Privet

I am prince Rodolphus Alexei Narishnika Romanov, of the mighty kingdoms of Russia and Siberia. At least, I was. My kingdom was destroyed, my family killed. I was forced to live on the streets with a traveling crew called the Motley Folk as a fire-eater. In Storybrooke they call me Domhnall. Domhnall Lazarus Hatfield. A powerful man, yet still, in the eyes of some, a young boy. Do not make me angry. You wouldn't enjoy my company then.

[onewickedstepsister]

[magicwithin-thepages]

  Lex was completely bemused. He had expected her to pull away from him for some reason. He didn’t really know how to respond, this being his first kiss. The boy had led a rather sheltered life within the walls of the czar’s palace. So, he just slipped his arms around her waist, the logical thing to do, and kept the fire of the kiss from burning out.

From the moment he set eyes on her, Lex had really liked Anastasia. She had that fiery red hair and the personality to match. Pale skin and blue eyes, she was what he’d always hoped for. They were destined to meet.

[onewickedstepsister]

Anastasia almost laughed when it became apparent to her that Lex had not planned for her to kiss him back. He didn’t seemed quiet to know what to do with her. Perhaps he was used to girls who just laid back and expected to be led everywhere. Anastasia could be accused of many things but passive was not one of them. She nipped at his lip and kept pulling him deeper into the kiss.

She ran her hands up his arms and circled them around his neck. She ran her fingers into the hair she found there, twisting her fingers and scratching her nails against his scalp and the nap of his neck. She ran her heeled foot up the side of his cafe all the while.

Lex had managed to make her feel like she was the only girl in the room, the only girl in the world and she was willing to show him the same. 

[magicwithin-thepages]

His eyes closed slowly and Lex finally became relaxed, goosebumps making him shiver slightly as her fingers found their way to his hair. In return, he moved his hands to her sides and pulled her closer to him. The prince's heart raced and the rest of the world faded away. He forgit his past, all the death he'd seen at such a young age, being pit under the threat of not only his own death, but that of every civilian in Siberia (however few there were) if he was ever to eturn to the palace.

But this kiss brought back all the good memories. Moving in for a couple of years to Moscow, playing in the snow with his cousins, finding new friends in the Motley Folk. All of those thoughts made him smile.

[vibeka-blamst]

[magicwithin-thepages]

Lex smiled widely. “Alright, I’ll take you to camp,” he said, making the hand motion for the tiger to follow him. He walked with Vibeka, rubbing his hands together to create a fire. “See this?” He held out his palms and flames appeared on them. “This is what firedancers do. We’re the deadliest. And by we I mean me,” Lex chuckled.

Tamerlan began to follow behind them, digging his nose in the snow every few feet. “Zis is ze first time ve have been in snow for a long time. He misses Siberia, and so do I.”

Camp wasn’t far. There was only about two hundred yards left. The mOtley Folk liked to make camp farther outside town than usual because sometimes, people wandered off and found themselves in the camp.

[vibeka-blamst]

Like the fire that spread between his hands, Lex’s laughter warmed Vibeka and it surprised her to find herself laughing with him. He was the kind of person who had a vast quantity of confidence, but didn’t express it so much that he would seem arrogant. Instead he came off as easygoing and high-spirited. He also showed a reasonable amount of thoughtfulness. Vibeka had never met someone like him, then again, she was never the social one. 

Lex talked of his home with a great deal of fondness. It was plain to see he had loved the place called Siberia and longed to be there again. He mentioned earlier about both their lands being destroyed. Vibeka wondered what exactly happened, but she didn’t have the courage to ask. 

"Does it always snow in Siberia?" She asked in a soft, curious voice.

[magicwithin-thepages]

Lex nodded quickly in response to her question, eager to get off of the chilling subject of his family. "Most of ze time, yes. Ze Amor tigers, ze bear, and ze fox, zey are all accustomed to snow so zey love it here too," he spoke of his pets as though he was speaking in general. "But I sink zat Tamerlan and Malokai miss it ze most. Zey are ze oldest."

They arrived at camp and Lex slipped in behind one of the carts, motioning for her to quietly follow him as though they were thieves sneaking in. He came up behind a man and crouched, leaping onto his back and laughing. "Vibeka, siz is Jehan," he said one he had wrestled the knife-thrower to the ground. "He and I grew up togezzer. He vas a servant's son assigned to keep me company growing up. Jehan, siz girl is Vibeka, and she is in need of Roxane's skill."

