Title: Stranger in a Strange Land
Category: Books » Twilight
Author: Lady Gwynedd
Language: English, Rating: Rated: M
Genre: Supernatural/Romance
Published: 09-18-10, Updated: 09-18-10
Chapters: 1, Words: 5,812
Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Age of Edward Contest
Second Place Winner in Age of Edward Contest 2010
Lady Gwynedd
Stranger in a Strange Land
Edward of the Roman Empire
AN * The Oneironi were the companions and minions of Somnus, the god of sleep (or at least Morpheus, his Greek Counterpart – I am borrowing them for the purposes of this story.) They were thought to bring dreams to blessed sleepers or nightmares to not so blessed ones.
*Diana – Goddess of the moon
* Nox – Goddess of the night
*Somnus – God of sleep.
IIIIIII
Ysabell, one of the many Oneironi, was smitten.
She was quite surprised by it. Usually, she disdained the many infatuations her brothers and sisters indulged in within the mortal realm. In fact, her favorite sister, Alicia, was wont to fall in love at least every other season with one man or another and Ysabell would tease her unmercifully for it.
"Oh, Ysabell," Alicia would say, "you need to watch your tongue. You are tempting the Fates. One day, they will hear you and you will come face to face with your human destiny. Then, you shall know what suffering for love means."
"Not me, Alicia, for I am much too particular," and she turned up her nose and went on her way.
Truly, before her current plight, she couldn't see the lure. Human men were so, well - mortal. They had to contend with the messiness of living and as a consequence dealt with eating and sweating, and eliminating all sorts of human byproducts. And the smells they produced! It turned her green to think of it. No. She was not one to hanker after a human lover.
But her opinion was of no matter that fateful night when she first gazed upon him. She was sifting through an army of sleeping men, whispering fairy dreams into their ears. They were a legion camping on the plain of Salisbury in old Britannia. The moon glowed low in the sky, Diana's slivery light painting all in magical argent hues. Nox herself polished each star that hung that night in her ebony sky so that they shone as diamonds on a velvet cloak. All was dreamy and soft and nothing could be heard but for crickets and the distant tread of the night guard.
Ysabell drifted round a dimming fire and into a white marquee.* She heard the quiet breathing of the sleeping man as he lay in bed before her. As she bent to place her lips at his ear, he turned his head and the fire glow revealed his features.
She forgot she was a minion of Sleep, a demigod. She forgot she had no interest in mortal men.
It was if the moon and the stars, the earth and the trees all shifted and changed their direction in one moment. She heard the eldritch laughter of the Fates and she felt Cupid's* arrow shatter her equanimity as it pierced her heart. Her fate was now sealed.
She was deeply and truly besotted with a mere man and he knew nothing of her.
Of course, it was difficult for an Oneironi to make their desires known to mortals for they had only the portal of dreams to use. So, Ysabell waited and watched and breathed beautiful dreams in her beloved's ear each night. His dreams were now laced with glimpses of a slender, moon-skinned, fairy-girl, whose dark hair flowed out and around them in a blissful dreamland ocean, and whose dark eyes reflected her devotion for him in their depths. But in every dream as they finally reached for each other, Somnus, who felt great amusement at Ysabell's sudden change of mind regarding the love of mortals, blew his cold breath and she faded from his sight, his arms, and his dreams. He awoke to a new day with only a mysterious yearning echoing in his heart.
VVVVVV
Eduardus stood in the dusty sunlight and watched his men drill. The Roman Army was a modern miracle. There was not a force on earth that could withstand it. He was and had been always proud of his heritage and his place, Eduardus Sextus, being the sixth child of his father. He had drilled with the men when he was still a boy and was raised amidst them for he was always intended to be a leader. He was content with the life the Fates had woven for him.
