Makarios stared at his reflection in the mirror. He tugged at the sleeve of a dark blue coat. After a few tugs, he stopped and put the coat on. The coat complimented his red robe. Next to him was a small pile of ripped coat sleeves and robes.
"I'll be buying this coat," Makarios announced to a skinny middle-aged man who stared at him with beads of sweat on his forehead.
Makarios pulled out a small leather pouch and grabbed a handful of gold coins. "I think this should cover it," Makarios casually tossed the coins to the floor.
The middle-aged man's eyes almost popped out of his sockets as he saw the amount of coins Makarios had thrown. The man bowed sincerely toward Makarios and rushed to get on his knees and pick up the gold coins.
Makarios took one last look in the mirror before replying, "Interesting colors and designs, but the material is far too weak for my liking."
Upon hearing the criticism about his fabric, the middle-aged man stood up and said, "Sir, if you give me some time, I will make some garments specifically for your liking." He promised.
Makarios observed the shopkeeper's face but said nothing and exited the store.
Outside, Makarios walked down a busy street. "Tonight is the night, " he whispered as he crossed the road to a wooden two-story building. Opening the door to the building, a red-haired woman came running towards him.
She wore a green robe with a black apron tied around her waist. A wooden cup of warm tea was in her hands. She greeted Makarios with a bright smile. "Welcome back, Mr. Benoni; I know how much you like tea, so I made sure to have a cup ready when you return."
Makarios gently smiled and petted the top of the woman's head. "You're a good, Little Fox," he called her. The woman's cheeks blushed. She handed him the tea and then ran to help a gray-haired woman dressed similarly to her.
Makarios waved to the two of them before leaving two gold coins on the counter and walking up wooden stairs to the second floor.
As he left, the woman with gray hair turned towards the other. "I know he's paying well, but you shouldn't let him pet you like you're some sort of animal." she lectured the younger woman.
However, the red-haired woman Makarios called Little Fox seemed to be in another world as she looked in the direction Makarios had left.
After walking up to the second floor, Makarios entered his room. He sipped on his tea and walked over to his neatly made bed. The room was empty except for the bed and books on top of a small wooden drawer.
He walked over to the wooden drawer and opened it. Inside was a small chest he scooped up some gold coins, leaving the chest half empty.
He then picked up a stack of books. Makarios opened one and began flipping through its pages, stopping to study diagrams or images.
Eventually, the sunlight from the window shifted into moonlight. Opened books and an empty cup of tea were scattered on the floor. Makarios was skimming through another book when a loud cackling outside his window interrupted him.
"Is it time already?" Makarios wondered, closing his book. He stretched his body and opened the room's glass window to see the road below, filled with walking crowds.
"They worship the change of season. But what they celebrate is their lack of hunger." Makarios reminded himself before walking out of his room. As he went to the first floor, a combination of voices grew louder.
Little Fox carried plates of food and drinks to different tables. Seeing the staff so busy, Makarios slipped out of the inn and into the people-filled road.
A full moon hung high above the castle. The roads were adorned with lamp lights, and people had wooden cart shops selling different types of ale.
Makarios moved past the crowds before suddenly stopping and turning to a small group. Within the group, he saw an old man with dirty clothes smoking something out of a wooden pipe. The man exhaled a giant cloud of smoke.
"A pipe that lets you blow smoke like a dragon?" Makarios mused to himself. With a wide grin, he walked over to the group.
Makarios was dressed in expensive linen. When the old man saw him walking towards them, he quickly hid his pipe.
However, it was too late; Makarios was standing beside them.
"Are you enjoying the festival?" the old man innocently asked, but Makarios ignored him, stuck out his hand, and said, "Let me see that pipe of yours." The old man reluctantly placed the wooden pipe in his hands.
The group looked at each other with confusion. Makarios looked at the pipe stuffed with a strange yellow powder. The top was slightly burned.
Makarios extended his other hand. The old man hesitated and asked, "Do you want to smoke some, Sir?"
Makarios didn't answer the question. Instead, he placed the pipe in his mouth and aimed his finger over the powder, but nothing happened. Seeing the gesture, the old man ran over with a tiny bag filled with smaller stones and placed a small waxy stick inside.
The old man then twisted the bag, rubbing the rocks against each other, creating sparks, and the waxy stick quickly caught fire.
Once the waxy stick was on fire, the old man held the small flame over the yellow powder and said, "Quickly inhale, Sir." Makarios inhaled as hard as he could, and the yellow powder burned intensely before turning to ash. In a single giant exhale, Makarios unleashed a cloud of smoke so big that the surrounding people thought a building had caught fire.
The old man stared at Makarios with wide eyes and stuttered to ask, "Sir, what do you feel? Are you okay?"
Makarios looked at the man and the group, staring at him with horrified shock in their faces.
With clear eyes, Makarios asked, "You're supposed to feel something?"
"It's a nice little trick; Little Seventh would love that," Makarios said to himself. He tossed two gold coins to the old man, who caught them with an ecstatic smile.
The people began laughing and singing about what had happened as Makarios continued towards the castle's keep. However, he stopped in front of a cart shop where a blonde man served him a large mug of ale. Makarios finished the drink in one gulp, tossed the man some gold coins, and continued walking.
A group of spectators had begun to surround him. They half expected Makarios to vomit and the other half to tip right over.
"It appears my body is immune to these mind-altering substances. Still blowing smoke and drinking fizzy liquids is quite amusing." Makarios waved away the crowd before stepping into an area outside the keep.
