Book One : The Prophecy : XV : I Am

XV

I AM

God who is eternally complete, who directs the stars, who is the master of fates, who elevates man from his lowliness to Himself, who speaks from the cosmos to every single human soul, is the most brilliant manifestation of the goal of perfection…

Alfred Adler.

“Do you know where we stand?” Heiden announced, keeping his back to Eveline who still was on bended knee.

“Solomon’s temple my lord,” Eveline replied quietly, her body filled with butterflies. The sun filled the holy temple, bouncing off the gold and thus enriching the very room as though she herself was immersed in the sun.

“Such bloodshed has been spilled over this temple, such wars have been waged,” Heiden spoke on, his head high up and his hands by his side. “For what?” Heiden turned around and looked down on Eveline with heavy eyes. Eveline feeling the air still, lifted her gaze to meet his own.

“To lay claim to you my Lord, to decree one faith better than another, too…too,” she stammered unable to speak before such a King, still so tall and mighty to behold.

“Go on,” Heiden urged, stepping down from the high alter to stand before Eveline, her auburn hair burning in the gold.

“Use such a claim for their own benefit,” Eveline whispered, keeping her eyes on his, gold and bright.

“I suppose you are wondering why it is I brought you here?”

“Yes my Lord,” Eveline replied as he held out both hands for her to take. Without a word, she placed her own shaking hands within his strong palms and trembled feeling an instant connection to him.

“I could have brought you to my own Kingdom, to my own palace where the sun always shines,” Heiden said with an eerie look. “But for metaphorical purposes I thought it best we both meet here, at the epicentre of this world.”

“I do not understand,” Eveline said with courage. “Why am I here?”

“Do you know who I am?” Heiden asked with furrowed brows.

“You are God are you not?” Eveline returned as Heiden gently guided her about the temple.

“But what God am I? Am I the God of Christianity? Judaism? Islam?”

“No,” Eveline said with certainty. “You Are.” Heiden stopped walking and turned to her, looking down into the face of his daughter and granddaughter.

“I Am,” he said quietly. “Above all the Gods of this world and how each of their subjects would mourn their true God.”

“Why?” Eveline asked with curious eyes.

“Men want their supreme leader to be perfect, I am not,” Heiden spoke softly and deeply. “I am flawed.”

“Not all men wish their master to be perfect, many respect their masters more for their imperfections,” Eveline said kindly, her heart lifting as he smiled in response.

“How very democratic,” Heiden said with an air of humour. “How very alike your mother you are.”

“You knew my mother?” Eveline enquired seriously.

“Have you not wondered why I have shown you all that you have seen whilst your physical body lies lifeless in Bath Abbey?” Heiden asked quietly, watching and observing her face as the dawning of realisation washed over her. “Do you not wonder why it is that my best guardians watch over you?”

“My…my parents died in a car crash,” Eveline whispered with terrified eyes.

“No, your parents did not die in a car crash,” Heiden said with a stern glance. “Your parents died at the hands of your half-brother.”

“What…what?”

“You have met him in the garden,” Heiden exclaimed as he released his hands from her own and walked away, his shoulders bending as though troubled deeply. “He bears my name if a little altered in spelling it be.”

“No he is not my brother,” Eveline laughed nervously. “I have no siblings, I am an orphan.”

“Heidan and yourself both share the same blood as your mother, Unyae, child of the stars,” Heiden said heavily, turning his eyes slightly to see how Eveline was faring. She stood back in shock, her hand across her mouth as though willing herself to stay silent as a silent storm built within her. “The child that you saw during the christening in Caci was in fact you, although you knew that deep inside once you looked down into her face and saw yourself.”

“No,” Eveline whispered, her eyes darting about the temple.

“You walk in your mothers likeness, whilst baring your fathers strength, intelligence and wisdom,” Heiden went on, turning about to face her once again, seeing her struggle as she walked about in circles. “It is true, I wished her not to marry in fact it is against the law for any children of Heiden to marry those who are human. But it matters not now…,” he sighed darkly.

“I am just me,” Eveline said loudly, thumping at her chest with her fist. “I am just Eveline.”

“You are Celestine, daughter of the High King Elieor and High Queen Unyae, Goddess of the stars,” Heiden said regally, coming forth to Eveline, his body straight and intimidating. “You are now the heir to the throne of Calhuni and joint heir to my throne, that’s if you can claim it before your brother does.”

“But…,” Eveline sought to find words, but her throat dried up instead and her heart beat wildly under her chest as she tried to tame the anxiety within.

“Why else do you think Lagar has sent his army of shadows to find you?” Heiden said with frustration. “Do not play the fool, you knew long before your visions that you were off another world and another race.”

“I never believed myself to be a surviving heir of a God, nor an heir to a Kingdom,” Eveline said loudly, finally unleashing the storm that swirled within. “I have never been a believer.”

“And yet you clutch at your bible each night, praying to be enlightened,” Heiden said firmly, his eyes burning. “And I listened.”

“And did nothing,” Eveline said with spit, forgetting who she stood before. “If I am the daughter of Unyae then tell me why you left her in a garden to be subjected to loneliness and depression, believing you had forsaken her?”

“She was never alone, I walked with her in that garden, I sheltered you when you fell asleep,” Heiden said as Eveline circled about him with her head in her hands, shaking it wildly.

“You mean to say you watched her through the eyes of a stag?” Eveline stopped and turned to too him with a heated expression. “As if such a claim should calm my judgment of you as if it justifies her pain and death?”

“She was my heir, I had to protect her from Lagar who as you already know wished to take her from me and plant himself upon my throne,” Heiden replied quietly, his eyes falling to the ground. “Never had I forgotten my child. Always did I yearn to stand before her as I stand before you and give her the comfort and love, she so desperately needed.”

“Then why didn’t you? Lagar knew not where she was, you were unlikely to tell her so why not stand before her as you stand before me?” Eveline said sharply.

“Lagar and his army, those who live within his kingdom, they were once my subjects, my allies and friends,” Heiden said with sorrow. “They once walked through the streets of Aurelius, ate at my table and laid down their swords before me, pledging their allegiance. Those with whom openly opposed me were exiled, but still there linger those who would see me dead. How else do you think they infiltrated Heaven and killed all the innocent women and children?”

“Those who hold power will always be prey to those who wish to take it from them,” Eveline said without sympathy. “You are powerful and old enough to know that.”

“Tell me, do you know of any King that has kept power for as long as I?” Heiden asked his granddaughter with icy eyes.

“I know nothing of your kind, your race nor your history,” Eveline said with folded arms. “I do know that you had a father before you and that the position of Queen or King is hereditary. What makes you stand above those who stand beneath you?”

“There is a reason why those of my bloodline do not mix blood with those who are human or angelic,” Heiden said with authority. “We have an ancient power that flows through us that no other in this universe has, why? Because you and I are descendants from the old Gods, the Gods that with a blink of an eye created all that surrounds you. To place that power into the hands of those who are not of our bloodline would be suicide. It is not a question of greed or a wish to keep myself above others, it is my destiny, my duty and yours.”

“And what difference is there in your wielding such power over a human?” Eveline asked curtly, sickened by power and its ability to corrupt.

“Control,” Heiden said with frightening eyes. “My kind are older than every angel and human combined. We have long been able to control the powers we wield in such a way that it does not corrupt us to the same extent as it would anyone else. I am not perfect, this you have seen but I am, through no fault of my own greater than those who follow me willingly. I do not oppress my people, I give them democracy and free will, to choose their destiny no matter my thoughts. Can you offer me an example of a human who has done the same for such a period of time?” Eveline stopped walking and bent her shoulders, of course she had read about a great many good leaders, but she knew deep within that they had been flawed and greedy too and that many who began as good men or women were easily swayed by greed and power. Heiden walked over to Eveline and laid a hand upon her shoulder. “Just as you had no say in who your parents where, either did I. I failed your mother, in this you are right, but not from want of trying, but from want of protecting her and ensuring she survived. She was the only heir who could claim my throne and keep it, knowing as I and she did that her son would one day rally such a war against her to take the throne from her.”

