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Special Chapter 2: Family Matters (Part 4) |
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About the last entry: The words that Jareth uses to send us to, and take us out of, the Realm of Dreams are from the manga called Nightmare Inspector (the best magic/mystery manga on the planet!)
About this entry: Flotsam is the narrator in this rare glimpse into the minds of my henchmen. (This is a companion chapter to Ch. 10-17.) Also, the Anastasia that he's talking near the end is my physical body while my soul is away with Jareth in the Realm of Dreams. And for you Matrix fans out there, the wound I get in my dream appears on my body in the real world. Enjoy!
Jetsam and I swam to G-clef Cave, on Anastasia's orders, in search of Melissa Sapphire Triton. This wasn't the first time we had gone looking for her though; when we had worked for a different sea-witch (That's Ursula for those of you who don't know.), we had been charged to seek her out as well. The difference between them was that Anastasia was genuinely worried about the princess, quote "her best friend in the universe."
We surfaced in the dark cavern and looked around. Jetsam spotted a light directly above us, and as I squinted at it I could just make out Melissa drawing pictures by lantern light. 'It's an easy climb up there,' I thought as I made to do so. For some reason though, I never swam a stroke towards the cliff. I would find out later that Jetsam and I were kept anchored where we were by Lelouch's dark powers.
I saw two figures outside the cave entrance, Anastasia and Mat, Melissa's "soon-would-be" new boyfriend. "Melissa's on the edge of the cliff in here," I called out, begging them with my voice to get in here quick. Jetsam voiced my fears as he added, "You'd better get in here. This place reminds me of Ursula, and believe me that's not something I want to feel right now."
An impulsive shudder ran down my spine as they inched further into the cave, keeping to their left of the entrance, and walked along the narrow ledge above Jetsam and me. Anastasia was about to call out to Melissa when an organ chord exploded inside the cavern. Sound carries even further in water, so it sounded even louder to me.
When the organ ceased, it was replaced by a voice singing. It was the most beautiful I had ever heard, aside from Melissa's of course. Melissa soon joined it in its strange song (something about an Angel of Music), and the harmony between them was so perfect I could have listened to it forever. I was even happier to imagine what it would sound like if Anastasia and I sang together like that. [Author: Could this be the first sign of love?! whee ]
Another earthquake of sound shattered in my ears as Melissa and the person whom the voice belonged to plummeted towards the water. Jetsam and I would have caught her, but Lelouch's magic held us fast and they submerged with a mighty splash. I could only hope Anastasia wouldn't be angry with us when we returned.
That same night, Anastasia told Mat the story of the Phantom. Jetsam went straight to sleep, but I stayed up and listened. "Raoul is saved by the returning of a stolen kiss," she said, coming to the end of her tale. "Phantom lets Christine go, even though he still loves her, and plunges into the depths of his own despair."
'Man, she's a good storyteller,' I thought before finally drifting off to sleep. In my dreams, a voice spoke to me. "She will awaken soon," it said, "and you must be ready when that time comes."
"Why me?" I asked. "What can I do? I already failed her once and knowing about magic and practicing it are two different things. I can't help her."
"She can never be mad at you, even though she knows who you are and what you've done. As for magic, you'll find you have more potential than you think."
The next morning, Anastasia announced that she would teach me magic. I was doubtful at first since she was still just learning herself, but then I remembered my dream and accepted her proposal. We consulted books on the structure of the universe together, humans call it astrology I believe, and she taught Jetsam how to brew potions, for the next week. I was kept busy (She gives out a lot of reading.), but I couldn't help feeling that she was doing this to distract her mind from Melissa.
My suspicions were confirmed the day she brought that thing home. Jetsam smiled and made funny faces at her; I looked away with an aloof expression and pretended to vomit when Anastasia wasn't looking. "Flotsam!" Jetsam chided when he caught me "vomiting" one day. "Sarah is just as much a part of this family as we are. You should be nice to her."