Or at least that is what Eduardus had always believed until he arrived in this godless place. His faith in Pax Romanus* was wavering. The Army brought peace and prosperity wherever it went but amazingly, the people in this strange land wanted no part of it. They rarely fought in battles any longer but they were effective in resisting. They moved like ghosts and practiced a war of attrition, raiding storage caches, picking off couriers and small parties but he could never put his thumb on them. The moment a Roman force appeared they were gone. They moved like quicksilver* and so far, he had not the vessel that could contain them.
And to add to that, he had been having such unsettling dreams lately. He was sure the gods were trying to tell him something but he could never decipher what. In his dreams, there was always the same beautiful girl, whose skin was like moon glow and whose hair – oh he could drown in her luscious dark tresses - but it was her gaze that enthralled him. When their eyes met, he had not the power to look away. Their earthen colored depths embraced him as a lover but whenever he tried to reach out for her, she'd fade away and he'd wake to face another day of frustrations. It was getting so that he looked forward to his evening rest, just to sink into her beauty once again.
He took the report of the duty officer and went back into his tent. He had letters to write today to Rome, letters that were very much the same as he wrote last month and the month before. Nothing changed. Nothing got better. Nothing got poorer. Surely death could not be worse than this inertia? He felt as though he was being devoured by guppies, a flake of skin at a time. Well, he needed to get on with it. He had work to do: keep the men busy, the scouts alert, and himself from going mad.
XXXXXXX
"…and then just as our arms reach for each other, Somnus blows his fetid breath over him and he awakens, and I fade into dreamland. This happens night after night and it is likely to break my heart." Ysabell was crying on the shoulder of Alicia, who was resisting with all her might to stop from telling her sister that she had told her so. She had warned her that her arrogant behavior towards love was sure to titillate the Fate's perverted sense of humor. She didn't gloat however because she knew how painful it was to have what was wanted snatched away so cruelly time after time. Besides, she did love her favorite sister and hated to see her in pain.
"If only Somnus would leave us be, I could feel the wonder of his arms about me."
"Somnus enjoys teasing the Oneironi. He wants us to know that we are always at his bidding. He never lets us actually achieve our own dreams of love."
"He's cruel."
"No. He's just Somnus. Somnus will never understand love except for the love of sleep. There's no reasoning with him."
"If he could just be distracted for a while, I could fulfill my desire," Ysabell wailed.
"Distracted? The only thing that distracts him is the promise of a lovely repose."
Ysabell thought for a moment, then said, "I have a scheme, I think." And so, the two fairy creatures conspired to divert their pater's attention for the few hours it would take Ysabell to woo her lover.
LLLLLLLLLL
Alicia and Ysabell were walking by the throne of Somnus, if you could call it that. It looked more like a couch than a throne and Somnus loved to loll about upon it to the exclusion of everything else except one. Somnus loved to meddle in the affairs of his Oneironi, much to their dismay. He was mean in his teasing, mostly because he had never loved, nor lost, nor ached, nor mourned. Perhaps if he had experienced these emotions, he would not have been so heartless.
Currently, his favorite bit of meanness centered around Ysabell and so when he heard her speaking to Alicia in a whisper, he used his godpowers to listen in.
"…her goose has the softest down in creation, Alicia. It was bred purposefully to stuff the pillows of Juno as a special boon. It is claimed that the one who sleeps on a pillow filled with that down has the most delicious slumber better than has ever been experienced."
"She's so clever, then. Surely Juno will grant her anything after a gift such as that."
Somnus' envy was immediately aroused. The softest pillow? The most delicious slumber? That was his province. He wanted that pillow for himself.
His ethereal voice echoed in the chamber, "Alicia. Attend me." Of all the Oneironi, Alicia was his favorite. She was winsome and cheerful and he cared for her as much as he could care for anyone. He could always rely upon her to answer his whims without question. He knew she would be the one to garner him his current desire.
Leaving Ysabell to go on her way, Alicia scurried to the foot of Somnus' throne and curtsied, "My liege."
"I have a yearning, Alicia. I am yearning for the ultimate slumber. Hmmmm? Do you know how I can achieve it?"
