[And I do know this chapter's heavy, so I'll try not to be such a pest, picking at the grammar, attempting humor, etc. Sorry.][Me too. Note: we said *try*. *G* ..I've lived with this chapter too long, some of the scariness of it's gone a way a bit, for me, but I'll try and be good, for first-time readers.]
As soon as Ràspia had led the guys away, Ianthe noticed something was happening. She wasn't sure what it was, but she knew that something wasn't right. But as Reûic escorted her and the other girls in the opposite direction, she felt her fears mysteriously drift away and seem less important. Along with this went something she couldn't quite remember. Shrugging it off, she followed on.
Although the other girls were walking with her, Ianthe noticed that Reûic kept looking in her direction. It was not a gawkish look, or a disgusted one; it was kind of complementary. She blushed under the attention he was giving her. Had any other guy given her that much heed? She tried to remember, but her mind was muddled, and all her past was lost. It didn't seem to matter, though. Ianthe wondered why he was interested in her at all.
When Reûic wasn't looking, she studied him eagerly. He was tall and lanky with a long, confident stride. His brown hair was shaggy and hung almost to his shoulders; his eyes were of no definite colour, or many colours at once. The pouty look to his mouth was traceable to a full lower lip. He wore a slightly crooked belt, tight black pants, sandals with mismatched socks, a few strands of beads, and a black turtleneck--one of the most alluring outfits, in Ianthe's opinion. [Note: Reûic appears differently to each girl, taking on characteristics of her ideal..thus, the descrepencies between Naomi and Ianthe's descriptions. Just thought I'd clear that up. ..but Ianthe's Reûic's cute, too, imo. *g*]
They arrived at their destination. When the other girls left to go to their rooms, she hardly saw any more of them. Like so many other things, she soon forgot about them. Things were choppy and blurry. Ianthe didn't really remember meals very much, and chunks of her day seemed to be missing. It was all good and well--she barely noticed the difference, having nothing to judge against. Days melded into nights, although she knew she slept. Most days she wandered aimlessly through foreign lands, amongst unknown people. She heard all sorts of music. Some days were dominated by cityscapes, others by countrysides or forests. The places were very far-ranged, but somehow each night she was back to wherever it was she was staying. [Reminds me a little of the lost Aubrey a couple chapters back...]
When she got back, she would either grab a book, a blank notebook for new stories, or an instrument and pad of blank sheet music, and plop down on the sofa before an ever burning fire. There was also an inexhaustible music supply, as well as a full contingent of music-playing devices. These were going almost constantly, unless she was using an instrument. Then she would curl up on the sofa and presumably sleep, although it blurred together with the next day.
Gradually, or abruptly, she wasn't sure which, she started seeing Reûic more and more. He had disappeared shortly after she had last seen--no, she couldn't remember that. Anyways, he kept showing up on her travels. He then proceeded to travel with her, talking and whatnot. He would often wear the outfit she had first seen him in, but not always. Sometimes he wore strange costumes that made Ianthe laugh. His eyes were different colours depending on what he wore. He usually wore tight bellbottoms, whatever the ensemble. However, Ianthe liked his black shirt and pants the most. Even when he laughed and joked, Reûic still had a sad aura around him. This was another thing which made him attractive to Ianthe. She felt a compulsion to keep him from being sad. [Which totally makes sense, cos Daf - and thus, Ianthe - are very cheery and optimistic...you can *not* stay depressed long around Daf, trust me..*g*]
One day Ianthe did not leave the place she stayed at. Reûic came over with his guitar. They played much music that day. The next day her travelling schedule continued as normal. [One small criticism, that seems kinda choppy there, Daf, breaks the mood kinda..?][This is *all* supposed to be choppy and underdeveloped. I only wonder how well that worked...]
More and more often, Reûic came with his guitar. Once he said, "Hey, Ianthe, why don't we write a song? We've been playin' everyone else's, why not our own?"
