by C. A. Sabol
“Really, Your Highness, I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but he is a commoner, and you are royalty. His life is nothing compared to yours. It is only expected that he should give his life for yours,” Aura sniffed indignantly.
“That is enough!” Selene stomped her foot on the floor. “After all these years, Aura, I have come to see you for what you really are! For all your grace and beauty, for all your intelligence and gifts, you are nothing but a bitter, old, cynical woman, incapable to believe in any love at all!”
Aura took a step back, as though the princess’ words had struck her. “How dare you!” Aura snapped. “How dare you insult me? I practically had to raise you.”
“There are some days,” Selene said, her voice hushed and serious. “When I think that I will never be like you, and I despair because I will never have anything that has made you so influential in court. But then there are days when I realize that this is a good thing, for more people will revere me because of love, than those who heed to you for fear. You might have raised me, but you never truly loved me!”
“Oh, and I suppose that Orphan Boy did?” Aura huffed as her face burned with anger and shame.
“Yes, and I love him!” Selene shouted. Her hands flew up to cover her mouth. Once again, her words escaped her before she knew what they were. She stalled and sucked in her breath at the unspoken revelation that she had kept hidden in her heart for so long. She blushed, having never truly said it aloud before. She started to tremble and felt weak in her knees. Aura stood in silence for a moment before she turned around and walked away, unable to say anything.
Selene just stood there, not even watching Aura leave the hallway. She was still in shock at having revealed her true feelings at last. “I love him,” she repeated. It felt so strange to hear such words. Tenderness, love, and things that were considered to be ‘the softer emotions’ were not talked about too much in court. They were feelings that were chided and viewed as rare and weak in the eyes of the High Court. So many of the members reserved their deepest cynic opinions for the discussion of love.
But Selene did not think it was so. Love was a beautiful thing. She had seen love incarnate in the Spirit who resided of her dreams, and she did not think he was weak at all, and he had told her that since he was a spirit, he could be anywhere and in all places at once, so how could it be rare? Maybe a human choosing to accept others, to love others, was rare, she thought, but not love itself.
She loved Etoileon. She had to go to him, she realized. She had to go and see him again, to be with him. This was probably a result of her turning away from Pegasus anyway, she thought carelessly. Selene turned and ran to for her room. She had once promised Dorian that she would not leave the castle again, unless it was necessary. She didn’t know about Dorian, but Selene considered this venture more than necessary. She just could not stay away.
THE HOUR WAS LATE BUT the palace was still lively. There were always guests, it seemed, to fill up the palace and keep the hosts entertained well past the midnight hour. The princess had excused herself to her room hours before, but not to sleep; little did any in the palace know, she was planning her second escape. Lady Aura was not present at dinner, not having been seen since early morning before she’d locked herself in her room. She’d told more than one maid that she was suffering as a result of ‘traumatic conditions’, so no one had called upon her in some time. The dining hall and the Great Hall were packed with people, a couple of them still present since the Islander Reception, not only due to the outbreak of war, but because of the hostile sea conditions due to the monsoon season. The castle was full of laughter and talking, and even some midnight dancing.
There was one place in the room that was not so lively, however. Cyerra looked in on her aunt for the third time in the last hour, her eyes tired and dry with lack of sleep. Ronal had left her, to his regret, in order to get to his classes and meetings for the day. She had stayed there, watching over the care given to her dear relative, since they’d come back from the city.
Cyerra watched as the water clock dripped, the time passing slowly to her. She sighed and hoped that if Ronal would come, he would bring her some dinner. She had forgotten to eat earlier, but she had received the news that her aunt was bound to wake up any moment. Cyerra knew she could not afford to leave at a time like this.
As she sat in the waiting room, she saw a flicker of movement in the corner of her eye. She waited a moment, carefully trying to see if someone was actually there or it had been her imagination. She shrugged, seeing nothing.