Eveline felt the air embrace her body, felt the coolness of the marble beneath her feet and warmth of the golden light upon her face. As she felt the imprint of Heiden’s hand upon her shoulder she darted her eyes so that they met with his own.

“Will you answer me this,” she began, her voice low and clear. “It has long been my theory that Lagar and everything else is the product of God that the evil within man, within Lagar and his shadows also come from God.” She turned her body so that it faced Heiden, whose face lay still and unmoving. “Does it?”

 “Yes,” Heiden said with a nod, is nostrils enlarged and his breathing deep. “All things flow from the Gods that have ruled over everything, even darkness.”

“Have you sinned?” Eveline asked, her shoulders raised and her back straight. All her life she had pondered over these deep and often disturbing questions wondering what truth lay in her opinion and now that she stood before the great God himself, she felt herself bound to ask, she needed to know if the same darkness that lingered in Lagar also lingered within her.

“Yes,” Heiden said with his head lowered. “Darkness lies within me as it does everything, but it resides within me in a way that is more prevalent and deep. But the light also resides within me and it is even greater than the darkness and so deep that I can feel its power within every inch of my physical and mental being.”

“You are capable of becoming the oppressor, of becoming the true serpent of the night?” Eveline’s lips trembled such was the fear that gripped her.

“Yes, but I choose not to become the oppressor, I choose to stand in the light and fight the darkness.”

“What separates you from Lagar in terms of darkness?”

“He fights against the light as I do against the darkness,” Heiden said with honest eyes and sincere feeling. “I am constantly tested and at times may feel myself slip into the shadow, but I search for the light as the lungs search for air. I am God, my duties stem from one side of the spectrum to the other, I must be firm, tough and vigilant if I am to create and keep peace. At times that means I must become the executioner when my subjects break the law. But unlike Lagar, I do not revel in the darkness of power, it brings a sickness to my soul and I become sick. There have been times during my long life when I have had to battle myself and the urges that power, absolute power brings and so I created a council and legal system to help me bare the burdens, to help keep me in place.”

“Do you not fear falling prey to all that consumes light?” Eveline asked quietly, for this had been a long held fear that she had fought for a long time. How easy it would be to use the gifts she had been given to do harm to those who laughed at or teased her for her unusual ways or unnatural looks.

“I fear never fearing that I fall prey to darkness,” Heiden said firmly, his eyes spinning about the room. “That is why I keep Lagar alive, he represents all that I could become if I like him chose to walk at night.”

“Is that not inhumane?” Eveline asked with quizzical brows.

“No, at times we the leaders have to make choices in order to preserve and protect the goodness that are subjects rely upon. I love to watch things grow, from a blade of grass to a fine rose. When living things die, my soul cries out in pain and that is when I am comforted that I still walk in the light as perverse as that may seem to you.”

“Sometimes when I am angry, I feel darkness within,” Eveline admitted quietly. “When I was walking through Keswick as a young girl on my way to the post office, a group of girls the same age as I chased me through the town and into the woods. I wasn’t fast enough and fell over a rock,” Eveline turned her gaze away and wrapped her arms about her body. “They beat me and called me a witch. That week my mind was filled with vengeance, I mused to myself how I could best terrify them with my magical abilities.”

“What stopped you?” Heiden asked with a curious gaze. Eveline stopped walking in a circle and turned her golden eyes to him.

“They attacked me because their minds had been infiltrated with lies,” Eveline said pitifully. “Men are scared of things they do not understand, that is why they kill those that they fear.” She closed her eyes and brought herself back into the small library where she sat some year’s previous reading a book. Even within her memory could she hear and chart the journey of the small wasp that had entered the library through the open window. “The first time I killed a wasp I was riddled with guilt. Why did I kill it? It was of no threat to me, it was simply being curious and I without a second glance simply killed it with one swift execution using a newspaper, I didn’t even blink an eye. I watched it try to find its legs as it drew out its last breath upon the window sill,” Eveline’s eyes widened with guilt and abhorrent shame. “I was scared of the wasp’s sting and so instead of simply walking away, I snubbed it with a newspaper and how my heart darkened. The acts of those girls were the bi products of the wicked words that had been planted into their minds so carelessly, mainly from the pulpit before the new reverend arrived. I knew that the first time I ever striked a person simply because I had power over them would only lead me down a dark path and that I would become seduced by the power I wielded. So I learnt to fear it instead, keeping all that I was truly at arm’s length so that I could protect myself from turning into the monster those girls believed me to be.”

“Do you fear your true self still?”

Eveline shrugged before shaking her head slightly.

“Yes,” Eveline groaned loudly. “I rarely use my abilities if ever, but when the clouds darken and I find myself slipping into the shade I can feel the power deep within my bones and soul, crying out to me, wishing me to embrace them.”

“And now that you know who you are? Shall you embrace your true destiny in order to serve the light?” Heiden asked with curious eyes. He understood the terrible burden she carried, understood the dark side of magic and understood the fear she clung onto, the fear of turning into a creature of the night.

“What if I succumb to the darkness?” Eveline whispered faintly, her cheeks stained lightly. Heiden walked over to his granddaughter and found her hands, enfolding them within his.

“You will not succumb to the darkness that lurks within shadows and demons, I will not allow it. I do however concede that you need help in being able to control your powers.”

“Who could help me?” Eveline asked, lifting her golden gaze to meet his own, her fingers lightly touching the smooth skin of his palms.

“Apart from myself there are those known as druids who live on the island of Anglesey, do you know it?” Heiden enquired with raised brows.

“Theodore has spoken of the island being homed to a magical school called Ravinston?”

“Yes I have heard of the school, however a small coven of druids live upon the island,” Heiden said with a serious tone. “They are very secretive and tend to keep themselves to themselves, but if you wish to learn to control your powers but also to harness them, then you should visit them and spend some time among them, even if you choose not to return to Calnuthe.”

“Will they know who I am?” Eveline asked with a hint of interest gleaming within her eyes.

“They will know you,” Heiden said with certainty. “You bare the eyes of their God.”

Eveline mused over the information, he was right even if she wished to stay on in Keswick with Theodore, she would for all time be hunted by lions and so she needed to be able to use her powers in order to protect herself and her husband. Deep within her, she let herself admit that she was more than interested about the proposition, she was consumed with curiosity. If she learnt to control her powers, learnt to really understand them then she could use them to help others.

“I think that would be a sensible thing to do considering all things,” she said aloud with firm lips. “Of course I shall have to speak with Theodore.”

“Indeed,” Heiden said with lowered eyes. The temple became quiet as Eveline digested the information and took in a deep breathe, her stomach beginning to tighten with hunger. After several minutes she looked over at Heiden.

“May I ask you as to why you left my mother in the garden knowing Heidan was awaiting to kill her outside?” Eveline asked quietly, her heart shaken and conflicted.

“It was not my wish, but as you saw she was indeed bound to your father who was a great man,” Heiden sighed as he rubbed his brows. “His intentions were honourable and when you are so powerful and are indeed an heir, those who ask for your hand in marriage are rarely honourable and often come baring agendas,” Heiden looked into Eveline’s face and felt a streak of pain run up his arms, hitting him directly in the heart as the image of his only daughter emerged before his eyes. Turning abruptly from her, he lifted a hand and placed it over his face. “Unyae’s suffering became acute and I could no longer watch on as she wilted away so I let her leave, knowing the risk she would find herself in. But for the first time in a long time my mind and heart were in sync. I knew that Heidan would come back to the garden seeking her and so agreed with your father that she would be safer within the walls of Caci than the walls of Calhuni.”

“I see,” Eveline mused, agreeing with him. “Why did you not reach out to Heidan? Why did you not try to make him see sense?”