Some part of Ianthe vehemently refused, but its voice was one in a crowd of thousands screaming to comply. She liked Reûic a lot now, and wanted to do something to show him, something that would be theirs. So she smiled widely and answered in the affirmative.
Reûic tuned his guitar and began twiddling around with chords and riffs. Ianthe joined in on an acoustic bass. They got a kind of pattern going, and Reûic added a vocal part, improvised as the rest was, but no words, just a melody. Trying more than ever to show Reûic her feelings, she did the most flirtatious thing she knew (or what she felt was the most flirtatious); she started singing a harmony part, higher than Reûic's baritone. [This still vaguely concerns Ananda - yer not flirting with me, are you Daf??? *g* ..*foreseeing LemonAid slash-fanfic if this keeps up...* ..sorry! Will shut up now!][No!!! It's not always... only if I'm intending it to be. An' I'm *not* doin' that in LemonAid!]
The song began to pick up, changing, becoming more intense and involved. Ianthe realized that they weren't writing anything down, but at this point she didn't care. She was caught up in the energy and power of the song and her feelings. She knew that Reûic could feel the energy, beyond that of a normal jam session. Her pulse quickened, and she closed her eyes in the ecstasy of the moment, increasing the weave in the harmonies. Reûic responded by fitting his part tighter to Ianthe's part, both instrumentally and vocally. The energy was almost a physical, tangible thing. Ianthe felt herself begin to pour her being into the music in the ultimate sharing of herself with Reûic, the man she loved--
No! screamed the miniscule voice, No! You love Aubrey! It transmitted a picture of a familiar face, shining with love for her.
*Be quiet! We love Reûic!* said the other voices.
The small voice turned to the voices near it. Isn't it true, don't you remember Aubrey? his voice? Has Reûic totally blinded you? What about your friends and the Applebus? Where are they? Where are you? This had a ring of truth to the nearby voices. Then overwhelming amounts of voices were agreeing, breaking through the mist, relinking to Ianthe's past. The mist centered on Reûic, this man she'd known for only days, the man who was seducing her.
^No!^ shouted a foreign voice, one from outside her head. ^Who is this Aubrey? What nonsense, a bus of apples? This is filth you created because you are frightened to take this last step with Reûic, whom you love. Don't lie to yourself! Just do it!^ [Okay, so sorry to break the tension here, but I've got to ask...not to sound incredibly naïve, but what exactly is she tempted to do? I mean, between "seducing" and "last step", there's an obvious possible answer here, but somehow I'm thinking it's not that. Do you mean in a soul-sense instead? Help me out here... Gooood question, Laur..cos I'm not sure either. Daf's prolly not sure herself..!][It could probably be any or all of them. I'm not exactly sure. It might have been both....]
The separate voices joined as one against this foreign voice. *You are wrong, you speak the lies! You are not Ianthe, you are a voice of Reûic. You are trying to trick her. Reûic was only interested in Ianthe because he wanted to isolate all of the girls... and yes, Ràspia was in on it, to make the crew of the Applebus forget each other. And--yes...! He was particularly interested in Ianthe because she was in love! He was fascinated by this and wanted to break it, study an idea so foreign to him. Perhaps he actually wanted her for himself, but more likely he just was interested in destroying her love.* [*Exactly* it! *So* Reûic! ..I think I was just intent on harassing Daf at the time, but I *like* yer answer to it, Daf.]
^No! No, that's not true! He loves her, just look at him! Don't you love him too, Ianthe?^ the voice said sweetly, dripping like honey, but sticky like carcinogenic tar. [Nice adjectives!] ^Go on, look at him. See for yourself how he loves you.^
Ianthe loosened the weave of her harmonizing to almost a standstill as she opened her eyes. Reûic's face was the picture of passion and yearning: eyes closed as he sang, shaggy hair falling in his face so that Ianthe wanted to reach out and brush it out of his way. [*Nice*, Daf..can *so* picture him...mmmmm...nice..;)] He must love her.
*What of Aubrey?* her inner voices asked. *Who do you love? Aubrey or Reûic?*
^There is no Aubrey! Don't listen to them! Look at Reûic! Don't you love him?^ wheedled the foreign voice.
