Book One : The Prophecy : XXI : The Choice

XXI

The Choice

7^th April 1941

You make choices every day and almost every hour that keep you walking in the light or moving away towards darkness…

Henry B. Eyring.

“Mrs Berrywaithe received news that her son has been lost in action,” Mary exclaimed to Eveline as she handed her a cup of tea.

“Thomas?”

“Indeed, such a tragic loss,” Mary sighed as she returned to the sink to wash out some dishes. “That’s twenty four of our fine young boys taken from us.”

“She has a daughter yes?” Eveline asked, her eyes upon the swirling hot water within her china tea cup.

“Yes, Ethel is her name,” Mary returned with a smile as she looked out of the kitchen window and into the blooming garden. “She works up on farmer’s Jacks fields with the rest of the young women.”

“I always remember Ethel as being the shyest of the lot, is she still as shy now?”

“Oh yes,” Mary retorted with a wave of her hand. “I am certain she shall always be of such a nature.”

“She has keen eyes for nature,” Eveline murmured as her husband entered the kitchen, stopping for a brief moment. “Morning Theo.”

“Morning Evie,” he muttered, taking a seat opposite his wife and filling his plate with toast. The room had turned in on itself with icy awkwardness as the two sat opposite one another, keeping their gazes averted.

“Are you busy today?” Eveline enquired warmly.

“Not especially, you?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” Eveline lied. “I thought I would start to go through mothers clothes.”

“What will you do with them?”

“I shall give them to charity as she would have wanted,” Eveline smiled, draining her cup of the china tea. “If that is alright with you?”

“Yes, I have no problem with you sorting through her stuff,” Theodore smiled weakly, lifting up the Times paper and opening it. Eveline set down her cup and rose from the table.

“If you’ll excuse me,” she whispered, bringing her cup and saucer over to Mary. Theodore merely hummed as she turned and exited the kitchen. Eveline for the first time in three months put on her coat and hat. She stood before small mirror that hung near to the door and looked at her reflection. With one last stare she turned and quietly opened the door. She moved with caution until she came to the garden gate. Opening the gate she fastened her hat to her head and made her way down the country lane towards the graveyard which lay near to the town of Keswick. It was a fine spring’s day and all about her were the joys of nature, the gentle swaying of the newly blooming trees and the poetic singing of the morning birds. She had not recovered so much as to find joy in what was once her greatest of loves. And as she quietly made her way down into Keswick, spying some of the ministers friends close by she kept her eyes upon the ground, unable to let her gaze run over the newly enriched lands that surrounded the beautiful lake. The struggles deep within still clawed away at Eveline, despite her cleaner image and her strengthening social activities. A heavy mass of grey cloud still hung over her at all times, still she was struck by night terrors and still she awoke to find Lagar watching over her with venomous eyes. But the news of Galean’s survival had in turn revived her a little, sweeping away some of the mists of grief and in turn giving her clarity.

Theodore had withheld the information of Galean’s survival at bay on purpose and for this on top of his violent act of jealousy she could not forgive, no matter her lies to him the previous evening. When she had returned to her room shaking with anger and disorientation she began to pack a leather suitcase, filling it with all the necessities she would need for the journey ahead. During the morning hours she had written a lengthy letter to her husband explaining why it was that she was leaving him. The letter had been dashed with small dots of salt water as she wept over her words. She knew her leaving would anger him and knew that he would try to come after her, but if she was cleaver and she needed to be, now that she being hunted down by these four knights, then she would keep herself hidden and out of sight, with the added help of the reverend. Eveline stopped on the outskirts of the town and took in a deep breathe, her eyes on the nearby graveyard. With her hat lowered over her eyes she made her way through the busy town until she came to the local church and graveyard. Quietly and sombrely she found Estelle’s grave and came to stand before it with saddened eyes.

At first she was struck down by pain and shame for not having the courage to visit sooner. But in time as the sun shone over the silent and sleeping sanctuary she bent down to the ground and placed a hand upon the stone monument.

