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Imprisioned
Thirty years later
She could smell earth and musk, pine trees and vanilla. It mixed with the salty taste of the sea in her mouth, and before she opened her eyes she could sense someone beside her. Instinct made her roll away from the presence, and reflex kept her from falling in a heap on the floor. She whirled around as soon as her feet hit the cold stone of the floor and faced the young man sitting cross-legged on the rumpled bed.
A biting headache came on as soon as she straightened, followed by a sick feeling in her stomach and a weakness in her muscles. What had happened? Taking a few deep breaths, she wrapped her arm around her stomach and tensed, waiting for the man on the bed to move.
He stared at her dispassionately, brilliant green eyes giving nothing away. His skin was olive toned but pale, as if he had not seen the sun for some time. In his strong, slender fingers, he twirled an elaborately carved silver dagger nonchalantly, as if he were playing with a toy. His head tilted just the slightest bit as he stared, and Emmy stood still, unsure of what to do. The pain in her head faded, along with the knot in her stomach.
A cold, harsh wind blew at her back, wet with mist. The smell of fish and sand blew in with it; Emmy licked her lips. She had never been to the sea. The strange pull of energy was coming from all around her, but most strongly from his direction. It was as if everything around her was feeding from her. She took a step backwards, realizing only then that her feet were bare, and the floor was wet.
She glanced around quickly. It was a large room, entirely of stone, with a high ceiling and nothing to cover the bare, unwelcoming walls. The only piece of furniture in the room was the large, four poster bed and its dark bedding. From the corner of her eye, she had seen a large, jagged opening in the wall behind her.
Should she run? The man on the bed only continued to stare at her. He was perfectly still but for his hands playing carelessly with the dagger. His bare chest was muscled, and his relaxed pose did not tense as she continued to back up.
So Emmy turned and ran for the gaping hole in the wall. She stopped only just in time; the floor ran out beneath her and she was poised on the edge of a long fall to rocky death. It took her breath away with shock. There was nothing below but sharp rocks and water that ate away at the side of the tall tower. The grey sea stretched out below and away as far as she could see, melding with the dark sky until the two could not be separated.
A low chuckle came from the young man on the bed. Emmy turned. A slight smile was on his face, but no mirth was in his eyes. He fluidly came off of the bed, bare feet padding lightly on the floor. As he came closer to her, the painful pull in her veins grew. There was nowhere to back away to, so Emmy was forced to stay where she was. Everything in her wanted to run from him.
He came within a few inches of her and glanced over her shoulder. “It’s a painful death, that fall.” Slight menace was in his smile as he looked at her. Emmy lifted her chin and fought back the fear that came when his brilliant eyes took on a feral hunger. He looked her up and down, then put his face close to her neck and breathed in deeply.
Emmy swallowed and caught her breath. She had never been so terrified of someone in her life, nor had she felt such pain. His close proximity set her skin on fire.
He pulled back and looked at her strangely. For a moment, his eyes were confused and he held his breath. Then he smiled cynically. “I never thought they would put my freedom in this.” He gestured at her, his eyes traveling her body again. “Eighteen years of waiting for the Rose to appear again, and I could not have expected something so… exquisite…” He laughed mirthlessly. “Or painful.”
He turned his back to her and walked away a few steps. Emmy felt the relief in her veins as the pull subsided. What was he? Then, as he turned back to face her, she noticed a mark similar to her own. Only his was black.
“Now, I cannot kill you, because it will die with you. That should be a comfort.” He twirled the dagger in his fingers. When Emmy straightened her shoulders and tried to conceal her fear, he shook his head. “I can see the fear in your eyes. Don‘t try to hide it.”
Emmy looked around again. There was a door on the far wall. It looked heavy, and its knob was surrounded by a detailed metal carving of roses. A large key dangled tantalizingly from the lock. In the corner next to the door was a mirror she had not noticed before. It was tall and oval, on a stand that allowed it to flip over to turn its back to the room.
Finally, she found the voice to speak. “What do you want from me?” If only she knew what her mother had feared from this man. One did not need a reason to fear him; it came as natural to her instincts as breathing. She knew he was the one Lavanya and Doc had argued about. But her mother had never revealed anything about him to her.
