by SL Perrine
Gareth turned from the stove, but stayed next to it. “Brother, I think she deserves to know. It will come to her anyway, and if we are to have a chance at reuniting our family, the sooner she knows, the better.” He turned back to his pans, making it clear he was done with our conversation.
It was in Hogarth’s hands.
“She was the daughter of the very clan that cursed Ourobus, Tyson’s father. He was the one who led our family astray. You see, they were betrothed at birth, and when she was sixteen years of age, she came to live in our realm; in Ty’s home. This was the practice of the royal families to keep alliances.”
“So, my family broke the alliance by cursing your family?” I moved my hands to my lap, which I had fumbled with since sitting.
“Yes, but it’s more than that. However, because she was already living amongst us as one of us, she too was cursed, but…” He stopped short and looked back at the kitchen door.
“He told me she had been killed with the rest.” The words stuck in my throat.
“Tyson has had to live a hundred years without her. He’s spent every waking moment looking for her, waiting for the time she would be reborn for him.”
“That’s what confuses me. How would he know if she were reborn or not? Or any of them, for that matter?” The tears threatened my sight.
“Your very soul will tell you.” He stood, walked to the refrigerator for two bottles of water and came back to sit. After a long drink, he continued. “They were always meant to be, by their parents, but by something more as well.”
“So even though their parents set them up to be married, they were soul mates?” The term was never one I believed in, so it was hard to hear his answer.
“Yes. Is that so hard to believe?” I hadn’t taken this man as one to believe in fairy tale stories, but there he was, telling me the earth was flat and love at first sight was a real thing.
I laughed to myself once and answered, “Yes.”
“Why is that so implausible?”
“Because, soul mates aren’t selected. They find their way to one another. Even then, the happily ever after is just too hard to imagine. Something bad always happens.”
“Do you not think being cursed for a hundred years is not something bad enough? Even by your standards, that makes it possible.” He adjusted himself in his chair, sitting a bit straighter. “Well, it has been this way for our people for centuries,” he said, pushing the second bottle of water across the table to me. “It just so happened the two who were picked for each other were also destined to be together. They have a destiny greater than any of this, but that’s a story with a different cover.”
I drank the water and thought on it for a minute, then my other question came back to me. “You said she was cursed, but… But what?”
“She was given a choice.”
My words stuck in my throat again and it was almost too hard to get them out. “Wha…what choice?”
“She could die with the rest; be reborn when the curse would be lifted and they could live their happily ever after.” He looked to his brother, but Gareth was too busy chopping lettuce to notice.
“Or?” I pushed when he didn’t continue.
“Or, she could go back to her family. Live amongst them and still see him, but never be with him. She would live her life, and he would continue to be cursed in his own realm. They could never be together again.”
“So she chose to be with him later, rather than not at all?” I chewed the inside of my cheek.
“How did you come to that conclusion?” He studied me.
From my dream–or whatever it was–I concluded that maybe there was a reason she chose to die with the rest.
“If I had to make that decision, I would choose a life with him, whenever it would be, rather than none at all,” I said. The truth of it hit me in the chest like a ball of energy.
“Well, then. It seems it holds true still, after a hundred years.”
His comment caught me off guard. I’d been questioning this myself, but needed more convincing. I still didn’t want to ask it. I couldn’t. Even though all of the facts and feelings pointed me to the very conclusion or truth, I didn’t want to hear it spoken out loud.
Hogarth got up to leave when I didn’t ask another question, retreating to the desert heat of his study. Gareth was busy putting pasta on plates. I didn’t know if all my questions were even answered, but I received as many as I could stand to swallow for one day. As Hogarth reached the doorway of the kitchen to leave, he turned and added, “By the way… her name…”
“Yes?” I spun around in the chair to look at him as he said it. I just needed to know if…
“Princess Renella Pyliro.”
I swallowed hard and a rock fell to my stomach. My dreams were my own memories coming back from another lifetime. My fairy tale story, from when I was a little girl playing with dolls, was my memory; my subconscious yearning for another place in time.
Hogarth left the room, and I politely excused myself from Gareth, stating I wasn’t feeling well. As I closed the front door, I felt the invisible rubber band loosen its grip and prepared for Ty to make an appearance.
“Renee…” I heard him from a distance before the floor fell out from underneath me. I felt like a Mack truck had plowed into my body. Visions swarmed my head with such force I passed out.
Chapter -18-
The sky was black and the stars twinkled in the distance above. This night was for us; just the two of us. By the morning, there would only be one left behind.
We danced for what seemed like hours and held each other tight. He wouldn’t say good-bye to me. One day, I would be back, and we would get married and change the lives of all who loved us…his family and mine. The only one who ever stood in the way of our happily-ever-after was his father. He wanted to be king, and he would finally lose, but his people were the ones who would suffer.
“It’s so unfair.” I rested my head on his shoulder after he twirled me around and around.
“I know, my love, but we will be together again. It will be soon for you,” he spoke into my hair.