She thought she must. He was nice, funny, musical, he loved her, and needed her to keep from being sad... she must love him, she had to!
But then she saw, out of the corner of her eye, a smile not of bliss, but of victory on Reûic's normally sad face. It was more like the grotesque grimace of evil triumphing over good. His face was transformed for but a moment, but it was enough.
No! she thought. I do not love him. I love Aubrey. She remembered Aubrey's gentle touch and smile. He loves me; Reûic doesn't. He wants to keep me from my friends and most of all destroy my love! If he *did* want me, it was to serve him. I will never!
^NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOooooooooo........!^ cried the voice as it disappeared.
Reûic's eyes snapped open as he realized that Ianthe had stopped playing. "What's wrong?" he asked, feigning concern as he placed his guitar aside and stood to come closer to her.
"This is!" Ianthe answered, looking for a way out. The one door to the room disappeared, replaced by a wall of mirrors. "I shouldn't be here. I should be with my friends on the Applebus, far from here. I should be with Aubrey, not you, you beast!"
The Three-L Lllama flinched at the word. His eyes became hard and cold. His appearance seemed to shift to a glam-rock singer [Oo! Where'd that come from, Daffy?], then others, and to a formless thing, then back to his normal self. "Ahhh, Ianthe, I had hoped that it would not come to this." He laughed menacingly as he advanced slowly, secure in the absense of an escape route for Ianthe. "You see, I would have loved you, taught you all I knew about the magical arts, given you all you wanted... if you had chosen me and forgotten the others, but now... Now I shall have to force you to change your mind. I shall break you, first your body, then your will, and force you to love me, to teach me this concept of love. And I will reward you. Oh, how I will reward you! But only when you are mine. You shall be a project, but one well worth my effort." He was almost upon her now, and Ianthe had long since become uneasy. He grabbed at her wrists and forced her onto the couch. In this unprotected position, Reûic said to her, "It may be long and slow, but you will love me." [*Ananda on edge of seat*...Daf, you do Reûic well!]
Reûic managed to pin both her hands with one of his, and he began to undress her. Ianthe was in a panic now. She remembered a book that said in large friendly letters on the cover "Don't Panic". A comforting thought, but not at all very helpful in her current position. [As I'm sure the case has been many a time.. Um, 'Nanda, you wanna rephrase that comment so it doesn't sound like *Daf's* been in this specific position many a time? Alright..I meant that the image/phrase coming to mind wasn't particularly helpful--!] Her situation was getting worse and worse. Through her mind raced all the possible escape plans she could think of, but most involved use of her arms, which were pinned down by Reûic's strength. She could not get them free. At last, she fell back on the only thing she could do: she kicked, hard. This proved successful. Reûic released her arms in surprise, but not pain: he was the Three-L Lllama, and that is all the explanation there is for that. [Um, okay...::confused look:: He's not human, Laur, remember?] In the few moments that she gained, she launched herself over the back of the couch, grabbing the bass guitar, and ran to the wall of mirrors. She looked from the bass to the mirror and back at Reûic, who was becoming a dark, shapeless form as he took after her. She said one word.
"Never."
She raised the bass and swung it towards the mirror. "NNNNOOOOOOoooooooo......!!!!" the Three-L Lllama screamed in anguish, knowing he had lost.
The bass guitar hit the reflective glass. The mirror shuddered, then cracked and shattered into millions of shards of glass. [Wait a sec..I'm suddenly getting Labyrnith from that...was there something similar? *thinking* ..yeah...the whole dream-dance-masquerade bit..? ..sorry,Laur! -_^] Then the room disappeared, and Ianthe found herself racing with the others toward the Applebus. [Okay, now I'm really confused. Ananda wrote in her bit that Naomi beat Reûic and snapped all of us out of it, all at once...you write differently, like we were all freed but you... Yeah, I'd noticed that, too.. I'm thinkin' we all broke free simultaneously? Yeah, all simultaneously. If I didn't write it that way, it would have been less of an impressive victory. We all... wait, this should go in chapter notes. I'll explain it there, soon, 'kay?]