The young man raised his eyebrows. “Want?” A bitter smile came to his lips. He closed the distance between them and grabbed her arm roughly. Tingles filled her veins and they began to pulse with her heart, aching. She had no chance to resist as he pulled her with him towards the mirror in the corner. A bright light filled the room as they closed the distance, and Emmy was blinded. She shut her eyes against the pain that filled her head, barely able to breathe.
A slight rush filled her ears. Each limb felt like it was being pulled from her body. And then she lost consciousness.
When she awoke, she was being propped up in his arms. They were atop a the highest tower of a sprawling, dilapidated castle. Rain pounded down, creating a puddle beneath them that reflected the angry skies. Emmy could see far, but the woods stretched beyond her sight. Two walls enclosed the castle, one nearly touching its stone surface, the other a few miles away. Each wall was topped with spears and swords, shields and helmets.
“Do you see those swords?” His arm stretched before her as he pointed to the walls. “Each one is a sword that has tried kill me. The owners of those swords are dead.” He let go of her and walked around to face her. She tried not to jerk away from the fire that came with his touch as he gently grasped her chin. “I want the rose that is within you.” His eyes glinted “But if I kill you, it will die also, and I will be trapped in my beastly form once again.” He stroked her cheek, but his eyes made the lover’s gesture menacing. “Your life stands on the edge of a cliff. Defy me, and you will fall. Obey me, and you will be made the queen of the world.”
He released her chin and enfolded her in his arms. Emmy closed her eyes with the agony as the white light enveloped them again. This time, she did not faint, but her head swam and her stomach revolted. When they were back inside, she jerked away from him and lost her breakfast on the floor.
She felt a cloth being wiped across her face, and he gathered her hair away from her cheeks. “You’ll get used to that.” He said as her stomach emitted the last of its contents. He led her back to the bed and pulled the covers over her as she laid down. She was spent, and she had not been awake more than an hour. Emmy closed her eyes, wishing away the nightmare.
He was stroking her hair, like her mother used to do when she was tired. “If there is anything you need, you have but to ask.” Strangely, his voice was soft and comforting. “I would offer you a better room, but this is the best in the castle. It is in grave need of rebuilding.”
His weight left the bed and she heard his footsteps grow farther away. The door opened, and then he paused. “You mustn’t feel you are a prisoner here.” He said. “You are free to wander about as you like, but I must warn you that the woods hold bigger dangers than myself. As long as you stay within the boundaries of these walls and courtyards, I promise you safety.”
Then the door shut behind him. Emmy listened for it to lock, but heard only the fading of his footsteps. She opened her eyes and rolled onto her back. The ceiling was high, and nothing leaked, but the gaping mouth in the western wall let in the moisture of the sea and rain, and the cold air that constantly blew around the tower.
She felt a little better now that he had left. Her veins no longer felt as though they were going to burst, but she could still feel her newfound power being sucked away by something. She sat up and looked around. There was a tiny vine crawling up the side of the opening in the wall. It curled around the bricks, as though it were a snake slinking up the wall, and Emmy watched in fascination. She could feel it feeding off of her. As she watched, it slowly began to bud.
The milky sugar taste was strong in her mouth. Could she control the power, stop it, make it do only certain things? Emmy bit her lips. The vine was unfurling little yellow flowers, but once it bloomed, it did not grow more. It simply flourished there, adding a bit of color to the drab walls.
Emmy laid back down. She was unsure of what to do now. He had said she was free to wander, but she was still a prisoner. What did he want? What orders was she to obey? And how, in this rotting castle, could he make her queen of the world? There was nothing here.
She closed her eyes. The sky was darkening already; how long had she been unconscious? She had no sense of time, no sense of days or hours. It was only darker by the minute, and she thought it was close to evening. But the clouds were heavy, and the darkness could have been a result of the snow that now lightly fell from the sky.
Despite the cold air that flowed in, Emmy was warm. The bedding was heavy- three thick woolen blankets and a quilt made up of several animal pelts. The bed itself was soft, and she sank deep into it. For now, she would sleep a little and regain her strength. Then she would explore. She did not even know where she was, except that it was far beyond the darkness of the Western woods. For all she knew, she was on the edge of the world.
xxx
She ran through the trees, her feet pounding, her heart clenching, her breath choking. He was behind her, she could hear him crashing over the dead leaves. Run… run… run! She urged herself on, though she could not breathe easily from running. Branches whipped at her face, catching her hair. Blood trickled down her skin, freezing quickly in the cold.
