He dreamed of their little flat and the years spent there, her soothing voice and her affectionate hands. Hades rarely dreamed because the ghosts didn’t let him; these days, what little sleep he did get had Yubaba lurking in the corners. But last night he had dreamed of his mother again, and he had seen how proud she was of him. And it didn’t matter that his journey back to her had looked nothing like he expected it to. And it didn’t matter that he was about to make fire and brimstone rain through these forests, soon as he so much as snapped his fingers, so much as he decided. His mother was worth it, and so was his destiny beyond those gates. Everything had been worth it. Every shitty night spent in a parking lot in the long-dead RV; every day locked in that hotel; every hour hunched over books.
It had been a lifetime, getting to this place, becoming powerful enough– worthy enough.
I’m proud of you too, Hades, whispered Agape in his ear. He could hear her smiling, it was there in her voice, all vibrant and strong. Agape was a constant hum these days, her excitement threading through Seph too, at least, that’s what Seph said.
You’re just eager to get out of there, he said back like a rueful child, but still smirked.
I’m excited to get where I need to be, she hummed back. Aren’t you?
As long as you can lead us where we need to go–once we’re there.
That’s the easy part, whispered Agape, fading out again. Now let’s see some fireworks…
Seph crept forward and he felt her hand enter his own. He gripped back and looked down at her.
“She’s here with us,” whispered Seph with the calmest smile. And Hades knew that she meant Mother, not Agape. He squeezed her hand once, fast.
HIs heart was steady, loud and clear, as he closed his eyes and imagined all those black wicks threaded into the dynamite. It was going to be as easy as lighting birthday candles.
And it was a birthday of sorts. Happy Birthday to the Kohaku River, that is.
He counted them all in his head, every little wick, saw how he’d arranged it. As he visualized the world fell away, until it was just Persephone’s hand squeezing his tight. He wasn’t going to fail. He could feel the fire inside him, each little flame its own blue bullet, and he’d pull the trigger at the right time, release them all. Just had to take another breath, fill his lungs, and count down. 3. 2. 1.
Let there be light.
The explosion rocketed the entire forest, the fire roaring to life, kicking up smoke and concrete and steel. Seph shrieked and stumbled and Hades stumbled with her– instinctively turning her and pushing her toward the ground, as he shielded her with his back.
The Kohaku River drifted steadily and gently above its friends as they made their way toward the dam. It did not pull ahead of them, moving slow and languidly through the sky. Could control its speed that way, like it was a current, just on the air, which was full of water, the dragon could feel every atom of water in the air, clinging to its soft, feather-like scales.
The sun was bright and everything was crisp and clear and blue, the perfect weather.
The spirit did not know its purpose for being imprisoned, but it was glad that it had met the special people that it had--Hades and Persephone and Belle and Mulan and Sally. It would miss them all dreadfully, but, it knew that they would always have a place in its waters. The river would carry them safely, make sure the water was warmest, help them and guide them as best it could. They would live on in the river spirit’s heart long after it had guided their spirits to the underworld.
And, maybe that was the purpose, to learn true love.
For, the Kohaku River felt it now--big and joyous. Before, the river had been calm, but passive, with no stake in anything but its duty to the Underworld, to the forest. But, now, it had a greater purpose--in loving the people of Swynlake, of protecting the town. It would do what it could to keep them all safe, the good ones, the ones who deserved it. The town had another guardian in its sphere, no longer passive.
All thanks to a few citizens who had shown the river spirit kindness. Its gratitude would live on for generations.
Now, the dragon could feel the excitement racing in its heart as they came to the dam. It could feel its magic pulsing, louder and louder--drowning out everything except the rush between its ears. Its heart and the sound of the river blending together.
Have you ever realized that water sounded like blood flowing through veins? There is a reason that they are called bodies of water.
There was a moment of silence, the dragon hovering above, right before the dam exploded.
And then, there was a great rumble--the dragon could even feel it in the sky, the heat and the force.
Its emerald eyes scanned the rubble, watching as disgusting, black and grey smoke and debris fell into nothing. Where was the water? He could not see it, could not see it. It was obscured. Had it even worked?
The trickle of water started, softly, under the cacophony of destruction, and soon turned into a roar--running dark and certainly not clear, but there.
The Kohaku River felt its heart tug, but, it knew it had something to do first.
It landed softly on the bank, leaning down over Hades and Persephone. He nosed them both, blowing hot onto their faces.
Thank you, he told them, and glanced at Belle, who was scrambling to her feet. All of you.
I have learned so much from you all, and I will carry you in my currents for all my days. Please, if you ever come across a girl with fiery hair named Sally--tell her that she too exists in the river’s heart. And, Mulan, as well--who is fierce as any of my currents.
I wish you luck and joy and happiness and love in your futures, all the things you have given me. Come to my banks whenever you need someone, and I will be listening. Until we meet again, because we will, meet again.
The dragon lowered its giant head again, brushing his muzzle against both the Acheron’s cheeks and then stuck his neck out towards Belle, who was not far off. He held her eye for a moment, before nudging her cheek too.
