One Crown & Two Thrones: The Prophecy

by Iseult O'Shea

  “To protect her!”

  “From what Cael? Lagar or the prophecy?”

  Theodore turned, his eyes blazing.

  “It has nothing to do with the prophecy!”

  “Yes it does and you know it,” Jophiel said aloud. “Have you never stopped to think that by you possessing your wife you are driving her into Galean’s arms?”

  “I don’t possess her,” Theodore whispered. “How am I to act when I am constantly surrounded by two women I love and a man who is apparently destined to be with one of them?”

  “You can’t have everything Theodore!”

  “I know,” Theodore whispered fervently. The sky began to turn as the first rays of the sun began to appear.

  “Don’t you think my heart aches to see you with Eveline?”

  “I know it does.”

  “This is bigger than you or I Cael, this is bigger than a perverse love triangle,” Jophiel said with feeling. “This is about the universe and everything beautiful within it being condemned to darkness if we don’t manage to save Celestine.”

  “I know.”

  “If you love her in the way I hope you do then you will do all you can to protect her,” Jophiel said quietly. “No matter what feelings you may have for me. Overcome the very thing that drove us apart and don’t do it to please me, do it for her. She has done no wrong against you or I, she is innocent.”

  “I know,” Theodore said pathetically. “I don’t deserve her.”

  “No you don’t,” Jophiel said with a weak smile. “But she choose you.”

  “Well I choose her if truth be told,” Theodore said sheepishly.

  “Whatever doubts you have in relation to her feelings towards you, she married you, remember that.” Jophiel wiped her eyes and began to walk back to the car, stopping as Theodores hand found her own. “Theodore don’t,” Jophiel whispered as he leaned his face into her own, using his other hand to stroke her cold cheek.

  “I have too if it is the last selfish thing I do,” he whispered as his lips brushed her own lightly. Theodore turned his body to her own and raised his other hand to her face, cupping her beautiful face within his trembling palms. He felt her moist lashes against his skin and deepened their kiss. Jophiel opened her green eyes and looked up into his own and found Cael.

  “I never loved another,” she whispered, pressing a hand against his chest. “I will never love another.”

  “Such a privilege,” Theodore whispered gently as their noses touched. “Though I am not deserving of such a rare and beautiful gift.”

  “No, you never were Cael. Know that right now you and I are both guilty of betraying your wife.”

  Jophiel released herself from Theodore and walked back to the car, leaving him alone in the field to deal with the consequences of his actions.

  *

  Eveline stood upon the stairs and gazed down at Galean, oblivious to her. As she stood, she watched him put on his long coat, the sun flowing through the glass stained door showing up the particles of dust. Feeling a set of eyes searing through him, Galean turned and found Eveline’s golden gaze upon him.

  “Eveline, are you sure you should be up?” Galean asked with concerned eyes.

  “I am feeling much better Mr Edwards,” Eveline beamed, her body, soul and mind completely her own as she made her way down the stairs to stand before Galean as he put his hat on.

  “Where are you off too?”

  “To Weymouth,” Galean said as his buttoned his coat, keeping his blue gaze on her. She looked young and healthy, her skin warm, her lips red and her eyes sparkling.

  “So far?” Eveline replied with surprise.

  “It is the anniversary of my wife and daughters death,” Galean said under his breath as Eveline handed him his scarf.

  “I’m so sorry Mr Edwards,” Eveline said gravely as Galean wound his scarf about him.

  “No need to apologise,” Galean smiled weakly.

  “Why the sea?”

  “They loved the sea,” Galean said flatly.

  “I have never been to the seaside before,” Eveline said as she rested her hands before her.

  “Would you like to accompany me?” Galean asked with hope. Eveline furrowed her brows in thought.

  “When will we back?”

  “No later than nine.”

  “I’m not sure I should,” Eveline said with uncertainty, stuck between loyalty and curiosity.