“I’m sorry for not coming sooner,” she whispered to the thin air. “I have been unwillingly flung into the claws of grief and depression and selfishly have been unable to move beyond my own walls.” Eveline, her feet now consumed with pins and needles bent her knees lower to the warm blades of grass, letting her feet settle in comfort under her. The stone monument was simple and on it was Estelle’s name and the dates of her birth and death. “I don’t know where to begin really other than to say that life is a mess, my relationship with Theodore has fallen apart and I am now being hunted down by creatures greater than those who have been hunting me since birth.” Eveline lowered her gaze and laughed at the irony. “And now I am having to make the hardest decision of my life thus far. To stay with my husband despite his betrayal or to part from him and return to my people as you and my grandfather wish.” Above her a wood pigeon flew, the sound of its wings beating filling the still air about Eveline. “So much of what once filled me as a person and woman has faded away with your death, so much that I once loved and enjoyed has simply vanished into thin air. There is no peace within my soul, not even a small measure of peace lingers and I wish you were here to guide me as you always have done. Instead I am alone, within a darkened cave and outside roam a great pack of wolves, edging ever closer to my den. The Eveline that once was before Lagar and Galean wishes to stay here and live a normal life with her husband, but the Eveline now is restless and unwilling to settle. I cannot sleep at night knowing the horrors that my people suffer daily, I cannot settle knowing that somewhere in this great and vast universe is a brother who seeks to bring down a world filled with light. I cannot be content to simply set all of the realities of my situation to the side, simply hoping for a better outcome.” Eveline wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Once I had wished so strongly for courage and strength, to both help me socially and emotionally. I am beginning to at last feel the emergence of such tools that have flourished from my ill content and anger. I cannot let my parent’s death be in vain and I cannot stand by and idly allow my brother to wreak havoc upon a once peaceful and prosperous land. I know I have much to learn and much to do but I can do it, knowing that Galean lives has given me the gumption I have so long prayed for.” Eveline looked about the graveyard and watched as a small dove crept amongst the grown over graves. “And that is why I have come to say goodbye. I’m not sure I will ever return to this world when I leave, but I know that you walk in the shadow of my grandfather and that I will meet with you soon in the future. I hope that you can forgive me for leaving Theodore. I pray that you can forgive me for all I have done.”

“Estelle was a proud woman,” the voice of the reverend said lightly. Eveline looked up from the grave and spotted the minister walking over to her. He was dressed in a simple day suit, his brown hair combed back, tidy and thick. “And even though you are not bound by blood, I can see traits of her in you.”

“Really?” Eveline asked with wide eyes as she came to feet to stand before the tall minister, whose face was calm as always, his eyes bright and becoming.

“Really. I have seen it more of late with each day that passes,” the reverend said with simplicity as he waded through the graveyard.

“All I can see before me is a grey fog,” Eveline replied with a saddened glare.

“It will take your mind and heart a long time to come to terms with all that has happened, but you are moving in the right direction,” Matthew said with a smile. Eveline searched the ministers face, a small smile forming on her lips as he looked back into her own, his eyes curious and wise.

“I wish to discuss a matter of urgency with you reverend, if you would be so kind as to give me a moment of your time?” Eveline said with renewed courage.

“Come let us sit down and speak,” Matthew answered, taking her right hand and placing it upon his sleeve. Together they walked through the graveyard in silence until they came to a nearby bench and sat down. Eveline looked across the graveyard and sighed.

“I wish to make for Anglesey as soon as possible,” she began, twisting her hands upon her lap with nervousness.

“I am glad you have come to the right decision I must admit that I have been in a dreaded state of panic all night,” Matthew admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. The anxiety left his body like the seeds of a daisy blown away by the light gusts of summer.

“I will be going without my husband,” Eveline whispered quietly, her hands stilling and her eyes lifting to meet with his own gaze. “He would have me wait, but I am uneasy about waiting.”

“Still I do not see why he cannot come with us?”

“You must be acquainted with the prophecy minister?”

“Yes I am,” Matthew nodded quickly.

“Then you know that I have a close friendship with Galean?” Eveline asked with raised brows, long locks of her auburn curls dancing about her fine face.

“Yes,” Matthew all but whispered.