Then, without warning, the dragon leapt into the air, body as straight as an arrow. It curved gracefully in a “c” (it had learned that letter from Belle and Persephone) before diving into the still-murky waters of the river.
Immediately the river swelled to twice the size it was, as if accounting for the displaced mass of the dragon. For a moment, the scales glinted in the sun like a fish, its mane like seaweed, and then--
After Sally’s vision of him, Haku wanders the forest, seeking answers about his past, runs into an old friend.
HAKU:
Haku had taken to wandering the forest.
It wasn’t like he had much to do from day to day and he did so love it. Even in the aftermath of that storm--that wonderfully magical, powerful storm which Haku could not fly in and which he spent curled up in front of Belle’s hearth as the dragon soaking in the magic which tickled his scales--the forest was beautiful and he found it to be his favourite place in Swynlake.
He didn’t really have any reason to be wandering within it, or a reason to be as a drawn to it as he was--but he liked to think that there was. His earliest memories were of him as a spirit drifting through these many trees, feeling the magic pulsing through every branch and every leaf and every root. He was not as in tune now as he had been then, but he could still feel it--muffled and low even in his human form.
Of course, he was the dragon now--and flight did not seem as appealing to him since he’d gained his freedom. That was not to say he did not enjoy drifting through the clouds and feeling weightless, because he did, but often times he liked the feeling of the damp earth beneath his talons and the way the rough bark felt as he rubbed his scales against it, drifting in between trees.
The moon hung low in a waxing crescent, blue and silver and beautiful as it perched in the sky. It glinted off his scales as he moved. There was a very vague purpose to his wanderings tonight, outside of wanting to feel the magic and the longing inside of him intertwine and tug at his very being--that spirit, which day by day, the longer he stayed inside this corporeal body the farther away it seemed to feel.
Even Sally’s vision made little sense to him. Water, a laughing, thriving path of water--a strong current, gentle and smooth and quiet. There were no places in Enchantra like that, he was sure of it. His dragon was drawn to water, his magic drawn to it too, and he knew all the little brooks and streams and while they felt familiar--they were not what he expected them to be, not something that called deeply to him and felt like an extension of himself.
He was a spirit. A water spirit--if Sally’s visions were anything to go by, but that was all he knew.
So, he wandered.
THE GREAT PRINCE:
The Great Prince’s magic stretched far and wide-- everywhere the roots of Enchantra touched fell under his domain and was part of him too. He could look throughout the forest by closing his eyes and know who was inside its arms. He could press his hooves into the earth and feel the hundreds, thousands of feet that danced across the soil. As long as he stayed vigilant, that is. If he was vigilant, and devoted, and not distracted-- then he was the great, all-seeing eye of his beloved home. Nothing escaped him.
This power did not extend to the sky. When the dragon like a white ribbon first twisted through the sky, he looked up at it and felt only the ancient, foreign magic that twisted around its scales. It danced above the forest trees, only entering Enchantra to dive into the lake and go hunting for the fish inside it. And even then, that strange magic, like a shield, ebbed and flowed and the Prince knew one thing and one thing only: the dragon was not his child. It belonged to a darker, more exotic kind of magic than Enchantra.
He was only pleased that it did not seek to harm his home. It was, instead, a pleasant houseguest. He could depend on the dragon to emerge as the moon waxed; he knew the skies would empty as it waned. But it breathed no fire and toppled no trees. It didn’t even seek a den within the woods. It came, it danced, and the Prince would watch it from the ground-- wondering where it came from and how it could be so strange and so familiar to him at the same time.
Today, the dragon touched the earth.
Or-- it was not the dragon at all.
The only reason why the Great Prince recognized it in the first place was the exotic magic that pulsed like its own heartbeat. When it entered his forest, the Great Prince raised his head, because he felt all the trees shift. But it was different this time. The dragon had feet like a man-- and the magic was weak, a veil instead of a shield. He could see through it.
And he recognized an old friend.
He broke into a gallop at once, springing through the forest, and only slowing when he began to close in. Instinct kicked in then, his deer wishing for silent, careful steps and hiding among the foliage. He picked up his hooves carefully, so he did not snap a twig or kick a leaf. He saw the man through the trees, smelled the magic on his skin-- but smelled Enchantra, his home, too.
And he couldn’t stop his own curiosity dancing in his chest. It was excited, eager-- hopeful. He knew this man, knew he was not a man at all but a river-- the river he’d once played in as a fawn and a boy. The river that had once been fertile ground for river nymphs and fruit trees. The river that had twisted and turned through the forest before it grew smaller and smaller, into a gentle, quiet creek, that flowed toward one of Enchantra’s greatest secrets.
He stepped out from the trees and raised his head-- calling out with a voice of a younger buck:
Kohaku River… is that you?