Ianthe exhaled deeply when she had finished, remembering the electric grip of seduction. The telling of the tale had been hard for her; as she told it, she could not look into Aubrey's face, although she knew he would understand. She could only stare into the flames of the fire, flames that coaxed her to reveal all. Now that she had ended the tale, she turned toward him to see his response. In that instant her heart ground to a painful halt.
Aubrey had backed away from her, far against a log, just on the edge of the firelight. His eyes were red with tears and filled with hurt and betrayal, no shred of understanding. Slowly, words came from him, barely audible.
"I thought of nothing but you the whole time. Ràspia tried in vain to seduce me, but I paid her no heed. I tried to escape to find you, but Ráspia held me prisoner until we all escaped. She did not lay one finger on me." [*crying out in frustration* LIAR!!! There's NO WAY nothing happened between any of the guys and Ràspia!! *grrrrr...*] Aubrey's voice had risen slowly through his dialogue, and now it was loud with fury. "You betrayed me! I thought you loved me!" [Aubrey, I'm really sorry for what I'm about to do to your character! It was necessary for the story's plotline. It told me.][Riiiiight, Daffy...let's face it, yer just as twisted as me. Slightly different direction, I think, but we've both got our evil sides.. ;)]
Ianthe shook her head back and forth, tears falling from her eyes. In a very small voice she said, "I do love you, Aubrey. Reûic used a spell to make us all forget. So did Ràspia. They were trying to break us apart so they could defeat us. It was strong magic; I was almost too convinced. But I knew I loved you, that one bit of me that was too strong for them to control. And if I had any doubts before, I have no doubts now that I love you. I always will. I'm sorry for what they were capable of doing."
He nearly snarled at her. "Sorry doesn't cut it! You almost gave yourself to Reûic! Ràspia's magic didn't work on me, and I never doubted that I loved you." He ended in an icy voice. "I will be compensated!" [*Truly scared now*...I'd forgotten how creepy this was..*shudder*..]
As Ianthe cowered by the guttering flames, she was wrenched even further from anything close to her acceptable universe. [I repeat! I'm sorry! The story made me do it!] [Look, I don't think you have anything to worry about. From what I've heard from him, he revels in the evilness of his character in this chapter. Scarily enough, true... b'sides, stories can take on lives of their own..how d'ya think Ràspia and Reûic originally happened?! *g*] Aubrey seemed to grow immense, absorbing liquid waves of darkness in the process. Ianthe averted her eyes, unable to watch. Sensing that something had happened, she looked back, to her horror. Aubrey towered way above her head, with black leather-and-feather wings which stretched across the sky, extinguishing all light from above, radiating a darkness that tore the flesh from Ianthe's bones and bleached them. His eyes were this way as well, crumbling the bleached bones to dust and scattering them to the wind. He wore black leather clothes that would have been attractive but for the waves of evil that flowed off of him, as well as the palpable taste of death, which totally obliterated Ianthe's existence. [For those who didn't catch on, the whole Ianthe-no-longer-exists bit was figurative language. She's still in one piece; physically, anyway.] [But it's still crazy cool and effective imagery, anyway. Klumpp would be proud. (Or any english teacher, for that matter..) ;)]
As he fed off the darkness of night and Ianthe's fear, he smiled knowingly, showing pointed teeth which said they'd be dripping blood if they could. The flames died. "I will be compensated." He reached down, grabbed Ianthe in a giant clawed hand and launched into the air as a mysterious wind picked up. [Dude. I just realised how much like Folken dark Aubrey is! Black feathered wings..claw..an' Daf, you haven't even seen Escaflowne yet!]
Ianthe came to in a dimly lit cavern. She remembered the cold grip of evil and death, which had knocked her out, as well as razor claws which threatened to split her like an overripe tomato. She was vaguely aware that she might have died, but somehow that seemed trivial.