“Being a God comes with its burdens,” Heiden said turning away from Eveline and striding to the high alter. “I watched the child grow up within the garden, showered with love and understanding. Still it did not alter the path I feared he would take. I knew that if he choose to walk in darkness, taking into account the loving life he had been given then he would always walk in darkness. If the love of a mother cannot sway you against the darkness then nothing can. It is as simple as that.”

“Maybe persuasion?” Eveline said with raised hands.

“Heidan fled to Islaer who had at that time recently invaded the Kingdom of Ruarr and executed the King, taking the throne for himself,” Heiden explained loudly. “Instead of fleeing from such a man, Heidan relished in the oppression that plagued the Kingdom, even took part in the pillaging and executions. He has no love towards all that grows and flourishes.”

“I am no equal against him,” Eveline said with a heavy heart as she came to the steps of the altar and sat down, tired and withdrawn, her head sore and her stomach hungry. “My powers, what little of them I do have are nothing in comparison to his own. And even when I think about it I shudder at the realisation that if I simply do nothing, the universe will fall to him and Lagar. I have no choice in the matter.”

“Did you not hear me when I said that I offer all those who pledge allegiance to me free will?” Heidan asked, turning from the altar and looking down at the scrunched up form of Eveline.

“Would you accept my refusal?” Eveline turned her eyes to him and held them for a moment. Heiden looked at her with concern before letting out a breath and coming to sit beside her.

“Before anything you are my blood, I want to give you what you think is best,” Heiden exclaimed quietly, taking her hands into his own. “If you do not wish to rule the three Kingdoms of Calnuthe or Heaven then I will respect your decision.”

“And what then? How will you protect Heaven?” Eveline asked.

“You really wish to know?” Heiden enquired with quipped brows.

“Yes, I think we should be honest with one another don’t you?”

“Indeed,” Heiden nodded regally. “I will have to re marry and produce an heir.”

“Why haven’t you?” Eveline asked with wide eyes.

“I loved your grandmother,” Heiden said with a flush. “I’ve never loved another and the thought of binding myself to another who is not Uneos has never struck me as an option.” For the first time, Eveline saw the true age of her grandfather, deep in his golden eyes lay time itself. When one first encountered the great God they would think him young but if they were to peer deep into his eyes they would see what Eveline now saw.

“What am I to do? I have no experience of ruling? I don’t know my people and they don’t know me,” Eveline said weakly, her thirst intensifying with every moment that passed. “I am no politician nor am I a warrior.” She let go of her grandfather’s hand and stood up, turning away and walking around the great room. “How can I take back my throne when I have never sat upon it nor even gazed upon my own lands? If you were to ask any man if I were worthy of ruling them they would laugh in your face and deem you mad. My brother is stronger, older and has a greater knowledge of you and my world. Tell me,” she turned to face Heiden who now stood at the altar, his body poured over a cup. “Do you have the gift of foresight? Can you see what lies before me?”

Heiden turned and in his hands held a golden cup.

“Come, drink,” he ordered kindly. “You are thirsty and tired.”

“I am all matters of things right now,” Eveline said darkly. “Do you know what I have done on earth? I and I alone have taken the lives of my mother and your angels. I have fallen in love with two men who are bound together by a prophecy. I am already tainted before I have even begun upon this journey you now wish me to take.” Eveline stood before Heiden and took the heavy cup from him, sipping deeply. “Tell me am I not unalike my brother.”

“Would you have killed those you loved if in your right senses?” Heiden asked Eveline seriously, taking the empty cup from her and placing it back on the alter table. “In answer to your first question, no I do not have the gift of foresight, my father did and his father before. You however do, you know that you have the ability to reach into the future and seize a certain moment before its conception. You must however never depend entirely on what you see, time is ever folding and vulnerable to alterations.”

“It is a gift I do not bear with ease,” Eveline replied with an eerie expression. “In reply to your previous statement, Never,” Eveline said firmly. “But that does not retract what I have already done. If I am as powerful as you deem me, why did I fall so willingly to Lagar’s witchcraft?”

“If you had known who you were before meeting him, you would have been able to fight his power of seduction,” Heiden said with compassion. “And if truth be told, you should have instantly fallen under his spell, but you did not and that proves to me the true strength that lies within you. Tell me, where you truly blinded as to what was going on within your mind?”

“No, I felt like a caged bird trying to get out,” Eveline said as she wiped her mouth. “But I couldn’t, not until my mother injected me with the antivenin.”

“It was not the antivenin that gave you the power to overcome Nathaniel, your possessor,” Heiden said. “It was the love within you that struck him from your mind and heart. No shadow can bare to feel love or any emotion that is linked to such a feeling.”

“But I succumbed to Lagar in the cemetery,” Eveline said with desperation, her hands tightly knotted in front of her.

“You had been rendered unconscious and were bitten again, you had no time in which to summon the strength to overcome the snakes poison,” Heiden replied as the sun’s rays began to fade from the temple, casting a shadow across the floor. “You are safe now, Lagar can no longer harm you, not now that you have been awakened.”

“Awakened at such a heavy cost to those around me,” Eveline said darkly. “Why did you leave it so long?”

“You were a child, a child who should not have born the weight of the universe until such a time as was appropriate, which is now,” Heiden answered flatly. “I placed you under the protection of Cael so that you would be safe.”

“Are you angered that I married him?” Eveline asked with a lowered gaze, shame and embarrassment covering her like a warm blanket.

“Are you willing to listen to me truthfully?” Heidan asked Eveline with raised brows.

“Yes, for it troubles me greatly,” Eveline whispered rather weakly. “Does this prophecy speak truth?”

“It does,” Heiden said with a nod. “For it was your mother that spoke of the prophecy when she was but a child.”

“She had the gift of foresight too?”

“Yes,” Heiden said quietly. “At times it was a gift and I was able to use that gift in order to help others. But sometimes the prophecy would come to nothing and so I learned that not all prophecies can be depended on.”

“So this prophecy about my husband may not be true?” Eveline asked hopefully, her hands tracing the golden walls of the temple. “There is still hope?”

“Answer me this,” Heiden said with a serious expression. “When you first met Galean, what did you feel? And answer me honestly.” The temple became quiet as Eveline stopped walking and gulped loudly. Her cheeks flamed with heat as her memory cast itself back to that moment, in which she reached up and laid her hand upon his heart, knowing in that moment that he was irrevocably linked to her and her to him.

“I felt as though fate had linked us together, whether it my will or not,” Eveline said lightly, keeping her eyes away from Heiden who watched on with curiosity. “Had he entered my life at an earlier time then maybe my own path would have been different.”

“You felt a love greater than the love you bore for you husband?”

“I say this with shame,” Eveline said weakly. “Yes.”

“Then there is truth in this prophecy,” Heiden concluded loudly, forcing Eveline to turn to him with desperate eyes.

“But Theodore is a good man,” Eveline pleaded, an image of her husband appearing before her. “He would wish nobody harm.”

“Cael falls into shadow,” Heiden said calmly wanting to ease her pain but unable to lie. “He gave his promise of love to another and broke an oath sworn to protect you but never to touch you in any way that insinuated he had stronger feelings. Your mother specifically stated that you were bound to Galean.”

“But Galean married long before meeting me,” Eveline said with confused eyes. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“Your mother foresaw the death of Galean’s wife and daughter, had I known how they would have died then we would be travelling down a different path, however,” he waved one hand in the air. “Fate is not always our friend, even if that includes taking those we hold most dear from us.”

“Why does my husband fall into shadow? Can he not be saved?”

“He was one of the better guardians when young and impressionable, but as he got older his need for power and position grew,” Heiden replied, his hands now upon his hips. “So much so that the love he had yearned for and worked to gain for years meant little to him when propositioned with a place under my angel Gabriel. His first mission was to go to Calhuni garden and retrieve you.”

“But there is still time?”

