is within can remain in the egg through rain, through storm, and through snow, only as long as there is something outside to keep it warm.
Luca's big eyes turned from Oz to Aslan.
Aslan nodded, very slowly.
Aslan met her gaze, looking deep into her eyes. What he saw was perhaps like the seafloor, something so far away from the surface that few ever saw it. He continued to speak, voice gentle.
Aslan: I'll always be here to keep you warm when you're tucked away in your shell. Although it's not for your sake, I confess. It's for my own.
I will continue to keep you warm and safe because I want to keep you warm and safe. And I'll always want to do that until the day you're ready to hatch.
Because…the one who told me about a world I would never have known about otherwise…was you. No one else but you.
So, will you let me do that for you? It's the least I could do to repay you.
Because the day I met you…will always be my dearest treasure.
Aslan: If you don't draw anymore, that's fine. If you don't even want to draw anymore, that's fine, too.
If that happens…let's go on a journey together.
When he said that, he looked up at the rest of the wizards assembled here. Trust and respect glittered in his eyes.
Aslan: How about we go see everything they talked about wanting to show you?
Shino: Hey, that's a good idea. The view from the top of the tallest tree in Sherwood Forest is the best there is. I'll proudly take you there.
Heathcliff: When you do, please pay a visit to Blanchett Castle as well. There's a factory where they make all sorts of interesting things I'm sure you'll enjoy seeing.