“I know that he lives and whilst he lives my husband will not see me return to my world and people out of jealousy and contempt,” Eveline said plainly, her gaze steady and unyielding. “It was my husband that put a blade into Galean’s side and wounded him deeply.”

“Cael?” Matthew said with a confused expression. “I cannot believe he would maim his own kind that is not like him at all.”

“As I have explained, he is jealous of Galean and the prophecy and jealousy will drive a man to do things not even he thought possible,” Eveline said with a determined glare. “I, like you have clearly stated, do not have the time to simply wait for matters to ease. I must leave as soon as possible and with you.”

“Does Theodore know of your plan?” Matthew asked with a concerned stare.

“No, I have written him a letter stating my explanation,” Eveline replied. “We will be long gone before he reads it.”

“And you are sure about this?”

“I have never been more sure of anything minister,” Eveline smiled with certainty. “I must return to my people and with haste. Staying here will only place those who live here in terrible danger and I cannot risk that, I cannot have any more blood upon my hands.”

“When do you wish to leave?”

“In the morning if possible,” Eveline replied with a hopeful look. “I am packed and ready.”

“And if Theodore should follow us to Anglesey?”

“I am powerless as to how Theodore may react, if he chooses to follow us so be it, but if he chooses to remain then I am saving him from further trouble,” Eveline explained gently. “I have caused him grief and I wish to correct that. I want him to have a better life, filled with happiness and comfort. I being who I am cannot give that to Theodore, if he were to follow me through time and space he will always be in my shadow and Theodore never likes to stand in the shadows.”

“Our journey will be fraught with danger, which means that we will have to stay off the main roads,” Matthew said with thoughtful eyes. “These knights, they know where we are headed.”

“So we must travel cross country then?”

“Yes and that may mean a number of things,” Matthew sighed. “It may mean that we will have to abandon the car and walk on foot, as ancient and uncivilised as that may seem in this day and age. But any trace of our presence will only heighten their hunt, and they are deadly these knights, they have been hunting since the dawn of time.”

“I see,” Eveline hummed as she digested the information carefully.

“And your peculiar appearance will not aid matters,” Matthew said bluntly, no malice in his eyes.

“How can I correct that?”

“There is nothing I can do to change the colour of your eyes, but you will have to keep a low profile,” Matthew mused, his eyes delicately traces her features with slight awe. “The biggest footprint we can leave behind is you.”

“It is all rather complicated when one thinks on it,” Eveline whispered, her voice tinted with helplessness as she realised the journey before her would be fraught with peril and uncertainty.

“Do not give up just yet,” Matthew smiled, laying a calming hand upon her own. “We can out smart them still and get you to Anglesey on time.”

“You think so?” Eveline asked with wide eyes.

“I do. Anyway we don’t have much of a choice but to try.”

Eveline and Matthew sat together in companionable silence, the sun’s rays bathing their faces with warmth.

“I will miss it here,” Eveline admitted as she lowered the rim of her summer hat upon her head, to keep the sun from her eyes. “I will admit that of late my feelings have not been what they once were, but upon realisation that this will be my last day here I am now filled with a keen sadness to be leaving. I know that if I stay I will not just be putting my own life on the line but the life’s of all the good people who live here, many whose children are away fighting. And when I consider all of these vital elements I feel ashamed that my own feelings are so very grey and down.”

“The coming of spring masks a great many troubled hearts here in this beautiful town,” Matthew replied kindly, his eyes focused on a small bee that was now filtering between the flowers upon the graves closest to him. “It is sadder still to know as we do that a greater evil, a greater war is coming. A war that will cover this world in darkness, a war that will for the first time since the beginning of earth, unite man.”

“How strange to think my DNA is a part of all of this,” Eveline said with trembling lips as she plucked a daisy from the grass and swirled it around before her with interest. “All of my ancestry rests within the biology of this planet and others like it.”

“All of this can only survive if you do,” Matthew said with serious eyes, watching as Eveline twirled the daisy about.

“I have much to learn reverend and I’m not quite sure where it is I should begin.”