“Do you suppose he will want a wife who is more powerful than himself?” Heiden asked with a shake of his head. “He will promise to love you but in time his promises will fade and mould into envy and even hatred. The prophecy foretells that the man who takes your heart will fall into darkness and shadow, he will submit himself to Lagar and with his submission, hand you over to Lagar in return for his own wants and needs.”

“You speak of a man I do not know, Theodore is kind and gentle,” Eveline smiled nervously. “We ran under the trees and learned to swim together among other things. This man you speak of is no husband of mine.”

“And yet you have felt his growing anger towards you, have you not?” Heiden argued.

“Anger that was justified, he was jealous of Galean and so he should have been considering the prophecy and closeness between us,” Eveline returned hotly. “I am hardly in the right, I should have refrained myself from Galean’s friendship knowing what I knew.”

“And yet as you pandered to his orders and felt shame, his heart was yearning for another,” Heiden said, watching the hope in Eveline’s eyes fade. “His love for Jophiel was akin to the love you now bare for Galean, but she is dead having sacrificed herself for Belle. Do you think that your husband will so readily forget or forgive?”

“Your words are hateful and sharp,” Eveline shouted rather ungently. “You mean to strike a divide between myself and my husband? Galean has gone, he has left to return home.”

“And yet Theodore does not wish for you to return to Unas, he wishes you both to continue with your life in Keswick.”

“And if I wish that too?”

“Do you? Can you walk back into your life as though nothing has altered? Do you wish to be ignorant of all that you are?”

“You said I had free will?”

“You do, but ignorance does not become you,” Heiden said with emotion. “You are too precious and too important. Do you wish to allow your Kingdom to fall into the hands of your brother? Do you wish for your people to suffer and become slaves to oppression?”

“I had no say in who my parents where, how would my return aid any of those people you claim to be so dependent on me? They think me dead!”

“And imagine the hope you would inspire if they knew you lived?” Heiden returned with a frown. “If you reach the garden of Calhuni and are crowned Queen, you will have powers greater than any man within your kingdom, even those who are gifted with magic. You will become the equal of Heidan, if not more powerful. Gain your throne and crown and you will give those, lost and oppressed a reason to stand by your side and serve you as loyal subjects. Do you doubt my words?”

“Each with their own agenda, every man follows that which he can gain, not lose,” Eveline smiled weakly. “I daresay Hitler would follow me knowing I held such power but only so that he could exploit it for his own purpose, are those the people I wish to ensnare into my cause?”

“Yes, a wise man keeps his enemies close, for if you wish to keep your Kingdom then you must know everything about it and in order to do that you need to keep those who would exploit you within sight, so that you can exploit them when needs be,” Heiden said with a daring gaze.

“And your enemies? How do you keep them close?”

“By infiltrating their ranks with my own spies and keeping Lagar alive,” Heiden said, his response surprising Eveline.

“Why?”

“If I killed Lagar then someone equally as evil if not more so would take his place. Keeping him alive and keeping an eye on him, I know his behaviour, know his ways more so than anyone else,” Heiden explained. “If I am to rid the universe of him I must rid it of his ideology first, when that falls so do the shadows and in the end so does Lagar.”

“And if that happened, how would you keep peace?”

“Unfortunately the universe will never entirely be rid of those who wish to oppose me, but there are ways in which we can control our enemies thus bringing about a form of peace and contentment. Men will never stop fighting one another for what they deem a justifiable cause, that is the way of man,” Heiden said with a sigh. “But for every bad angel or human there is double the amount of good people and angels and so really in the end we are victorious. If there is anyone we should be worried about it is my grandson and your brother. He is unpredictable because he has been showered with great power and position, and worst of all unbeknown to him, his thirst for power is indulged by his father not out of love but out of greed and gain. Do you think that Lagar will let Heidan live, knowing he is more powerful than he himself?”

“No, but why does he keep him alive then?”

“He cannot lay claim to my throne no matter if he killed me, he knows this and that is why he impregnated my daughter, thus giving birth to a son who would lay claim to the throne.”

“But even if Heidan was to take your throne, Lagar still wouldn’t be a legitimate heir?”

“As to that, I do not know,” Heiden mused seriously. Of course he had had thoughts as to how Lagar could claim the throne, Eveline being one of them. As of late an idea, repugnant and perverse had entered his mind, an idea so dark it made him, God of all things shake with nausea. He looked down at Eveline who was looking up at him with a strange look in her eye. No, it would be better to keep such a thought to himself. If she found her way to Galean and soon, then such a thing would never occur, Galean was bound to her, he was the only man who could and would protect her against such dark plans. But, if such a plan occurred and succeeded, the universe and all within it would alter in such a way not even he could fathom it.

“What is it?” Eveline asked with worried eyes.

“It is nothing,” Heiden lied, a weak smile forming on his lips.

“Something has caused you to become quiet, is it to do with Lagar’s plan?”

“Yes but it is of no significance,” Heiden said. They held each other’s gaze for a moment before both of them lowered their eyes.

“May I ask who it is that sits in my place? Who rules Calnuthe now? I know that Ruarr has been invaded by Islaer and that Taer has been taken by a man named Ravan?”

“Ravans kingship grows weak, but your own kingdom of Calnuthe…,” Heiden turned away from her, lifting his eyes to the high altar. “Are you willing to enter another door? I wish to show you the man who now sits upon your throne in Caci and what he is capable of.”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Always,” Heiden said, raising a hand out for her to take. After a moment he felt her slight hand fill his own, large and strong hand. Before them another door sprouted out of nowhere and opened wide for both of them. “Are you ready?”

“Yes,” Eveline said as she took in a deep breath and followed her grandfather through the doorway. Together they fell into a void of darkness that sucked them downwards until they fell through another door onto a marbled surface. She felt no pain as she rolled onto her side, opening her eyes, finding Heiden already on his feet, looking down at her with a smile.

“Here take my hand,” he said, offering her one of his strong hands. Taking it, Eveline rose up onto her feet.

“I’m afraid that when I return to my physical body, I will be severely sick,” she said as she patted down her white gown and looked about.

“I promise you won’t be sick,” Heiden replied kindly as he watched her take in their surroundings.

“I have been here before, when I was christened,” she said with a smile. As she began to concentrate on the palace a frown formed upon her brow. “Something isn’t right,” she said darkly. “My father’s throne, it has been replaced.” Heiden watched her walk away towards the great throne, made out of bones and laden with skulls at its foot. Eveline came to stand before the throne and gasped aloud, her hand finding her mouth as she took in the repugnant throne made of bones. Behind her she could feel her grandfather’s eyes on her and turned to him with stricken eyes. The palace had changed, the once great and ancient flags had been replaced with black and red flags. Palace guards dressed in silver not gold armour lined the palace and servants, their feet bound by chains meekly walked about with their heads bent. From afar, to her left she heard the distant sound of cries as though coming from below the palace.

“Come, we do not have time to waste,” Heiden said with authority, waiting for her patiently. Eveline found herself speechless as she tried to digest the terrifying alterations that had taken place within the palace, once so beautiful, filled with light and merriness, now filled with darkness and oppression. She came to Heiden’s side with a depleted look. “Your people have suffered greatly at the hands of their oppressor.”

“Such anger consumes my bones I can hardly put it into words,” Eveline said quietly as they walked towards the great doors of the palace. On either side of the great doors lay smaller doors that were wide open, letting in a cold draft which filled the palace with a deadly chill. Heiden stopped Eveline before the arched doorway and turned to her, placing his hands on either side of her shoulders.

“Prepare yourself for what you are about to witness.”

“What do you mean?” Eveline asked as the cold wind rustled her long hair and brought goose bumps to her skin.