[onewickedstepsister]

[magicwithin-thepages]

Lex’s heart raced as Anastasia touched his hand, feeling as though it was the first time he’d ever felt the touch of another person’s skin. His fingers were still warm from the fire, and he took hold of her cool hand, using the other to tuck the flower behind her ear with a gentle smile. 

He felt as though he wanted to kiss her; like all of the energy he spent in the fire had been for her, if anything. Had it, though? Lex hadn’t worked that vigorously since the day before the curse was cast. It felt good, too, to be working on something he loved to do. Alas, he had been trained in a very strict, princely manner. However badly he wanted to just lean forward and press his lips against hers, the young man knew that it wasn’t proper. But to hell with that; he did it anyways. 

[onewickedstepsister]

She stared at him feeling her face get hot as she just stared back. She arched her neck and batted her eyes as he slipped the flower behind her ear. Everything still felt like it had a foggy dreamish quality. She loved the warm calloused feel of his hands. They made it feel more real.

When he leaned in and placed his lips against hers she closed her eyes and kissed him back. She was a passionate needy kisser not letting this be a quick peck but rather pushing forth and sucking his lower lip between her own.

[magicwithin-thepages]

Lex was completely bemused. He had expected her to pull away from him for some reason. He didn't really know how to respond, this being his first kiss. The boy had led a rather sheltered life within the walls of the czar's palace. So, he just slipped his arms around her waist, the logical thing to do, and kept the fire of the kiss from burning out.

From the moment he set eyes on her, Lex had really liked Anastasia. She had that fiery red hair and the personality to match. Pale skin and blue eyes, she was what he'd always hoped for. They were destined to meet.

[onewickedstepsister]

[magicwithin-thepages]

There were whispers of his trick from around the room. He smirked and Pinpointed a few people laughing and clapping harder than the others; they were the ones he was likely to get the best tips from. 

The bird then became a phoenix in the air, dissipating into dust that fell into his palms. He grinned and closed his hands, receiving a few claps from around the room. His eyes were focused not on his victory, but on the girl with the fiery personality. Opening his hands once more, he revealed a delicate white flower. Lex stepped off of the pedestal and held it out to Anastasia. 

[onewickedstepsister]

If she didn’t already feel like the whole show was for her, with the way Lex kept looking to her how was she supposed to help it? the phoenix at the end certainly clinched it. Phoenix was the fire bird of rebirth. Anastasia - greek - resurrection.

She whistled and clapped cheering for him as the dust of her bird fell into his outstretched palm. Her eyes bore into his as he stepped off his pedestal. He was holding a flower… it felt unreal, it was so like her dreams her inner most longings, how could it be real. She felt like she was going to cry, it was so over whelming. Still she reached out to the offer of the flower. Touching his hand rather than the flowers stem.

[magicwithin-thepages]

Lex's heart raced as Anastasia touched his hand, feeling as though it was the first time he'd ever felt the touch of another person's skin. His fingers were still warm from the fire, and he took hold of her cool hand, using the other to tuck the flower behind her ear with a gentle smile. 

He felt as though he wanted to kiss her; like all of the energy he spent in the fire had been for her, if anything. Had it, though? Lex hadn't worked that vigorously since the day before the curse was cast. It felt good, too, to be working on something he loved to do. Alas, he had been trained in a very strict, princely manner. However badly he wanted to just lean forward and press his lips against hers, the young man knew that it wasn't proper. But to hell with that; he did it anyways. 

[magicwithin-thepages]

Simplicity by led-bloody-zeppelin featuring a cross shirt

Cross shirt / Christopher Kane / Breckelle's military combat boots / neff 'Daily' Beanie (Boys)

[magicwithin-thepages]

For my sister~ by led-bloody-zeppelin featuring a slouch beanie

Vintage graphic t shirt / Topshop / Converse shoes, $47 / Valentino studded bangle / Christmas jewelry / RetroSuperFuture clear glasses / Grace Hats slouch beanie

[magicwithin-thepages]

Arienh's clothes by led-bloody-zeppelin featuring black jet jewelry

Roll up shirt, $31 / Floyd s / Printed tank / Christopher Kane jeans / Bell bottom jeans / Religion Clothing skinny jeans, $130 / Silver shoes / Breckelle's army boots / Materia Prima cat ring / Gold ring, $460 / Spike bracelet / Skull bracelet / Stud earrings, $12 / Black jet jewelry