Alicia blinked, "…er, yes, milord. I believe I do know the way. Ysabell was just telling of a pillow that would suit. Should I procure it for you?"
Somnus knew Alicia would never deny him anything. She among all his minions was his favorite simply because she was so amenable to whatever he asked of her. "Yes, Alicia, I would desire so. Tonight."
Alicia said nothing but curtsied low and skipped out of his presence a wicked smile on her face. She and Ysabell had the pillow at the ready. It was soft but it was fragranced with a draught of forgetfulness. As long as Somnus' rested on the pillow, he would dream peacefully of nothing and Ysabell would be able to follow her heart.
CCCCCC
Eduardus settled down on his cot willing sleep to come quickly. He was so enchanted with his nightly visitor that he counted the minutes each day until he could reasonably retire. His rest was the secret to his sanity. If it were not for the lovely damsel of his dreams, he would have been fully mad by now.
Sleep did come rapidly and soon Ysabell was whispering in his ear.
"Come," she bid him softly.
He opened his dreaming eyes and looked at her proffered hand, fearing to take it, thinking he would immediately awaken and lose her too soon. She smiled gently and lifted his hand to prove that there was no danger of a premature awakening tonight. His heart skipped a thrilled beat and he followed her out of his marquee, past his watchful but unseeing guards, up a hill and into a large copse.
Without a further word she led him down a pathless trail to a small meadow that was lit with pure star light. Fireflies glimmered here and there among the sleeping flowers and in the middle was a bower nestled under a Rowan tree. Fragrant and soft grasses were woven into a mattress and filled with the finest willow down set sweetly under the leafy roof.
Eduardus' mortal heart was filled with delight, for it was to this bower she led him. Tonight it seemed that his dreams would be realized. Her silken hair would enfold them as would her arms and hopefully, nothing would interfere, not Somnus, not the legion, not anything.
So afraid to touch her, he lay beside her and slowly reached out with his hand to trace the curve of her cheek. He had never felt anything as soft. She raised her hand to weave her fingers through his hair and then lifted her lips to his.
Their first kiss was as though a thousand whispered dreams burst upon his consciousness. His heart felt as though it would pound out of his chest with bliss. He could swear he heard a chorus of heavenly beings as he shut his eyes and let his every pore feel how right it was to hold her in his arms, how perfect his lips felt upon hers, how flawlessly their bodies fit together.
She slowly slid her hand down his side and as her hand passed, his tunic fell away. He gasped as he looked down to find her body bare as well. It was soft and full, her curves lush and entrancing. His own body had responded with their first kiss and he felt he would go mad with his desire and need.
He kissed down her neck and pressed against her proving to her his eagerness. He gently fluttered his tongue against her breast and he heard her gasp with pleasure. She opened herself to him and he settled against her, rising up to passionately kiss her lips as he pressed himself home.
He moved over her, his head and heart spinning with his fervor. She held him as close as she could with arms and legs and lips.
He felt as though they were flying, spinning, diving from the heights of the tallest mountain to the depths of the sea and then back up again. He wanted more and more of her so he slipped his hands underneath and pulled her closer. His exaltation was nearing but he wanted to hold off until he knew she was fulfilled but it was impossible. Suddenly he was there and he felt completely overwhelmed, impossibly high, his every particle energized and then he wavered down like a leaf floating to the ground.
He was aware of her keening cry as she arched her back. She was there with him.
Floating.
Bliss.
MMMMM
He kissed her again, gently and reverently, then pulled her into his arms as they recovered together.
"Are you a nymph?" he asked.
Her chiming laughter tickled his neck, "No. I am one of the dream whisperers." Her voice was low and breathy and it resounded within him, as though he had heard it before.
Eduardus softly stroked her dark hair, marveling at its beauty, "What are you called, milady?"
"Ysabell."
"Ah, a lovely name. It suits you, my beauty. I am Eduardus Sextus."