“What I am about to show you will not be a pleasant sight, but if it can help you to make your mind up then I must show you,” Heiden replied carefully, stepping under the doorway and outside. Eveline felt a wave of sickness run through her at the anticipation of what she was about to be shown. With chilling anticipation she followed Heiden outside, her bare feet upon the grey stone. Before the palace lay a great courtyard in the shape of an arrow head. Down both sides of the courtyard where a great flight of stone steps that led down to another courtyard which overlooked the great city of Caci, which lay to the right of the palace, which was situated on an island which lay in the centre of a great river. A wide bridge connected the city of Caci to the island. As Eveline and Heiden came to stand upon the flight of steps she noticed a large crowd gathered upon the courtyard below, mellow and silent. Eveline suddenly and with a jolt realised why the crowd were silent, a few cries piercing the grey sky above. A dozen or so peasants, men, women and children were hanging from posts that dotted the courtyard below. A sudden urge to be sick overpowered Eveline and her body retched. She bent over herself, clasping her hands to her knees as she bent her head downwards towards the ground. A warm hand fell upon her back and gently rubbed her in a soothing circular pattern. “This is the harsh reality of what is occurring in all three Kingdoms of Calhuni as sickening as it is to witness.”

“Who would do such a horrid thing? Who could be so cruel? They are innocent men, women and children,” Eveline cried out as she clasped a hand to her stomach, taking in deep breathes, hoping that the wave of nausea would pass. As she tried to control her inner urges she heard a male’s voice from below and froze.

“Don’t you think it slightly unfair that you get to have your fun and I don’t?” Heidan said aloud in front of the mourning crowd. “You with your pathetic attempt at a revolt and I just standing by watching it unfold before my very undazed pair of eyes.” Eveline lifted her gaze from the ground and sought the source of the voice. He seemed taller and darker than before, he was not as thin as when she had first beheld her him in the garden. Now he was strong and muscular, dark and terrifying, Eveline could only applaud a man who would dare stand up to such a monster, clad in silver and black a great cloak of fur hiding his enormous, athletic figure. She felt herself weaken, how could she ever hope to defeat such a man?

“Strength does not only lie in your physical body,” Heiden said gently as he kept himself close to her, seeing the disturbed look upon her face.

“It certainly helps,” Eveline groaned inwardly, the sight of the hangings still causing her to feel ill. “How did he take my father’s throne?”

“We can discuss that later when you are feeling a bit better,” Heiden replied sternly, not meeting her gaze for fear it would betray him. Eveline did not have time in which to argue, Heidan now beaconed forward a pair of soldiers who were dragging a prisoner along the ground, his aged body broken and torn, evidence of the torture he had endured. As the man was dragged before the crowd, members of the sober audience began to weep loudly as though this man had meant something to all of them.

“Every revolt begins with a whisper, here and there,” Heidan proclaimed loudly to the weeping crowds, his hands and arms dancing about him in an elegant manner. “But behind every great revolt lies a face, a face that becomes the physical body of such a campaign. Let me enlighten you as to how to ensure your revolt succeeds shall I?” Heidan looked down at the man, his lips curling into a smile. A harsh wind swept across the courtyard, causing the great flags of Calnuthe to sway violently from side to side. Heidan grabbed the man’s hair and pulled his face backwards, forcefully turning his weak body around so that the crowd could see him. “Never deign to give a revolt a face or leader, for if they are caught then your campaign surely falters, for who becomes leader next will set apart the unity of such a cause and create internal conflict that only the true face of the campaign can control.” Heidan looked down into the eyes of the old man. “When the enemy hunts down such a face and catches him then your hopes and aspirations to succeed slip away.” The man let out a cry, his face swollen and bloodied. “Stupid men always believe they must be led by another, well if you need to be led and spoon fed then I shall spoon feed all of you with my Kingship. Let this be a lesson to all who think or believe themselves greater than I, let this message spread throughout all of your treacherous rebel groups, let it infiltrate your ranks and spread terror into all of your pathetic minds. Any man or women believed to be acting against the Kingdom will be executed and their children sold into slavery,” Heidan grappled at his knife as though thirsty. “And to those of you who believe yourself my equal I invite you to stand before me and prove yourself.”

“Who is the prisoner?” Eveline asked Heiden, who was standing with a dark look upon his face.

“He is known as Alderforth, once one of your father’s advisors and friends,” Heiden replied, his lips firm and set. “He is the leader of a rebel group that has become a force to be reckoned with lately.”

“How was he captured?” Eveline asked as she watched Heidan talk on to the large crowd of weeping peasants.

“Heidan has many cruel and callous men at his beck and call but no one more so than Cenric, the master of spies,” Heiden replied coldly as he turned his gaze towards a man who stood some feet away from them. He was also dressed in black, a great cloak of fur covering his tall form. Eveline let her eyes run over his strong features and angular face. He was dark and terrifying to look at, with a scar that ran across his right eye and down his cheek, stopping just under his ear. “They call him the Eye for two reasons, firstly his physical impairment which has rendered him blind in his right eye and secondly his acute ability to source out a fly, using his specially trained spies and his inhumane ability to not only torture men but to invade their minds. He is one of the most calculating and manipulative men I have witnessed in all my life, which spreads thousands of years in time.” Eveline felt an instant hatred for the man, whose green eye was piercing. He stood perfectly still and quiet like a lion before it pounced, sending a shiver down Eveline’s spine. She had never fully understood how a man or woman could become so cruel and still in this moment she felt perplexed by the cruelty and perverse sense of enjoyment these men received from human suffering. She turned her gaze once more to Heidan and Alderforth and felt her head ache, she knew what was to come but was so shocked at the submissive nature of the crowd of peasants, how one man could become so powerful. As she closed her eyes briefly she heard whispers within the crowd of peasants and opened her eyes wide to see what was going on. Towards the back of the crowd a young person around Eveline’s age stood upon the wall. Eveline strained her eyes to get a better look. It was a young woman with short black hair, holding a bow and arrow directly aimed at Heidan and Alderforth.

“An eye for an eye!” yelled the young woman, freeing an arrow from her bow as she spoke. The arrow spun through the air, its noise a thin whistle that claimed the air about it as she journeyed above the heads of the peasants and stabbed the prisoner in the heart. Within the crowd a great furry of anxious cries and yells of victory suddenly erupted as the young woman placed another arrow in her bow as a dozen or so soldiers ran towards her. Heidan looked down at the dead man and threw his body to the ground with disgust. As he stood glaring at the young woman he clicked his fingers. Behind them a cry rang out forcing Eveline to turn her head. A young woman no more than sixteen was being dragged towards Heidan, her once long blonde hair cut and her body covered in a thin layer of cotton, barely covering her body. Her feet were chained and her hands bound behind her back. Eveline stepped away from her grandfather and walked towards the young girl stretching out her hands.

“We must help her!” she cried out to Heiden who stood still watching his granddaughter try to stop what was inevitably about to happen. “Please!”

“I cannot stop what has already taken place,” Heiden said with heavy eyes. Eveline stopped before the guards and turned to her grandfather.

“Why have you brought me here?” Eveline cried out, her body cold and her heart thudding wildly against her chest.

“I told you why,” Heiden said with perfect calmness. “You wanted to know who sits upon your throne.” Eveline faltered as a young girl, sobbing loudly was brought before the new King. Eveline searched the crowd and found the bow woman, something passed over the young woman’s face as the young girl was forced to stand before the lifeless body of Alderforth.

“So young,” Heidan whispered into the girl’s ear. “So fresh and so consumed with terror, the smell of it reeks across your skin.”

“Zala I’m coming!” the bow woman cried out as the crowd began to fight the soldiers that were trying to wind their way through the peasants, trying to reach the young woman who now placed another arrow within her bow, drawing it back. Heidan took Zala by the throat and brought her up into the air above him, her feet dangling before him.

“Arae no!” Zala tried to call out as her captor tightened his fingers around her slender throat. Eveline heard the arrow pierce the sky, spinning its way over towards Heidan and his prisoner. With incredible agility Heidan raised hid free hand and caught the arrow between his fingers. The crowd instantly grew quiet as did the bow woman who looked on with horror.