“You will learn along the way as we all do,” Matthew said with a re assuring smile.

“Do you think the people of Keswick would look upon me with kinder eyes if they knew who I was? If they knew that their very life’s depended on me?” Eveline wondered aloud, watching a young group of children pass by the church in a fit of giggles.

“It shouldn’t take the possibility of an apocalypse to make people love you for who you are,” Matthew answered with grave eyes. “That is one of the harder aspects of life. We humans are so very judgemental and despite our attempts to not judge a book by its cover we do just that. But you would be incorrect to think that all the residents of this town are repulsed by you, many of the members of my congregation believe you to be a miracle and how right they would be. Imagine their shock to know that you are their version of Jesus.”

“How is it that you are a Christian minister when you are quite obviously a non-Christian?” Eveline asked the young minister with an air of interest.

“If I am being brutally honest, it has nothing at all to do with religion but rather the positon it offers me within the community,” Matthew replied with a slight smile and flush of cheeks. “I am part of the freemasons and I collect information that may prove useful in protecting the lives of vulnerable citizens who are ignorant to the shadows that prey on them. It also gave me the access to keep an eye on you and an eye on the community of Keswick.”

“But how do you write sermons each week knowing what you do?”

“All religions have within their doctrines good ethical systems and I use that as a bases for my sermons. I take the stories within the bible and quite literally use them as metaphors,” Matthew said with a raised brow. “I of course serve a God, a true God who is a far cry from the Christian God. But if I have the power to better people within my community then I will try to do so. But never do I enforce religion upon my congregation, I simply try to serve them as best I can.”

“Are you an angel as well?” Eveline turned her gaze to him, shielding her eyes with her hand.

“My mother was an angel and my father a minister too, in fact he was the arch bishop of Canterbury which is how I came to be a part of the high order of freemasonry in London,” Matthew smiled with a devilish grin.

“Was your father a Christian believer?” Eveline enquired with a confused glare.

“Of course not, but he was given the position in order to claim a place within the high order.”

“Sounds a little treacherous, those poor people so ignorant to who he truly was and what he truly believed in,” Eveline said rather sadly.

“He was a good man and took an awful lot of young children under his wings, teaching them and helping them to grow into good young adults,” Matthew said with knowing eyes. “I like to think him better than most Christian ministers.”

“On that point you may be right.”

“Heiden does not ask his people to wage war on his behalf and he does not wish for blood to be spilled, he only asks that his subjects obey him and aim to be the best that they can be,” Matthew said quietly. “It really is that simple.”

“So a non-religious man who serves his community well and who is truly a good subject, will not end up in Hell?” Eveline said with a warm heart.

“Any subject that lives a good and honest life is entitled to life in Heaven. Those who are cruel and purposefully cause misery among his or hers community are not worthy of such an afterlife and are condemned to live among the shadows. Where would the fairness be in letting them into Heaven?”

“And how does my grandfather come to such judgements?”

“Everyone is assigned a guardian, although many are never aware that they indeed have one,” Matthew said as he leaned back against the wall of the church. “These guardians will consort with Heiden and the high council and they will determine the fate of the guardian’s subject.”

“What if the said guardian is corrupt?”

“Ah yes well that is where there superior comes in,” Matthew explained, waving his hands about in demonstration. “No judgement can be based on a bias point of view and so each set of guardians will have a superior or superiors and they will also give evidence before the high council.”

“I see.”

“So shall I collect you at sun rise?” Matthew asked gently as Eveline readied herself to leave.

“Yes, but I shall meet you at the end of the lane,” Eveline replied with a sigh. “Cars are noisy and you may awaken Theodore.”

“Too true,” Matthew said as he rose to his feet and helped Eveline up onto her own. “Well then I shall be waiting for you.”

“Good,” Eveline said unevenly. “Well then I should go now before Theodore and Mary wonder where I am.”

“Until tomorrow,” Matthew tipped his hat at Eveline.

“Until tomorrow reverend,” Eveline smiled, turning on her feet and walking away from the minister. With a quiet sigh, Eveline stopped before her mother’s grave and took one last lingering look before walking on.