[vibeka-blamst]

[magicwithin-thepages]

"Novhere? Vell, zere are plenty of people at camp who come from novhere. If you come back vith me I can get you somesing to eat and a new pair of clothes. Sadly, zere is nussing at camp except a firedancer’s outfit like zis one. It is big, but I could get Roxane to alter it. Vould you be okay vith zat?" he asked, trying to be as helpful as he could. It was one of the silent codes of the traveling performers to be as hospitable to everyone as though they were your own kin.

Lex grinned at her compliment to the big cat. “He is, isn’t he? An endangered species, too. Ze biggest of ze big cats. I bet you could climb onto his back if you wanted to. He likes people, especially ze little vones," Lex motioned the height of a young child, like one of the many whose parents were performers.

He smiled at the girl, seeing a little bit of himself in her already. “Your homeland vas destroyed, vasn’t it?" He asked. “Mine vas, too."

[vibeka-blamst]

"Yeah, more or less." Vibeka replied thoughtfully as she let her hand fall to her side. Looking down at her clothes, she thought it would be a good idea to fit in if she were being offered a place to stay.

"I’d like that very much." Vibeka said with a smile.

[magicwithin-thepages]

Lex smiled widely. "Alright, I'll take you to camp," he said, making the hand motion for the tiger to follow him. He walked with Vibeka, rubbing his hands together to create a fire. "See this?" He held out his palms and flames appeared on them. "This is what firedancers do. We're the deadliest. And by we I mean me," Lex chuckled.

Tamerlan began to follow behind them, digging his nose in the snow every few feet. "Zis is ze first time ve have been in snow for a long time. He misses Siberia, and so do I."

Camp wasn't far. There was only about two hundred yards left. The mOtley Folk liked to make camp farther outside town than usual because sometimes, people wandered off and found themselves in the camp.

[magicwithin-thepages]

Lex's outfits by led-bloody-zeppelin featuring dog hats

Cotton shirt / Hearts Bows Red Black Oakdale Shirt, $43 / A.P.C. a p c jeans, $130 / Red skinny jeans / John Varvatos laced up shoes / Converse black shoes, $69 / Copper jewelry / Effy Collection snake ring / Pendant necklace / Woolrich dog hat / Agent Ninetynine cashmere hat, $28 / Lowlife belt, $25 / Vintage black sunglasses / Naked And Famous Skinny guy stretch jean / House Of The Gods Classic Ramones Vest, $38 / Scotch & Soda Corduroy Chino Pant

[onewickedstepsister]

[magicwithin-thepages]

Snuffing out one of the ends with his hand, Lex pulled the fire off of the other and let it rest in his hands before arching it over his head. With a whip of his wrist, the fire came to life, circling around the room above the heads of his audience. It was pathetic that his act was going so spectacularly but he was performing in a bar. Especially when there were so few people here. At least he had a reason to try his best. It looked like Anastasia was enamored by the fire.

He drew it once more around the room before stopping in front of himself. Taking it in his hands as gingerly as though it was a newborn kitten, he whispered a few words in Russian and it became a bird. One of the snow doves of his homeland.

[onewickedstepsister]

Anastasia watched each trick in wide eyed joy and clapped loudly for each one when it was done. It was a testament to his act that she was doing so out of genuine enjoyment and not even thinking about her chances with Lex in these moments.

She wondered if he was using magic to make some of these marvelous things happen or if it was a separate skill entirely. Either way it was truly beautiful.

[magicwithin-thepages]

There were whispers of his trick from around the room. He smirked and Pinpointed a few people laughing and clapping harder than the others; they were the ones he was likely to get the best tips from. 

The bird then became a phoenix in the air, dissipating into dust that fell into his palms. He grinned and closed his hands, receiving a few claps from around the room. His eyes were focused not on his victory, but on the girl with the fiery personality. Opening his hands once more, he revealed a delicate white flower. Lex stepped off of the pedestal and held it out to Anastasia. 