"How can I be nice to something that takes up the time that my mistress could be spending with me?!" I replied angrily. (I'm still surprised that I actually said that.) "Not to mention that Melissa's been missing for yet another week. I think she would at least be a little worried for her, but she goes around as if it never even happened."
"I've noticed that too. You should go tell her what's what." That was Jetsam's advice. I did just that, pinning her against the wall, like I was the stronger magician, and venting my pent-up frustrations. Looking back though, I wish I hadn't yelled at her; she must have felt terrible afterwards.
Mat came over the next day to babysit Sarah while Jetsam and I went with Anastasia to some faraway place. (She had said something about a Goblin King, but I hadn't been fully listening since she woke us before the dawn in order to get ready.) Mat went upstairs and Anastasia gathered Jetsam and me around her as she spoke her "magic-bubble" spell. I had seen her use this spell with her "air-breather" friends to help them access our undersea realm. I didn't understand why we would need it since we could all breathe underwater already.
I found out why when we surfaced in a place my mistress called The Bog of Stench. I complained and groaned about how bad it smelled all the way to the gates of the Goblin City. "Phew!" said Jetsam as the spell dissolved. "Hopefully we never go through that stinky place together ever again."
"Agreed," concurred Anastasia. We made our way to the castle at the center of the city. Jetsam drifted slowly to her left side, and I to her right, just in case something came at her from those directions and because according to her, the kind did not take kindly to strangers.
She left us at the entrance to the terrace in the throne room while she went and prepared his majesty for us. I couldn't resist taking a peek through the dark curtains as she strolled towards a man staring out the city. "Your majesty," she said, curtseying to him as she did so. I realized immediately that this was the man we were going to meet. 'So this is what a fae looks like,' I thought. I had read in the texts that fae were known for their extraordinary beauty, both outside and within, but also for their fondness of trickery. I could only hope that Jareth was the former of these two qualities.
That was all I saw before Jetsam pulled me away from the curtains and onto my knees. "It's impolite to spy on people," he scolded. "I can't help it," I told him. "I'm worried about her."
The curtains were pulled back and we were revealed to his majesty. "Oh, those two," he said, apathetic at our appearance. "Yes, I've heard a great deal about them. Banished from Ursula for failing to ensure that Melissa did not get her kiss." Did he have to rub it in my face, especially when Anastasia was around? "I must speak with you alone. It is a family matter."
She looked towards us, asking with her eyes if we could come too. He shook his head and she shrugged it off like it was no big deal. I had only just met Jareth, and yet I knew that I hated him. I didn't know why, but sending Jetsam and me back to the grotto without even having to look at us could have been a valid reason. (Mat was gone for some reason when got there.)
After what seemed like hours, Anastasia and Mat returned. Jetsam and I rushed to greet them, brimming with questions about what they had seen. "You've been kept in the dark long enough," Anastasia said. "It's about time you knew everything."
She began by retelling the story of the Phantom. (I could listen to her tell that story all day.) "Jareth brought me, and accidentally Sarah, to his study so he could tell us what was happening with Lelouch (the name of our Phantom figure) and Melissa," Mat said. "He showed us some magic mirror. Quote: 'It shows me whatever I wish to see, unclouded by vanity or illusion.' Unquote."
"He showed us Melissa and Lelouch dancing together, and I got all mad," Anastasia continued. "Then I started crying. He said something about Lelouch not being his real name, but I never found out what he meant because he pulled me into a kiss. It was probably just to shut me up, but boy did he do it with style."
She then assumed the goofy look of one who had just fallen "head-over-tail" for someone. Everything that she had said before, and all she said after, didn't matter anymore. I now knew why I hated Jareth: he was trying to romance my mistress behind my watchful eyes! Good thing Jetsam said it was time for bed, and Mat went out to practice his swordfighting, because I would have screamed at her for such despicable behaviour.