*

Eveline held her small bible within her hand as she slouched against the wall, staring out of her bedroom window at the glistening lake, now gently bathing in the moonlight. Behind her she could see the flickering of her candle and before her she observed her reflection critically. Her once naive and youthful face had altered in the course of the last six months. The bags beneath her eyes had darkened due to lack of sleep and the constant unfailing need to cry. About her eyes were small lines, a mark of the grief and stress that had encased her heavy heart and soul, unyielding and unwilling to fade away. All the scars of the last six months where not just marked upon her psychological being but her physical being too and she found it a comfort, never would she look in the mirror and be without memory of all that had passed. As the night came to pass, she felt the growing sense of uneasiness fill her, soon she would, not by force walk away from her one and only best friend and husband. She would break his heart the way he had broken hers, she would be the one who would slip a blade into the very tenants of his heart by will and walk away forever. Her mind was consciously aware of the reasons as to why she was leaving without him. She wanted to give him life and understood that her presence would only suck the very life from him. The jealousy and contempt within her husband’s heart and mind would prove dangerous if he returned to Unas with her and the choice she had before her, to stay or leave altered greatly with each passing conversation between herself and Theodore. She saw the pain and conflict in his once vivid and untouched blue eyes, a pain derived from her, a pain that could not be overcome by her presence and she knew that he would understand her reasons for leaving. Their time as adopted siblings and lovers was based around falsehood and deception. Eveline could no longer deny the timeless and unending love and connection she shared with Galean, no matter the situation or prophecy. Neither could she allow her half-brother to strip her father’s people of freedom and light. She would define the very definition of an oppressor if she simply lived in denial and shut her eyes to the reality of who she was and where she was from. Eveline had found a strength, hidden deep within her, a strength that would help her to overcome her fears of the future and no matter how wrong or unfaithful it was in the eyes of those who surrounded her, that strength lay in her love for Galean, and his love gave her focus and determination. She had known from the first time she had looked up into his eyes that her world would alter vastly and she with it. She felt different now, felt as though she had arisen from a long and arduous sleep, in which her body, mind and heart had been encased in ice. She would never forgive herself for walking away from Theodore, but if it meant protecting Galean and ultimately protecting Theodore from himself, then it was a regret she was willing to bare until her dying breathe.

“There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness,” Eveline whispered aloud as she opened her bible and traced Galean’s words with her index finger. Gently she brought the bible to her lips and kissed the page softly. As she pressed the bible to her lips a piece of paper fell out from the back and swirled down until it touched the floor. Eveline placed the bible away from her and closed it, setting it down upon the window ledge. Eveline bent down low and picked up the folded piece of paper and as she rose again to her full height, she gently opened it, her eyes widening with feeling.

When you feel lost or alone, play this, even when you feel like you can no longer bring yourself to play. If music be the food of love, play on.

Eveline looked down at the piece of music titled; Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No 2 in F major, 2^nd movement. A tear fell upon the sheet of music and for a time she simply rested it upon her breast and held it close. As an owl cried out in the distance, Eveline opened her eyes and smiled warmly. With her feet bare and a tartan blanket wrapped about her shoulders she turned from the window and made her way out of her room. The house was quiet, Mary being in the kitchen and preparing dinner and Theodore out for a brief evening walk to clear his mind and in no doubt keep himself clear of his wife. Coming down the stairs, Eveline stood before the door of the music room and breathed in a sigh before turning the brass handle around and entering, closing the door behind her quietly. With a gentle wave of her hand she lit the candles and lantern and took her seat before the piano, placing the sheet of music on the stand. Delicately she readied her hands, hovering her fingers above the keys with gentleness. Reading the music twice over she counted to three in her mind and began to play, her body seizing as the music erupted from the piano, like a soft poem, taming the mind and soul. Gentle, elegant and painfully emotional, the concerto touched everything within the room like a ray of sunshine. As she played she imagined Galean sitting beside her, a kind smile upon his Viking like face. The music flowed like an endless spring river and she was transported to the garden of Calhuni, images of the precious and bountiful flowers that filled the garden forming in her mind. As she found herself within the garden, she too found her mind bringing forth the dozen or so memories, the only memories she would ever hold of her parents.