THE KOHAKU RIVER:
Haku did not have the sense of the animals of the forest—could not access the dragon in the way that a werewolf could, drawing it to the edge of his skin, so that he could hear with its ears and see with its eyes. He was left stumbling with dull human senses only. They were disorienting and he was not at all fond of them, they did not give him any sort of warning. So, he did not have a moment to prepare when a magnificent stag stepped onto the path.
There was a brief moment when the deer’s powerful magic moved over Haku and he felt a strange mixture of nostalgia and longing, peace and restlessness.
Then, the deer spoke.
Kohaku River.
There was a burst of something inside Haku. He felt the dragon ripping from his human form—the creature springing straight up into the sky twisting through the trees that stroked on his back on the way up. As he went, he became lost in the centuries of memories:
All the animals that had drank from the river or died in its waters, all the fish that swam and all the birds that dropped their seeds. All the trees that bloomed along its banks. All the humans that had ventured in. It had never let a single one of them drown—no creature had ever unnaturally died in its waters. The river had protected them all. Protected the Gates and guarded them well—as it had been charged to do by Merlin himself many centuries ago.
And the river remembered the Great Prince too, remembered him as a joyful young buck and a quiet, steady, sad leader. How often did he lay by The Kohaku’s streams and talk softly with it? Oh, the Great Prince, its dear friend, how had it forgotten him?
The sun glinted off the river dragon’s white scales, feeling so so warm on them. It was brilliant flying in the day, everything so crisp and clear, once the visions of past subsided.
The Kohaku River came back to itself—its true self slowly as it twirled back down to the clearing where the Prince stood. Its feet touched the ground gently, hardly making a sound, its talons barely sinking into the wet earth of its home.
Home, home, home, it thought joyfully—the Prince could hear this.
This was its home. It was a river.
The joy was radiating in every part of the spirit, if it was human, it would be weeping. Instead, it just stretched the long neck of the dragon out to breath against the Prince’s cheek and then bump it with its muzzle.
Dear friend, The Kohaku River hummed in delight. Thank you. I had forgotten. What a gift it is to remember again.
THE GREAT PRINCE:
The man broke apart in front of him.
Actually, he burst apart, the moment near violent if it weren’t beautiful. And it was beautiful-- the Prince’s eyes widening as the shell split and cracked like porcelain and the dragon flowed forth like water, spiraling up into the blue sky. And as it went up, he left that exotic magic behind. The Prince could feel it disperse like dust, and then get even smaller and smaller than that, until no grain of strange magic existed at all. It was simply vanquished, swallowed by the forest. And the Kohaku River took its place.
And that was magic the Prince knew so well. It swept back into the forest as fresh and clear as always, like it had never been gone. He could hear its waters again in his memory, see the current in the way the dragon’s body danced up and up toward the clouds. How many times had he watched that dragon, seen that dance, and not recognized his long-lost friend in its grace? How many times had he seen the dragon dive into the lake water, split the waves as precise as an ivory dagger-- and never realized it was the spirit that possessed it, which made it near water itself?
All this time-- all this time!
The Prince kicked up his legs into the air, lifting his head, his great antlers, as he celebrated with his friend. Yes! Yes, it’s you! he exclaimed. The trees shifted, swayed, the north winter wind blasting through them.
The dragon twirled in the sky and the Prince pranced below him-- the years shedding from both with every second, as though no time had passed at all.
It was just his river. He was just a boy again-- just a boy prince with tremendous power he could never understand. The river had guided him through it, had watched as he struggled and failed and conquered.
The river knew the forest, had known his Father Prince, and the Father Prince before him. The river knew Friend Owl, knew the fairies of the Hollow and each Queen who had been chosen to wear its crown.
The river had known Willow.
The river knew him-- perhaps like no one else in the world.
The Prince danced upon the trodden earth, forgetting himself, remembering that boy, until the dragon twisted in the air and flew back down to him again. Then the Prince stopped, panting a little, his eyes still wide and young and happy. He had returned. His friend had returned. His friend had not gone far at all. The Prince had had him all along.
The Prince closed his eyes, breathing out hard as he tilted his head toward the Kohaku River, too. He gently nuzzled him back, the soft touch bringing back memories of summers playing in the water and sleeping on his friend’s shore.
Then he opened his eyes, his joy dying down to a low simmer. What happened to you? He asked, anxious. He had so many questions. When they built the dam-- I couldn’t find you. I thought-- you were lost forever.
And as he said this, even he knew-- or realized, finally-- that though the Kohaku River stood before him, he was still trapped. Still lost. The Great Prince could sense the loose chains still clinging to the spirit, though these were not magic chains, but man-made ones-- made of concrete and steel.
THE KOHAKU RIVER:
The spirit could feel the Prince’s anxiety as their muzzle’s brushed, as they breathed in each other’s presence. It was the magic of the forest that let the spirit feel it; the same magic flowed through both the Prince and the Kohaku River. The magic created a perfectly syncing loop between them, just like the magic had always been meant to. The Great Prince and the Kohaku River charged with the same destiny: protect the forest at all costs.
They were partners, they were two sides of the same coin.