  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have put you on the spot like that,” Galean said roughly, turning away from Eveline and making for the door, opening it to let the winter sun flow into the reception area, bathing Eveline in a flood of light and warmth. “Good day.” Galean tipped his hat to her before closing the door behind him. Eveline looked about her, the rooms empty and the house quiet. Before her she eyed up her coat, hat, scarf and gloves and immediately took in a deep breathe.

  “To hell with it,” she muttered as she quickly took her coat down from the hanger and picked up her hat, gloves and scarf opening the door in a hurry. “Galean! Wait!” Galean turned around and smiled up at her.

  “I cannot believe you have never been to the sea side before,” Galean said as they drove through the countryside.

  “Well I do live beside a lake,” Eveline smiled as she gazed outside the window, taking in the bare fields. “I suppose that counts for something doesn’t it?”

  “Well no not really.”

  “How so?”

  “I’m not entirely sure how I can explain the difference, despite their being so many,” Galean returned with a miffed expression.

  “I suppose the environment is completely different, the air, the beach and the atmosphere.”

  “There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar; I love not man the less, but Nature more.”

  “Lord Byron I believe?” Eveline quipped her eyebrows.

  “Indeed,” Galean laughed, his face lighting up in a way Eveline had never truly experienced before.

  “Do you like Vaughan Williams, Mr Edwards?”

  “Of course I do!” Galean announced gaily. “The Lark Ascending is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever listened too. Why do you ask?”

  “I have never been to the sea, but I have a recording of his sea symphony which always conjures images of what the sea may be like,” Eveline said with glazed eyes. “Of course I have seen images of the sea and so I can create quite an accurate image of what the seaside may be like and so when I mould my image with his sea symphony I find myself at the seaside.”

  “I’m sure it will meet with your expectations.”

  “I hope so,” Eveline smiled, enjoying this new sense of freedom. “How long does it take to drive to Weymouth?”

  “About two hours,” Galean replied. “Don’t worry we can stop along the way for something to eat.”

  “Good, I haven’t had any breakfast,” Eveline laughed. “I feel so very rebellious although you may think that silly.”

  “Why would I think that?” Galean returned, turning his eyes to her side profile. She certainly looked different, alive and without worry which only highlighted her beauty and youthful spirit.

  “I never really stray from the boundaries of propriety and safety.”

  “And you feel that you are now?”

  “Yes! I feel filled with an abundance of merriment and curiosity,” Eveline blushed as they drove through Warminster. “What a beautiful town.”

  “I always find the further south you go the quainter the villages and towns are,” Galean said as he rolled down his window slightly for a little air.

  “I’m not sure that would go down well in the North Mr Edwards,” Eveline teased gently, loose strands of her hair dancing.

  “Well then let us keep that bit of information to ourselves shall we?”

  “Of course.”

  The trip south to Weymouth went by smoothly, Galean stopping in Dorch
ester so that they could have lunch. Eveline was fascinated by the change in her being just by being away from Bath and all the problems that surrounded her there. No one knew her here bar Galean who was a good companion, filled with conversation that intrigued her. What fascinated her the most was the change in Galean, at first he had been pensive and quiet but over the course of their trip he like her had found a sense of freedom in their journey, finding peace in the distance between themselves and Bath. After they had lunched they made their way south to Weymouth, where the sun shone brightly in the sky, no clouds to be seen.

  “Weymouth has also fallen victim to the Germans lately,” Galean explained as they drove by some destroyed buildings.

  “How unfortunate, it is a very beautiful town,” Eveline said with grave eyes as they passed some young children that were picking up pieces of shrapnel. “That cannot be safe,” Eveline noted with a frown.

  “You’ll be amazed at how children cope during wars, many find a thrill in the excitement of it all at first,” Galean said as they drove through the centre of the town.

  “When Belle came to us in Keswick a year or so ago, she would tell us of the horrifying scenes she had to witness in London.”

  “London has been heavily bombed that much is true,” Galean said with a nod. “I was living there before I travelled north to Keswick.”