A few minutes later, there it was again. Cyerra turned her head quickly, but it had stopped moving once again. She waited, this time not to be distracted by her concerns. When she saw it this time, Cyerra could see that it was indeed a person, in a long palace robe, heading slowly for the door. Cyerra normally would not have said anything, but the next time she saw the movement, she noticed the gait of the walker and recognized at last that it was the princess.
“Your Highness?” she asked, moving over to stand next to her. She found Selene crouched behind a doorway, looking guilty.
“Cyerra,” Selene greeted. “How are you doing?” She tried to smile, but Cyerra shook her head, and the princess could tell that she was caught.
“Princess,” Cyerra started, “Selene, where are you going, at this time of night? Shouldn’t you be in bed?”
Selene sighed. “I want to go see Etoileon, Cyerra. I cannot possibly wait until next weekend. His condition has worsened, and I feel like I have to go see him as soon as I can. I don’t care what Dorian says, I feel in my heart that I am supposed to go.”
“Selene, it is dangerous,” Cyerra said. “You shouldn’t go alone.”
“I know,” the princess shrugged, looking down. “But Cyerra ... I can’t help this feeling in me. I know I must go, no matter what, because ... because ... ” her voice trailed off, her face growing red.
“Because you love him so?” Cyerra finished carefully. When Selene nodded and looked up at Cyerra with a questioning look, Cyerra found it in herself to smile. “I have sensed ever since I’ve been here, as long as I’ve known you, that you’ve held a special place in his heart,” she explained.
“I must go, Cyerra,” Selene insisted. “I know that you may not agree, but I am asking you to not tell them that you saw me here.”
Cyerra looked down. “I will not tell them, Selene. You are my friend, and we all have to do certain things for love. But I would rather not be confronted with such an issue if possible.”
“I understand,” Selene nodded. “You are a good and true friend, Cyerra. I hope that your aunt does get better soon.”
“I hope that you are able to help Etoileon get better as well,” Cyerra said. “Now go. I trust that you have transportation?”
Selene’s eyes twinkled in excitement. “Yes, I do. There is a transport waiting to escort a maid to her hometown, where one of her relatives is near death.”
“Go then,” Cyerra said, bowing her head. “And be safe.”
“I will,” Selene promised.
Watching her go, Cyerra felt a small smile come to her face once more. The princess would go through such trouble for someone that she loved very deeply. It was a heartwarming notion.
Turning back to her waiting room seat, Cyerra turned to find Ronal coming up the hallway with a small package in his hand. “Cyerra!” he called out, waving. He picked up his pace to a canter, quickly stopping once he was in front of her. “I’m so glad to see you!” he said. “I’m sorry that I was gone so long, but I was needed at the gala tonight for a while. And I wanted to get you something to eat. I figured that you probably haven’t eaten all day, have you?”
“No,” Cyerra grinned. “Thank you, Ronal darling. Let’s go sit and talk for a while over here.”
“How’s your aunt doing?”
Cyerra bit into one of the small meat cuts that he’d brought her and felt her stomach almost rejoice. She swallowed before she said,
“She’s bound to wake up at any moment, according to the doctors.”
“That’s great then,” Ronal replied. “No internal damage? No concussion?”
“Nope. She’s just asleep for now,” Cyerra said. “But they did ask a lot of questions that I couldn’t answer. They wanted to know what happened to her and I had to tell them that I didn’t have any idea. Poor Auntie Rou. She must’ve been beat up somewhat, before she was knocked out. I didn’t know what else to tell the nurse.”
Ronal thought about it for a moment, before saying, “Well, you’ve done all you can, Cyerra, so that’s good enough for now. Who knows? You might’ve even saved her life today.”
“You helped,” Cyerra blushed.
“Just a little,” he shook his head. “That’s nothing.”
“Sure it is,” Cyerra insisted. “But the question I wanted to answer the most was who did could have possibly done this to her.” At this Ronal just looked at her, unable to give her answer. She knew that she had no more luck in figuring that out than he did.