She smiled, "I know who you are. I have studied you."
His lips quirked into a pleased smile, "Have you whispered me a dream before?"
"I have every night since the first time I saw you."
"Why?"
"Cupid's arrow slew me with love for you that evening. I am yours."
She kissed his neck as she tightened her arms around him.
"I have thought of nothing else but my dreams for weeks. You have haunted me."
"Do you count this as a ghosting?" She hoped he did not.
"No. This is a loving."
She burrowed her face into his neck. She was content and happier than she could ever remember being.
"Come with me. Stay with me," he pleaded.
She lifted her eyes to stare into his own that were filled with love, "I cannot. I am not of the mortal world, Eduardus. We can only meet in Dreamland. Each night we can meet in your dreams. Will it be enough?"
"It will have to be," he sighed regretfully. Eduardus gently drifted out of the dream world into a restful sleep but still kept her close beside him.
In the morning, he awoke in his marquee refreshed but naked and alone.
IIIIIII
Somnus was enraged, "What manner of mischief is this?" He threw the charmed pillow at Ysabell. She said nothing.
"I did not have a 'delicious sleep.' I slept as though I was enmeshed in the coils of Bacchus.* I do not remember the dreams of men from last night."
He looked closely at Ysabell. "And you look as though you have won the golden apple."
Ysabell looked down and blushed.
Somnus stood and stalked over to where she was standing, "You met with your lover, didn't you? You whispered him a dream of dreams."
She stood silently as Somnus circled her, calculating the way he could hurt her the most, "You will not whisper to that one again."
A searing pain gripped her heart, "No…"
"Oh, yes, my pretty. You will not whisper dreams to that mortal man ever again. "
The agony that engulfed Ysabell brought her to her knees and she begged, "Please, milord. Don't separate us."
He sneered and turned away from her prostrate form and stormed off to his couch. She lay there in complete desolation for a long while. Her devastation was overwhelming. She wanted to die. Unfortunately, since she was a demigod, she could not. It was the first time in her existance she ever wished she was human.
VVVVVV
Alicia, hidden by a column, watched the interaction between her dear sister and their pater. She was aghast at what Somnus had done. She knew he had always been mean spirited and spiteful but she had never seen him be so cruel before. Ysabell did not deserve the censure he laid upon her.
Alicia could not bear to see her sister in such pain so she turned and ran as far as her legs would take her. When she finally stopped, she threw herself down on the floor of some verdant forest and cried. She cried until the sun set and the moon rose. She cried until the owl who-whooed himself to bed at the dawning of the next day. She cried until she could cry no more and just lay there on resinous pine needles and stared up at the trees towering above her.
"Little daughter," a low voice called.
She sat up bracing herself with her arms and looked around. She did not see anyone. "Who is calling me?"
"It is well you should ask that, interloper." Suddenly, a beautiful woman appeared in front of Alicia, wreathed in stars and dressed in clouds. "It is I, Aisling."
"A-a-aisling?" Alicia could not help to keep her voice from shaking.
"Yes. You seem surprised to see me. How can that be?"
"We were told that you and your kind had gone."
"We are not gone, we are subtle. What is gone are the few people who know how to find us. They've deserted us for louder voices." Aisling looked at Alicia with disdain.
"Why are you here?" Alicia rose slowly to her feet. She was dwarfed by the druid goddess.
"The question is, 'why are you here'? This is not your realm."
"Every realm is our realm," Alicia said uncertainly.
Aisling scoffed, "Such arrogance. Such ignorance. We have been here since the dawning and will be here long after you have been supplanted by the next rash of immortal poseurs. You have no depth. Or, at least your Master has none - no finesse - no elegance. He is needlessly uncaring of even your tender feelings, nevertheless, the children of this land."
Alicia happened to agree, so she said nothing, just nodded her head.
"In fact, youngling, I am here to soothe your tears and to help you get revenge on your boorish progenitor, Somnus."