“Yes, for me.” I lifted my head to look at him. “But for you, it will be forever.” I gazed into his eyes.
He cupped my cheek with his hand. “Forever never ends. This will end. I will find you,” he told me.
“I will love you forever.” I relaxed my head on his shoulder once more. “So you’d better find me.”
“Oh, don’t you worry, Princess. This is a promise I have no intention of ever breaking.” He laughed. “I will find you, and you will be in my arms forever.”
“How will I know it’s you? The curse…” Tears rimmed my eyes.
“I don't know, but I will do everything in my power to help you remember me... to remember us and the life we want to have together.” He looked at me with his big blue eyes.
“I’ll always know those eyes. Those eyes will spark recognition into me...beautiful blue skies.” We both laughed, and he spun me around the room. We danced until the moon was at its highest peak in the sky. Then, for one last time, his lips found mine.
* * * * * *
“Where do you go when that happens?” Ty was rubbing my cheek when I woke. When I opened my eyes, his were closed. He spoke to me as I lay there in my dream, coaxing me back to him. I reached up to hold his hand and he looked at me.
“Beautiful blue skies,” I repeated the words from my dream as I gazed into his eyes.
He gasped. “Renella?” he said as he pulled me to him. I lay on a bed, and he sat in a small chair at the side.
“I… I think so,” I answered, still questioning it myself. “I don’t know. Tell me…something… anything. Make me remember.” The dream was fading.
“The last night we were together,” he said as if he’d plucked the dream from my mind.
“We danced in your room. In the moonlight. The portrait...” I added, turning my head away from him and closing my eyes. I wished the dreams would sho
w me more, but then I realized I did not dream of a portrait. I opened my eyes and I was back in my dream, but it was not my dream. I was in Ty’s room. “Is this real?” I didn't recognized the room from a dream, but a memory.
The carpet and furniture were oriental, with reds, golds, greens, and oranges, giving the entire room a red glow. There was a four-poster, queen-sized bed, which took up most of the room. The walls were bare, apart from the large portrait of Prince Tyson and Princess Renella. I got off the bed and walked to the wall where it hung.
“That was our engagement photo. The one we posed for at our party,” he said quietly, standing in the same spot. He looked like he was afraid of what I would do if he moved. I looked around the room, not saying anything. I wanted something to spark more of a memory. I moved from surface to surface, letting my hand slide across each object. Ty asked his question again. “Where do you go when that happens?”
“When what happens?” I stopped and sat on the edge of the bed.
“When your eyes roll back in your head, and you pass out and scare the life out of me.” The look on his face was pure fear. I couldn’t help myself. I got up and walked to him, but before I could touch him, he put a hand up.
“Please don’t.” He took a step back.
“Why… What’s wrong?”
“If you touch me and I wake up.” He looked away from me. “Please Renee, just answer the question.” His words caught and he took a step back.
“Okay,” I said, turning so he couldn’t see the tears welling in my eyes. “I have dreams. Or at least, I thought they were dreams. After talking to your uncle, I’m not so sure what they are.”
“About what?”
“Her… me, maybe… I don’t know. My head starts to swirl with images I’ve never seen before, but that are very familiar.” I tried to remember. Closing my eyes, I tried to picture the image again. Her hair, bright red as a flame, glowing in the moonlight. It danced as she moved in his arms.
He shook his head. “Please help me understand. What are the dreams about?” I could hear the hurt in his voice. I wanted to go to him; to hold him. Instead, I paced the room, not letting him see me.
“In all of them, I’m me, but I'm Renella. That’s a name I gave myself when I was ten years old. I pretended to be a princess, stuck in a tower, waiting for my prince.” I chuckled a bit at my own imagination. The absurdity of it all. “I never told anyone about that name, but I waited and waited”–I dabbed the tears from my cheeks, even as they fell faster–“but he never came.”
“I’m right here,” he said with his arms open to me. I turned to him and before I knew it, I was in his arms. I rested my head on his shoulder and he ran his hands up and down my back. We stood there and I cried into his shoulder as I spoke.
“I dreamt about your mother, I think. She called me Renella too. I've dreamt of people who keep telling me I have to choose. I didn’t know that they were memories when they started. I thought they were dreams mixed with your stories of your lost love.” I lifted my head to look at him.
“I’ve known since last year, as soon as I saw you clearly.” He wiped away my tears with his thumb. “I didn’t know how to approach you.” He toyed with my hair. “There’s so much more you don’t know,” he added.
“Tyson, tell me,” I pleaded with him. I was tired of getting bits and pieces. I wanted to hear it all, so I could process.
“I’ve waited a hundred years to hear you call me that again.” He pressed his hand against the side of my face, sliding it down to my jaw, and stopped. “I will. I’ll tell you everything, but I don’t think you’re ready to hear all of it right now. Look at you, Renee, you’re a mess.”
“Ty…” I begged.
“You need rest. You should sleep now, and we’ll talk more in the morning. Let me take you home.” He let go of me and grabbed my hand.