When her fingers stopped and the music faded away into memory, Eveline sat back and smiled, using the back of her right hand to wipe away the tears upon her stained cheek. With a rising chest and thudding heart she played the song again and again, uncaring of the world about her.

*

Theodore stopped at the garden wall and listened to the music as it flowed from the windows of the music room and sighed. How beautiful and pure it was and how he pained himself to listen to it, feeling his wife’s grief and loss. His walk over the hills and about the lake had done little to calm his stormy mind, filled with confusion, anger and disillusion.  His marriage was falling apart before his eyes and he had not the strength or desire to pick up the pieces. Standing upon the shore of Derwentwater he could feel the presence of Jophiel by his side and could hear her sweet whisperings of encouragement and reason, her last words forever penetrating and troubling him.

You have the will power to stand apart from the darkness that encroaches upon you, you have the strength to embrace redemption. This I believe with all my heart. You are like a robin, always looking on at the birdbath with hesitation, never sure if you should take water from it, never certain if you are worthy of such relief. Drink the water and let it replenish you, let it wash over the raging fires that burn within you. You can make things right again if you will it.

As he stood against the cottage wall, a small robin landed close to him and chirped. Theodore looked across at the robin, whose head was titled with curiosity, its beaded eyes shining with thought.

“Jophiel?” Theodore whispered to the bird with a frown. The robin hopped closer to Theodore, so close he could almost feel its feathers brush against his cold skin. The bird chirped up at him with feeling. “What do I do?” Theodore whispered softly, his head bent in heaviness.

There are certain points in our life when we have to stand above the doubts and uncertainty for the greater good of mankind, points when we must act on behalf of others and not ourselves. Eveline is one of those points and you must walk with her on this journey because no one knows or understands her more than you. Forget the prophecy, forget the jealousy and see the bigger picture. Understand who she is and what she stands for and find purpose in that even if it brings no glory. Her love for you will not diminish like the morning mist that holds heavy over the awakening earth. It will be always and forever, like my love for you.

The gentle words spoken the night before her death, touched Theodore deeply and with a smile and a nod towards the robin, he took in a deep breathe.

“And you will stand with me?” he asked the robin quietly, the music now ended. Theodore watched the shadow of Eveline leave the room and held still. The robin chirped gently before quickly springing away from the wall and flying low over the garden, coming to stand close to the door. Theodore stood away from the wall and opened the gate, entering the garden and walking along the path until he came to the door. With one last look at the robin, he opened the door and entered.

“Ah you are back just in time Theodore,” Mary smiled broadly as she came into the morning room with her apron on. Hunched over the lit fire, stood Eveline, lost in her thoughts. Theodore smiled over at the elderly housekeeper as he took off his heavy coat and hat.

“I shall be right in,” he said with a light tone as he hung up his coat and hat upon the wooden coat holder. Mary looked across at the forlorn Eveline and then looked back at Theodore with a frown. Theodore gave her an assuring smile as he walked over to Eveline and placed a hand upon her shoulder. “Eveline? Are you alright?”

“Perfectly,” Eveline whispered, her voice low and sad.

“Are you unwell?” Theodore prodded, seeing the gentle lines of stress forming on her ethereal and fair face.

“I am just a little tired that is all,” Eveline said with a slight smile as she raised her gaze from the dancing flames, meeting her husband’s quietly. For a long moment they held each other’s gaze, all of the unspoken pain and confusion passing from one to the other.

“What bothers you?” Theodore asked kindly, his right hand reaching out and clasping her own tenderly. In her face he could see the quiet, reserved and worried Eveline, the Eveline he had grown to love and adore.

“So much has altered and changed, I hardly know how to bare it,” Eveline admitted with a gentle sigh, her fingers softly embracing his own with feeling. “And with it, we too have altered and changed, and I hardly know how to bare it.”

“Do you remember the time Harriet Green pushed you to the ground?” Theodore asked with raised brows. “You were about eleven and she was one of the school bullies.”

