Celian saw; he saw a creature similar to his natural form, but at the same time, not completely natural, like the artist based the figment on someone's rather vague description. The shape of the head was wrong, the fins were not quite like his arms.
Celian's amusement turned to surprise. "This is the story you believe can help me?" He asked.
Madi nodded. "The story is called The Little Sea-Maiden, and the way it happens is that the prince had been sailing during a storm so strong that it sank the boat. The Leonie swam nearby, and she saved the Prince, and brought him onto the shore."
Celian traced his finger over the illustrations, his eyes glinting. "This is just what happened between myself and Miss Agatha." He slowly wagged his head, absorbing the information she told. "Go on; what happened next?" He prompted pensively. "Was the prince frightened of the Leonie?"
Madi shrugged and turned the page, showing the pale sea-maiden hovering beside the unconscious prince. "Well, he didn't actually see her that time. He was unconscious, and she left before he woke up. But she couldn't stop thinking about him, and after a while, she took on human form and went to find him."
By now, the tall man was fully engrossed in the story. "And... Did she find him? Did he find out what she was?"
Madeline smiled. "Not at first," she said. "He did find her familiar, though, and he asked her where she came from, and why she was looking for him."
Celian sniffed, and Madi saw the tension in his face. "And?" He asked as she paused to study the picture of the maiden with dark hair speaking to the fair-haired prince. "What did she tell him?"
Madi held her friend's gaze. "She told him the truth," she answered quietly. "She told him what she was, how she saved him, how she loved him—and then, she asked him if he loved her in return."
Celian tilted his head, the swirling colors of the final illustration--the prince and the maiden with their arms wrapped around each other--enthralling him. "Why..." he muttered hoarsely. "Why would she ask that?"
Madi replied solemnly. "Because she had heard of the legend that said a Leonie who found love could remain in whichever form they chose for as long as they live, without ever having to change forms."
Madi reached out and took Celian's hand. "Because the Prince loved her, you see, the Leonie part of her faded away, and she could be human and stay with him for the rest of their lives."
The hopeful gleam in his multicolored eyes faded, and Celian dropped his gaze. "But..." he muttered, "those are just stories, right? Stories written by humans. You cannot believe they are real."
Madi sighed. "Until I met you," she said, "I didn't believe Leonies were real."
Celian ran a hand through his stringy hair. It trembled a bit, as he wrestled in his own mind with what he would do with this information. "Although," he let out a heavy sigh, "I don't think Miss Agatha would be as accepting and open as some prince in a fairy tale," he protested.
Madi swallowed and pinched her lips. "But you won't know until you try."
Celian reached out to take the book onto his lap, studying that last picture very closely. "Thank you, Madi Grove," he whispered, looking into her earnest face. "No matter what form I take, you do still believe in me, and for that reason, I think that after tomorrow, you will be the human I miss the most."
Her cheeks flushed bright pink, and she grinned. "Then you'll do it?"
Celian pressed his lips, thinking of the last expression he ever saw on Agatha's face. "She probably won't want to see me," he said in a hollow voice. His lips pressed into a thin line. "I... may have lost any chance I had with her. I am doomed to carry this Mark forever." He lifted his sleeve, revealing the familiar, twisting whorls.
Madi blinked and tilted her head. "That's strange..." she murmured.
Celian's brow dipped. "What is?"
The young girl reached to touch the Leonie's shoulder, her fingers rubbing over the design. "I could have sworn your Mark was darker last time I--" She stopped speaking and gasped, her hand still resting on his arm.
Her touch tingled over his skin, just as it had out on the beach. Celian pulled away, straining to see that part of his shoulder. "What has happened?" Blank skin met his eyes.
Madi was staring at her hands. "I just... I noticed it looked faded, and then when I touched it... the mark just disappeared!"
Dr. Grove dropped the book he'd been reading with a thud. "What do you mean, disappeared?" he asked, coming over to look.
Celian ran his hand down the length of his arm, then examined the other. "My Mark..." he rumbled hoarsely. "Is gone."
Madi seized his hand and stared at him with wide eyes. "Really? It's gone?"
Celian felt as if he'd been trying to breathe from underneath a stone this whole time, and it had just now rolled away. He stood, feeling the firmness of human feet below him, flexing his human muscles. He no longer loomed over his host, but stood at more of an average height for a human. "I'm free!" he gasped. "I... I'm human!"
Madi was so excited, she could not speak. She danced in place, still clutching her friend's hand.
"What does this mean?" Dr. Grove asked curiously. He'd heard the tale of the Little Sea-Maiden--but surely it didn't apply in this real-world instance!
Elation gave way to determination, and Celian squared his shoulders. "It means I am still going to visit Miss Agatha again--but this time, I don't have to