Oh, how could the Kohaku River forget such a person? Someone who was so important to the forest, to the river itself? How could it have been that the river spirit walked the paths of the forest so many times the past few years and never been found by its dear, dear friend?
Yubaba.
She was the answer to every question the Kohaku River had. She’d stolen its name and its destiny. Harnessed its power for herself, like she as a wheel water, scooping its power up and energizing herself. It felt a shiver run down the dragon’s spine as it thought such things and it debated how best to explain to its dear deer friend.
But, its friend just continued, supplying information that the river did not know. The dragon drew its head away so that it could look the deer in the eye, head tilted slightly, ears flicking back and forth as it digested the information. A dam. The dam.
I was…not aware, the Kohaku River said, but if it was built within the past few years, then, yes, I suppose that is what separated my spirit from my waters. I was wandering the forest for months and months—no memories of what I was, fading into nothing. The sorceress Yubaba told me she would help, but she stole me instead.
The river’s voice grew hard and sad at the same time.
I did not know, I was lost and naïve. But, she took my name and trapped me. It was not until recently I was freed, thanks to a friend, Hades. The dragon’s tail flicked. In fact, without him and his sister and their friend, I never would’ve been freed. I owe them a debt. And, you know, they may be able to help devise a way to destroy that dreadful dam, since they know the ways of the human world. Surely no human would deny a river its path to flow. They must know a way to reverse it. We should go to them at once.
The question lingered in Sally’s head bouncing around the edges of her mind. It wasn’t so much that she couldn’t give Haku a hug, but she could. It was the fear that had her hesitating to do so. Yes, Haku was right, she had seen dark aspects of his life, but who was to say she wouldn’t get a vision now where the picture would replay only this time in more specific details? She had no clue.
There was no control with her magic, but even with all the doubt and the unsettling fear that was crawling over her flesh, Sally could see those warm pleading eyes, could feel how genuinely Haku wanted a hug from her and that tugged at her heart strings terribly. She could risk it for Haku, he meant so much to her, he was more than worth it.
Concluding with that thought in mind, Sally took a step forward and wrapped her arms around her friend, embracing him with waves of warmth and genuine excitement for his now found freedom.
But nothing happened.
No vision, magic spiraling out of control. Pop squat nothing.
And that made Sally step back with a look of bewilderment in her eyes and a sunken heart because she had caught wind of Haku’s next words. We can learn more about my past. She had felt how much he yearned to know of who he was those emotions filling up in her chest leaving her heart broken for her failure.
Sally wanted so desperately to give this to Haku. If anyone deserved it he did, but that was thing about her magic, it was so random. She didn’t know how to work it or when it will strike. It doesn’t mean I can’t give it another try…
“Would you mind if I tried something, Haku?” She waited a moment, searching his eyes for any signs of receiving a ‘no’ and when she didn’t find any, Sally gently took a hold of his wrists with both of her hands. And at first, there was nothing, but then the redhead closed her eyes and concentrated on erasing everything. Erasing all her troubles, all the pain she had gone through for so long, the hurt and tears that had been her existence. Washed it all away so that she could become an open vessel for her magic to flow into.
And she felt it. Her magic! It was waking from it’s sleeping tomb peaking under her skin and filling her insides, but Sally forced the fear away, that small wiggly feeling that wanted to crawl its way in and instead focused on the feeling of Haku’s wrist in her fingers the way his skin felt so smooth beneath her touch. Her magic spiraled then, feeding onto it’s given link spinning her head with a mixture of colors and Sally did the only thing she could think of then, concentrate on Haku’s question, and that desire that he so desperately wanted.
That was when she was gone.
Instead, Sally found herself back besides…. a river? Not the same one she had been before. No. This one was beautiful. It was breath-taking. The grass beyond it was lush and so soft against her fingertips, so full of life. Her eyes fell over the streaming body of water. It was so clear, as light reflected of it’s crystal sheen like a kaleidoscope of colors. She could feel it’s bubbly warmth seeping inside of her as she walked closer towards it’s bank. There was an essence there, Sally couldn’t explain it, but it felt so real, vibrant, and ethereal. She dipped her hand in the water her body immediately being enveloped with a gentle tranquility. She was wrapped in a loving tenderness that felt as old as time, regal and powerful.
And just as quickly as she left, Sally was brought back.
This time there was no screaming, no pain, sharp gasping for air, or falling off balance. She was calm, filled with such cathartic wonderment as she opened her eyes to look at Haku. Of course, there was also an excitement she felt, a pure joy that she actually brought forth a vision all on her own! But her first priority at the moment was to Haku.
“I saw a river… a beautiful river. Gorgeous and breath-taking. It felt so warm, and gentle, peaceful even. Does that… does that mean anything to you, Haku?”
Haku stepped right into the hug. He knew how to do that now, to gather someone in his arms and hold them close. He was quite happy that Sally trusted him enough to allow him to hug her. Over the past few months he’d learned that hugs were quite soothing. That they could help heal hurts that had come to pass and he was also quite sure that Sally had suffered plenty of hurts in her life.