And suddenly, he attacked her. His claws jerked her to a stop with a deadly vice on her arm, and she was whipped around abruptly as he slammed her to the ground. He was sitting on her stomach, and she could barely breathe. Fire flared through her where he touched her. Her arms were pinned; his hot breath puffed onto her face as he growled, “You cannot run from me.”
Emmy stared at him, choking down her fear. His eyes blazed fire, and his gaping maw loomed above her head, a menacing growl emitting from the matted grey throat. But something changed. The growl ended in a pained whine. His eyes squinted, as if he were in great agony, and for a moment, his grip on her arms loosened. She wriggled for a bare moment before it seemed that he exploded above her, yet his grip tightened painfully.
Emmy stared at him, unable to think what was happening. He convulsed, writhing in pain, his fur melting until he was a mass of crawling bare muscle, bereft of skin of any kind. A high whine came from his throat, and his furry head, the only thing left with skin, snapped forwards, disappearing into his chest. Emmy gasped in the second that his head was gone, and then it pushed up from his neck. Skin crawled over his body, covering the bloody muscle, forming his face, and finally, the transformation was over. But before she could see his face, he disappeared completely.
A beautiful redheaded woman stood over her, smiling, offering a hand to help her up. Emmy took the woman’s hand thankfully, yet something in the catlike green eyes warned her to be cautious. The woman laughed, and the world bloomed suddenly around her. They were no longer in the dark grey forest of leafless trees, but a paradise of fragrant flowers and exotic fruits.
“Would you like a rose?” The woman held out a deep red rose, smiling all the while. Emmy took it, drawn by its beauty.
“Thank you.” She breathed deep of its fragrance. The petals gleamed wetly, as if they were made of blood, but as Emmy stroked them, they were soft as velvet.
“Oh, dear, you’re bleeding.” The woman’s voice was smooth and husky, somehow familiar, but Emmy did not know her. With a smile, the woman took Emmy’s hand and wrapped the bleeding finger with a bright white cloth. “There. Now come, I want to show you something!” She said brightly.
Emmy followed the woman, keeping a tight grasp on her rose, through a door made by two trees and a few yellow-flowered vines. The world she entered horrified her. Goblins ran about, whipping slaves at work, sneering at Emmy and bowing to the woman, snarling, cackling, screeching, growling. The noise was unbearable. A deep thud vibrated the ground, giving a frighteningly sluggish feel to the fast paced horrors. In her state of shock at the world around her, Emmy saw a goblin beat a man to the ground. The man was dark haired and tall, his muscled frame emaciated but familiar.
“Garrett!” Emmy ran to him and cradled the dark head in her arm. “Garrett?” She shook him, but there was no answer. Bloody gashes ran up and down his body, over his arms, over his back, seeping through the white shirt fabric, and his face, soiled by dirt and soot, was ashy white. He was no longer healthy and strong, but starved, his skin stretched over bone, no flesh left between. His beautiful dark hair was matted and dirty, and his brown eyes stared, glazed, at the sky. “Garrett! No! Garrett! Garrett!” Emmy shook him again and again, sobbing over him.
“Come, dear. It isn’t the first time people have died, and it won’t be the last.” The soothing voice of the red-haired woman accompanied soft hands that pulled Emmy up. “Let’s go.” The woman pulled Emmy away from Garrett and towards another door.
But then Emmy caught sight of her mother. “Mama!” She screamed. Lavanya was stretched between two posts, her hands and feet tied, stretching each limb to its limit. Mere shreds of cloth covered her, soaked with blood. Three goblins stood about, poking and prodding her, laughing as she struggled against the ties that held her hands and feet. Her hair was cut short, and her face had been burned, leaving her with no eyebrows nor lashes. Her blue eyes stared at Emmy crazily. “Get away! Get out! Plea-” she screamed at Emmy as the goblins cackled and tied a rope about her neck. They cut her down and dragged her behind them to a gnarled tree. Laughing, they hoisted her up onto a block of wood and looped the end of the rope around a branch.
“Mama!” Emmy screamed, and they kicked the block away.
A/N: So the dream is pretty much the same... but everything before that is vastly different. Hopefully it's ok. I am... well, I think it'll do. lol. I'm never quite satisfied, but I think I like it.