[vibeka-blamst]

[magicwithin-thepages]

"It’s alright, it’s fine," Lex said calmly, bending down to the girl’s level. “I’m prince Lex. Vhat’s your name?" His eyes darting between her and the hay wagon, the boy made a hand motion to the tiger, telling it to lie down. “Zis is Tamerlan. You can pet him, if you vant. Ze only sing he bites is his tail," he chuckled, patting the tiger’s head. The girl was small compared to Tamerlan. She would probably be able to climb onto his back, like the other young teenage kids did.

"Are you a stowaway? Because if you are, there’s no need to hide from the Motley Folk. We welcome everyone. Don’t we, Tamerlan?" He said, not wanting to seem too frightening to the girl. He was only a teenager himself, the young age of sixteen. But he had seen enough tragedy as though he was a hundred years old.

Lex smiled at her, and made a little fire on his hands. “Vhere are you from? I am ze prince Siberia, up farzer nors in Russia," he said, standing up again and motioning for he girl to follow him.

[vibeka-blamst]

Vibeka gave a sheepish grin when Lex discovered her identity with ease, but surprisingly he wasn’t at all upset over the matter like she had expected him to. It was a great relief to her as Vibeka steadily became more comfortable with the new found company.

"Vibeka Blamst," she introduced. “I’m from…" Once again her voice cut off as she thought about her village and how it was no longer in existence. In a lower voice she finished, “I’m from nowhere."

For a brief moment she looked rather melancholy, but with another apologetic smile, Vibeka ignored her feelings for the time being.

"Your ca - erm, tiger is very pretty." She commented, stroking her palm against the smooth surface of the tiger’s fur. The sensation made Vibeka giggle slightly, as she looked back at Lex. 

[magicwithin-thepages]

"Novhere? Vell, zere are plenty of people at camp who come from novhere. If you come back vith me I can get you somesing to eat and a new pair of clothes. Sadly, zere is nussing at camp except a firedancer’s outfit like zis one. It is big, but I could get Roxane to alter it. Vould you be okay vith zat?" he asked, trying to be as helpful as he could. It was one of the silent codes of the traveling performers to be as hospitable to everyone as though they were your own kin.

Lex grinned at her compliment to the big cat. “He is, isn’t he? An endangered species, too. Ze biggest of ze big cats. I bet you could climb onto his back if you wanted to. He likes people, especially ze little vones," Lex motioned the height of a young child, like one of the many whose parents were performers.

He smiled at the girl, seeing a little bit of himself in her already. “Your homeland vas destroyed, vasn’t it?" He asked. “Mine vas, too."

[vibeka-blamst]

[magicwithin-thepages]

There was not a time these days that you could find a smile on the face of Rodolphus Romanov, or Domhnall Hatfield, as was the name he was given during the curse that had stripped him of the plaguing memories of his past. Memories that were replaced with ones just as gruesome. 

His mornings all started the same way, and this one started as it usually did, with a walk around town greeting all of the people he met. Just because he wasn’t a happy person didn’t mean he couldn’t be a friendly one. Then, he made his way to the music shop, preparing himself for Arienh’s violin lesson. She was getting good, real good. They practiced Flight of the Bumblebee, and she was getting faster and swifter every day. After the lesson, he stayed for a while to just hang around and point out flaws in himself and sort records. During this time he and Arienh usually sang along with Peter and Gordon, today’s song being I Go To Pieces. 

After that daily ritual, he walked to the town hall to check out the bulletin board, in case anyone was in need of hire. After scanning it once or twice over he came to the conclusion that today was not his luckiest of days. But at least he had the rest of the day to himself. Maybe he could stop by Mr. Gold’s and say hello to Cory… no, she was probably busy. 

Lex trudged home to his record player and pulled out his brand new 45 of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, which he’d gotten for a reasonable price due to the fact that the label said ‘Moonlit Sonnet’. Popping the record onto the player, he began to play along with the piano, no sheet music required. This song had been one of his favourites as a boy and still was. He had practiced it over and over again, usually going past midnight and into the next day, much to his mother’s dissatisfaction. 

The man didn’t notice that it was bedtime until the fifth round of playing the song over again. My, how the day flew by. He was tired, and didn’t even bother to pull back the covers or close the window when he went to bed. Surprisingly, Lex fell into a blissful sleep, undisturbed by nightmares. Though no bad dreams cut through his peaceful slumber, he did have a vivid memory come to him. One that he hadn’t thought about in so long. 