If he could help relieve some of that pain, he’d be glad to.
So, he held her as tightly as he could and when she let go, he was smiling at her gently. Even if her own face was slightly confused. He hadn’t felt the rush of her power either--which meant nothing had happened. Or, he was quite sure. Which must be cause for the confusion.
When she asked to try something, he nodded at her slightly, because he trusted that she was not planning on taking advantage, and he could admit he was also curious.
She took his wrists and he felt her magic crawl forth like the easy flow of a river. It was a soothing magic, not the jarring kind it had been when they’d touched the first time and that only allowed Haku’s curiosity to grow. Was his whole life not turbulent? Was there something good to see? Or had Sally grabbed better hold on her powers? Wrangling them in.
Then, it was over almost as quickly as it started. No longer than a minute perhaps.
Haku blinked and his brow furrowed at Sally. He, as the dragon, had flown all over these woods, this land, and there was not a river in sight. Of course, he loved water, that was true. They were part of his powers after all, but he didn’t know what that had to do with a river. There were little streams and the big lake, but a river?
With a sigh, brow still furrowed, Haku shook his head. “I--I don’t think so. There are no rivers around here either...maybe I’m farther from home than I originally thought.” He smiled then at Sally, and put a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“Thank you for trying, I’m glad that I could give you something peaceful in return for being so kind to me. I will keep trying to remember, I have not yet lost hope. And you should not either.” He touched her cheek and then withdrew his hand way.
Sally immediately felt the guilt that wiggled it’s nasty head inside of Haku munching in the pit of her stomach and when he spoke his words the ginger gave him a warm smile, one that would hopefully make him feel much better because she didn’t want him feeling that guilt. Not Haku, he deserved to feel all the happiness in the world with his gained freedom. He had been through so much in his life, he deserved this.
“No, no don’t apologize Haku. It’s really okay. It’s something that just happened, and I could still use my legs in the end. The burns didn’t take away my ability to walk. they still work pretty good.” She knew she wasn’t exactly okay. It had been so much to process and she hated looking at her legs because of the memories they kept bringing back, but it was all an… adjustment that she knew would take some time.
But that still shouldn’t take Haku’s happiness away, especially when she was so glad to see him.
“And no I am so glad that you did bring it up! Are you kidding me? I’m so happy for you! Truly I really am. You deserve your freedom, Haku and every single bit of the happiness that comes with it, and I’m really so happy that you shared it with me.” When she saw him lift his hand and then drop it by his side Sally couldn’t help but to smile all over again.
“That was sort of my problem too. I wanted to give you a big hug when you told me about your freedom and I ended up resorting to hopping on my toes. Can you accept my hug in thought though?”
Haku was not used to having to balance the tragedies of others with his own. Mostly because he had not cared deeply enough about someone to care about their tragedies in the first place. And Hades and him, well, their tragedies were the same.
But, Haku liked Sally quite a lot and he felt so sorry for what had happened to her, while also feeling so happy for himself still. He was usually a one-emotion-at-a-time kind of guy, simple like that--but he’d found that emotions were much more complex. Humans felt so broadly and simultaneously. It was quite overwhelming. And, in the end, he merely made room for both of them. Let them both rest in his heart, he’d found recently that it was quite large, after all, might as well use it.
And, he wished he could hug her, had learned that touch did not have to make your flesh crawl, that touch could be soothing--could be gentle and make you feel safe and warm inside. It did not have to be harsh or unwanted, but good and kind. He knew a hug from Sally would feel that way, just like a hug from Seph or Belle would. She would probably smell nice and be so warm and hold him firmly, but gently.
He did wish, so strongly to hug her.
“Can I not?” Haku said, selfishly. Knew that it was selfish but said it anyways. “I--I just mean, you have already seen my darkest of days, at least, that I know of. And I have nothing to hide from you, dearest Sally.”
His head tilted. “Perhaps, now that Yubaba’s hold on me is broken, we could...learn...more about my past. Though, I will not begrudge you if you do not wish to. I do not want to give you more pain.”
This dragon, or rather spirit, set something within Soleil at ease. The trepidation with which she had approached earlier was gone, instead replaced with a gentle curiosity and contentment that she typically only experienced around the Great Prince. He was, after all, her dearest friend within Enchantra.
But this creature, Haku… He was something entirely different. And she certainly wanted to know more about him. About what he was. If this was his form permanently or perhaps if he was like the wolves and the tiger.
Her thoughts were disrupted, though, as he spoke again. His voice entering her mind just as the Prince’s did. She smiled, leaning forward a bit at his compliment. Her power was beautiful. A gift she could not have been more pleased with or thankful for. “It truly is. I am very lucky,” she smiled kindly at him, even going so far as to place a hand on the damp earth and imbue it with enough magic to make a small sprout appear between them. It was merely a simple daisy but it was strong and filled with the magic of the forest and herself.