Small gardens and their colorful flowers were the center of attention. The area was filled with people wearing as much jewelry as Makarios himself.
Moving past the people, he made his way inside the Keep. His peculiar snow-white hair made him stand out. Ignoring the small chatter his appearance created, Makarios walked through a hall that led to a giant, double-door entrance. A flag hung above each one. "A lion eating flower..."
Makarios shifted his eyes from the flags to the inner court.
The court's marble floors reflected the crowd's elegant dresses. The air was heavy with incense and a refined sound orchestrated by many musicians.
In the center was a stage with three thrones. On the center throne sat a man with a dark gray beard. On the man's head was a five-pointed golden jeweled crown.
Seated on the right throne was a woman around the king's age. She wore a thick crown over her dark, silky hair, "That must be the Queen." Makarios noted.
On the left throne was Princess Oleandra, with whom Makarios was familiar. She resembled her mother and wore a similar crown.
The royal family looked at the party, the people dancing, and the band playing. Occasionally, King Aster would turn to his wife and say a few words.
Makarios stared at Oleandra for a moment. " Maybe this isn't a trap. She doesn't even know I'm here," he considered before walking toward the center of the people dancing.
Oleandra sulked in her chair. "I should be inside my room trying to find the right ingredients, not here. I've only been able to recreate one of the hundreds of perfumes from the ancient ruins, " she thought before she noticed a familiar figure walking through the dancing crowds.
"The white hair, so he came..." She quickly identified Makarios. A woman wearing a blue and purple dress slowly approached Makarios.
"Cousin Azalea?" Oleandra whispered.
Azalea seemed to be getting closer and closer as she spoke to Makarios. Oleandra's mind went blank as she stared intently at Azalea run her hands through Makarios's hair.
Leaning forward subtly, Oleandra watched Azalea grab Makarios by the hand and lead him toward a small open space in the crowd.
Azalea pulled Makarios close, and the two began dancing.
"His face he's sweating, his calmness from before, where did it go?" Oleandra's mind flooded with observations. However, her mind came to its conclusion as Azalea's face went from excited to angry.
Focusing on their feet, Oleandra almost burst out into laughter. Makarios was stepping all over Azalea's feet. "I should do something." Oleandra decided before getting up and joining the dancing crowd.
Azalea could take no more and pushed Makarios away before slapping him in the chest and storming off. Makarios's face turned slightly red as he stood still like a statue among the dancing people.
"Why did she get mad?" Makarios questioned before feeling a soft tap on his left shoulder. Unconsciously, he sternly grabbed the hand before turning around to see it was Oleandra's hand he was holding.
Oleandra jumped back, pulling her hand away from Makarios. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I couldn't stand watching you dancing around like a newborn deer." She mocked Makarios, who sneered at her before blaming Azalea, "It's her fault for not moving her feet out of my way."
Oleandra held back her laughter. "Have you never danced with another person before?" she asked. Makarios thought briefly before earnestly answering, "No, I haven't."
"How strange. He claims to come from a wealthy family yet was never taught how to dance." Oleandra noted before extending her hand towards Makarios. "Come, I can show you basic steps."
Makarios stared at the hand being extended toward him. "Her invitation here wasn't a trap, and now she wants to teach me how to dance? What does she want, and what is she after?"
Despite his skepticism, he chose to hold Oleandrea's hand.
Holding her hand, he could feel the pulse of Oleandra's heart through it, just like he could Azalea's. "Her pulse is different. Azalea's pulse was calm and collected, but Oleandra's is faster, like a beating war drum."
Oleandra and Makarios found an open space on the dance floor. Gently grabbing his other arm, Oleandra placed it above her waist. "This is different," Makarios said, his throat becoming dry.
In unison, the two moved toward the left and then back. "Am I moving, or is she moving me?" Makarios wondered as he took another step in lock with Oleandra.
"I don't have to say anything. Was he pretending not to know?" Oleandra wondered.
King Aster stared at his daughter dancing with the strange white-haired man.
"Roscio, who is that man our daughter is dancing with?" he asked the queen beside him. "I don't know, but he seems quite wealthy, " she replied.
Holding Oleandra tight on his side and moving to the music, dancing suddenly felt like second nature to Makarios. Without worrying about the next step, he began noticing the softness of Oleandras's hand and the curve of her waist.
Without thinking, he pulled her in closer, feeling the warmth of her body. For the first time, he was staring into her dark brown eyes. She was an all-consuming darkness, and he was a burning flame.
"His eyes feel like they can see right through me. His bones feel like stone, and his forearm feels more like a beast than a man... Why do I feel like I've met him before?" Oleandra pondered before the music in the air reached a zenith.
Makarios suddenly tilted Oleandra in his arms.
At that moment, a strange pain began to radiate from Lord Seventh's human heart, the heart of Makarios. The pain came from a longing for Oleandra and to become one flesh. The most powerful instinct within every man rose within Makarios, the dragon-turned-man. It was a deep, burning desire to place his seed into her fruit.
His eyes turned towards her lips, which trembled from his presence. The song ended, and the two remained enthralled without saying a word.
Suddenly, a bird flew into the keep. A familiar voice began shrieking. "Master, I can sense you. Where have you gone to, my master? Where are you?"
Hearing the voice, Makarios let go of Oleandra, who almost fell but managed to catch herself. The two stood beside each other, staring at the messy bird.
"Little Seventh?" Makarios thought.
Oleandra whispered, "That ugly bird led me toward the ancient ruins."