Down a long and dusty road goes a group of merry men and women and children. They are a group disturbed and plagued by tragedy and misery, and one of them especially has a tortured past. The group is the Motley Folk, and they harbour a young man by the name of Rodolphus Romanov, the last prince of Siberia. He is laughing along with the knife-throwers, as though his family was not killed in front of him only two months ago. 

Alongside the boy who danced with fire was a gigantic Amor tiger by the name of Tamerlan. He was one of the boy’s four pets, the others, a polar bear by the name Dzhokha, another tiger named Vladimir, and the albino fox Ludo. They were all growing thinner and thinner by the day, the only one being small enough to hunt the birds that flocked in one of the wagons being Ludo. 

As the others set up camp, Lex ran over top of the snow he had grew up with towards the town. He was hungry, and had recently scrounged up some coins from the last town they were at. Tamerlan followed, running along behind the boy. Once he reached a stand, he bought two pieces of bread and fed one and a half to the tiger, eating only a half himself. 

He bent down and wrapped his arms around the thinning tiger’s neck, burying his face in the warm orange fur after seeing the animal eat so quickly. “I am so sorry, Tamerlan…" 

Lex was jolted out of his sorrow when someone bumped into him. Turning around quickly, he found himself face-to-face with a young girl, a dagger in her hand. Holding up his palms, the tips of his fingers caught fire and he said, “Woah, woah! I won’t hurt you! And drop zat knife, you are scaring ze tiger!"

[vibeka-blamst]

Vibeka glanced her eyes toward the tiger and then back to the boy who had spoken. Cautiously, she relaxed her arm and stood up straight, allowing her nerves to calm. Replacing the dagger back inside its pouch, Vibeka cleared her throat awkwardly.

"I’m sorry. I thought," She trailed off, unsure of how to proceed upon the fact she was a stowaway. “I’m sorry," she said again exasperated. 

Vibeka couldn’t help feel a bit ridiculous for the way she reacted, as she didn’t meet the eyes of her captor.

[magicwithin-thepages]

"It's alright, it's fine," Lex said calmly, bending down to the girl's level. "I'm prince Lex. Vhat's your name?" His eyes darting between her and the hay wagon, the boy made a hand motion to the tiger, telling it to lie down. "Zis is Tamerlan. You can pet him, if you vant. Ze only sing he bites is his tail," he chuckled, patting the tiger's head. The girl was small compared to Tamerlan. She would probably be able to climb onto his back, like the other young teenage kids did.

"Are you a stowaway? Because if you are, there's no need to hide from the Motley Folk. We welcome everyone. Don't we, Tamerlan?" He said, not wanting to seem too frightening to the girl. He was only a teenager himself, the young age of sixteen. But he had seen enough tragedy as though he was a hundred years old.

Lex smiled at her, and made a little fire on his hands. "Vhere are you from? I am ze prince Siberia, up farzer nors in Russia," he said, standing up again and motioning for he girl to follow him.

[onewickedstepsister]

[magicwithin-thepages]

  Lex took Anastasia’s hand just a bit hesitantly. He’d not taken much interest in girls since the curse was enacted. Or for very long before that, now that he thought about it. He walked with her up to the front and pulled out a chair for her at a table far enough from the stage so she wouldn’t feel the heat from the fire, but close enough so he could still see her. There was a man up on the stage and he must have been announcing all day, because he seemed a bit bored. He gave Rodolphus’s name and act, then quickly got off the setup so Lex could get up and do his thing.

Lex paused for a moment before pulling off the jacket and snapping his fjngers. A little flame came to light on his fingertips and he put it in the palm of his hand, tossing it in the air. When gravity decided to pull it back down, he caught it on the tips of a thin staff that had seemed to appear from nowhere. The stick spun in between his fingers only inches from the leather clothes he wore. Lex kept taking glances over at Anastasia, grinning to himself each time.

[onewickedstepsister]

Anastasia let Lex lead her. She walked a bit like a truck driver in heels. She knew this so she hoped he didn’t pay too much attention to her and rather looked at where they were going. When he pulled out the chair for her she sat down neatly enough but seemed reluctant to let go of his hand. She frowned as she was forced to do so because he was being called onto stage.

She didn’t know exactly what his act was going to be, so when he started playing with fire her eyes lit up and she gave him a toothy grin. She loved fire. She had an affinity for the stuff. 