I slept a light sleep that night, a dreamer's sleep even though no dreams came. I was just slipping into the deep sleep I desired when the water vibrated all around me. I nudged Jetsam and we both turned to see our mistress suspended beneath the surface. "Don't look now," Jetsam whispered nervously, "but I think she's in her underwear." [Author: rofl "She's in her underwear!" rofl ] rofl
Normally, I would have been mortified, and strangely thrilled, to see my mistress dressed as such. But then Jetsam and I saw the look on her face and we swam over to her without another thought. "What's the matter?" we asked as one eel instead of two.
"Melissa's not only dancing with him," Anastasia said, her voice on the edge of a moan. "Now she's sleeping with him!"
She looked like she was crying, even though there are no tears underwater. Jetsam and I did the best thing we could do to comfort her: we hugged her between us as if she would shatter if we ever let go. "Do you want us to sleep with you tonight?" I asked, on a whim I'm sure but it felt like something more. When Jetsam and Anastasia looked at me like I was crazy, I hastily added, "Not to do what Melissa's doing of course."
I climbed into Anastasia's clam shell bed on her right side and lay beside her, while Jetsam did the same on her right. (I swear we are like two sides of the same coin sometimes.) Anastasia went right to sleep, but I heard her whisper, "I'm really lucky to have you guys around." before she did.
I checked to see if Jetsam had heard. When I saw that he was still sleeping like a coral reef, I knew that she had spoken with her thoughts. As she pressed herself against my body, I thought the words, 'Thank you.' before I too drifted into the tides of sleep. I don't know if she heard me, but I do know that having her against me like this was the most wonderful thing in the universe.
Three days past and no word came from Jareth. I saw this as a problem and, strangely, a comfort. I was rejoicing in the fact that that animal had decided to leave my mistress alone for a while when she poked her head in as I was taking inventory of her potion ingredients. "Practice your water magic while I'm gone," she said.
"Gone?!" I asked, shocked. "Where? For how long?"
"I... I can't tell you."
She set out beneath the waves that afternoon. I took this as the perfect opportunity to confront Jetsam about my problems. "It's really strange," I told him as we sat on the shore of the grotto, the noon-day sun shining in from a hole in the roof. "Whenever I look at her, it's as if time stops. Waves crash in my heart whenever she speaks to me. And when that Jareth creature comes up, I start feeling all... protective of her."
"Based on what you told me," Jetsam said in an understanding tone, "here's my diagnosis of your troubles: I think you may be in love with her."
"What?! That's crazy. Besides, it's improper for a student and a teacher to be in love with each other."
"Hey, I'm just telling you what I think. You don't have to believe me."
When Anastasia returned later that same afternoon, Jetsam and I asked her where she had been. She said nothing, only letting her veil drift to its proper place on the wall before she went upstairs with a large portfolio under her arms.
About an hour later, I was sweeping sand out of the hallway when I heard noise coming from Anastasia's bedroom. "What's wrong?" I asked as I stuck my head in through the open door. "Look there" she said, indicating a magnifying glass on her desk.
I picked it up, along with the locket she was looking at, and squinted at the writing on it, reading it aloud as I went. I later found out that they were the words to "Learn to be Lonely", a song my mistress likes to sing sometimes. But then I came across something really strange. "Wait!" I said to get her attention; she stood beside me as I read aloud, "To my son, Erik, demon spawn of thy mother's darkest desires."
The locket suddenly flew out of my hands, hovered in the air for a moment, and then fastened itself around Anastasia's neck, all the while surrounded by golden lights. "It must be faery made," I said, thinking aloud, "since it seemed to move of its own accord. I don't get why it fastened itself around your neck instead of mine, mistress. I was the last one to hold it."
She seemed impressed with my knowledge of faery jewelry; I hid a smug smile as she said, "That is indeed strange." She tried, without success, to remove the locket before she continued. "I get the feeling that there's something inside that will provide great insight into what I'm searching for."
I stared out the window, wondering if she could be searching for someone to love. "Flotsam, if you wouldn't mind?" she said, snapping me out of my thoughts and pointing to the fastner on the front of the locket.