A small gasp left her as the water hung in the air between them and then the wind whipped her hair about her face. It quickly turned into another giggle as she let her fingers slide through the water with ease. “Oh, that is wonderful. Truly unique. I have never seen such a power,” she grinned widely as her fingers created a small path from the dragon to the flower.
“But you can help them grow,” she spoke slowly. “You can give them water which is needed to help them grow. The wind you control can be used to sway the trees branches to allow more sunlight for them. It may not be the same magic as mine but it is just as wonderful and can be used for the same thing.”
The little blossom that grew between them was delicate and soft looking as its petals moved.
Haku always appreciated pretty, delicate things; flowers and little pebbles and feathers and leaves. He collected these things up and stored them away, looked through this collection when he was feeling particularly distraught about his position locked away.
He did not get to spend as much time in nature as he would like. Being locked away with Yubaba most days did not give him time to walk the ground properly, especially as the dragon--for he was the most in tune with nature when he was in his dragon form. Somehow, he did not know how it worked, but he could feel the moving water through the forest, feels the creatures and the plants like a gentle humming.
She was lucky; Haku wished terribly to tell her exactly how lucky. That she had such a beautiful power, that her power was never used against her, that she was free that she could do whatever she pleased and go wherever she wanted to roam. Soleil got to choose what her path was--she got to discover her powers on her own terms.
Instead, he just hummed a little--he did not want to be bitter, and still, her voice was soft and sweet as she explained his powers to him, letting him discover them all over again. If he could smile as the dragon, he would. Instead his lips just curled back slightly and he gave a breathy dragon-chuckle.
Thank you, sprite, Haku said warmly. I had never thought about it that way.
He let go of the little stream of water just over the flower, so that its petals sparkled in the moonlight.
When Sally had heard Haku tell her that he gained his freedom a sudden wave of joy and excitement immediately flooded over her. She wanted to practically run up to him and give her friend a huge hug, although she refrained herself from doing so. The last time she had seen Haku she gave him a bit of scare and she figured she owed him as much to not repeat the incident.
But, Haku was free, and Sally practically jumped on the balls of her feet from such beautiful news. She knew she had only met him once, but that one night was enough to consider Haku one of her most cherished friends.
He had such a kind and sweet heart to him, so much so that it was currently wrapping around her warmly squeezing her chest, but the ginger was okay with that, it only made her ten times happier to see him now.
“You did?! I’m so happy to hear that! That’s so wonderful. How’s the free life going? I hope it’s going very well the adjusting process and all.” She smiled very warmly at him feeling the slight little wiggle of wariness that lingered inside of him when he mentioned his adjusting.
She could only imagine how that must be like, adjusting to something so foreign and it tugged at her heart strings that for him that foreign adjustment was to freedom.
At his question though, the ginger couldn’t help but to look down a brief moment her toes sinking deeper into the river bank. “I’m doing okay now for the most part… umm during that storm that happened, I ended up getting burned. My legs… they got the worse brunt of it, so I’ve been going through some adjusting too…but,” She looked up then another smile forming on her lips as she didn’t want to take away from Haku’s happiness.
“It’s better now, especially after hearing such great news.”
Sally’s smile was infectious. He was not typically someone who smiled very big and wide. He’d always just thought this was because of his personality. Haku was just prone to tight-lipped, close-mouth smiles. But, maybe, maybe that was just because there was not much to smile about--because Sally’s excitement made him want to smile very big and bright indeed.
Which he did, though it was still a bashful, uncertain kind of smile, but definitely bigger than it usually was.
Though, unfortunately, all that good feeling was swept aside when Sally mentioned being hurt in the storm. Haku had been fortunate--all his friends mostly safe from harm (or so he’d thought.) He’d stayed inside the house with Persephone, curled near the fire place in his dragon form--in case he needed to protect the girl. Hades and Belle had been fine except for Belle’s sprained ankle which was on its way to healing (though Belle kept irritating it by walking on it and not giving it a proper chance to heal.)
And, Haku’s smile turned into a frown because he felt very guilty for not thinking of Sally, for she was quite dear to him and he would’ve been dreadfully upset had he known about her injuries.
“I’m so sorry, Sally,” Haku said softly. “I wish I could have been there for you--I wish I would have tried to seek you out sooner. I feel deep shame knowing I did not know and you were suffering. My freedom is nothing compared to the trauma which you experienced and I should not have brought up such joy in the face of you trials.”
He reached out to touch her, but stayed his hand in the last moment and dropped it down to his side.
To say that the past couple of days, weeks or however long it has been was rough, was putting things mildly, but thankfully, Sally had been released out of the hospital.
It has been a couple of days now and the ginger was still adjusting to her marred legs, and by adjusting she meant covering them every single chance she could get. She hated them. Her scars looked like a woven patchwork, and the skin just looked so…. wrong and out of place… She had low-self esteem and now it was only sinking lower, not to mention the night terrors they gave her.
Her injury reminded her of Daniel, and if she couldn’t forget that horrifying vision before, now it came back to her every night seizing her from her sleep.