“It would be so easy to just snap your neck right now, but where would the fun be in that?” Heidan whispered venomously, his dark eyes glaring up into the young pair of green eyes.

 “I would rather die than spend another day breathing the same air as you!” Zala said with great courage, her skin beaded with sweat as she tried to keep her body from breaking.

“What poor sport you are,” Heidan laughed aloud, Cenric looking on with a perverse smile upon his lips. “Why I haven’t even started with you yet, and such entertainment will I derive from you.” Eveline felt her hands tighten into fists and with surging anger she waltzed over to Heidan and swung her hand through the air as though to punch him, instead her hand went through his head and she stood away. “I daresay your sister will enlighten my days and nights once I have sought her out and brought her to her knees before me. Such spirit and courage she has, I wonder how long it will take to suck all of that life out of her?”

“Eveline come, you have seen enough,” Heiden said aloud, holding out his hand to an unwilling Eveline, who found her feet frozen to the ground. “Now Eveline.” Eveline turned on her heel and made her way over to her grandfather, resting her right hand into his own and falling instantly through time for the seventh time. They fell together, their bodies once more being sucked down through a void of darkness until they both fell through an open door, their bodies hitting the ground softly.

*

The smell that surrounded Eveline was familiar and when she opened her eyes she smiled through the tears that fell from her eyes. Such a mixture of emotions ran through her, chiefly anger and frustration. As she rolled herself onto her bottom, she lifted her legs to her chest and bent her head down into the curve of her knees and wept. So much had happened to her in the last few weeks she hardly knew how to digest any of it rationally, never had she openly cried for such a period of time. She sat close to the shore of the lake and felt the warm air touch her skin gently as though nature had wrapped a tender and warm blanket over her. Around her she could hear the summer birds singing and chanting as the beautiful trees swayed to either side of her.

“During your first summer here you witnessed one of nature’s more horrific events, do you remember?” the gentle voice of Heiden chimed from afar. Eveline sniffed loudly, her stomach rumbling with hunger. She looked up from her knees, her eyes searching for him. He stood some distance from her, looking out across the lake with burdened eyes.

“I found a bird’s nest,” Eveline sniffed, wiping her face with the material of her gown. “I observed it for two weeks with Theodore, waiting with anticipation for them to fledge.” Heiden turned around and looked over at her with furrowed brows. He looked withered and bent, his physical appearance baring a similar resemblance to Eveline’s mentality. “One day when I came down with Wordsworth I found all four of the babies dead upon the ground, near to the fallen nest. It was the first time I had cried since arriving in Keswick.”

“I watched you from afar and felt your pain as it cut through you like a cold double edged blade,” Heiden said with sorrow in his voice.

“You watched me?” Eveline asked with raised brows, her tears beginning to dry.

“I have always been watching you,” Heiden said with a small smile playing upon his lips.

“I didn’t see you,” Eveline whispered as she brought herself to her feet.

“I am all around you Celestine, I am the air that bites at your skin, the sparrow that darts across the sky, the newly sprung buds of spring and the eyes of your wolfhound,” Heiden said, his words broken as though he too felt moved to tears. “I watched you as you first discovered your ability to control things, to make the autumn leaves dance about your feet ever so beautifully. I watched as you healed a young child’s knee, which had been badly grazed upon the ground when you were playing with one another. I watched you sit within the small library, devouring book after book. I watched you follow in the footsteps of your brother and husband, forever in awe of his abilities and good nature.” Eveline stood quietly as her grandfather spoke. “When you cried during the night due to your ever present nightmares, I sat at the end of your bed until you fell asleep. I listened to your prayers, listened to you play the piano and sing and listened to you when you cried out for help, always confused as to why people ran away from you claiming you be a witch.”

“I never felt your presence,” Eveline said with brimming eyes as she stepped closer to her grandfather.

“Truly?” Heiden raised his brows, his eyes knowing. “Why did you hold onto your bible so dearly? Because you felt a presence within you, a presence you acquainted with the Christian God. It astounded your very logical and rationale mind to feel something spiritual within, but you were right to believe in it, because I have always been at your side, looking through the eyes of others so that I could watch you grow up into the woman you are now.”

“Why did you not show yourself to me sooner? Why have you kept all of this other life a secret from me? My mind is ailed with confusion and emotion, how am I meant to take in and register all that you have shown me without falling into the depths of despair? What am I to do now?” Eveline asked with urgency as she came and stood before the great God, still so mighty and terrifying to behold, yet he was her grandfather, her blood and flesh.

“I will not push your nor force you into action, you need time to come to terms with all that has happened and that may take several months,” Heiden said patiently. “When you awaken, you will be faced with hardships. But if in time you believe your destiny is to go back to your native world and stand up against the hands of oppression then I will guide you.”

“You will come with me?” Eveline asked with hope.

“No, I cannot. If you wish to walk down that path then you will have to do it alone, not because I wish to forsake you, but only that I would sabotage your campaign. If you wish to hold the respect of your people and claim back your throne let it be of your own doing and not because you are the granddaughter of Heiden. You want your people to follow you not out of fear but loyalty. Heidan must not be able to reach into your mind, taking whatever information he can find about me in order to use it against you. But I will watch from afar as I have always done.”

“Estelle always said that you couldn’t expect God to hold your hand all the time, that he gave you the tools in which to hold yourself up,” Eveline smiled. “I understand what you mean, you want me to earn my place upon the throne.”

“Yes. Your journey will be marked with episodes of darkness but you must face them if you are to become the ruler Calnuthe needs, strong, intelligent and able.”

“And if I choose not to return to my world?”

“I will support you whatever your decision, but know that Lagar will never stop haunting you, he will never stop searching for you,” Heiden said with serious eyes. “Whatever you choose you will be forced to change, you will have to become strong enough to stand against those who would wish you to fall.”

“If I choose to return to Unas, where do I begin? How do I travel through time?”

“I believe you have met your local minister?” Heiden replied as Eveline wrapped an arm through his own.

“Yes, he is the head of the freemasons in Keswick.”

“If you wish to return to Unas he will know what to do, go to him and he will direct you to where it is you need to go.”

“And if I return to Unas, what do I do then?”

“If everything goes according to plan then you shall not be alone when you return, there will be those who have been waiting for your arrival for quite some time,” Heiden said with hesitancy.

“How will they know about my arrival?”

“A great priest called Anvin rules over an ancient island called Summe, he has seen your return,” Heiden explained, his eyes cast downwards into the golden gaze of Eveline.

“But what I choose not to return?” Eveline asked with a confused expression as wisps of her auburn hair swirled about her pale face. The warm water of the lake soaked her tired feet, bringing refreshment and relief. The rays of the sun hit the waters causing them to sparkle and dance, bringing comfort to Eveline, who missed her home greatly since being away.

“As I have previously said not all prophecies bear fruit,” Heiden said, laying a hand upon her own. He had for such a long time wished to embrace his daughters’ child and now that that time had arisen he held onto it knowing that soon they would be separated once more. “But if you do decide to reclaim what is rightfully yours then there will be those waiting for you, those who will guide you and protect you.”

“Before I awaken, will you tell me how my parents died?” Eveline asked, her fingers gently grasping at the thick golden material.

“They were poisoned by your brother during a great feast which was held on your naming day,” Heiden said with a sigh. “Your brother has many talents, shapeshifting is one of them. He had broken away from Islaer, wanting to take the throne of Calnuthe upon hearing that his mother had bared a child, thus producing another heir. He cannot risk having another heir who can claim not only the throne of Calhuni by blood but the throne of Heaven too. He will stop at nothing in order to kill you.”

“I am standing before two roads, both tainted with singular pros and cons, how do I know which is the right path?”

“I think you already know,” Heiden said gently as a heron skimmed the waters of the lake. “But there is much to consider and much to battle with before you make up your mind.” Eveline began to cry, leaning her head against her grandfather’s arm.

