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A song whispering on the wind.
So much peace, I had not felt this at ease, this peaceful in such a long time. If this was what it was like after we died, if this was the afterlife, then I could be happy here. I closed my eyes as I listened to the wind, the melody flowing softly, caressing, and soothing. It was one I had heard before. A long, long time ago. A shiver ran down my spine.
“You are not supposed to be here.”
I whirled, my eyes flying open at the voice behind me. But there was no one there, the voice had not a body, nor flesh. Just a shimmer as it moved about. It spoke again. “It is not your time child. You are meant for greater things.”
It fluttered around me, speaking with such kindness, but its voice echoed off the tree tops, off the grass. “You have far more to do before your time below is done. Return now. Return and finish what has been prophesied.”
The grove was changing. It was morphing. All around me, flower petals and butterflies fluttered, forming a vortex. The white bunnies skittered away, the one I held struggled to get out of my grasp.
“What do you mean?” I asked, setting it back down again. I watched as it bounded away to safety.
“You must return. The state of the world depends on you. Find the match to your soul. Find the other half of you. Life cannot survive without balance, remember what was lost.”
The grove wavered as the circle of butterflies and flower petals grew, closing in around me. I felt a pulse in my heart, in my head. It felt like magic, a power as old as time. A sensation of fear, dread and worry accompanied it. And it was pulling at me, forcing me to leave. It was waking me up, I did not want to go. It felt so freeing being here, the heartache, the loneliness, the fear, everything had eased.
I did not want to let it go.
“Look deep within you, Child of Starlight. It is waiting. It is slumbering, wake it up. Remember what was lost, it is the only way.” The voice said, its words caressed the inner corners of my mind as it shimmered in the light. I had no idea what it was talking about. What it meant, another pulse had the colors turning to gray, the world shifting back to darkness as my consciousness pulled me back.
“Wake up.” it said as it all slipped away from me.
A flutter of movement and a rush of water hit me, I knew then the beasts in the waters had indeed found me. Prepared to make me their next meal. I would not struggle, I could not fight. There was none left in me as I tried desperately to gasp for more air, instead the water invaded. I wanted to go back to the grove, to the safety and serenity. Strong hands gripped under my arms, the sensation of being pulled upward toward the surface, before breaking it.
Lifting me from the depths, the fresh air and cool breeze caressed my face as I was pulled to shore. My rescuer carried me through the water to the edge. I was back in my body. The world of color had gone, and I was in the nightmare again. I felt the strong arms that held me lay me down carefully, the warm earth beneath my body. The urge to breathe in deep as another pulse of magic coursed through me.
Coughing, expelling the water from my lungs as I lay there on the banks of the pond. Out of breath and ready for sleep. The light of the sun pressed against my closed eyelids. The warmth beat down on me. Maybe I hadn’t left the grove, I could open my eyes and still be in a world of color, of calmness and peace. I felt the presence of another, as his scent washed over me, I could not stop my stomach from heaving the water coming up.
I was wrong.
My heart fluttered in my chest as I cracked open my eyes. His eyes and white blond hair came into view. His voice was faint but firm, a hint of relief laced into his words, “You would do well in trying harder to stay alive.”
Coughing again, my own voice was hoarse as I spoke. “I do not need your help, nor your advice.”
“Ah, but I do believe that you’d be dead if not for me.”
I glared at him, standing on wobbly legs. “I would also not be in this situation if not for you either.”
“Hmmm.” The sound vibrated in his chest as he stared down at me. “You seem to have forgotten what I told you.”
“I didn’t forget. But there are a lot of things you have yet to tell me. Many things in fact.”
“Like what?” He drawled, his arms crossed over his chest. A playful smirk spread across his face. It truly made him far more mysterious than before. I hesitated, the beauty of him, the alluring call. It threw me off, of course when I had the chance to ask him, I faltered. When I have my chance to demand some kind of answers, I lose my ability to speak.
“That’s what I thought. You know. . . you should try harder to stay alive. I will not save you next time.”
“You’re an arrogant prick.”
The Goblin King’s eyes darkened, his smile stretched as he approached. He towered over me, truly, in this moment my blood ran cold and hot all at the same time. I could see the vein in his neck as it pulsed, “And you are insufferable.”
I swallowed, I knew I was playing with fire. Testing the boundaries, seeing how far I could push him. “Is that so?”
“Yes.” He hissed. “You have been a thorn in my side. You have tested every nerve I have. My patience stretched thin. And honestly, I’m exhausted.”
A smile spread across my face in return. “Then why do you keep showing up? I don’t ask for you to save me. You do it on your own.”
He hesitates, his lips pursed. But his eyes rove over my face, over my wet hair. I could see the muscle in his jaw flex as his teeth clench. I feel his fingers on my face, instinctively leaning into his touch again. The softness of them on my skin, even as he cups my cheek. I don't know how he does it, why he’s able to render me speechless, but in his company I felt safe. I felt whole. I barely register the beating thunder of my own heart, not over his.
