Falling for Forever (5 page)

"I'm sure I will, Mariah." Bryn leaned back in the chair as she licked the last drops of soup from her lips. The bread was still warm in her hands and she took a small bite. Never in her life had she been given this much food. Although her stomach was full, she still hungered for something else. She ignored the soft churning of her stomach as she always had and sipped the water.

"Bryn, I hope you do not mind my prying, but could you possibly tell me some things about your life? Do you remember your parents? How was it that you came to be a servant to that horrible man? I'm sorry if these questions are painful. You do not have to answer if you find it hard to."

Bryn smiled at Mariah as she began speaking, "When I was a newborn, a woman found me in a tree. Her name was Madelyn, and she raised me on cow's milk and honey cakes. When I was a very young child, she died, and since I had no other family that I could remember, I was given to her husband. They had long since split up, and he was part of a traveling carnival that kept various other creatures."

Bryn paused. "I made friends with the other creatures and felt like I had finally found a place I belonged with them. The staring and pointing from the people wasn't as bad as you might think, and I was given food and a place to sleep each night. I shared my cage with a baby dragon that was the same age as me. He and I became fast friends, and then the man bought a unicorn, and I made friends with him too."

Her eyes darkened and she wrung her hands nervously. "Then one day, Franklin came to see us. I sang a little song and danced with the unicorn as the people watched. But he saw something else in me and offered the man forty silver pieces for me. The man quickly agreed, and once Franklin saw the dragon, he had to have him too. By the time he was done, the dragon, unicorn and I were in a wagon for the lump sum of one hundred silver pieces." Bryn leaned back in the chair and trembled slightly.

"I was just a child, and in my youth he let me play in the garden with the other creatures that were like me. I cleaned the floors, brought him dinner and he treated me like a pet. He almost cherished me and insisted that I learn the finer things in life such as table manners and dancing." Bryn's voice trailed off to a numb whisper, and she folded her arms over her stomach. Afraid of what Mariah's gaze would reveal, she looked away. The memories had felt good to tell. Mariah was the first human she had ever told, and she hoped that she could be trusted with her secrets. Bryn's mind drifted to her friends, the dragon and the unicorn. They had been her closest allies through it all. Especially the dragon; he had become her best friend. Her fingertips remembered every curve of his body down to the last silver scale. She resisted the urge to cry as the memories overcame her.

"Since you have told me something of yourself, it is only fair I do the same for you," Mariah said. "I am a traveler. I was born in a faraway land called Larencia to noble parents. The sword which you see at my hip was made for me by the Elven kin who have since taught me their craft. The stone in the guard is called argincite, a gem found only in the city of Strytas. During my travels there, I had obtained a close relationship with a kind family who eventually gave me this stone. I decided to make my home within this gentle forest, and here many creatures have had the grace to befriend me.

"The elves which you may have seen were once but a small family who had been separated from their kin when humans decided they liked the land their homes were on. Though the human world would consider this forest my property, I prefer to think of it as simply sharing the land with the elves. They are a fairly withdrawn and quiet people and, sadly, I do not know as much of them as I wish. That is why I try to read what lore there is concerning their people. I hope you can think of this place as your home as well, Bryn, for as long as you wish to stay here." Mariah smiled at Bryn and dipped the last of her bread into the soup while watching Bryn's eyes intently.

Mariah's words had eased her pain, and Bryn smiled softly to her. Never had any human been so open with her. She wondered if all humans lived as Mariah did and decided that she should learn more about them. At the mention of the elves, her ears perked up, and she remembered the bag.

"Please excuse me for one moment." She leapt to her feet and quickly disappeared into the bedroom. After some rustling, Bryn emerged with a small package wrapped in a fine blue cloth. She handed it to Mariah and sat down gracefully. She had never given a human a present, and so she wondered if it would be okay. Bryn ran her fingers through her hair and undid the loose string holding it together. Her curls cascaded down her shoulders, and she sighed as they bounced against her skin.

