Magical Choices of Lucas

The forest was dense, dark, cool and quiet. The only sounds to be heard were the occasional flutter of wings, the scurrying of small animals in the undergrowth and their murmurs, and a little closer, more distinctly, our footsteps.

Alex lead us through the trees. They moved around us like waves on the sea. I had spent all day with him in town, and the evening meal had been shared between the three of us. Now we were walking home through the woods.

I'm at peace here. It's quiet, it's still, and I can think about what I want to think about without being distracted by people. I can also think about nothing if I feel like it, or just let my mind wander wherever it wants to go. And then there are some things that are better not thought about when surrounded by other people. There would be others there now who wouldn't understand. They don't get it at all. Alex knows what I mean, he understands perfectly well but not everyone does. Mia...Mia is different. She still doesn't really understand me when I talk about my magic but she tries hard to do so and that makes me happy.

I looked up at them both as we walked along a path that they had obviously followed many times before -- they took it for granted that they knew exactly where they were going where otherwise I probably would have been lost within moments of entering the forest from the road beside which we'd left our horses tied up. "So how do you two know each other? How long have you been together?"

Mia answered for them both, her voice low and soft hoarse as though she had been talking all day long without pause and was now tired out by it: "We met at school twelve years ago." Her hair was blonde with darker highlights where the sun had caught it during summer days; around her slim neck she wore a silver chain on which a small heart-shaped locket hung between her breasts; she was wearing a simple brown dress beneath which her smooth pale skin could tantalisingly be glimpsed through the loose weave of cloth; her feet were bare on the dusty ground beneath our boots; she was beautiful and delicate like something made by some perfect craftsman's hands -- she is perfect in every way but one - she does not believe in my magic; she does not understand how much comfort can be found in talking aloud to someone who will listen to your thoughts whether you mean for them to hear those thoughts or not; someone who will give you advice or encouragement when you need it most even if the advice is sometimes poor or half-baked because no-one is perfect either; someone who will tell you what they're thinking about even if it's something that isn't meant for your ears because hearing that won't harm you anyway - someone who will help you work things out until you see things as clearly as you need to see them...and then accept whatever conclusion you come to without any judgement whatsoever because they love you without question because they care more deeply than anyone else ever has or ever will...someone who will stand with their arms around your waist while you cry into their shoulder because something has upset you so much that you just cannot cry alone anymore...someone who will hold your hand when all seems lost and let you feel their strength so that yours may grow stronger in turn...someone whose name starts with "M" - Mia!

And Alex? Why do I love him too? He understands perfectly well but he doesn't know everything - he doesn't know everything about magic, but then again neither does Mia - he understands what it means to love someone enough to feel comfortable sharing yourself with them - he understands what unconditional love feels like - he understands me perfectly well too! He knows what I feel for Mia and knows why - he has felt exactly the same thing for her himself! He loves her unconditionally too! And just like me he's felt that same thing for another person before meeting Mia! But unlike me he's never doubted his feelings for whoever it was! He's never felt torn between two loves before because he loves both Mia and his previous partner equally well! He's never doubted his feelings for either of them once his feelings have taken root! And just like me he loves both of us completely without question because we care more deeply than anyone else ever has or ever will...his name begins with an "A" - Alex!