She realized that anything might have happened to her while she was unaware. She found she was now strapped to a slightly angled rock slab. She was clad in an immaculate white dress--made of an easily torn gossamer material. It had long, tight sleeves that flared out at the wrists so that the tips hung near to the ground. The dress covered her bare feet, which rested, strapped, on the ice cold floor of the cavern. There was an over-cloak that she also wore--almost vest-like in that it had no sleeves, but it was long, almost as long as the dress itself. This was fastened with only one button. All in all, it was a very pretty dress, but insubstantial, and one which a sacrificial maiden might wear. Ianthe thought of stories in which young virgins were clothed in white, strapped to posts [It would be a post..! *sigh*..], and left as a sacrifice to appease beasts, or killed to gain favor with the gods. She wondered if there was a dragon in this cave, waiting to devour her while she could do nothing to save herself.
She felt a chill run down her spine. "So," said a voice from behind the rock. "You've awoken now." Aubrey, or what had once been Aubrey, emerged from where the voice came from. He was normal-sized now, but still he coalesced evil. He sauntered into view on black leather boots. His tight black leather clothing had silver etching its entire length in intricate arcane designs that Ianthe could not discern. [::looks up "arcane":: ...Ah!] His black wings were folded behind him, feathers now lustrous, and Ianthe wondered what it would be like to touch them. His face was twisted from what it had once been like, sweet and loving, now corrupt by evil and hate. Ianthe had difficulty abiding his gaze which seemed to bore into her and stop the blood in her veins.
He turned away then, revealing the truly marvelous plumage of his wings--playing on the mixed emotions of wonder at the beauty and fear of the evil they represented--as he strode to the table directly in front of her, which she had entirely failed to notice before. He sat on a stool facing her, black pinions nearly touching the rock floor of the cavern.
Again showing pointed teeth, he smiled at Ianthe and said, "The flight has hungered me. How about some nourishment?" he asked rhetorically. He snapped his clawed fingers and small furry bat-creatures brought plates upon plates of food.
"Now, what shall I consume?" he asked himself. "Some phoenix breast, flank of griffin?..." Ianthe turned away as he made his selection and tore the meat from the bone. She ignored his taunts, offering her a taste although he knew she was a vegetarian. "Just one little bite? It's exquisite... Oh, are you sure you won't have any? I'll save a little for you just in case..." Then Ianthe heard the sounds of bones crunching, and she closed her eyes tighter. She was vaguely aware that he stopped after he had sated his appetite.
"Ianthe," the dark Aubrey said, in such away that conveyed contempt and hatred, "Are you certain that you wish to have none of this delicious meal? I tortured them all myself. Not even a small taste? Oh, very well. Underlings, clear this table and bring me my drink. Hurry!" he commanded. The little bat-winged creatures scurried to comply. When their task was done, they hastened to get out of sight.
A very small creature then carried the bowl full of liquid to his master's table. The bowl was almost as large as itself. It advanced slowly, careful not to spill a single drop. Aubrey waited impatiently for it to reach him, swept the bowl up onto the table, and in the same movement, he whipped out a wicked, crooked dagger and mutilated and killed the servant without a flicker of emotion.
"I trust that next time you will be more speedy with the deliverance of my beverages." Other servants dragged what was left of the body away, mopping up spilt blood so that there was no evidence of the murder. [*shudder* ..Halloween was a great time to get this chapter up, Daffy!][Oh, I didna realize I got it up then... how fitting...]
Aubrey disregarded the scene at his feet and lifted the bowl to his lips. A white liquid that sparkled and shone in the semi-darkness flowed down his chin. After he had doffed the liquid, he wiped it daintily with a black napkin. He winked at Ianthe evilly [no swoon here!] and said, "The blood of angels, suffused with ground unicorn horns. [Daf...yer EVIL. That's horrible..!][SORRY! I really am... I know it's bad, but it's fitting for the evil factor...] Should I call for some for you?" He laughed grotesquely at his private joke, knowing by now she was deeply revolted and scared out of her wits.