Mariah removed the blue covering to reveal two books, one with a faded red cover and the other with a green one. The title of the red book,
Le Morte Del Evannia
, was written in delicate silver script. The other book looked as if it had been made of the green of the forest itself and was titled
El Damine Erectus
. Mariah cradled the books softly in her hands. "Ah, you must have paid a visit to Carl. He is a very nice fellow, but a bit strange at times. I have been waiting a long time for these books. The red one tells of the death of a dark emperor at the hands of the elves. The green book speaks of the origin of the Elvish people." Mariah thanked Bryn for the present and placed the books upon the edge of the table.

Bryn nodded and smiled happily. "Who was the woman in the blue dress that was watching you?" she said as she looked into the glowing flame of a nearby torch. Her eyes became wide and she covered her mouth. "I… I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." Bryn quickly looked away and readied herself for the punishment that was sure to follow such an outburst. She had no right to ask such a personal question of her host. Franklin used a belt when she had spoken out of turn; she wondered what Mariah would do. Mariah took one of her delicate hands and placed it between her own as she smiled sweetly at her. Mariah could feel her soft fingers trembling and looked up to see a small tear trickle down her cheek.

"Please Bryn, do not be afraid of me. I have sworn never to hurt you, and I fully intend to uphold my vow." Mariah released her hand and rose from her chair to walk behind Bryn and laid her hands upon Bryn's shoulders. "I know it must be very hard for you to trust that the last thing I'd ever want to do would be to hurt you, I hope you can come to see it someday, Bryn. Anyway, to answer your question, she was simply a minor noble with a foolish fancy." With that, Mariah took up the used dishes upon the table and brought them into the kitchen to be washed.

Bryn abruptly rose from her seat and walked into the bedroom. She grabbed her cloak and ran out of the house as fast as her legs would carry her. She wrapped her cloak around her body and found herself racing to the forest, her heart pounding in her ears. Her legs felt numb as she ran through the cold river. Soon though, the water was up to her hips and she had to swim across. The muddy bank fell away beneath her feet as she pulled herself out of the river. Branches and leaves whipped across her face as she continued running deeper into the forest. In the darkness that surrounded her, though, she finally fell to her knees and slumped wearily against a tree. Her breath came in short gasps, and her body trembled in the bitter cold wind.

Mariah watched sadly as the door closed behind her and sighed. She had not meant to frighten or anger the little Strytas; she only wished to comfort her. Mariah decided she might be very upset if she went looking for her, so she finished cleaning up from dinner and set to reading one of the books Bryn had given her. Mariah flipped through the delicate pages, but her mind could not concentrate on the words. Mariah thought about Bryn and all the evil things that had been done to her. Mariah hadn't seen or heard anything more than what had happened the first day when she had come to the manor, yet she could imagine the horrid acts Franklin had done. The torches upon the dark walls of the library flickered and danced, forming living shadows around the room.

Mariah stared into the flames as her worry for Bryn increased steadily. She had now been gone over an hour and dark clouds loomed in the sky. Suddenly the clouds exploded, and thunder roared through the once still air. Mariah had not seen Bryn take any sort of protective clothing with her, so she decided that she could not let her stand the dreary conditions, even if Bryn was afraid of her. Mariah strapped on her sword and left the cabin in attempt to find the poor Strytas. Mariah barely noticed the freezing cold rain pounding against her skin as she raced across the field and into the forest. Searching frantically, she finally found a muddy footprint in the ground. Mariah spotted another and another until she could make out a trail of them leading deeper into the trees. Her feet splashed dirt and water into the air as she desperately tried to find Bryn before her tracks washed away with the pouring rain.

Mariah could hear the faint sounds of sobbing in the distance and quickly found their owner. Bryn sat at the base of a large oak tree with her knees tucked under her chin and shivering profusely.