[magicwithin-thepages]

Snuffing out one of the ends with his hand, Lex pulled the fire off of the other and let it rest in his hands before arching it over his head. With a whip of his wrist, the fire came to life, circling around the room above the heads of his audience. It was pathetic that his act was going so spectacularly but he was performing in a bar. Especially when there were so few people here. At least he had a reason to try his best. It looked like Anastasia was enamored by the fire.

He drew it once more around the room before stopping in front of himself. Taking it in his hands as gingerly as though it was a newborn kitten, he whispered a few words in Russian and it became a bird. One of the snow doves of his homeland.

[vibeka-blamst]

Nights within the hospital were as lively as a graveyard, and just as cold. Aside from the rhythmic beating of the heart monitor and her own steady breath, Jean heard no other sound. The room was overflowing with shadows and faint luminescent orbs of light that came from the monitor’s screen. White sheets covered Jean’s limp body, outlining each curve and crevice her body made. The sheets rose when her chest did as it inhaled a gulp of air and then descended as she released the breath she had been holding.

Jean felt as though she should be lonely, that’s what any other person would feel if they were in her position. Her mind, however, was wide awake and was producing thought after thought as if it were a factory. This is what kept Jean awake, despite having her eyes closed and appearing as the perfect comma patient.

Though she maintained complete consciousness as her mind dreamed, Jean did not intervene as she simply watched the scenes unfold. Similarly, to a person watching a film on television. Her amnesia had erased any recognition, but her mind still contained the memories of her past life. Though to Jane Doe Jean, she did not realize that her dreams were memories. Either from the amnesia or the fact this particular dream was a memory of a time long since passed.

The Jean before the Jane Doe Jean hadn’t thought of this event in her life for some time. As if remarking upon the paradox of her amnesia, to remember such things from so long ago. Even so, Jean slept and watched as her subconscious remembered what she had forgot.

In the world of the Enchanted Forest, some months after the village of the female warrior Mulan was burned to the ground, a young girl fled to the other side of the continent. Her name was Vibeka Blomst.

Sunrise drifted into the horizon and peaked over the mountain range, passed the tree’s branches, and onto the slumbering face of Vibeka. Her eyes fluttered open, revealing deep brown eyes with bright copper freckles spread around her iris.

Lifting her head slowly, Vibeka peered out of the hay wagon she had taken refuge in. She wore wool, black leggings, knee-high leather boots, a simple leather vest, and a white undershirt. Her dark hair hung loose in a wavy mess down to the curve of her back.

There were people setting up camp, though she didn’t know them personally. Making certain no one saw her, Vibeka climbed out of the wagon. Afterwards, she was careful as to not attract any unwanted attention. She was doing this well, until she backed into someone. Vibeka collided into their body and immediately knew it was a man. She reacted swiftly, spinning around to face the stranger; her hand reaching for the dagger hidden in a pouch at her side.

"W-who are you?" She exclaimed in a hushed whisper so that only they could hear her. 

[magicwithin-thepages]

There was not a time these days that you could find a smile on the face of Rodolphus Romanov, or Domhnall Hatfield, as was the name he was given during the curse that had stripped him of the plaguing memories of his past. Memories that were replaced with ones just as gruesome. 

His mornings all started the same way, and this one started as it usually did, with a walk around town greeting all of the people he met. Just because he wasn't a happy person didn't mean he couldn't be a friendly one. Then, he made his way to the music shop, preparing himself for Arienh's violin lesson. She was getting good, real good. They practiced Flight of the Bumblebee, and she was getting faster and swifter every day. After the lesson, he stayed for a while to just hang around and point out flaws in himself and sort records. During this time he and Arienh usually sang along with Peter and Gordon, today's song being I Go To Pieces. 

After that daily ritual, he walked to the town hall to check out the bulletin board, in case anyone was in need of hire. After scanning it once or twice over he came to the conclusion that today was not his luckiest of days. But at least he had the rest of the day to himself. Maybe he could stop by Mr. Gold's and say hello to Cory... no, she was probably busy. 

Lex trudged home to his record player and pulled out his brand new 45 of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, which he'd gotten for a reasonable price due to the fact that the label said 'Moonlit Sonnet'. Popping the record onto the player, he began to play along with the piano, no sheet music required. This song had been one of his favourites as a boy and still was. He had practiced it over and over again, usually going past midnight and into the next day, much to his mother's dissatisfaction. 