“Maybe when she wakes up, she’ll be able to tell us something,” Ronal said slowly.
Cyerra nodded. “Maybe.”
SELENE WATCHED AS THE city lights of Silverton City came into view. She was left alone, the only one who was really in the transport. There was a royal guard watching from the hallway connecting to the pilots’ quarters, but that was it.
She put her hand on the window, feeling as though her spirit would rise out of her body in an attempt to get there faster unless she managed to keep it in check. She felt a sense in her heart that she had done wrong, but she could not abandon her plans now. She was more worried for Etoileon than she was what Dorian would say, anyhow. She would gladly trade places with him, if only he would be saved. Besides, her absence might not even be noticed, all things considered. It wasn’t like Dorian didn’t have more pressing issues to attend to.
She arrived at the hospital only a couple of hours after she’d left the palace. She headed around the corner and turned, and at last she caught sight of her destination.
There were only a couple of nurses that were on duty on the bottom floor this late at night, she noticed. That would prolong the discovery of her being there for a while. She waited until the hallway was clear, and then she went inside. She opened the door to find Etoileon was still in his bed, in about the same position he’d been as she’d last left him, but he didn’t look as peaceful this time. His sheets were soaked with sweat, and his face was red from the heat. Selene rushed over to his side, taking his clammy hand in hers and squeezing it in both of hers.
“Etoileon,” she exclaimed. “I am so happy to be here for you! Once again, I have broken free of the palace. And once again, I find you waiting for me,” she whispered gently. His hand was limp and cold in hers. She drew his hand and lovingly laid it against her cheek as she smiled contentedly.
“You must love the boy a lot to risk breaking out of the palace.”
Selene felt her breath catch in her throat as she slowly turned around. There was a woman in the room, watching her. The woman had gnarled hands and a wrinkled face to match. She’d painted on more than half of her eyebrows, and her eyes were shadowed with too much smoky eye paint. Her cheeks were dusted a very bright pink, and with all her other features, she looked like a poorly designed clay figurine. Her outfit seemed to match the rest of her person; the black fabric was made to last, but it was faded and stained in certain spots. Selene could find no words to say as she just stared at the woman, a look of half-guilt and half-fear written on her face.
The old woman smiled. “Relax, child. I knew that you would be here. I have not told a soul,” she crackled, as though she were sharing a private joke with someone that Selene could not see.
“How could you know I would be here?” Selene asked carefully. “Who are you?”
“My name is not important,” she said. “But just for kicks I’ll humor you. I am known as Melantha the Seer. One who is not of this world has summoned me here to help you. He knows of your trouble with this boy’s condition, and he has convinced me to come here and assist you.”
“Really?” Selene’s voice was breathless. Could it be that Pegasus had sent this woman? “You can help Etoileon?” It was too good to be true.
“Yes. I know that the darkness has plagued him, child,” Melantha spoke, her hypnotic voice almost entrancing Selene away from Etoileon. “I can bring him back to this mortal plain, for he is hanging between this world and the next.”
“You can really do that?” Selene felt her heart start to beat faster as she began to feel that surely this was an answer to her call.
“Yes, I can. And I will ... for a price, of course,” she said.
At her last words, Selene snapped out of the trance she’d found herself in. “Excuse me? I beg your pardon? There’s a price?”
“Yes. All things have a price, remember?” Melantha frowned. “I am sorry, child, this does not happen to me very often, that I am wrong. I was certain that you loved this boy, but I guess that I was mistaken about that –“
“No! No you weren’t!” Selene said, waving her hands to motion to the woman to stop her from leaving. “No. I’m sorry.” She sighed. “What is the price?”
“Only one thing shall do. If you want the boy to wake up, which is quite a lot of work for an old, weak woman like me,” Melantha started. “But you seem like such a sweet little girl, that I will give it to you at a discount.” Melantha looked around and said, “Hmmm. I will take the boy’s memories as the price.”