The white feathers of her wings were completely soaked with water and were appearing to turn a light shade of blue in the moonlight. Bryn had her cloak wrapped desperately around her body in attempt to shelter herself from the cold, though its fabric was so soaked it only made her shiver more. She had not noticed Mariah's approach and only looked up as she sat at the base of the tree beside her. The rain made it difficult to tell if the streams of water running down Bryn's face were tears, but Mariah guessed they were. Mariah unlatched her cape from around her neck and wrapped it tightly around Bryn's trembling body. The black material, ever warm and dry, comforted her slightly as a small smile touched her lips. Mariah wanted so badly to wrap her arms around Bryn and warm her body, though she knew she would again shy away from her. Mariah rested against the tree next to her and watched the lightning streak though the sky.

After a few moments, Mariah felt a trembling arm wrap around her neck, and she started to speak in a shaky voice. "Please, take me back."

Mariah nodded and scooped Bryn up into her arms. They quickly walked out of the forest and to the cabin. Mariah pushed the door open with her shoulder and carried her into the bedroom and placed her upon the bed.

Mariah provided her with a few towels and watched her as she curled up upon the bed, still shivering. Deciding to let her dry herself and rest, Mariah left the room and the door clicked closed behind her. Mariah set to making a fire in the large hearth and prepared hot tea for them both.

*~*~*

Bryn listened to Mariah as she left the bedroom. She could hear the sound of her boots as she walked into the library. In the silence of the room, her very essence ached. Her body felt numb from both the cold and fear. Her wet hair was plastered to the sides of her face. She held her legs to her chest and shook uncontrollably as she sobbed.

She wondered why she had run in the first place. Franklin's face flashed before her eyes. But Mariah wasn't Franklin. She was good, and sweet and kind. Franklin was a monster. But Mariah's every touch, every word, reminded Bryn of Franklin. And so, she had tried to escape. But then Mariah came looking for her, she reminded herself. Mariah had been worried about her. Franklin would have never done that. He hardly ever looked for her. Unless he wanted what he always took. Her body burned from his touch. No matter how hard she had scrubbed over the years, the filth would never leave. As she shut her eyes tightly in a futile effort to push back the memories, she could hear him breathing loudly in her ears and the burning between her legs.

Bryn opened her eyes and scrambled out of the bed. She was shaking, and the memories had become more vivid. They replayed in her mind endlessly until she felt as if she would go insane. She knew Franklin's smell, his touch, everything about him. And it sickened her to the core. Never in her life had she hated anyone as much. Even the man that had kept her in a cage and paraded her around for people to gawk and stare at was better than Franklin. She should have known what the man wanted as she, the dragon and the unicorn watched the cages disappear in the distance. The unicorn knew, she had been sure of it. He warned her about the humans long before Franklin ever touched her. But she hadn't listened.

She hated herself for being so stupid.

Mariah stood and went to another bookshelf in the library. Her simple movement brought Bryn back into the present. There was no Franklin in the forest. He could never touch her again. There was only Mariah, and she had never tried to hurt her. She doubted that Mariah ever would. Her touch was gentle, and she could feel no bad intentions within her.

Bryn removed her wet dress and cloak then tossed them both into a pile on the floor. She found a sheet in a drawer and wrapped it tightly around her body. The cream that Angie had given her remained in the bag and she picked it up and walked out of the bedroom. She paused momentarily at the door to the library before walking in.

The room smelled of tea and on a table sat a cup of it waiting for her. Bryn took the tea between her hands and knelt down in front of the fire. She was afraid to meet Mariah's eyes, and so she focused on the rug beneath her as she sipped her tea. Bryn placed the cup upon the fire's hearth and looked into the flames. As her wings started to dry in the heat of the fire, she dipped her fingers into the cream and began slowly working it into her feathers. "Why are you friends with Franklin?" she asked softly without raising her eyes.

Mariah looked up from her book. "I would not exactly call him a friend, more of a business associate. I once required a certain powder from him. This powder only came from the graces of unicorns and, seeing as they are so rare, it was necessary for me to obtain this powder from him. I use it in the process of making swords; the powder helps them to become more durable. I cannot say I much enjoyed my relationship with him, though if I wanted this important material, he was the only way I could acquire it at the time."