“I remember,” Eveline whispered under her breath.

“They were calling you a witch among other names,” Theodore said as he turned her face to him with his free hand. “And I broke away from my group of friends and came to your aid, do you remember?”

“Yes, you told them that you would perform a curse on them all. That you would ask the Gods to deny them beauty and love, that they would forever be lonely.”

“When I think back on it now, it was rather evil and harsh I think,” Theodore smiled with teasing eyes. “Do you remember what I promised you that day?”

“You promised me that you would forever be my protector, no matter what,” Eveline said with glazed eyes.

“That promise stands, no matter what lies between us,” Theodore said with a determined voice. “We can weather any storm, come what may.”

“I’m afraid a great storm is coming our way,” Eveline said with lowered eyes.

“Then we shall meet it together, understand?” Theodore asked with pleading eyes. Eveline nodded in response as he husband wrapped her in an embrace, kissing her forehead gently. Eveline wrapped her arms about Theodore tightly, holding him close, knowing that this would be their last embrace. He would wake up and find her gone and the promise that lay between them would become shattered. “I’ve been thinking about our travels to Scotland,” Theodore murmured into her thick hair. “I’ve found us a cottage near Loch Lomond, isolated and safe. I know of a few people who live close by, so that we wouldn’t be completely without company. What do you think?”

“If you think it is safe then I don’t mind,” Eveline lied into his warm jumper.

“I will send a letter to the landlord in the morning,” Theodore replied with a smile, his arms tightening about his wife. For the first time in many months he felt warmth within his heart and a beam of hope emerge. They would build a future together in Scotland and if he could bring her happiness and security, she would forget about returning to Unas and their marriage and friendship could work and last. If she still wished to return to her world, he would follow, knowing their marriage would be stronger and firmer. He closed his eyes and for a brief moment, he wished Galean would pass away from his wounds, giving himself and Eveline the very future he hoped for. The feeling of guilt and depravity touched him lightly as this terrible thought came to light and he gently stood away from Eveline, smiling down at her awkwardly. Upon seeing the change in his expression, Eveline unclasped her hand from his own and turned, walking away from him with bent shoulders. Theodore watched his wife disappear into the kitchen and looked down at his hands, turning them about in the light, his fingers bent from the imprint of his wife’s.

“Theodore?” a familiar and warm voice called out to him. Theodore looked up at the plump Mary and sighed, dropping his hands away and walking over to the elderly housekeeper. The trio ate in silence, all three of them consumed with troubled thoughts. When eventually they parted ways, Eveline made for her room, firstly enveloping Mary in a hug before heading up the dainty stair case without another word.

*

A terrible sickness swirled within Eveline’s stomach as she gathered her things together and dressed, the first rays of the morning sun settling upon the misty hills of Keswick. Close to the door lay two leather suitcases and upon her table was the weighty letter for Theodore. Closely she looked at her reflection and breathed in deeply. She could hear the thudding of her heart within her ears and could feel her blood circulating around her body in a rush of anxiety and uncertainty. With an upturned curl of her lip she examined her left hand and the golden band that wound about her forth finger, shining slightly against the morning light.

“What if I am doing the wrong thing?” she asked her reflection solemnly. “I am breaking my vows and oath to my husband, if I walk away and leave him now, he will never forgive me and I will never forgive myself.” Beautiful and bittersweet memories cascaded through her mind of her rushed and rather simple wedding. Closing her eyes she let herself return to the small church in Keswick. That morning she had sat in the same chair before her looking mirror and wept with nerves. Her thick, auburn curls had been delicately curled about her. She had a small and simple crown of wild flowers about her head, and dainty little pearl earrings on her ear lobes. Estelle had given her a pearl necklace, which had glistened about her fair neck. The effect of the pearls against her fiery hair was exquisite. Her ivory dress of lace had been simple too, falling elegantly to her feet. On her dressing table was a small bunch of garden flowers, woven together with an ivory ribbon. The feelings that had consumed her that morning, consumed her now. Eveline felt her heart thud at the memory of her entering the church upon the arm of her mother. A small congregation had gathered for the rushed wedding and when she had walked under a beautiful arch of roses, she had felt her heart kick against her chest with anticipation. Down before the alter stood her best friend and husband to be, in his RAF uniform. The night before the wedding, Eveline had found herself on the floor, her head bent over a bucket as she vomited, her nerves so overcoming and strong, her whole spirit and body retched with anxiety. But as she walked down the aisle, a small smile formed on her lips as she beheld Theodore, so handsome and strong. He turned to her and his face was filled with a beaming joy as she shook. It was when their gazes had met, had Eveline felt herself calm for the first time in four weeks. When Estelle, placed her cold hand within Theodores warm grasp, she closed her eyes and sighed. The love she had for Theodore was not in the same league as his love towards her, but he was her centre and he had shielded, protected and loved her since first they had met and she in turn had loved, shielded and protected him, despite his little need for aid.