The man didn't notice that it was bedtime until the fifth round of playing the song over again. My, how the day flew by. He was tired, and didn't even bother to pull back the covers or close the window when he went to bed. Surprisingly, Lex fell into a blissful sleep, undisturbed by nightmares. Though no bad dreams cut through his peaceful slumber, he did have a vivid memory come to him. One that he hadn't thought about in so long. 

Down a long and dusty road goes a group of merry men and women and children. They are a group disturbed and plagued by tragedy and misery, and one of them especially has a tortured past. The group is the Motley Folk, and they harbour a young man by the name of Rodolphus Romanov, the last prince of Siberia. He is laughing along with the knife-throwers, as though his family was not killed in front of him only two months ago. 

Alongside the boy who danced with fire was a gigantic Amor tiger by the name of Tamerlan. He was one of the boy's four pets, the others, a polar bear by the name Dzhokha, another tiger named Vladimir, and the albino fox Ludo. They were all growing thinner and thinner by the day, the only one being small enough to hunt the birds that flocked in one of the wagons being Ludo. 

As the others set up camp, Lex ran over top of the snow he had grew up with towards the town. He was hungry, and had recently scrounged up some coins from the last town they were at. Tamerlan followed, running along behind the boy. Once he reached a stand, he bought two pieces of bread and fed one and a half to the tiger, eating only a half himself. 

He bent down and wrapped his arms around the thinning tiger's neck, burying his face in the warm orange fur after seeing the animal eat so quickly. "I am so sorry, Tamerlan..." 

Lex was jolted out of his sorrow when someone bumped into him. Turning around quickly, he found himself face-to-face with a young girl, a dagger in her hand. Holding up his palms, the tips of his fingers caught fire and he said, "Woah, woah! I won't hurt you! And drop zat knife, you are scaring ze tiger!"

[magicwithin-thepages]

Andē, Lex's sister.

[magicwithin-thepages]

Would you call yourself a player?

Used to, I would have. But now I guess I'm more mature. It's just that, there's a girl I've seen around town and she's quite interesting, I think I might want to get to know her better. But there's also a girl that I met yesterday and I don't really know just yet...

[onewickedstepsister]

[magicwithin-thepages]

  "Vell if others think you are not, zey are wrong. Honestly you are more zan pretty; I sink you are beautiful, Anastasia. I mean it," he said, chuckling lightly as he repeated the chink of their glasses together. He then took a glance around at the room. It still looked the same. Pulling out the gold pocket watch that was engraved with his family’s crest, Lex flipped it open to check the time. Almost nine o’clock.

"I have to go on soon… how about you come up to ze front so I have some inspiration?" He grinned again and leaned over to push a strand of hair out of Anastasia’s face. “Much better. Now I can see your eyes," he said, grabbing his bag and putting the watch away. There wasn’t much to what he was doing tonight; just throwing around some flames and putting himself at the risk or third-degree burns. Same old, same old.

[onewickedstepsister]

She stared at him star struck. “Beautiful?" was this just a line? Could he really think she was beautiful? It was dark… maybe he just couldn’t see her well… She took a big gulp of her beer feeling her mouth dry up. 

"Go?" She misplaced that he was going to be preforming. She shook her head for a moment to clear her thoughts. “Yeah I’ll go up front with you…" She looked into his eyes the whole time as she spoke and he brushed her hair from her forehead. She offered him her hand so he could help her to her feet. 

[magicwithin-thepages]

Lex took Anastasia's hand just a bit hesitantly. He'd not taken much interest in girls since the curse was enacted. Or for very long before that, now that he thought about it. He walked with her up to the front and pulled out a chair for her at a table far enough from the stage so she wouldn't feel the heat from the fire, but close enough so he could still see her. There was a man up on the stage and he must have been announcing all day, because he seemed a bit bored. He gave Rodolphus's name and act, then quickly got off the setup so Lex could get up and do his thing.

Lex paused for a moment before pulling off the jacket and snapping his fjngers. A little flame came to light on his fingertips and he put it in the palm of his hand, tossing it in the air. When gravity decided to pull it back down, he caught it on the tips of a thin staff that had seemed to appear from nowhere. The stick spun in between his fingers only inches from the leather clothes he wore. Lex kept taking glances over at Anastasia, grinning to himself each time.