The Deal

Aine flashed Lief a rather smug grin, and he countered with his cheeky smile. He could not deny that things did not turn out well for him, but now that things had come to this, he was not going to lose.

Aine crossed her legs and looked at him from head to toe. Lief responded by crossing his arms and giving her a sharp look. They had been sitting in silence for a while now, creating a tense atmosphere in the usually lively greenhouse.

“I was beginning to worry you would not show yourself anymore,” Aine finally spoke. “Mind you, you leaving so cowardly back then was very disappointing.”

Lief winced. It had been a week since that incident in the forest, wherein Lief escaped by quickly teleporting before Aine could even say anything.

“In case we’re forgetting, I saved your life,” Lief replied.

Aine nodded. “Well, I can’t deny that. But you’ve been coming here to drink my love potion. Not to mention, you tried stealing it a couple of times. And you’ve been trying to fool me for a long while, too. I’m assuming everything you said about yourself is a lie. Plus you’re a stalker. You’ve been stalking me for months, have you? You’re a stalker, a thief, a liar.”

Lief cleared his throat. “I don’t suppose you’re asking for an apology.”

“If by chance I am, are you going to apologize?”

“No,” Lief said flatly.

“Wow, you are not even bothering to be polite anymore.”

“There’s no point pretending anymore, is there? Besides, speaking of politeness, you haven’t even thanked me for saving your life.”

“You want my thanks?”

“Not really. Though there is something I want from you.”

“My love potion.”

“Since when did you know?”

“You aren’t as stealthy as you think you are.”

Lief sighed. “We should settle this one way or another, shouldn’t we?”

“I suppose.”

“I have tons of treasure. I can give you antiques, precious games, rare items. I can find the books you want. I can procure ingredients for your potions. Name it.”

“I don’t need money. As you can see, my family’s doing pretty well. Also, I have a very kind benefactor who can procure items for me.”

“Right, your princess friend.”

“So you even know about Cistine.”

“But I have items that you may never find elsewhere. Items that are even hundreds of years old. You may find them more worth than your so-called ghost droppings.”

“Tempting, but there’s something else I really, really want.”

“And what makes you think you can make demands?”

Aine laughed. “You need my love potion badly, don’t you? Otherwise, you won’t be here now.”

Lief huffed. “So what do you want?”

“You. I’m just curious about you and your magic, what you are, why you’re here, why you need my love potion—”

“Okay. That’s too much.”

“Well, take it or leave it. If you don’t want to share some information, you can go back to stalking me and trying to steal my love potion. But I assume for some reason you can’t, right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have even shown yourself to me.”

Lief sighed. He was aware he’d have to answer her questions eventually if he wanted to proceed with this. But then, perhaps this was better? He had decided to take risks, then so be it.

“Fine,” Lief said.

***

“So you’re saying, you’re a chronicler.” Aine shifted on the chair, leaning back, finally relaxing a bit. “First time I’ve heard of it. And you’re supposed to write about my love story—That bit is quite funny. And you’re cursed. So you need a certain love potion, which I’ll, according you, probably be able to make. And you have magical powers…Why the hearts though? Is that your personal choice of aesthetics?”

“No,” Lief said sharply.

“And you’re over 500 years old…” Aine placed her hand on her mouth. “Over 500 years old…magic…curse.” Aine smiled, then shrieked. “This is so exciting! This is the most eventful thing that has ever happened in my entire life!”

She looked back at Lief, who was merely staring at her with furrowed brows. “Okay, I’ll help you,” Aine said. “I’ll give you a regular supply of my love potion.”

“Just like that?”

“Well, you show me your magic and how it works. Then you give me precious gems and rare artifacts. Then you procure me ingredients for my potions.”

“I thought you said you didn’t need money, and you have a benefactor.”

“Oh, I don’t need money, but there’s no crime in wanting more, and one can always have more than one benefactor.” Noting Lief’s sour face, Aine added, “I’m trying to free a 500-year-old from a curse. I at least should get everything I can get from that 500-year-old, right?”

“You don’t have to keep repeating 500.”

“So we have a deal?”

Lief only sighed.