  “Have you been in active service?”

  “I work for the government,” Galean said as they finally reached the front of Weymouth.

  “May I ask what it is you do?”

  “To be honest not much as I have been somewhat distracted as of late,” Galean said with sigh as he parked the car along the front, overlooking the beach.

  “I really love the Victorian and Edwardian buildings that line the front,” Eveline said as she looked up and down the front.

  “Yes they certainly add to the whole affect, it is one of the reasons why I love to come down to Weymouth in my free time,” Galean said as he reached into the back and picked up his hat. “Shall we go for a walk?”

  “Yes, lets,” Eveline beamed, taking her hat and putting it on before plunging her hands into the confines of her leather gloves. Galean quickly climbed out of the car and walked round to her side opening the passenger door for her, holding out a hand. “Thank you Mr Edwards.”

  “Galean please.”

  “Galean it is,” Eveline smiled as she stood before the beach and drew in a breath. “Oh Mr Edwards it is more than I imagined!” Galean smiled broadly as he opened the boot of the car and extracted a basket.

  “We are lucky to have good weather,” Galean exclaimed as he came to her side once more. “Shall we?” he held out his arm.

  “After you Galean,” Eveline wound her arm within his own and let him guide her down to the sand. The beach was spotted with children and couples, taking the chance to let the winter sun seep into their skin and souls, a brief breather from the realities of war. Eveline wanted to jump about with giddiness as she stepped onto the sand, letting her feet experiment with the sand. “Do you happen to know any quotes in relation to sand?”

  “Em- let me think,” Galean responded as they walked over the white sand. “They dined on mince, and slices of quince, which they ate with a runcible spoon; and hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, they danced by the light of the moon.”

  “That is beautiful, who is the author?”

  “Edward Lear I believe.”

  Galean stopped before the sea, still and peaceful, the waves gentle and content. Eveline let go of his arm and pondered onwards, stopping before the water. Galean watched on as she took off her gloves and placed them in her coat pockets, letting her fingers seep into the cold water. She gasped with joy before standing up and turning to face him, her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright.

  “It’s so cold!”

  “Of course it is, its winter!” Galean laughed as she came back to his side.

  “Well I know that! I’m just surprised at how cold it is!” Eveline laughed in return.

  “I brought some food if you would care for some?”

  “What did you bring?”

  “A flask of tea, some sandwiches and apples,” Galean replied as he guided her away from the water.

  “Mother once told me that the seaside makes you extremely hungry,” Eveline said with knowing eyes as they found a place in which to sit.

  “It’s the air I believe,” Galean said as they took off their coats, laying them down upon the sand.

  “It’s quite warm from a winter’s day,” Eveline beamed, lifting her face to the sun and closing her eyes briefly before taking off her hat. Galean took off his own hat before opening the basket and taking out the flask and two tin cups. “Do you prefer tea or coffee?”

  “It depends,” Galean smiled as he handed her a cup of tea. “I like to have coffee in the morning as a wake up and tea during the rest of the day mainly for comfort. Yourself?”

  “I’m not much of a coffee drinker if I do say so myself,” Eveline said as she blew down on her hot tea, the steam swirling about in the air. “Tea is comforting especially after I take Wordsworth for a lengthy walk up the hills.”

  “Yes it is rather comforting,” Galean said as he put down his cup and scanned the beach with a content gaze. They sat in peaceful companionship as children played nearby, their mothers looking on with a mixture of worry and glee. Eveline found herself examining the grains of sand in her palm, letting her fingers journey through the sand, cold beneath the surface. When she looked up she found Galean’s curious gaze upon her and felt her cheeks colour slightly.

  “Don’t you think it marvellous that you and I can simply drench our hands into the remnants of natural history?”

  “On many occasions I do, when thinking about it,” Galean murmured, watching on with fascination as she lifted a handful of sand only to let it fall, some of the grains blowing in his direction.

