More Questions

Generous?  What have you done that was generous?  Everything you have done has been for you!

No…

Yes – you took him!

You asked that he be taken.

You refused to give him back.

You wanted a fairy tale.

You nearly killed me!

I never would have allowed harm to come to you….Sarah….you were never in any real danger.

No – Don’t touch me!  You robbed me of my friends, of my victory, of what I felt for…..what I could have felt for….no…you twisted my emotions, I was a plaything for you, and then you stole my memory, how could you?

It had to be done.  If you would have been allowed to remember, the consequences could have been disastrous……..Sarah, I did it because….it had to be done...it had to be done….

The dream ended and Sarah sat bolt up in bed.  And quickly laid her head back down as the throbbing began to beat against her forehead.  Her damp hair clung to her face, but she didn’t care, her bed felt fantastic this morning.  She stretched out on the exquisitely soft blankets – she was so warm and clean and the bed felt huge and the room was pleasantly pitch black.  She must have pulled the shade, but she didn’t recall.  She didn’t recall undressing either….she didn’t recall making it back to the dorm….or crawling into bed…..or much of anything from the night before, except for eyes……..

Realization slowly began to creep in.  She had been at the DEN, she had a lot to drink, which explained her headache, then she got lost and had called for him.  He hadn’t come.  “Stupid girl, what were you thinking?” Sarah held her head in her hands.  She decided she must have blacked out and gotten home, well, somehow.  She pulled off the blanket, a blanket that felt incredibly thick, and reached for the light on her nightstand, but grabbed only air.  “Huh?” She tried again and nothing.  Fear began to play at the edges of her mind.  “Calm down Sarah.” She took a deep breath and hopped out of bed, and fell flat on her face.  “Ow” she moaned, realizing her bed was far higher than it should have been.  “Okay, maybe I had way too much to drink….but what the he….” The door opened then and a light from a lantern being carried by a thin, lovely woman illuminated the room.

“Sofe illus,” the woman spoke the words and the soft glow of the lantern spread throughout the chamber, engulfing everything in a warm, gentle white light.

Sarah stood in amazement, her eyes wide.  The room she stood in was probably the largest bedroom she had ever been in.  The bed alone, decked in deep red velvet and brushed satin comforters and drapings, was larger than a king size.  Next to the bed was a magnificent dresser, covered in brushes, jewelry, hair adornments, and a fantastic mirror.  On the other side, a large wardrobe, which easily could house a hundred dresses, loomed.  Near the door, an ornate mirror hung, with gilded sides.  There were double doors near the wardrobe which opened into a large bathing room, complete with an oversized bath tub and adorned with colored glass windows.  And the tapestries.  Throughout the main chamber, three tapestries hung depictings faries, unicorns, elves, fae, two on either side and one above the main door.  Above the door, a beautiful castle lay in the background of the tapestry, and a dark haired maiden in a flowing cream gown lay on a bed of flowers.  It nearly made her want to cry, it was a scene she had seen a thousand times before in her dreams, only, it wasn’t quite right……..

“Ahem.”

Sarah jumped.  She had forgotten all about the delicate woman?

“Would my lady care to dress for the mid day meal?”

Looking down at her naked body, Sarah moved to cover herself. The slender woman however proved the quicker.  She placed the now darkened lantern down upon the table and moved to hand the blushing lady a robe.

Sarah took the clothing quickly and wrapped herself in the luxurious folds.

“There now, how are you feeling?” the woman looked at Sarah with pale blue eyes that showed a deep concern for her well being.  She was thin, to the point of being almost frail.  Her raven hair hung in rolling waves down her back and past her waist.  Thick blue strands of hair were interwoven among the black curls.  She wore a fine silver ringlet around her forehead and was dressed very simply, yet very elegantly, in a pale blue silken dress, gathered about her chest in a princess style.

“I, I don’t know.  Where am I?  How is this possible?  What exactly is going on?  Who, how, I, I…Who are you and how do you know me?” anger crept into Sarah’s voice.  Her suspicions were growing but her rational mind refused to believe it. 

She had been kidnapped and taken back.  But back where?  Her mind was still piecing together the memories that had been ripped from it.  It was as if she were trying to remember a dream, but had been awake for far too long.  If only it would come back to her.

Sarah opened her mouth as if to ask a thousand questions, the pain in her eyes eliciting a saddened face from her new caretaker.

“Shhh.” The lady reached up to Sarah’s lips and quieted her. “Rest, child.  I am Areyne.  Allow me to assist you in any way that I can.  I assure you, you are in no danger, in fact, far from it.”  Areyne eased the bewildered Sarah into a chair near the dresser and began to run her fingers through her hair.  She picked up a brush and some jewels and in no time, Sarah was relaxing and allowing this woman to adorn her hair.  “As I said child, I am Areyne of the Darken Fae.  It was not I who brought you here, but rather one of my oldest and dearest friends.  There now,” Areyne finished her hair and Sarah turned to the mirror, again her mouth fell open.  She looked beautiful, her hair held up loosely with deep amethysts.  “He is anxious to meet with you.”

“I don’t understand,” again the anger rose in her voice, “this is all a little crazy…How did I get here?  Where is here?”  Sarah asked as Areyne led her to the armoir.

“Sarah, I thought you wished to be here, in the Underground.  If you did not, then there is no way he could have brought you here.”  Areyne stated matter-of-factly as she chose a deep lilac dress to compliment the jewels in Sarah’s hair.

“Wish?  I….” Sarah, mouth agape, realized then that she had wished herself here.  Last night, in the storm.  Fear and panic spread across her face.  “Is he here?” she asked with a voice that was riddled with confusion, hope, and anger.

“Of whom do you speak?” Areyne asked, leading Sarah to the bed to sit.  Areyne was growing concerned about the panic upon the young woman’s face.  She moved to a basin and quickly filled a simple crystal glass with water and offered it to her.  Perhaps, thought Areyne, there was something or someone from her past here that she feared, some beast or other.

The question slipped from Sarah’s lips “Who brought me back to the Underground?”

“Jareth.”