Oddly, however, she was absorbed in thought, ignoring his last jibe. She was instinctually disgusted by all he'd done, all he'd said, and his presence. He was 'all that she stood against,' 'far from what he was,' the 'enemy.' She stood for the side of good and he was not good. [Big understatement there.] He was no longer the man she had loved. And she was his prisoner. He could easily kill or torture her. She was at his mercy. Nothing was right anymore.
She realized with a bit of numbness that she was only convinced that she was revolted and abhored, but she was not truly revolted by his actions or himself. She was forcing herself to hate him, to find him beyond love in his current reality, for who could love such a man? She understood suddenly there was another emotion burning inside her--love. Beyond all reason, she found she loved Aubrey, despite his evilness. With this knowledge she turned toward him, smiled and said, "I love you."
[Man! When I wrote this part I had the perfect reaction all planned out, but nooo, I had to decide that I'd go to sleep 'cos it was like 3 in the morning an' I should get some sleep, even tho I knew I would probably forget it. Nooo, I could work on it the next night, I'd remember.... Schnierf. Oh well, this will have to do.]
The dark Aubrey sniffed derisively. "I hear your words but they have no meaning to me. You simply are trying to appease me so I will release you. Ha! I laugh at your insolence. I know your games! Besides, what woman could love a man who murdered her best friends? It's true, see for yourself." He indicated a previously unlit corner. Lights flared, and Ianthe saw the Applebus, blackened where the flames had licked and burned. A melted harmonica lay over the door frame, windows blackened and shattered. [*tears forming, lump in throat* Again, fits the evil factor, does it scarily not? Yeah, it does...a little too well for my comfort..seeing the ruins from a fire, people's things melted and disfigured, has always completely creeped me out, a very sad and scary thing..]
Ianthe felt consumed by remorse, but she could not hate Aubrey. She tried, but she couldn't. "I-I can't hate you... I love you still."
Aubrey sneered, and answered slowly. "You lie again. You cannot mask it from me. There is no such thing as love. Or 'happiness' for that matter. There never has been. It has always been so. In the world there has only ever been hate, anger, discontent, suspicion, greed, want, lies, deception, and, of course, lust. It is the human condition to deceive not only others, but oneself. You are no exception. You deceived yourself into believing that your lust was love for me. And still you attempt to deceive yourself and I." He paused, then shouted loudly, "Fool!" [*singing softly* "So, so, the fool has found the golden key.."]
Aubrey walked towards her until there was only a few inches between them. Psyche still felt magnetism towards him, just to be near. Not lust. "I do not deceive," she answered him. "I love you, and it is not just lust."
Aubrey glowered at her, then laughed. He looked at her, chained and helpless. Again he spoke slowly. "You may be unaware, but you are really in a very helpless position where you are." He toyed with her chains. "If you annoyed me too much or got me very mad... I could do anything to you, and you could not stop me. Allow me to demonstrate."
The dark Aubrey stepped closer to her until they were pressed up against each other. He took a finger and lightly touched the single button which fastened the over-cloak she wore. The button fell off without protest, leaving the cloak hanging open. "It's so easy. And you can do nothing to stop me. Your clothing is not protection, either." He moved a wing slightly and it rubbed softly against the fabric on her shoulder. She realized just how thin and insubstantial the material of her dress was when she could very clearly feel the feathers of his wing. They were cool and incredibly soft, beckoning for her to touch and stroke them.
However, as the wing rubbed her shoulder, the weak thread of the seam gave way and her shoulder showed pale against the lustrous black of his feathers. Ianthe could feel nearly every contour of his body. Aubrey gently touched her face, then he began kissing her neck, luring her. Ianthe felt herself weaken, begin to give in to him.
Aubrey's lips strayed to her ear. "Now tell me," he coaxed in a low, pleading tone, "tell me, do you feel your so-called 'love', or do you lust?" [Tough time to ask that one..an' Daf, yer never allowed to gripe again about anything I write. ;)]
Ianthe knew there was only one answer. "I love you. And like Medea, I am fated to always love you, although, unlike her, I am not given to revenge, nor would I seek to ruin you. I love you, and no matter how you are, I always will." [Sorry for obscure mythological references... We read the play in school an' I kinda liked it...][Yeah. Daf was Medea in a project they did on it..I think she still gets mixed up sometimes..!][Had a little too much fun bein' evil...]
