XXIX- The Intoxicated Realization

Michael poured Ravenna another glass and added more wine to his own. She was becoming less formal and more relaxed, tossing her legs over the arm of the chair and resting her back over the other chair arm, facing the Seraphim. Being used to the more potent wine of the Kingdom, Michael was still of sound mind.

Ravenna had asked many questions, and those questions started to become more personal and bizarre as she drank. She asked about his maidservants and what it was like to have them around. She asked what it was like to have wings and whether or not he could fly.

Michael patiently answered all of her questions; Ophelia and Victoria were his friends, and he thought they would both like her very much. The wings were an extension of his body, and while he could fly, it was exhausting and taxing, as he was extremely tall and muscular.

Michael decided to divert the questions away from himself, wanting to learn more about the beautiful woman sitting across from him.

"Tell me about home, Ravenna. You've been a healer for a long time. What's that like?"

Ravenna hiccupped and swayed a little in her seat. "Oh I love home. It's just like a home to me. Grandmother spent her whole life healing. Her mother taught her, and her mother taught her. Grandmother taught my mother, but the Sickness took my mother when I was young. It took my father too, but he was a poor healer. So Grandmother taught me instead of Mother teaching me."

Ravenna hiccupped again. Michael was amazed at how quickly humans could become intoxicated. She continued to speak, kicking her feet a little in the air over the chair arm like a carefree child.

"Grandmother tells me it's my job to teach the next generation healing. I don't even know if I want to! I just want to do the healing myself! Why is that so hard?" Ravenna frowned. "I could teach Teresa's children! I could teach anyone who wanted to learn! Why does it have to be a Hawthorne?"

Michael leaned forward, gently taking the glass from Ravenna. She had had enough. He finished what was left in her glass, stood, and set her glass on top of the fireplace hearth. Michael sat back in his chair, resting his forearms on his knees. "Nobody will make you do anything you don't want to."

Ravenna sniffled. "Do you plomise?" Assuming she meant "promise," Michael nodded. "I can't find my drink?" Ravenna looked around, not noticing Michael had taken her glass. Michael chuckled, not wanting her to see him laughing at her. "I was done with it anyway," she said, her lower lip poking out slightly, as if she was trying to tell the glass that she didn't care it was missing.

Michael smirked at her pout. He poured himself another glass and was startled by Ravenna's voice. "Can I... can I touch your wings?" She had leaned forward in her chair and wrapped her arms around her knees. Michael stood and knelt by her chair, and she ran her fingers across his right wing.

"It looks so familiar..." her voice trailed off, deep in thought. Her eyes widened, and she stood up against his shoulder. Michael watched Ravenna walk to the slashed remains of the pink dress he had first met her in. His eyebrow arched. What could she possibly want with that dress? She picked up the skirt of the dress near the hem. He tried to lean to the side to see what she was doing, but her body blocked his vision.

Ravenna returned to sit in her place, in the large fireplace chairs, holding something in her hands. "I found this one day in the forest, Grandmother told me it was supposed to be good luck, so I had it pinned on the inside of the hem of my dress."

Ravenna held her hand up to Michael's wing, holding a single white feather. Her realization cut through her intoxication like a knife.

.

"... it was you."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Michael lowered his head, still kneeling in front of Ravenna. His wings and shoulders dropped low.

"Yes. I was certain I was caught that day. You remarked how unusual a white feather was to find."

"It was. I spend a lot of time in that forest, and I'd never seen any birds with white feathers. It... it was you." Ravenna's eyes grew large with realization, and her thoughts slowly processed through her mind, wading through the wine she had drank. "How did I not guess it was you when you first appeared?"

"You were likely still in shock. The ordeal you had been through, and the fact that I was not human. Humans don't see my kind, well, until you did." Michael shifted from his kneeling position, moving to sit on the floor. Ravenna had sobered up significantly with her revelation and was no longer lying across the chair. Michael leaned his head against her legs. "Are you... you never... I'm still sorry that I had been in the forest while you were."

Ravenna felt the warmth of Michael's head against her knees, and she leaned forward. She placed her right forearm across her knees and played with Michael's golden curls with her left hand.

"No. Don't be sorry. I've given it thought. I'm glad you were there when I was. You were watching over me. Like a guardian. And when I was in trouble, you were there. I'm grateful you found me in the forest. And I'm grateful you saved me from that monster of a man."

Michael tilted his head back at Ravenna's words. When he looked up at her, she felt protected. He may be a Seraphim, but he was her guardian. Her eyelids were growing heavy again, and the intoxication had resumed making her dizzy. She leaned forward further and placed her lips against Michael's forehead. She laid back in her chair and continued to run her fingers through his soft hair.

"What did you see in the forest?"

"I saw you gathering plants. I saw you talk to the birds. They seem very fond of you. That was one of the first appeals. So few humans interact with and appreciate nature the way they should."

"The ravens are my friends. They began to come around the forest not long after my parents died of the Sickness. They are a comfort to me." Ravenna looked out the window. The sky was dark, the first rays of sunlight peeking over the horizon. Her eyes were so heavy. She became quiet, lost in thought, still touching Michael's hair.

Moments passed. Michael looked up at the woman he was leaning against. She had fallen asleep. Michael gently lifted her, and her head fell against his chest. He carried her to the bed, and softly placed her down. He went to turn, and he felt a hand around his wrist.

"Don't go."

Ravenna looked up at the Seraphim, who had just moved her from the chair she had fallen asleep in. She didn't want him to leave.

"I can't. You've been drinking. I can't..."

Ravenna held tighter onto his wrist. "I don't want you to go. Just... stay." She moved over and made room for him in the large bed. "Please. Just stay with me."

Michael paused by the bed, hesitant. He looked into Ravenna's pleading face, sighed, and lay beside her. He pulled her close into his arms and covered her with his wing, keeping her warm and protected.