“What?” Selene asked. “His memories?”
“No, no, you’re right. That’s too much to ask. I’ll settle for his memory of you,” the woman smiled. “That’s a big discount there girl. I’d take it if I were you.”
“But how ... but how would I ... ?” Selene searched around for the right words, but couldn’t find them. She shook her head. “I can’t do that,” she said. “That’s too much of a price.”
Melantha shrugged. “Well, he had a good life. I’m sure that he will find peace in death. Maybe he’ll even remember you when you join him, and then you can finally be happy, too. I suppose that it’ll be hard to deal with his loss, but when you push yourself, it’s amazing what you can –“
“Wait.” Selene stopped her. “Okay. Do it. I’ll pay the price.” She took Etoileon’s hand in hers and held on tightly. “I can’t live in a world without knowing I could have saved him and didn’t at least try it.
Melantha grinned. “You’ve made a wise choice, girl.” She stood up and waved her hands, calling forth her powers granted from her master. Her hands swirled around, her fingers shaking. “I was this boy’s guardian at one point in time, you know. I was the one who told him of the place of real power. I know for a fact that he would thank you for doing this service to him.”
There was something in her voice that made Selene cringe. Recalling how Etoileon had told her long ago that he’d never really had a guardian that he had liked before, aside from his first Master, a man named Liu, she immediately regretted making her choice. Selene was about to tell Melantha that she’d changed her mind when Melantha starting chanting.
She whispered softly, murmuring indecipherable incantations as she stood in front of Etoileon’s body. Selene suddenly had a feeling in her heart telling her this was wrong; this was too wrong. She could not choose such a life for her friend. And maybe there was a chance that he would wake up on his own yet.
Suddenly, his words seemed to echo straight out of her heart. “It’s kind of nice to think about how you’d be different if you had no memories, and grateful that you’re who you are because of certain people.”
“Wait!” Selene called out, just as Melantha’s eyes rolled to the back of her head and her head turned to face Selene. “I changed my mind!”
There was foam bubbling out of the old woman’s over-painted mouth, and her face turned dead white. She laughed a crazy laugh. “Too late! It’s too late! You have ch
osen this path, and you cannot turn back!”
“No! Stop!” Selene said, grabbing a hold of Etoileon’s hand and trying to pull him away from the demon-possessed woman. Melantha shrieked with a bloodcurdling howl, and Selene had to press her ear in with her free hand as she tried to break free of Melantha’s curse.
She fell to the floor, but kept her hand tight around Etoileon’s hand. She curled up in front of Melantha, stopping the woman from getting too close. “Etoileon, I won’t let her harm you!” she called out, as a great wind blew through the windows and smoke began to billow everywhere. Selene had trouble breathing and coughed. Her eyes watered, and she felt Etoileon’s breathing start to heave. “No!”
She grasped tightly to Etoileon, pulling herself up to him. She leaned down and protected him from the smoke as best as she could. But there was nothing she could do. “Old Woman, go away!” she yelled as she turned to see her foe once again.
At this point Melantha had begun to hang in the air, and when she spoke a new voice called to her. “You have fallen, Princess! I have you at last! Your light is smoldering; you can no longer house the Pure Light! I have won!”
Obsidian’s laugh was cruel and scathing, and Selene could feel the sting of it. “No!” she cried. “Pegasus! Help me!” she called.
“Oh, Pegasus, help me, help me!” Obsidian mocked her in his best girl’s voice. Then he laughed again. “Oh, Princess Selene, you are so funny. You have chosen this pathway, turning against your darling Pegasus. And best of all, I still have your dear friend there trapped in the realms of his own dream world.”
“Give them back to me!” Selene yelled at Melantha’s form.
“They were never yours to have,” Obsidian laughed again. “They were always mine to be taken. The son of the rebel, Ammos, has eluded me for years, safe in the protection of the palace.”