The redhead heaved a sigh as she found herself in the forest by the river. Her disgusting pair of legs had brought her here and she had removed her shoes to allow the steady stream of the bank to run over her feet. There was something so peaceful about the water even as it soaked the very ends of her jeans. She was completely mesmerized by it.
It was then when Sally heard a voice that a brought a smile so bright to her lips it even dispersed all off her thoughts. She turned around to confirm her guess and there he was, it was Haku. Oh, how she was so glad to see him!
Sally always seemed to have a calm, if not somewhat melancholy air about her. It reminded him of Seph, actually. Perhaps it was why he liked her so much. But, he also liked her smile, because it was very bright. And her dark eyes, and her colourful hair. He liked all those things. He liked how kind she was and how happy he’d made her and she’d made him.
And now that he was free, he was so very glad to see her. She was one of the first friends he’d been able to make on his own and he was very proud of that and he was more than charmed by Sally. Which was a feat because Haku was not very good at making friends--or keeping them--or knowing what to say to them.
But, Sally was easy to talk to. She made him feel comfortable. And she knew about his dragon. Honestly that was probably the reason why he was so comfortable around her. He’d found in the weeks since his release, about a full moon cycle now, that he was not very good at keeping secrets when his tongue was not stayed by Yubaba’s hand and it was much easier to just be around those people who already knew about him than constantly having to explain it to others.
So, he felt very comfortable strolling up quite close to her, though he remembered what had happened the last time they’d touched and he kept his distance for her sake.
“I’m very well, thank you,” he told her warmly, “I am free of Yubaba’s clutches. That was the sorcerer who had me under her control. My friend helped free me.” He didn’t know if she knew about the fire at the Inn, which had swallowed up the top floor, but he didn’t bring it up, just in case. “So, I am adjusting to life as a free man.” Haku gave her a wry smile.
“What about you? How have you been? Good, I hope?”
Jacques loved this. He loved being able to spread joy and a smile around. If others were not quite so excited, well Jacques could be twice as excited for them! That was simple really. He had all the energy in the world to make that possible. He certainly could feel more enthusiastic on behalf of the man who seemed rather confused about the whole experience.
And about his questioning. Which he thought was a reasonable thing to try to ask, but that was alright. Perhaps Haku, like Jacques, preferred to be less reasonable. To do as he pleased. “Oh, really? C’est magnifique!” Jacques enthused. He had certainly seen people learn at different ages in Africa, and he saw no need to judge for the late start.
“Have you read anything wonderful yet? Or is it too much for now? I know the young adults who had to learn in Africa took some time, but they became so enthusiastic once they got there.” He beamed. He found himself so incredibly thrilled for his newfound friend, stepping toward the front of the line with glee. “Books are a true gift to the world. I find it difficult to stay focused to read for long, but they are fun.”
Yeah, uhm, Haku had no idea what that was--it certainly wasn’t anything he’d heard before and the little trill on the words made it sound like it wasn’t even of the same language. Haku knew very little about languages anyways, and he figured that was something he should probably know--was he supposed to know? Oh, shit.
He just smiled thinly and took another step forwards. “I, uhm, yeah, it’s...fun.” Haku did not do fun very often. He was trying hard to start having...fun, but seeing as he wasn’t exactly sure what all that entailed he couldn’t say one way or another if the feeling he had while reading was fun.
They stepped up to the Ferris wheel now and Haku hesitated before following the stranger inside and perching delicately on the metal bench. Then, the ride lurched forwards and Haku grabbed onto the side--feeling at once very startled, and his dragon quite near the surface. He bit down on the inside of his cheek and took in a sharp breath.
Jacques’s entire expression lit up even more, if that was even possible. The guy had agreed to join him. This was going to be an incredible experience. If this guy hadn’t even tried a ferris wheel before, it would have to be magical for him. A first time with a thing was always great.
Or, almost always. “Might be? Correction: It will be incredibly nice.” Jacques said, leading the way toward the ride and the short line that was there. Lines were boring, but at least it meant he could talk to his new friend.
“So what do you like to do usually? When there aren’t these awesome events put in place.” He asked, stepping forward as the line started to move again.
Haku did not have a lot of experience with optimism.
Even precious Seph didn’t have much of it. Belle did, but it was a quiet, certain kind of optimism. Nothing like the joyous enthusiasm that this man presented. Haku was baffled by it, but, he was intrigued and so, he followed a step behind the man over to the queue, smiling uncertainly back at his wide grin.
The question stumped him. What did Haku like to do? Wander about? Fly? Be the dragon? He was still developing hobbies, you see, since he had only not been a slave for around a month.
“I’m learning how to read,” Haku said after a decent pause, following the movement of the line. He didn’t think that it would be strange for someone his age to just be learning, but, alas. “I quite like that, I think.”
There was an innate urge to touch him. To see what his scales felt like. Would they be cool beneath her hand? Would he have fur like the Great Prince? Or would he instead be smooth, like a stone that had been stuck in a flowing river for years? The urge only intensified as his ears flicked back.
She refrained though.