Alicia blinked. Revenge on a god? "Surely, that is not possible."
Aisling smiled snidely and said, "Oh, yes. My magic is older and truer and more delicate. Somnus will learn to heed the voices older than his. Here, daughter, this is what you must do…"
XXXXXXX
Eduardus was weary and depressed. Ysabell had promised him nightly visits but he had not seen her since their blissful tryst in the meadow. She promised him she would meet him in his dreams. He would fall asleep each night and seem to awake the next instant to find it was morning and his sleep had been completely dreamless. He had no idea what had happened. Perhaps she had second thoughts and changed her mind. Perhaps she no longer loved him. It was as if someone had taken a knife and cut out his heart. He was hollow and alone. At least the pain of his loss kept him from the insanity he once feared but he was not sure this desolation was better.
"Centurion, a local wishes for an audience."
Eduardus was surprised. Usually, the local inhabitants steered completely clear of his cohort. His curiosity was piqued, "Show him in."
"Her, sir."
Even more surprised, Eduardus said, "Her, then."
The soldier left and Eduardus stood. He knew that being relatively tall, he was even more intimidating standing. He was wearing his usual red tunic, and bronze body armor. The tassels and his cape, or paludamentum that denoted his rank, swung as he stood, legs spread, hands on hips waiting for his guest to arrive.
When the tent flap parted, the woman stepped through and removed her head covering. It was all he could do to keep from gasping. The woman was beautiful. He had never seen such beauty this side of his dreams. Tall and buxom, her long, blonde hair hung as a wavy sheath over her shoulders and back. Her complexion was flawless and her lips were the color of ripe berries. She was dignified and haughty as her blue eyes met his fearlessly.
"What is your name?" he asked abruptly.
"Rosalie of Cheverell Parva," she stated simply.
"And what reason have you to treat with me this day?" he asked.
"I have a warning that I must give," she stated flatly.
Eduardus scoffed, "A warning?"
Rosalie sighed, "Yes. I am compelled to warn you. I have no choice."
"No choice? Compelled? Who is forcing you to come to me?"
"There are voices in this land that you cannot hear, Centurion. They speak to those who can, sometimes with force. I have tried to avoid coming here to you for many days but I can no longer. I must warn you and then I can go."
Eduardus was amused. For one so beautiful to walk through a campsite filled with lusty soldiers, she must be crazed or idiotic. And she said she was "compelled" to warn him? There was probably some local superstition or hex she was trying to avoid. It would be humorous to hear what she had to say.
"Go on then and give your warning," he sneered.
"At night your sleep has been disturbed by dreams of a beautiful maiden who seemed always out of reach. She is of the fairy-kind that can only appear to mortals through dreams. However, if you wish to have her in life, you must repose upon the altar of the great standing stones when the moon is full. Then, when the fae one arrives to whisk you away to your dreams, fairy she will be no more."
Eduardus' eyes widened with each word the woman told. He had told no one of his dreams. "How do you know this?"
"The land speaks to me just as it spoke to my mothers before me."
"But she has not come to me in days!"
Rosalie shrugged as if she didn't care. "Go to the standing stones when the moon is full. Repose upon the altar. My task is now done. I will go."
With that, she covered her hair with the hood of her cloak and left the way she came. Eduardus didn't see that with each step she took her back hunched more, her complexion dulled, her features twisted, and her hair snarled. She changed from beautiful woman to an old crone. Each soldier she passed shuddered with revulsion and warded themselves afterwards.
Soon, Rosalie passed out of the camp and smiled complacently. She was free.
LLLLLLLL
The moon was full as they ran. Alicia had a firm grip on Ysabell's hand as she swiftly led her deeper and deeper into the dream country-side of this strange land. Earlier, Alicia had spirited her away from her agony. The broken hearted Oneironi lay where Somnus had left her, in a heap on the floor of his temple, weeping. She wept for her lover. She wept for herself. She wept in the knowledge that she would eternally feel this devastation and loss. Her brothers and sisters let her be, not knowing what comfort they could offer.