With that, she turned and kissed him long and full on the lips, pouring her love into it. She felt him stiffen with the shock at first, then relax as he tasted of her sweet lips. Ianthe broke off, slowly, lingeringly.
Aubrey opened his eyes, suddenly taking a sharp intake of breath. He closed his eyes again, face scrunching up in pain. He backed away from her, partially reluctant, and almost spasmodic. He stopped seventeen feet away [Any particular reason for such a specific number? I would understand seven or thirteen, but seventeen?]['Cos I felt like it?], arms clutched tight to his body. His lustrous dark wings wrapped around him, as if to protect him. A white light began to eminate from him. It was pale at first, but soon it was so bright that it was deafening. [Like seeing thunder and hearing lightning--right, Daf?][Well, it was so intense that it did not harm the eyes, it harmed the ears.] Ianthe turned her head away to escape its searing whiteness. She felt the straps that held her to the rock slab release her, and she fell forward, then caught herself.
The light was becoming paler. Ianthe ventured a look and found that the light was being pulled back into Aubrey. He was completely swathed in light. She looked about the cavern and noticed that the Applebus was whole again before it disappeared. The cave was washed in the soft glow of phosphorescent crystals. The walls were a brilliant white calcite. Albino bats hung high above her at the ceiling of the cavern. The shoulder of her dress still hung open, but she didn't mind; something else much more gripping had claimed her attention.
On the ground a ways away was a crumpled mass of black leather. Ianthe rushed forward, a force stronger than mere concern filling her breast. She knelt down beside the form, tearing her dress further, but not caring. He looked so broken, so forlorn... She gathered Aubrey up against her heaving bosom, tears falling upon him. "W-what have I done?"
She caressed his pale face, brushing his hair out of his eyes, lips gently brushing his. He stirred faintly and opened his eyes, which shone a light grey. He tried to shift to gather her in *his* arms, but screwed up his eyes and arched his back in pain. "Shhh..." Ianthe said to him, soothing him in a low voice. "Everything is fine now..."
"I... what did I do to you?" Aubrey asked softly of his love.
"It doesn't matter anymore... it was all a very bad dream... All that matters is that it's over now and we can be together again. I love you so much..." Ianthe found his lips once more, and Aubrey responded strongly.
Aubrey said between kisses, "I know that now... an' I know that I love you..." His words dissolved into emotion, and the world faded....
Well done, Ianthe-child... Illuminati said from the static scene again. You handled that marvelously... You are worthy of the title Daugher of Imbroglios. Not many would have passed that test and come out the stronger for it. Then Illuminati broke into the odd song again.
Daughter of Imbroglios,
Quick to love, not hate,
You have found thy love
And won against thy fate.
[You know, and I tried so hard to get that stanza to line up correctly, but I just can't get it somehow. The HTML's fine, but it's being stupid. 'Nanda, help!][Wait, what d'ya want done..?]
Ianthe found herself back in the cave with the others, a smile of relief flashing as she saw Aubrey there, wingless and glad to see her. She ran over to him and said, "Oh, Aubrey, I love you."
"I know that," he answered her as they embraced. "You can tell me all about your test when we all have time to breath freely. I promise I'll listen." He released her after a welcome-back kiss, and she stood apart a bit, waiting for Illuminati to announce who would be tested next, expecting it to be Aubrey because, Maik had gone after Daphne. Illuminati did not speak yet.
While they waited for Illuminati's announcement, she thought back on her test. She put her thumbs in her pockets as she was wont to do, and felt something soft brush her hand. Her heartbeat quickened as she pulled it out, knowing exactly what it was. It was a single lustrous black feather. Thank you, Illuminati, she thought. This means so much to me...