She lifted her head to give me room to do so, and I set about opening the ruby locket. I got it open and saw a small picture of a family inside, a father, a mother, and a small boy. The son looked like his mother for the most part but he had his father's beautiful blue eyes, though I suspected they might have been gray/green. Also, the son was wearing a white mask on the right half of his face. 'That's very peculiar,' I thought.
"What do you see?" Anastasia asked. I voiced the things I had just observed to her. "Let me take a look."
She took the picture from my hands and looked at it. Suddenly, she gasped. "What is it?" I asked, concerned.
"I need you to guard my body."
"I do that already." (Ugh! What a stupid thing to say!)
"No, I mean while my soul is in the Realm of Dreams. You should probably get Jareth in on this too. (Not this guy again!) I need to go into a trance as quickly as possible."
A few nights later, it started snowing. Jetsam and I had placed a call to Jareth earlier, telling him to come over. He had seemed doubtful, and then Jetsam had to open his big mouth and say that Anastasia had the Fallen Wish, which she did. Jareth said that he would be right over, and now here he was, dressed in the dark blue of the early winter night.
(As far as I was concerned, he could stay out there and become part of the cold night. But my mistress came first and I let him cross the threshhold; he would need to be careful though. He was swimming in my ocean now.)
After they had talked for a while, Jareth strided over to one of the two marble slabs on the far right shore of the grotto. Anastasia laid down on the other slab and I cued Jetsam to start playing. (I had thought that music might help her go into a trance more quickly since you must be totally relaxed to access the Realm of Dreams. I had told Jetsam to practice his piano playing for that very reason. I found my old oboe washed up on the shore that same afternoon and had spent the rest of the day cleaning and practicing it all for this moment.) Jareth spoke the words that would take them to the dream world and disappeared.
Jetsam and I continued to play in peace. "Flotsam." Someone was calling me, but Jetsam had not said my name and Sarah was asleep as far as I knew. "Flotsam." More insistently this time, and it was then that I realized that Anastasia was calling me. I glided across the room to where she lay and knelt beside her. "What is it?" I asked.
"I must speak with you," she said, her eyes still closed.
"Why me?"
"You're the only person I can trust with the secret." Part of me wanted to tell her I had not proven myself worthy of her trust, but another part felt proud that she had decided to try.
"What secret?"
"I know about the Phantom and his bloodline."
Now it was getting interesting. I stayed still and listened as she told her story. "Erik let Christine go, but she did not leave him empty-handed. You see, her teacher had given her a gift and it was long before she fell in love with Raoul again."
"What kind of gift?"
"A child."
A wide gash appeared on her left arm as she spoke. I made to go get some bandages, and to check on Sarah, but she grabbed my wrist yelling, "No, please! Don't leave me!"
I was concerned, but I ordered Jetsam to find the bandages. I stroked her hand as I knelt back down beside her. "A child?" I asked, my voice strangely calm.
"Yes, and the Angel of Music gave his student this gift in the hopes of thinning his fae blood. The child, instead of having 1/4 fae blood, when it was born had 3/4. By their mutual affections for each other, Christine had made his bloodline stronger. (Most fae refuse to fall in love with the mortals who lust for them.)
"Also, all of his descendants married fae women. They were all sons for some reason or other, and they were all exceptionally handsome. But it was his great-great grandson who most resembled his ultimate ancestor, and also had the largest amount of fae blood."
"Who was that? What traits had he inheirited?"
"Don't say such a thing. He is still very much alive. His great-great grandfather's voice for one, his ability to turn music into magic for two. Sadly though, he has also inheirited Erik Legrange's looks as well as developed a special power all his own."
"Who is this man?"
"Erik (Lelouch) Phoenix Legrange."
In that moment, the necklace disappeared from around her neck and she sat up and opened her eyes. She winced in pain and put her hand to her arm to stop the bleeding. Jetsam came back with bandages, and as he was dressing her wound, the voice who had addressed me so long ago said, "She has awakened, and you are ready." I was ready, ready to tell her that I loved her.
 srs diva 2011 xxl · Mon Mar 09, 2009 @ 09:56pm · 2 Comments |
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