Chapter Text
Lucas’ eyes stung as he fumbled with his keys, trying desperately to fit them into the lock. The tears clouding his vision made it hard and he ended up dropping them. Lucas rested his head against the door and closed his eyes, taking in a few deep breaths to calm himself and wipe away the tears before attempting to retrieve his keys. He managed to find them again and clumsily let himself into the house.
It was dark but he didn’t bother trying to turn on any lights. He stumbled into his bedroom, threw on some night clothes and sank beneath the covers. Once he was cocooned in the safety of his blankets, Lucas’ tears turned from steady streams to full on waterfalls. Any attempt he made to wipe them away was futile, so he let them pour off his face and onto his sheets. Eventually, he managed to fall asleep once his tears had dried up and left him sobbing emptily.
That night he dreamed of the Sweethearts. He dreamed of their adventures, the daring battles, the numerous laughs shared, the quiet tender moments spent around the campfire after a long day. He found himself longing for days like those again. He longed for the thrill of battle, the adrenaline of protecting the people he loved. The gasping of air and stinging in his side he felt after Falmouth had told them a joke to lift their spirits in the early days when morale was low. The glow of the fire under stary skies as he drifted off to sleep against Ashen’s shoulder.
When he woke up, his silent tears returned, falling into the tracks left over from the night before. He numbly got up, dressed and made breakfast before sinking onto his armchair. He grabbed a book and tried to read it, but he couldn’t concentrate beyond the first word.
Lucas didn’t know how long he sat there before a knock came at the front door. When he answered it, he was greeted by the postman handing him a letter. He thought the man made a concerned comment on his appearance, but he wasn’t paying attention, his eyes fixed on the letter. By the time he looked up, the postman was long gone so Lucas hurried back into his home and sat back down in order to read the letter.
The handwriting on the front was completely illegible and yet he was able to understand exactly what it said. It looked simultaneously alien and familiar. He spent a long time trying to remember where he knew it from but just ended up drawing a blank. He soon gave up figuring it out and turned it over to open it. The letter was closed with a red wax seal which, when he held it up to the light, bore the image of a singular feather. Lucas reached for a penknife and carefully opened it.
The parchment inside looked old, almost ancient and was written in the same baffling handwriting as the front. It read:
Dear Lucas Flamingo,
I have been observing you for quite some time and I believe we can help each other. I know of your adventures with the so called, ‘Sweethearts’. I know of the tragic end that befell you which erased the three months you had together. I know how to get them back.
Meet me at the Stumble Inn tonight at 7:30, table 11, you’ll know me when you see me. Do not be late. This is your only chance to have any hope of getting your friends back.
Until we meet, Lucas Flamingo.
Lucas read and reread the letter over and over. Each time the same question rang out in his head. Who was it from?
He sighed, the only way he’d find out was if he met this stranger at the Stumble Inn. He looked to his clock, 11:11.
Only 8 hours and 19 minutes to wait.