“I don’t know if I will ever be able to live with what I have done,” she said through her tears and sobs. “I don’t know if I will ever be able to free myself from the guilt that stings within.”

“What happened was not your fault,” Heiden tried to soothe, bringing her about before him so that he could wrap his strong arms about her frail body, letting his warmth radiate throughout her. “In time you will come to see it also, but for now let your heart cry, let the pain bury itself deep within, let the drops of water fall from your soul until you can cry no longer. There will come a day when you will raise your eyes to the sky and breathe anew. Estelle loved you even in death and forever will she love you.”

“Eveline?”

Eveline stopped crying and held herself still in the arms of Heiden. She knew that voice, knew it and feared it. She peered around Heiden’s wide chest and caught a glimpse of Estelle, perfectly dressed as always, standing a little bit away, smiling down at her broadly. Eveline held her gaze before looking up into the face of Heiden.

“Humans become angels when they pass away. I thought that maybe you should spend some time with Estelle before you return to your body.”

“Shall you wait for me?”

“No, it is time I left. Estelle will show you the way back,” Heiden said with a flash of sadness in his eyes. “Remember our conversation and do not tread lightly on your decision. If you choose to return to Calnuthe then visit your reverend, he will know what to do.”

“But there is still so much to discuss,” Eveline said desperately as Estelle walked down through the meadow coming to stand before them.

“You will have plenty of time to talk soon,” Estelle interrupted kindly. Eveline turned to her adoptive mother and then glanced back at Heiden who smiled at her.

“She is a very wise woman,” he said before letting go of Eveline and bowing low. “I will see you soon. And Eveline?”

“Yes?” Eveline looked into the pensive eyes of her newly acquainted grandfather hardly believing she was his granddaughter.

“He will never stop hunting you,” Heiden brought her close to him, both hands upon her arms. “His creatures are intelligent and loyal, they will never stop searching for you. Be vigilant and keep your eyes and ears open at all times, especially when you feel safe and secure for that is when the enemy strikes hard.”

“You will be near?”

“As near as I can be,” Heiden promised. “Travel to Anglesey with the help of your reverend, they will give you the answers you seek.”

“I will try,” Eveline whispered gently, her lashes fluttering with emotion, she had only been introduced to him and he was leaving her. She clutched at his wrists, unwilling to let him go as he was the last remaining part of her mother.

“Unyae and Elieor would be so proud of who you have become,” Heiden smiled warmly, seeing the anxiety in her face, her eyes moist and her lips trembling. “I can see them both within you, beauty blessed with strength and courage. Never lose sight of the light even when cornered for it will always reveal itself to those who are loyal and in need.”

“Must you leave me?” Eveline begged much to her embarrassment.

“For now, yes,” Heiden said as he swept away a strand of Eveline’s auburn hair. “You need to spend time with Estelle before you awaken.”

“I am frightened of awaking,” Eveline whispered into his ear, not wishing Estelle to hear her.

“Many tests await you, but you have the strength to see them through,” Heiden replied softly. “Believe in yourself Celestine, you are surrounded by those who will protect you.”

“Come Eveline there is not much time,” Estelle interrupted as Heiden stood away from Eveline, releasing his hands from her. Eveline again found herself crying as he dived his right hand into the pocket of his golden robe and withdrew something small from it.

“This belonged to your mother,” he said with a faintness in his breath as he opened his hand to revel a golden ring, decorated with a diamond star, small and discreet. “She named you after the stars as she was known as the Goddess of stars, jewel of the universe.” Eveline stepped forward and looked down into the palm of his hand, touching the ring with her index finger. “It belongs to you now,” Heiden said, his breathe wistful and deep. Eveline took the ring into her fingers.

“Which finger do I place it on?”

“Your index finger,” Heiden said, taking the ring from her and placing it on to her index finger himself. Eveline raised her right hand before her and smiled, the ring fitted perfectly upon her finger. “You have her hands,” Heiden whispered. Eveline blushed slightly at the compliment and rested her hand upon her chest, smiling up into his face.

“Thank you,” she said as he bowed before her. No more words were spoken as Heiden turned and walked away from Eveline and Estelle who came to her daughter’s side, watching the great and magnificent God disappear into the distance. Estelle wrapped an arm about Eveline.

“What a journey you have found yourself on,” Estelle exclaimed, bringing Eveline into a tight hug. Eveline felt her body stiffen, she had killed her mother but a few days ago.

“How can you be so nice to me when it is I that killed you,” she said into her mother’s hair.

“You didn’t kill me, I placed the knife into my heart,” Estelle argued lightly as took her daughters hand and placed it upon her wrist gently.

“Only to save me from doing it,” Eveline replied curtly, her gaze still upon her mother’s ring.

“Eveline you were possessed by a demon, there was nothing you could do.”

“I don’t think everyone will share the same view.”

“And if they had been possessed? Would they have acted differently?”

Eveline turned and let out a sigh of frustration. Not even the beautiful summer’s afternoon or her mother’s ring could soften the heavy realisation of what she had done.

“Did you know about my real parents?” she asked aloud, her hands upon her hips.

“No, I knew nothing of your parents or who you truly were,” Estelle replied with honesty. “Did I think you gifted yes, you showed signs of an incredible ability when you first came to me. I didn’t understand how any being could possess such power but such things have been documented across the world since the dawn of time. I learnt to embrace all that you and Theodore were because my love for you both was greater than the fear of who you were.”

“I am the granddaughter of Heiden,” Eveline exclaimed darkly. “My mother was his only daughter and my father the High King of three Kingdoms not of this world.”

“What were their names?” Estelle asked softly, walking towards Eveline with soft eyes and lips.

“Unyae and Elieor,” Eveline returned, trying to control the urge to cry once again. “They were both…, very much in love.”

“And such beauty brought forth an equally beautiful child,” Estelle said with warmth, her fingers touching Eveline’s cheek, her eyes moist and sombre. “What happened to them?”

“They were poisoned by my half-brother, first child of my mother and of Lagar,” Eveline said as she sniffed, finding comfort in Estelle’s touch.

“How?” Estelle asked with concerned eyes.

“Galean once told me that Lagar and another named Lagman invaded Aurelius, the high city of Heaven and killed many women and children,” Eveline began, biting down on her lips so much so that she drew blood. “Lagar killed my three uncles and grandmother, but the worst of it is that instead of killing my mother, he impregnated her instead.”

“I don’t know what to say…”

“I don’t think there are any words to describe what happened to my mother and father,” Eveline sighed, letting her newly adorned hand fall to her side. The sun was beginning to set over the lake as she looked out across its waters. “My grandfather wishes for me to return to my world and reclaim my father’s Kingdom.”

“And your wish?” Estelle probed cautiously, her eyes taking in the beauty of her home.

“My brother sits upon my throne and rules with an iron hand,” Eveline said as wisps of her curls blew across her face. “Two equally oppressive men sit upon the thrones of my other Kingdoms.” Eveline turned her golden eyes to Estelle, who looked troubled. “A great and heavy shadow lies over my father’s lands, my people’s lands. He executes women, men and children for entertainment and has among many other things embraced slavery, especially young girls.”

“And does Heiden think you strong enough to take on all of this?” Estelle asked with furrowed brows.

“He believes that I need time to adjust to all that has been revealed to me,” Eveline replied lightly, walking over to Estelle and laying a soothing hand upon her. “He wishes me to travel to the island of Anglesey to seek out a secretive group of druids. He believes that I will find strength and answers there, enough to help me to make my mind up.”

“And Theodore?”

“I don’t know,” Eveline said sombrely, the hem of her gown swaying about her bare feet and legs. “He and I have become so altered, I hardly know what to do.”

“He was your brother and best friend before all of this,” Estelle said with urgency. “He will need you.”

“I wish I could explain to you why it is that my husband has been so angry and distant,” Eveline said as a black bird passed by above their heads.

