The Girl with the Fire Heart
Chapter 6

And so, this is how they carry on. They see each other at the market, run into each other in shops in the village, pass by one another on their walks with family and friends, but never say a word to one another. Every time they see each other, they lock eyes, Valentina looking at him with contempt, Damon looking at her with sincerity

Days turn into weeks. Weeks turn into months. Months turn into years. Valentina is soon turning 25, Damon turning 27 in the same year. The village is in a state of excitement. Joaquin and his wife, Carmen, are throwing a ball for Damon's birthday. Damon had been begging and pleading with his mother and father to cancel the ball. He did not want all the fuss.

But Joaquin refused to. The nobleman, without his son’s knowledge, had invited the girl with the steel cage heart and her friends. He was hoping that whatever animosity lay between them would soon disappear. If he could have avoided it, he would have chosen not to invite the royal family but his status left him no choice.

Joaquin would never admit this out loud, but he knew the royal family was no better than the king and queen of his previous kingdom. He knew that they would deplete their son, pushing him beyond what his heart’s limits could endure. Both the nobleman and his wife had hearts made of silver so it was a surprise that their son, during his blessing ceremony, was revealed to have an entirely different element than their own.

They had spent the first two years of his life seeking apothecaries and counselors, advisors of all sorts hoping someone would explain how this came to be. The only answer anyone could come up with was that he was destined to be different. No gods, no spiritual figureheads or scientific explanations. Simply that he was born to be different.

But Joaquin knew better. He knew he had been chosen for this. The nobleman would never say it out loud, for he worried the pressure of his beliefs would hinder his son in some unknown way. Forced out of his memories, the nobleman tells his son that it will be best if he simply endures the ball without complaint. The nobleman says that he and his wife will allow their son to leave the ball early if he is patient enough.

Damon begrudgingly agrees.

The ball is in full swing. There are people everywhere, dancing, eating, and drinking on the outskirts of the dance floor. The shepherd’s daughter is terrified, having never been to a ball before. Let alone a birthday ball.

When Valentina received the invitation to attend, she was stunned. She had known that her feelings of contempt toward Damon were obvious. Actually her feelings borderline on hate. She had fully expected to be home the night of the ball, not running around to dress fittings days before and her friends styling her hair, donning her face with makeup and forcing her into a carriage the night of.

They are the last of the villagers to arrive. Valentina, not wanting to give away her true identity, decides on a pale blue dress. It is beautiful, having small details of flames embroidered in silver on the bodice and the skirt edging out like fire all around her. She didn’t want to part with the true nature of her heart, but she knew if she didn’t want the nobleman’s son to believe that the steel around her necklace was nothing more than a cage, she needed to dress the part.

She knows her hatred for Damon is misplaced. She had been caught off guard that he had so openly noticed that the steel around her heart wasn’t real, that it was concealing something hidden underneath. But her fear of him getting too close to her was greater than her ability to be honest. And so the lie continued, her hatred more for herself than for him growing day by day, not wanting to admit the truth of why her necklace was covered in steel.

Slammed into the present, the doors to the ballroom are thrust open and everyone turns to see who the last of the partygoers are. Valentina abruptly stops walking seeing so many pairs of eyes watching her. Her friends knew this might happen and had prepared themselves beforehand for the vile whispers of the other villagers.

The girl with the emerald heart turns her head to look at Valentina. She sees the fear so plainly in her friends' eyes. The girl with the emerald heart locks her arms with Valentina, gesturing for the girl with the opal heart to do the same. Together, the three girls slowly make their way into the ballroom, everyone’s eyes on them.

They replace an empty spot along the walls, away from prying eyes to give Valentina to settle herself. The initial shock of their arrival finally passes and Valentina breathes easier. She starts to enjoy the birthday ball of the nobleman’s son in the shadows, a place she always felt she belonged.

Suddenly, trumpets sound in the ballroom. An announcement is made that the nobleman and his family have arrived and the family of three waltz into the ballroom with grace.

Damon hates the way all the young village girls leer at him. He hates even more the way all the young village boys size him up. It's his 27th birthday and he can't even properly enjoy it. Something catches his eye as he glides to the center of the ballroom dance floor. He focuses his attention in that direction until he sees that it is Valentina. He feels a shove next to him, and turns to see his father smiling softly at him and gesturing for him to follow custom.

The nobleman’s son didn't realize he had stopped walking in his perusal of the room. He resumes his pace and stands beside his father. He half listens as his father speaks words of pride about the man he is becoming. He scans the room, hoping he can see Valentina again. He feels, with a sudden burst, the desire to set things straight between them after so long.

Over the years he has heard many stories about the girl with the steel cage heart. The most common rumor is the girl with the fire heart is dead and this unrecognizable girl, at least to everyone else, had killed her. But something in him knew better. He could feel it whenever they saw each other, the way her heat pressed in on him, propelling him to get close to her, like he was the only one who just might be able to.

He never did though. He stayed away, watching from afar as she spent time with her friends, her family, watched her work in the fields and tend to her animals. He watched because he knew he may never speak to her. But he was done with that now. He was going to pursue her. He had never felt this way with anyone and he was done wasting time staying away.