“You look radiant,” Theodore had whispered into her ear during a hymn. Eveline had bound herself to him and now she was breaking that bond and she was terrified, her bones felt weak, her stomach turn with bitterness and her heart wretched with guilt. When she had kissed Galean, she in that moment understood Theodore’s feelings, understood why he had become so possessive and insecure. She had believed that when she kissed her husband under the garland of roses that she had at last found happiness and love, but she had been so wrong and her realisation of this had come too late. And here she was, giving up the love of her one constant friend for another. How had it come to this she did not know, but when she touched the lips of Galean, she had in that moment without consciousness, given herself to him completely and everything within her willed her to find him and bring him back to life as he had done to her. She would never understand the madness of her actions, never forgive herself or feel any sense of reason in what she was about to do, but her will and need to safe Galean and her people was so strong, so prevalent that she could not give it up, not for anything rationale in this world. She would and could not live on without Galean by her side.

Eveline, fully dressed and ready picked up the letter and with one last look, rose from her dressing table. Picking up her suitcases and opening her door quietly, she looked round her room one last time and felt her throat fill with sadness. She took in every book that rested upon her shelves, the row of shoes beneath her bed, the vase of wild flowers on her bedside table, her dressing table filled with pieces of jewellery and the pictures of herself, Estelle and Theodore. She had packed one photo of the three of them and Wordsworth in her suitcase, among other sentimental belongings that she wished to bring with her, in memory of all that she had been and all that she had loved. A tear fell from her eye and fell onto her red coat as she turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. As she came to pass Theodore’s room, she slipped the letter under his door before placing a hand upon it.

“I love you,” she whispered before walking on. Every step that she took rang out within her, every physical object that she passed, engrained itself within her memory and every step she took down the staircase creaked slightly as always. Quietly she set down her suitcases and entered the music room. With tear filled eyes, she let her fingers gently settle upon the keys for a moment before lifting them away and turning from the room, closing the door softly. Picking up her suitcases once more she made for the door and opened it cautiously, stepping out into the cold morning air. Closing the cottage door behind her she looked down the lane and saw a car awaiting her, the reverend standing outside, watching on. Eveline made her way up the garden path, passing a robin who sat perched solemnly upon the wall.

“Watch over him for me little robin,” Eveline said with a weak smile as she closed the garden gate behind her. Standing back for a moment, she took in the cottage, quaint and beautiful. She had lived the happiest of lives in this beautiful and quiet place, surrounded by the most beautiful hills, lake and fields. So much of her childhood had been spent roaming the nearby areas, hand in hand with her best friend. Lifting her eyes she looked up at the sky and cried pitifully, closing her eyelids to the sun. With a sigh she turned and walked away from all that had been good and secure and now found herself walking into uncertainty and danger, with precious little time to return to her people and most of all her destiny. As she walked away, she felt the robe of Eveline fall from her shoulders to be replaced by a new robe, the robe of Celestine.

*

Theodore awoke abruptly to the sound of a robin and felt his heart beat wildly as though something terrible had happened. Something felt wrong as he climbed out of his bed and walked to the window. Wiping his eyes, he yawned, his gaze upon the distant hills. As his vision fixed itself he noticed a car, driving away into the distance and felt his heart stop.

“Eveline.”






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