Ysabell barely heard Alicia when she rushed to her side and whispered urgently into her ear, "Ysabell, Ysabell, you must come with me. I know how to reunite you with your lover." Ysabell lifted her head and her red, tear-stained eyes looked into Alicia's and for the first time in days, she felt a glimmer of hope. The two slipped from the temple and, once hidden from view, they flew.
After a while, they entered a plain that was crowned by a construction of thick stone pillars, arranged in astrological patterns. It was an old place of great power and mysterious magic.
"We cannot go in there," Ysabell warned. "It is not for such as us."
"Aye, we cannot go in there of our own volition but we have been invited by one who is older than this. I was shown the way."
They quietly approached the first circle. Alicia bent down and picked up a slender switch that had been cut from a Rowan tree – the very tree under which Ysabell and Eduardus had consummated their love.
"Here, Ysabell. Take one end of this branch as I take the other, then we shall enter within. " Ysabell took her end and they held it so that it looped over their heads as they took a step into the circle.
Thunder boomed as they entered, either in welcome or warning, they were not sure which. They stood as still as the pillars that surrounded them and waited, a little frightened and very unsure.
"Come daughters. Come," a disembodied voice bid them closer and they took hesitant steps towards the center. The sky that had been clear on their journey thence was suddenly boiling with turbulent clouds and wind. A flash of lightening starkly lit the interior of the henge and they could see an altar made of stone with an unconscious man lying upon it.
"Eduardus!" Ysabell cried and ran towards him.
"Stop, Child of the Night!" A beautiful woman was suddenly blocking Ysabell's way. "You must not touch him, yet."
Ysabell slid to a halt and stared at the vision in front of her. It was the same being that appeared to Alicia days before: Aisling, the convertor of dreams to reality and back again.
"I must ask you, Sylph*, what is your dream, your desire?"
"I have ne'er had a dream, milady, but I do desire something dearly. I desire to be with Eduardus Sextus."
"In this world or the other?"
"In any world, milady, in any way. I love him."
Aisling smiled in gleeful satisfaction, "Then, I will give you your desire." She waved her arms and Ysabell floated into the air and drifted towards Eduardus' prone figure. Her godly clothing dissolved the closer she moved to him. She noticed that he was naked as well, as well as all other vestiages of his Roman heritage, and her heart started pounding in her chest, knowing that their reunion was only moments away.
Alicia stood enraptured watching her sister recline next to her human lover, happy for her but still fearful that something unexpected would happen. She knew from long years of experience that dealing with gods and goddesses is never simple and straight forward. There is always a catch. Always.
And she was right. Neither Ysabell nor Alicia realized that Aisling would turn them both into mortals once this night had passed. It would cause Somnus much agony to lose his favorite, Alicia, for that was whom Aisling was angling for all along. She knew that Alicia would never come on her own but she would come for the love of her sister. Aisling was delighted that her scheme was apparently successful.
Suddenly, the altar began to glow in eerie luminescence and the wind and the lightening increased. An electric sensation passed over Alicia's skin as the altar grew brighter and brighter until it hurt her eyes. Aisling started to laugh maniacally as the wind howled around them and thunder and lightning rolled above them. Ysabell was clinging to Eduardus, glad to be at his side but beginning to panic at the noise and the flashing light and the current that seemed to pass through her. She buried her face into Eduardus' chest and held him tightly.
"NO!" an unearthly shout echoed throughout the plain. Alicia cowered on the ground. She knew that voice and from it, she knew he was enraged – it was Somnus. She looked up and saw the towering figure of her progenitor swelling high above them in his ire. His soaring height allowed him to look over the henge and see his disobedient Oneironi committing treason against him. His eyes blazed to see Ysabell clutching her mortal man but his stone heart cracked when he saw Alicia cowering upon the ground.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" he shouted even louder as he reached out to grab Alicia and Ysabell from their places, intent on inflicting the utmost punishment on them. How dare they? His corporeal form was seething with fury. How dare she, his Alicia, his favorite? Mixed with his anger, was a searing pain in the region of his heart. He had never felt that before. But as he tried to reach into the holy place his hand smashed into an invisible barrier and he could not enter.