Instead kept her hands folded in her lap as she swayed gently and looked up at him. she giggled as his breath ghosted over her, tickling just like she imagined a chuckle would. “It is such a lovely forest. The Great Prince takes care of it so well. It is almost like home now,” she smiled wide, letting her happiness take over her as she thought of how welcoming the forest had been to her.
His question gave her pause. She had never really thought about what she was. She just was it. A Sprite. Guardian of sorts of the forest and the plants that dwelled there. The forest was her domain, the flora her friends. “I suppose. Well, I’m not sure actually. I was not always this, though. I do know that much.” Her brows furrowed as she thought back to when she had been gifted by her Elk. She’d been on the brink of death, had died she was sure, and when she had woken again she was the Spring Sprite, a Mundus transformed into a magical being.
Of course over the years she had learned much about her powers and what it had meant to be a Sprite. But that didn’t mean she understood it fully. “If you had to describe it, I suppose it would be like a nymph from Greek mythology. My realm is the forest, the trees. Nature is what my gift is tailored to. I have the ability to speak to all the plants, to help them grow, to keep them from wilting prematurely. Sometimes I am able to bring them back much like my Elk did with me. I am still learning.”
As this Spring Sprite spoke, Haku lifted his head and looked around.
It was a lovely forest. So alive. He could feel the magic humming strongly through his veins and he wondered if she could feel it too. How could she not? As a creature of magic. THere were so many different kinds of creatures in these woods, all of the with their powerful and unique magic and if Haku focused hard enough, he could feel it all there like a heartbeat beneath his talons.
And Soleil’s voice was soothing as well. Like the little brook they were seated by, her voice flowed smoothly, laughing lightly all the way through. It made him want to close his eyes and curl his tail around himself and rest. Instead, his lids just dropped half closed, calm and quiet.
His head tilted slightly when she admitted she did not know what she was. He understood how that felt. He too, did not know much of how he’d come about, only that he’d been an empty spirit drifting, severed from the realm of such spirits and/or from his mortal body. Knew he was going to need help or he would die. And so he’d drifted without shape until Yubaba had taken him in and tricked him.
He knew, though, almost at once, this was just another dead end. The disappointment flooded him at once. It was a peaceful kind of disappointment though, rage did not follow it. It was empty and silent, like a cup without water. Simply--there. Haku let it fill him as the dragon huffed a breath and dipped his head low, maw almost in the little stream.
That sounds like a beautiful gift, Haku said softly. His head drew up from the stream and with it, a few dancing little tendrils of water that weaved together like thick yarn, though they kept their individual shape, wiggling slightly in the moonlight. I can manipulate water. A sudden gust came from nowhere to tickle Soleil’s hair about her cheeks. And air. Though I think I would much rather manipulate flowers and help them grow.
It had been near a month or so since being freed--and Haku was still very much getting used to what that meant. Not being under someone’s thumb. The freedom to do as he pleased; go where he wanted, when he wanted. Not that Haku really wanted to go many places. He spent his days wondering the woods more than anything else.
And that was all it was--wondering.
Don’t get him wrong, he was more than relieved to be free of Yubaba’s clutches. But, at least, when he had been her righthand man, he’d had a purpose: to be Yubaba’s righthand man. Even if it was not a good purpose, or one that he took pride in. It was a purpose all the same.
He knew nothing, though. There were still so much about humans he did not understand and every day he felt farther and farther removed from them. Felt like he was ceasing to exist again, in the same way he had when he’d just been a lonely spirit before Yubaba had gave him form.
During one of these dreadfully lonely walks, Haku was wondering along the bank of the lake, his shoes squelching in the mud, wearing one of Hades’ worn cotton shirts. He liked them much more than the starchy, constricting button-ups Yubaba had made him wear. The air was cool and the sun was lowering behind the trees, painting the sky the colour of a peach. A few feet ahead of him and around a bend, a familiar form came into view:
Sally.
Immediately, Haku’s spirit lifted inside of him. He actually felt it, physically, rise up and spread out in its meager human shell. Haku padded forwards a few steps more until he was quite near the girl, not wanting to scare her, he spoke: “Hello, Sally, it is nice to see you again.”
Jacques gaped at the other for a moment, trying to figure out how to best explain what he wanted to do. “Okay. um. Look up there.” He pointed to the circular object where people were sitting and being sent up toward the sky. “That’s a ferris wheel. You sit on it and it takes you around and up into the sky. It’s a lot of fun. So what do you say. Want to go on it with me?”
Haku had seen the Ferris wheel, of course. He just hadn’t known that’s what it was. He’d been curious though--and he found it quaint and funny that humans were so obsessed with high up places. They were fun--Haku knew that...as a dragon that could, you know, fly through the air.
This seemed a little trivial. No where near as thrilling, but, he was curious and this bloke seemed harmless. And Haku was confident he could kick his ass if he needed to.
So, he nodded a little, and started towards the ride. “Yes, I could use a bit of fresh air. Might be nice.” He smiled thinly at the stranger.
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