  “Imagine that it travels so far and wide, an untold story weaved into time.”

  “I like to imagine the people throughout history that have walked along this beach,” Galean said with glazed eyes as he gazed out to sea.

  “Do you know that sand molecules can vary in colour? Even pink apparently.”

  “Yes, white, black, green and pink I believe,” Galean said with intrigue, she never bored him and he found great comfort in their conversations.

  “I wonder how deserts are made of sand when they are not near the sea.”

  “I know that they are composed of quartz grains,” Galean said with a thoughtful expression. “It comes from several components like natural erosion by the wind and water, volcanic eruptions and through the erosion or rocks.”

  “Have you heard of the Sahara desert?” Eveline asked curiously as the wind picked up slightly causing the surface of the sand to shift slightly.

  “When I was in Egypt visiting the pyramids just after the First World War, I travelled to the border of the desert yes,” Galean replied as he picked up his cup and drank from it.

  “You have been to Egypt?” Eveline said breathlessly in awe of her companion, how worldly he was she thought.

  “Yes, I was taking part in an excavation alongside a man named Howard Carter,” Galean replied seeing the intrigue in Eveline’s bright gaze, her lips pursed in suspense. “He had been searching for the tomb of Tutankhamen, later to find it in 1922. Unfortunately I was no longer there to see it.”

  “There is so much I don’t know about you Mr Edwards, and I mean no offence, in fact I am intrigued by you and you’re worldly if not universally educated mind.”

  “Your young still and have time in which to do the same,” Galean said with serious eyes.

  “I doubt it very much,” Eveline whispered, forcing herself onto her feet. Galean watched as she patted down her skirt, wiping of the fragments of sand. Eveline looked down at him before walking off towards the shore. Galean found himself rising from his coat to follow her. Eveline felt his presence. “You see, who I am presents a
problem, wouldn’t you agree?”

  “What do you mean?” Galean asked as he stood gazing after her.

  “You have enlightened me enough for me to know that I have two names Mr Edward, Eveline and Celestine,” Eveline began, her body straight and unwavering as she cast her golden gaze out across the far reaches of the sea and horizon. “I know of Eveline but know nothing of Celestine. That is why I ask you, who am I?”

  “You are yourself Eveline,” Galean replied with furrowed brows, confused by the unexpected change in their conversation.

  “I am a creature of light, this I know, but why am I set apart from the other creatures of light? Why is it that you, Jophiel and my husband are willing to give up your life’s in order to ensure that I stay alive?”

  “What has this to do with you having adventures?” Galean argued lightly, turning Eveline about with his hands.

  “How can I go forth into the unknown if I do not know who I am?”

  “You do know who you are,” Galean said with fervent eyes. “You are you.”

  “Am I? The serpent of the night wishes me dead, me! Can you offer me an explanation as to why?”

  “I have told you I am forbidden,” Galean said with urgency in his once calm voice. “Eveline, you are and always will be you, label and name be damned.”

  “Why do I feel that Celestine bares a greater burden than Eveline?”

  “If it does then you will be able to carry the burden with understanding and knowledge,” Galean said softly. “The core of you, your principles, ethics and morals will not alter with a change of name.”

  “Why do I feel that it will?”

  “You fear it because you haven’t been enlightened as to what it means,” Galean said gently, wiping away a stray strand of her auburn hair.

  “You know what it means. Tell me, will it change me?” Eveline looked up into his vivid blue eyes, deep and soulful.

  “Not if you wish. Eveline it is not the name that makes a person, it is all that is within them. You have the power to stay true to who you are, whatever change may come your way. Do you trust me?” Galean asked with a graveness in his tone that caused Eveline to feel alarm. He was here on the anniversary of his family’s death and here she was causing him more pain by being selfish. Eveline felt her shoulders relax as she chastised herself inwardly for her poor behaviour. This man was the most selfless man she had met, he didn’t need any more burdens in life, and he needed this day to be a day without trouble and grief.