“You don’t think that I haven’t been observing the behaviour between you, Theodore, Galean and Jophiel? You don’t think that I have felt pain to see the pain that lay between the four of you?” Estelle said quickly, causing Eveline to flush with shame. “That his heart belonged to Jophiel before he came to us? That your heart belongs to Galean?”

“My heart and loyalty lies with Theodore,” Eveline said abruptly. “He is my husband.”

“Eveline I know you inside out, don’t play the fool with me,” Estelle said with sorrow. “Do you remember when we walked through the countryside that evening when you and Theodore announced your engagement? And I asked you if your feelings were equal to his?”

“Yes,” Eveline said quietly.

“I knew they were not, I knew you loved him deeply,” Estelle said with a weak smile. “But you were never in love with him, you wished yourself to be and tried for so long to talk yourself into being in love with him, but I knew you were not. I should have been honest, I should have spared you both from the pain you are now having to endure.”

“Mother please, I love him I do,” Eveline cried out desperately.

“Of course you love him, you set aside your own heart to marry him and make him happy, you were always sacrificing yourself for others,” Estelle said with a smile. “You believed that no other man would ever accept you for who you truly were but Theodore. I am not angry with you, I do not judge you for I can understand your reasons. Many women have married for less.”

“But?”

“When Galean came into your life you changed, a bud that had been withering away within you suddenly came to life,” Estelle said gently, the wrinkles upon her skin curling as she smiled. “A part of me rejoiced, for I had waited for years for that bud to grow and bloom.”

“I was glad to have a friend,” Eveline lied, shaking her head in denial.

“At the back of mind I always worried what would happen when you found a man you fell deeply in love with, it plagued me like the devil,” Estelle said with a frown. “On the one hand I was captivated by the transformation that you had undergone simply in the presence of Galean and on the other I was growing fearful of your reunion with Theodore.”

“Galean has gone, he has left this world and returned to his own,” Eveline said quietly, a tear falling from her eye. “Theodore is my husband, there is no other.”

“You love Galean and I understand it was not of your choosing, nor did you act inappropriately with him,” Estelle tried to reassure Eveline. “But such a wide and raging river divides you and your husband, both your heart attached to another.”

“He will hate me for what I have done,” Eveline cried bitterly. “Possessed or not, my actions have led to the deaths of you, his friends and Jophiel. He will never forgive me.”

“You underestimate your husband’s heart and kindness,” Estelle said quickly. “Don’t give up on him just yet, he will surprise you.”

“And if he doesn’t follow me to Anglesey? What do I do then?” Eveline asked with desperate eyes.

“Theodore would follow you anywhere, the pair of your where inseparable growing up,” Estelle smiled. “He will not have forgotten that nor will he forget the love he has for you.”

“But things will never be as they were,” Eveline sighed heavily, her toes curling into the warm sand.

“No, but that doesn’t mean that you give up on one another,” Estelle said, his fingers pressing into Eveline’s wrist lightly. “Remember you were both best friends, if you find the love of a husband and wife has gone then remember who you both were before your life’s altered. Marriage is never easy but you work at it, and you never know what can come from it if you don’t try. Time mends all things and if time is what the pair of you need then invest in it and see what develops.”

“And if he never forgives me?”

“It seems to me you both need to forgive one another,” Estelle said tenderly. The rays of the sun fell upon them both as they turned to face the great lake once more. “The sun always rises and sets, your marriage and friendship will survive if you both wish it.”

“I wish I could go back to the way life was before all of this,” Eveline said darkly. “When there were no complications and I was awaiting the return of my husband.”

“Your life was never meant to be simple Eveline, you have always known that.”

“Ignorance is bliss,” Eveline smiled sheepishly.

“You were always meant for greater things, you were never of this world,” Estelle said with serious eyes. “If you choose to return to your world, then use the powers you have and break the chains of slavery and oppression. Become who you were born to be.”

“I don’t feel like a Queen, I don’t feel like anything special or great,” Eveline said with a shake of her head. Carelessly she ran her fingers through her hair and down her neck, using her fingers to knead the muscles, bringing brief relief to her shoulders.

“Your grandfather seems to think differently, do you doubt him?”

“I am his only hope, he has to place his trust in me even if he doubts my ability,” Eveline said with a frustrated smile, the dimples in her cheeks contouring.

“Your grandfather does not strike me as a man who places his trust in someone who will fail,” Estelle said with a kind eye. “He sees what I have always seen in you, destiny and hope.”

“I am only one person, I cannot defeat three Kings and their armies by myself,” Eveline groaned inwardly, her feet soaking in the waters once more.

“Heiden has told you what to do, heed his word, he would never expect you and you alone to defeat your enemies,” Estelle said wisely. “There are many whose lives will intertwine with your own, many whose hands will aid your own.”

“And if they lose faith in me?”

“Have I lost faith in you?” Estelle asked as a light wind crossed the lake and embraced their bodies. Eveline shook her head, her eyes closed. “Galean saw the trueness of you, he saw what others couldn’t and he believed in you.”

“Theodore and Galean brought me from my world to this one when I was a baby,” Eveline said. “How ironic considering that the very act of saving me ruined their lives.”

“How?”

“It was because of me that Theodore left Jophiel, breaking her heart and his vow to marry her,” Eveline said her words broken with deep emotion. “And saving me cost Galean his family.”

“Do you think that Galean would have loved you if he blamed you for his family’s unfortunate death? Considering you lost yours too? Do you think them both as inconsiderate and unfeeling as to place the blame at your feet?”

“I would,” Eveline said with a frown.

“They love you,” Estelle said with a sternness, forcing Eveline’s eyes to meet her own. “There love has shielded you all these years from those who would gladly see you dead. Do not be quick to judge them or quickly to assume how they feel on the subject. Both of them believe in you and the cause to which you represent. There is no bitterness within them that is aimed towards you, there is only devotion and love.”

“Their love for me has separated them from one another, am I not to blame for that?”

“No, we do not choose who we fall in love with, we have to simply accept such a fate and deal with it as it comes,” Estelle said kindly. “In the end it will be there love that saves you, whether they hate one another or not.”

“Can you ever forgive me?”

“There is nothing to forgive Eveline, you are my child and I love you,” Estelle said, bringing Eveline into another embrace. “Come it is time to return to your body.”

“So soon?”

“You have been asleep for too long my love, it is time for you to awaken,” Estelle said gently as the home they once shared together began to fade away as though their surroundings were constructed of small tiles, falling away from the wall of darkness that soon consumed their bodies. Soon the darkness stilled and they both stood within the Abbey, still holding onto one another.

“How will I awaken?” Eveline asked her mother, her fingers clutching at her angelic robe.

“How does the heart awaken?” Estelle asked her daughter quietly, stepping out of their embrace and taking her hand, guiding her over towards the stone table in which her physical body lay, close to that of Belle.

“I don’t know,” Eveline said thoughtfully as she gazed down at her pale and lifeless body.

“Love my child, it is within us all and bears many fruits, including healing,” Estelle said gently, her hand within Eveline’s. “Love transcends death and brings forth life.”

“But how will it help me to awaken?” Eveline asked with a confused expression as she, with the help of Estelle climbed up onto the stone table and laid down within her physical body.

“It will come to you and kiss your lips like the rays of the sun kiss the earth when it rises in the morning and sets in the evening,” Estelle said gently, her head bent low so that her nose touched Eveline’s. Her left hand was laid upon her child’s forehead. “It is time for me to leave you now.”

“Will I see you again mother?” Eveline asked, her golden eyes filled with tears.

“Soon,” Estelle smiled, a tear falling from her own eye, staining Eveline’s cheek. “Look after Theodore and remember, there is nothing to forgive. My love for you is everlasting, transcending all inequities.” Estelle kissed Eveline gently before a light took them both from one another as time altered and Eveline returned to her physical body.





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