“Can I stay here? Maybe it will help me remember,” I asked, looking around at the familiar room.
“Are you sure? What about your father?” He looked tired too. I lifted my hand to the back of his neck.
“Yes, I’m sure. Nobody is at my house. They went fishing. I don’t want to be alone.”
“Okay.” He grabbed my free hand and walked me to his bed. “You sleep here, and I’ll be right there,” he said, pointing across the room.
Ty made up the sofa for himself, something else that just kind of appeared.
I lay on Ty’s bed and gazed at the picture of him and his Renella. Was that really me? The same shape, same face; same fire red hair and green eyes. I noticed the necklace around her neck. It was a simple silver locket. I lay there and looked at her for what seemed like days. I felt as if it were something I had done before. It seemed like I looked at it all night, but only minutes passed, and I drifted off to sleep.
Chapter -19-
“She can’t stay here any longer!” Ourobus shouted at his son. He and Ty were in the throne room of the great palace, which is where those arguments always took place. Ourobus seemed to have changed his mind overnight regarding our betrothal.
“I’m sorry, father, but she is staying. As you decreed it, I will marry her on the next full moon.”
That soon, he really wants to marry me, I thought to myself as I eavesdropped on the newest argument between the two.
I turned away from the balcony overlooking the throne room. This is where I usually was, as my duties required it, when they had such discussions. Usually, the meetings I attended involved other court members. This one was a private discussion. I happened to be sitting there when they burst into the room in mid conversation. I sat still, as not to interrupt them, unsure if I should have left or not. Now, I knew I wanted to hear.
“Do you hear yourself? Do you hear how disrespectful you are to your lord father? It’s that girl’s influence, I tell you.” Ourobus stood over his son, three steps high, which put them at eye level. He could never feel superior to Tyson if he stood on the same level. He was a squat man who loved his beer and food, and his midsection showed as much. As lord of a clan, he prided his ability to do no hard labor and force others to do his bidding. Now, he thought himself a king. He loved his power. Even more, he loved his buio magia and despised that his son did not.
“Father, I will marry her, regardless of your feelings for it. If we have to, we will leave your realm and join her family. They have agreed to welcome us on the eve we wed,” Tyson stated loudly.
“She would have you leave your family?” Ourobus feigned hurt.
“No sir, she would have me as her husband. You would have her dead.” Tyson’s words shook me.
“I would do no such thing.” The king turned to pace his landing.
“I saw what you did. Only a man spelled by buio would attempt to take another life. That man attacked her in the square and you put him up to it!” Tyson yelled at his father once more.
“I did no such thing. Do you dare to stand here and blame your king of attempting murder? You know that’s treason.” He pointed at Ty’s chest.
“No, I blame a father for attempting to take the life of a daughter, because that is what she is to you, forevermore. I will have no more of you and your buio magia. I told you that. I don’t condone what you do, and I will not follow in your footsteps, declaring yourself a king.” He threw is hands up in frustration. “Do you not think the real king may have something to say to that? Do you not remember King Rowan, your friend?”
“Oh, very well then. Wed your bride, if you can.”
“That better not be a threat on her, father. I swear, if anything happens to her, I will use my last breath to make you pay.” Tyson turned on his heel and left the room.
He didn’t hear the final words his father spoke as he left. “As for Rowan, we can table that discussion for another time.”
Tyson had never been as angry with his father as he was that time. I left my post as quietly as possible and headed to the chambers we would share once we were wed. Tyson entered just after I had. I turned to him and
threw my arms around his neck. “I was on the balcony,” I answered his unspoken question.
“I meant what I said, Renella. We will be married and we will leave this dark place.” He buried his face in my hair.
“You could never leave your family. I would never ask you to.” I held him tighter. “We will figure this out. Some way, we will figure this out.” We stood holding each other and swayed to unplayed music.
Chapter -20-
The sun was about to rise, yet Chris had been awake for hours. The days were getting shorter and the nights seemed to last forever. Well, at least the dark did. The three of them had been walking for three days together, since the day Farlow had told them who he was. Chris didn’t completely know why he would be sent from home to protect two nobody maga. She decided to give up on sleep and rose to start a fire. Tabby, who was also awake, got up and looked for small sticks to help and make some breakfast before heading off.
Farlow, on the other hand, seemed to have no trouble with sleeping outdoors. Chris silently wondered if fairies lived outdoors and if they were always normal height. She gave a light chuckle at the thought of a four-inch tall Farlow and went to where Tabby had placed the sticks.
“All set,” Tabby said as she laid the last two sticks on the pile.
Chris closed her eyes and focused her energy on the pile of twigs, summoning energy from the roots of the biggest tree nearby. After a small amount of smoke, flames popped and spit at the sticks.
“Tabby, why didn’t you light the fire?” Farlow asked, startling both girls.
“Tabby knows I like to do it. Besides, she’s not a fan of magic,” Chris added in her friend’s defense.
“I see.” Farlow got up with a jump and headed east, down the path they had been following for the last three days.