Aisling's laughter grew into a shriek, "You are too late, you misbegotten fool. Go back to your land. These are mine, now. You shall ne'er touch them again. You will have no power over them. They are mine."
Her laughter echoed louder than his cry of agony. She lifted her staff and a ray of blue light illuminated him and then he was gone, never to revisit those shores. He returned to his sunny, southern temple in a land far away to lick his wounds and learn what it was to love someone and lose them. From that day, they say, Somnus' cold heart melted and he was kinder to those who had been targetted by Cupid.
CCCCCCC
The moon set and the sun rose, casting stony shadows westward across the bodies of three humans, seemingly asleep in the middle of the holy circle. The sky was now clear and there was no evidence of godly brawls. The rosy light caused the former Centurion, who was lying upon the altar, to open his eyes. He was momentarily blinded so he could only use his other senses to try to understand where he was and why he was there. He felt a warm arm wrapped around his waist, and his neck was being tickled with what must be a lock of hair.
His heart lurched. Could it be? Was it? He turned his head and looked down to see his Ysabell but it wasn't exactly his love. She had a less unearthly appearance and besides, it was daytime and he was awake. He remembered now what Rosalie had revealed to him. If he slept on this stone, his love would come to him and then transform to a human.
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. Drowsily, she opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Eduardus, we are together."
He sat up and pulled her into his arms. "Aye. We are; with no limits."
She gasped as she realized she was changed. She stared at her hands and arms. "I am human!"
He smiled, "That you are. Do you mind?"
"No. I do not. It simply means we can be together now. We are not bound only to dreamland any longer."
They heard a movement to their left and looked in that direction, "Alicia!" Ysabell called. She jumped off the altar and ran to her sister. "You are human, too!"
Alicia sat up and looked in shock at her body, "This was unexpected. Where are our clothes, Ysabell?"
Eduardus was standing behind the altar trying not to look in the direction of the two women. His clothes were missing, too.
"Good morning," a familiar voice called. Eduardus looked up to see Rosalie approaching with her arms full of garments. She nodded at the silent Ysabell and Alicia and placed some of the clothing on the altar. "These are for you, Edward."
"My name is Eduardus."
"It is no more." She turned around and walked over to the women. "Here are some for you to wear, Alice and Isabella." The two newly changed women exchanged surprised looks when they heard their new names. They fit them better than their others. It was well.
"Rosalie, thank you for the clothing but how did you know we were here and would need them," Edward asked.
Rosalie sighed and shook her head, "I hope you are quick to learn, guma.* You are now a man of Aisling." She turned to the women who had quickly gotten dressed, "And you are her women. Come with me."
Waiting outside of the stone circle were two men, holding four horses. One man was muscular and dark haired with deep dimples on each side of his grinning smile. The other was golden-haired and slighter than the first. He smiled warmly at Alice.
"Mount up, Edward, and surely you would not mind to carry Isabella pillion. Alice, Jasper is willing to carry you. We must go now. You all have a new lives awaiting you." And then she led them away to where there were no Roman gods, nor legions, nor Oneironi.
Aisling would see to their dreams in the future.
AN:
*Marquee – the fact Eduardus was sleeping in a tent denoted he was of rank.
*Quicksilver is a name for the soft metal, mercury.
* Pax Romana – a time of relative peace and quiet in the Roman Empire. The Army kept the natives subdued. Well, I guess it was a peaceful time for the Romans.
*Bacchus – god of drunkenness.
*Aisling – Druid goddess who brings dreams into reality and reality into dreams.
*Slyph - a female spirit of the air.
*Guma – Celtic for warrior.